Web Standard: Glossaries
Definitions
A glossary is a list of terms and their associated definitions, usually related to a particular program or subject. In order to foster understanding, numerous EPA Programs make glossaries available on their web pages.
In the interest of agency consistency and credibility, Terminology Services (TS) is a centralized approach for maintenance and display of glossaries at EPA.
Content Requirements
- Glossaries must only be managed in Terminology Services and linked from your website. Do not create a glossary anywhere else, including a PDF, the EPA Intranet, or any public facing EPA webpage.
- Note: most EPA Program glossaries have already been loaded into Terminology Services.
- For guidance on how to manage a glossary in Terminology Services, please refer to the Glossary Management Guide (doc) Terminology Services is a web-based system and suite of services for creating, maintaining, searching and publishing glossaries and taxonomies. Terminology Services is backed by an enterprise terminology management tool called Synaptica.
- For more information on managing your glossary in Terminology Services, including best practices for creating and maintaining glossaries, please see: Terminology Services References
- Review/update your glossary at least once a year.
- Before creating a new glossary or revising an existing one, you may want to review the Terminology Services repository to determine if existing content can be used in creating or standardizing your glossary.
About this Standard
Original effective date: 02/08/2012
Date approved: 10/12/2022
Web Council review by: 10/12/2025 (or earlier if deemed necessary by the Web Council)