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Resource Types
ISO 690 provides specific citation guidelines for 16 categories of information resources. The 14 general data elements apply to all types; the resource-type guidelines refine, add to, or supersede them. Elements marked as required must always appear when applicable; all others are optional.
The monographs element table (below) serves as the master template — all other types reference it, noting which elements are added, removed, or changed.
Master Element Table (Monographs)
| Element | Status |
|---|---|
| Creator(s) | Required |
| Creator identity identifiers (ORCID, ISNI) | Optional |
| Title | Required |
| Medium designation | Required if not print |
| Subsidiary titles | Optional |
| Edition and version | Required if not first edition |
| Subsidiary creator | Optional |
| Series title and number | Required if part of a series |
| Place and publisher | Required |
| Date of publication | Required |
| Rights metadata | Optional |
| Date of update/revision | Required if available, for online |
| Standard identifier (ISBN, etc.) | Required if available |
| Distributor or online host | Required for electronic, if available |
| Persistent identifier (DOI, etc.) | Required if available |
| Location and access (URI) | Required for online without PID |
| Physical location | Required if limited copies |
| Relationships | Required if available |
| Date of citation (access date) | Required for dynamic resources |
| Other information | Optional |
1. Monographs
Books, reports, theses, and other standalone publications.
Follows the master element table directly. Variations:
- E-books: Specify edition/carrier/file format. If page numbers are absent, in-text citations may use paragraph numbers or section/chapter combinations.
- Audiobooks: Include narrator if mentioned. Duration may be in ISO 8601 (
P2H13M) or human-readable form (133 min.). - Multi-volume works: Give extent and separate revisers per volume.
2. Component Parts of Monographs
Chapters, contributions, poems cited within a standalone publication.
Has a split structure: elements for the component part, then "In:", then elements for the host item.
| Component Part Elements | Status |
|---|---|
| Creator(s) of component | Required |
| Title of component | Required |
| Additional info for component | Optional |
| "In:" | Required separator |
| Creator(s) of host | Required if known |
| Title of host | Required |
| Medium, edition, series, production, date | As applicable |
| Page number range of component | Required |
| Online elements (PID, URI, access date) | As applicable |
Locality should follow hierarchical navigation: Schedule 1, c 35, Part 1, Clause 7.
3. Continuing Resources (Serials)
Journals, newspapers, annual reports — publications issued in successive parts without a predetermined conclusion.
Two sub-tables: one for citing an entire serial or issue, one for a component part within a serial.
Entire serial/issue: Title is the first element (no creator required). Numeration is required if not citing the serial in general. ISSN is the standard identifier.
Component part within a serial: Opens with creator and title of the component, then title of the host serial (key title or abbreviated key title). The "In:" connector is not needed for journal articles. Numeration and page range are required.
For newspaper articles, publishing date replaces volume and issue.
4. Programs and Applications
Software, apps, operating systems, games.
Key differences from monographs:
- No standard identifier element (there is no ISBN for programs)
- License and copyright are separate optional elements
- System requirements are optional
- File size is required for large files
- Version must enable identification of the exact version for reproducibility
Creator is the organization or system designer. If no version-specific PID, URL may be used.
5. Cartographic Materials
Maps, atlases, globes, and spatial data.
Additional required elements:
- Map series designation — coded identifier for map sheets
- Subject/area — geographical names using the cartographer's contemporary frame (not present-day equivalents)
- Scale — as ratio (
1:50,000), or "Scale not shown" - Size — height × width in mm between neat lines; diameter for globes
Optional elements include projection, prime meridian, reference systems, spectral characteristics.
Title preference order: overprinted title → title panel → embedded metadata → grid/border → elsewhere.
6. Audiovisual Resources
Films, television, broadcasts, video recordings.
Key differences:
- Content, medium, and/or carrier is required (not just medium)
- Edition is always required (not just when not first)
- Date of restoration/revision is a type-specific element
- Playback requirements is optional
If no single dominant creator exists, title comes first. Principal performers may be included. For broadcasts, include date/time and transmitting organization.
Persistent identifiers for AV: URI fragments may specify time segments: https://doi.org/10.xxxx#t=00:01:30,00:03:45.
7. Graphic Works
Photographs, prints, drawings, paintings, sculptures, installations.
Key differences:
- Medium designation is always required (not conditional)
- Size (height × width in mm) is required
- Physical location comes before place/publisher
- Catalogue and catalogue number is an optional element
If the work is in a museum, location and register number are essential. For destroyed or temporary works, include surrogate information.
Roles may use Latin abbreviations: fecit (creator), pinxit (painter), sculpsit (sculptor), lith. (lithographer).
8. Music
Musical scores, recordings, compositions.
Key differences:
- Title must include opus or catalogue number when available (e.g., "BWV 565")
- Media type is required when present
- ISMN is the standard identifier for printed music (preferred over ISBN)
- Composer is the creator; librettist/lyricist is the first subsidiary creator
Bar numbers should not be cited unless printed on the score itself.
9. Patents
Patent applications and granted patents.
Significantly different element table:
| Element | Status |
|---|---|
| Patent applicant(s) | Required |
| Patent application country (ISO 3166-1 or WIPO ST3) | Required |
| Title | Required |
| Subsidiary creator (inventor, if not applicant) | Optional |
Date of application (Appl:) | Required if present |
Date of issuance (Iss:) | Required if present |
| Patent number | Required if present |
| Location, relationships, other info | As applicable |
No place/publisher, no medium, no edition, no series, no ISBN.
10. Reports
Technical reports, government documents, institutional publications, standards.
Similar to serial component parts — may cite a report "In:" a host report series.
Standards (a major sub-category)
- Undated references cover the latest edition with amendments
- Dated references cover only that specific edition
- "(inclusive)" notation means all published corrigenda/amendments are included
- Jointly published standards: one body as primary publisher, identifiers separated by
| - Dual-published standards: cite the one used, or both if access differs
- Draft standards: DIS and FDIS may be cited; WD and CD shall not
- Multi-part standards: use set notation in identifier (
ISO 8601-{1,2}); blanket reference uses "(all parts)" - Adopted/translated standards: cite the national adoption, not the original
11. Archival Materials
Fonds, collections, series, files, items within archives.
Key differences:
- Name of fonds/collection is required
- Name and location of host archive is required
- No series title, no edition, no standard identifier
- Medium designation is always required
- No page ranges
Titles are often vague ("Correspondence"), so additional elements are important. Personal and organizational authors should be included when possible.
12. Research Datasets
Data files, databases, and research data.
Key differences:
- Medium designation is always required
- Persistent identifier is required (not just "if available")
- "Data used" is required if the dataset was post-processed
- File size is required for big data
- Host archive is required if applicable
- License, provenance, and linked resources are optional
The specific version/file format used must be cited. If only a subset was used, specify it (ideally via a query URL). Investigators, data managers, and compilers should include name identifiers (ORCID, ISNI).
13. Web Resources
Websites, web pages, online documents.
Key differences:
- Page title and website title are both required
- Version is required if versions exist
- Place/publisher is optional (not required)
- Date of publication is optional
- Archive location and date are type-specific optional elements
If citing a dynamic page at a specific version, an archived copy must be referenced. If no archived copy exists, one should be created. URL shorteners shall not be used.
14. Social Media
Posts, threads, profiles, tweets, forum messages, blog posts.
Key differences:
- Poster name + social media identity is required:
TRUMP, Donald J. [Twitter: @realDonaldTrump] - Service name is required:
[Facebook page],[Tweet],[blog post] - Date and time are both required (ISO 8601)
- Date viewed is required
- No place/publisher, no edition, no standard identifier
Status updates/tweets should NOT be italicized; standalone items (videos, albums) SHOULD be. If no words, supply a title description in brackets.
When original content is reposted by someone else, distinguish poster from original creator: "Original tweet from:" as a relationship label.
15. Unpublished Works
Manuscripts, preprints, dissertations, personal communications, phone calls, presentations.
Key differences:
- Resource type is required (unique to this category)
- Date of creation replaces date of publication
- Service or host archive is required if applicable
- No publisher, no edition, no series, no standard identifier
Personal communications include letters, emails, Skype messages, and phone calls. Dissertations include the resource type designation and institutional repository. Preprints carry a note like "Manuscript submitted for publication."
16. Preprints
Non-peer-reviewed manuscripts posted to preprint servers.
Distinguished from the final published version. Requires creator, title, preprint server, date, and DOI or URL. The preprint and published versions may differ significantly — the reference must reflect which was actually used.
Relaton's Coverage
Relaton's BibitemType enumeration provides complete coverage, combining ISO 690 types with BibTeX entry types:
article, book, booklet, manual, proceedings, presentation, thesis, techReport, standard, unpublished, map, electronicResource, audiovisual, film, video, broadcast, graphicWork, music, patent, inBook, inCollection, inProceedings, journal, webResource, website, dataset, archival, software, socialMedia, alert, message, conversation, misc
The resource type drives rendering decisions — what fields to display, in what order, and with what formatting.