consultable

Consultable is an adjective meaning capable of being consulted; something that can be examined, referenced, or queried by someone seeking information. It is used to describe sources such as documents, datasets, catalogs, and archives that are accessible for consultation, often within defined permissions or licenses.

Usage and contexts: In library science, archival work, data governance, and legal repositories, materials are described as consultable to indicate they can be consulted by researchers or practitioners. Consultability does not guarantee free access; it may be contingent on authentication, time restrictions, or copyright. The term emphasizes usability for verification, study, or decision making.

Digital and physical resources: A resource may be consultable in digital form via a stable interface or online database, or in physical form such as a manuscript in an archive. In either case, consultability typically implies some level of discoverability, metadata, and an ability to retrieve or view the content under appropriate conditions.

Etymology and related terms: The word is formed from the verb consult plus the suffix -able. It tends to appear in formal or technical writing; in everyday English, it is common to substitute accessible, referable, or referenceable. See also related notions such as accessibility, referenceability, and archival access.