dokumentstandards

Dokumentstandards are formal specifications that define how documents should be created, represented, stored and exchanged between different systems. They cover content structure, markup, metadata, formatting, accessibility, security and preservation, with the aim of ensuring interoperability, portability and long-term usability across software, organizations and jurisdictions. By providing common rules, document standards reduce vendor lock-in and enable automated processing, validation and archival workflows.

A key distinction is between standards for file formats, markup languages and metadata. Widely used file formats include PDF (ISO 32000) and its archival subset PDF/A, which supports long-term preservation, and PDF/UA for accessibility. Office document formats include ISO/IEC 29500 Office Open XML and ISO/IEC 26300 Open Document Format (ODF). XML-based markup languages such as DocBook, DITA and TEI are common for structured technical or scholarly documentation. Metadata standards, such as Dublin Core, METS and PREMIS, support description, packaging and preservation metadata, helping libraries and archives manage digital collections. Accessibility and usability are addressed through standards like PDF/UA and, more broadly, guidelines for accessible documents.

Implementation involves conformance and validation, metadata accuracy, and preservation planning. Organizations typically rely on standards bodies such as ISO/IEC, W3C and OASIS, which develop and maintain these specifications, while tooling supports validation, conversion, and long-term storage strategies. The adoption of dokumentstandards enhances interoperability, interoperability across platforms, reproducibility of documents and the ability to retrieve and interpret content over time, albeit requiring ongoing governance and skillful implementation.