Figure 3

The PSI controlled vocabulary has over 2,400 entries. Only ten or so of these entries provide data processing concepts related to MS processing. Far from trying to compete with PSI or IUPAC, which are full-purpose controlled vocabularies, our proposal in this manuscript is to question the small subset of terms they provide for utility in describing MS processing. We propose a set of terms for MS1 data processing constructed of a limited number of base and qualifier terms that allow a vast number of MS1 data concepts to be succinctly, precisely, and intuitively described. The current ambiguous nomenclature yields situations where a given term refers to more than one concept and/or distinct terms refer to the same concept. An unambiguous nomenclature is composed of terms which refer to only one concept each, and no two terms refer to the same concept.