Benchmarking	The comparison of device performance to an accepted standard for a given task.
Corporate Partners	Umbrella term including vendors and companies. We chose to use the word ‘partners’ to encourage them to work with QUAREP-LiMi.
Data Management	Data Management comprises all disciplines related to managing data as a valuable resource. In particular, image data management can be defined as a process that includes all phases of the image data life cycle, from its ’pre-life’ to its ’after-life’, including experimental procedures, sample preparation, image acquisition, quality control, data-storage, -protections, -finding, -validation, -processing, -analysis, -interpretation, -sharing, -integration, presentation, re-use and archiving. As such, the ultimate goal of Data Management is to ensure the accessibility, reliability, reproducibility and timeliness of image data for its users. In this context, it is important to note that the ‘FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship’ have been established to assess the quality of data management for scientific data. FAIR data are data that meet principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability.46
Device Monitoring	The process of overseeing all activities and tasks that must be taken into account to adhere to a given level of standard performance.
Facility Microscope User	People using microscopes housed in core facilities (Note: a student or post-doc could be BOTH a facility and non-facility user—the term used would depend on the given context).
Good Laboratory Practice	The Principles of Good Laboratory Practice are a managerial quality control system covering the organizational process and the conditions under which non-clinical health and environmental studies are planned, performed, monitored, recorded, reported and retained (or archived).
Image Metadata	Metadata are data that provide information about other data. In particular, Image Metadata consist of any and all information that allows imaging results to be evaluated, interpreted, reproduced, found, cited and re-used as established by measurable data quality criteria (i.e. FAIR principles46). As such, Image Metadata includes metadata that document all phases of a typical bioimaging experiment including experimental treatment, sample preparation and labelling, image acquisition, instrument performance and image quality (i.e. Microscopy Metadata), and, last but not least, image processing and analysis (NOTE: As defined Image Metadata includes Microscopy Metadata).
Imaging Facility Staff	An umbrella term including directors, managers, staff scientists and technicians working in a recognized facility.
Imaging Scientists	An umbrella term for scientists whose job it is to make discoveries with imaging possible. They are typically trained across multiple disciplines and utilize a wide breadth of imaging technologies, (i.e. image data acquisition, analysis and management) for the furtherance of science. An important role of imaging scientists is to interface with others using and developing this technology. For more information: http://www.imagingscientist.com/ http://www.imagingscientist.com/
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and ISO Standards	The ISO is an independent, non-governmental organization made up of members from the national standards bodies of 165 countries. ISO issues proprietary, industrial and commercial standards to ensure the quality, safety and efficiency of products, services and systems. Relevant standards for the light microscopy community are, for example, ISO 21073:2019 Microscopes - Confocal microscopes - Optical data of fluorescence confocal microscopes for biological imaging.26
Microscopy Metadata	Metadata are data that provide information about other data. In particular, Microscopy Metadata are metadata that document the process of Image Acquisition using a Microscope and the Quality of the resulting Image Data. As such, Microscope Metadata can be subdivided into two sub-categories: ’data provenance’ metadata include microscope hardware specifications and image acquisition settings; while quality control metadata include calibration metrics that quantitatively assess the performance of the microscope at the time of acquisition and therefore allow the evaluation of image quality (NOTE: As defined, Microscopy Metadata are a sub-categoty of Image Metadata).
Non-Facility Microscope User	A researcher who uses their own microscope(s) in their own labs—or ‘Individual research groups operating microscopes’ as a collective term.
Quality Assessment (QA)	Action performed to ensure the quality of a specific factor involved in image acquisition and analysis.
Quality Audit	Quality audit is the process of systematic examination of the quality system used to ensure image acquisition and analysis. It might be performed by internal or external experts, and ideally is comparing system quality over time to identify any issues.
Quality Control (QC)	Procedure performed to ensure the quality of all factors involved in image acquisition and analysis.
Quality Standards	Accepted level of device performance for a given set of tasks as defined and published by a recognized organization such as the ISO or DIN.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)	Established methods to be followed routinely for the performance of specific operations.
Tools	Instruments, samples or software used to determine the quality of all factors involved in image acquisition and analysis.