The DE-BIAS Vocabulary, covering 700 words across five languages, supports professionals to review descriptions of cultural heritage collections with regards to potential bias. It was developed by the DE-BIAS project.
The DE-BIAS vocabulary was developed by the DE-BIAS project which aimed to promote a more inclusive and respectful approach to describing digital collections. It provides the basis for the AI-powered DE-BIAS tool, which identifies and contextualises outdated or potentially harmful terms in object descriptions from cultural heritage institutions, but the vocabulary can also be used independently as a reference when reviewing cultural heritage collections.
Due to the DE-BIAS project’s thematic focus, the vocabulary focuses primarily on the topics of migration and colonial history, gender and sexual identity, and ethnicity and ethno-religious identity, with some terms relating to other minority communities. Developed with input from under-represented groups and research into over 100 existing glossaries and (academic) publications, it cites the sources for the description of each term to increase visibility of these sources and support their automated use for the bias detection in cultural heritage databases.
The DE-BIAS vocabulary helps users:
Identify contentious terms to look out for, review and contextualise in descriptions of cultural heritage collections;
Understand why these terms are considered outdated or potentially harmful;
Consider how descriptions including such terms could be rephrased and which terms could be used alternatively.
It should be noted that, while replacing offensive language is not always feasible or advisable, providing context can support more appropriate and respectful displays on online portals.
The vocabulary exists in two forms:
As a machine-readable knowledge graph formulated in SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System) and available on EU Vocabularies in January 2025;
In five language specific parts generated from the knowledge graph and available in PDF (see below under 'How to use the Vocabulary').
The terms in the vocabulary are accompanied by contextual information and, where appropriate, suggestions for reflection and alternative wording. These recommendations guide users in dealing with controversial language in metadata and aim to raise awareness of current linguistic sensitivities. The vocabulary captures the discussions surrounding these terms at the time of publication. It is intended to be a living document and will continue to be updated beyond the end of the project as the discourse evolves.
When using the DE-BIAS vocabulary, reader discretion is advised as the vocabulary contains words and language, which could be considered derogatory or contentious and might be distressing.
The language specific parts of the vocabulary each reflect the linguistic and cultural specificities of their respective language. This means that not each part has the same amount of terms and not each term will be found in each language, as bias does not always translate directly from one language and cultural context into the other. Download the DE-BIAS vocabulary in Dutch, English, French, German and Italian below, and explore associated resources.
Please note that terms marked with an asterisk (*) are excluded from detection by the DE-BIAS tool as they require contextual information which was often not available, leading to frequent false positives. However, readers of the vocabulary as a standalone tool may find them useful as a guide for cataloguing work independent from an application of the tool.
If you are interested in getting an understanding of the DE-BIAS project’s approach to developing the vocabulary and in knowing more about the structure of the DE-BIAS knowledge graph, this slide deck provides an initial overview. We also invite you to check out the Bias patterns and types: a typology applied to Europeana use cases.
If you would like to contribute to the further development of the vocabulary, please have a look at the Editorial Guidelines, where you can find all necessary information. For comments and further information about the DE-BIAS vocabulary, please contact [email protected].