Building an Electronic Glossary of Pharmaceutical Affairs Terminology: Information Architecture, User Interface Design and a Sustainable Operating Framework

Background: Pharmaceutical affairs terminology in Korea lacks a governing body and authoritative reference.A foundational study compiled 220 terms into a prototype glossary; a companion study benchmarked six online terminology dictionaries.Neither addressed electronic glossary structure nor post-publication maintenance.Objective: To specify the information architecture, user interface, and operating framework for building and sustaining an electronic glossary of pharmaceutical affairs terminology.Methods: Benchmarking findings were converted into design requirements across three screen areas, each specified for layout, elements, user actions, and data fields.A feedback interface served as the revision entry point.Operating rules were derived from 14 terminology bodies across 2 international organizations and 7 countries, plus statutory bodies, standardization notices, regulations, committees, dictionaries, and pharmacy statutes.A 9-member advisory panel reviewed all outputs.Results: Nine design requirements were allocated to a three-tier architecture under the association website.A six-field headword record was specified with hyperlinked cross-references and visible revision history.Search was configured so synonyms, abbreviations, and variant notations retrieve the same headword; unmatched queries route to a proposal form.A six-field report form supports three revision loops-notation correction, subcommittee screening, and annual deliberation-with full review every three years.Provisions for a terminology committee and a four-stage registration pathway to statutory definition were also drafted.Conclusion: The study delivers an implementable specification with institutional arrangements for maintaining authoritative entries.System development and usability testing remain to be conducted.