This page documents, step by step, how every term on this site is produced and maintained. The goal is simple: definitions you can cite with confidence.
1. Sourcing from official exports
Every term definition originates from the official ISTQB glossary export files, not from scraping the search interface. For each term we record:
- The definition verbatim, as published by ISTQB
- The source glossary version (e.g. v3.1), which is displayed in the editorial metadata footer of every term page
- The term’s official identifier, so definitions can be traced back to the exact source entry
We never paraphrase an official definition in the definition itself. Where a plain-language explanation helps, it is added as clearly separate commentary.
2. Translation and language grouping
Definitions exist in up to 17 languages. Each language variant is taken from the same official export for the same glossary version, and grouped under one term page so you can compare terminology across languages. Each language variant is labelled in the editorial footer:
- reviewed — the language has been human-reviewed
- official source — the text comes verbatim from the official export
- translated with AI — reserved for machine-assisted translations; always disclosed when present
3. Enrichment
Around the verbatim definition, term pages can carry:
- Cross-references to related terms
- Syllabus references, showing in which ISTQB certification syllabi the term appears, with links to the official syllabus documents
- Curated external resources — books, articles, guides, and tools selected by the editor
Enrichment never alters the official definition text.
4. Review process
- Every page passes human review by the site editor, a software quality assurance professional, before publication
- Term pages carry an editorial metadata footer with editorial status, reviewer, review date, and source glossary version — so the review claim is verifiable, not just asserted
- Where content was created with the aid of AI (for example an extended explanation of a term), the page states it explicitly: “created with the aid of AI with rigorous human supervision by software-testing experts”
- Corrections submitted by readers are checked against the official glossary before being applied
5. Independence
This site is not affiliated with ISTQB. We do not deliver ISTQB training and we do not speak for ISTQB. When the official glossary changes, we follow it — that is the whole point of the site: the official terminology, presented so people can actually use it.
Questions about a specific term? See the About page for how to get in touch.
