ISO 20271-2:2026

This document specifies fundamental concepts of the reference model for textual documents and provides guidance to support long-term preservation from the perspectives of its five layers.

It defines:

• the layers that constitute the reference model for textual documents;
• the types of elements incorporated within textual documents;
• property types associated with textual documents;
• classifications of properties by type; and
• properties inherent to textual documents relevant to long-term preservation.

This document does not cover:

• specific technical methods for checking whether the properties exist within a specific textual document;
• specific technical methods for analysing particular textual document format (e.g. DOC, DOCX, ODT, TXT, PDF);
• specific metadata items for the long-term preservation of textual documents;
• processes, procedures, or management practices related to long-term preservation or records management.