protocol

An action plan for a clinical trial. The plan states what the study will do, how, and why. It explains how many people will be in it, who is eligible to participate, what study agents or other interventions they will be given, what tests they will receive and how often, and what information will be gathered.

A written set of rules to follow.

a directive listing the procedures to be followed in performing a particular laboratory examination or operation. Also refers to the overall plan for analysis of a particular type of evidence.

The step-by-step experiments proposed to describe or solve a scientific problem, or the defined steps of a specific procedure.

A set of rules and conventions for sending information over a network. These rules govern the content, format, timing, sequencing, and error control of messages exchanged among network devices. [Exchange 2003]

The part of an Internet address before the colon (such as http, ftp, and news) that specifies the access scheme for the address. Examples of protocols within an Internet address are: http://www.someones.homepage/default.html and news:alt.hypertext [Exchange 5.5]

A set of rules for interaction between two processes. A protocol is usually specified in a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to indicate how a particular resource should be transferred from a Web server to the requesting client.

In networking, an agreed-upon way of sending messages back and forth so that neither correspondent will get too confused.

1. A formal set of conventions governing the format and control of interaction among communicating functional units. Note: Protocols may govern portions of a network, types of service, or administrative procedures. For example, a data link protocol is the specification of methods whereby data communications over a data link are performed in terms of the particular transmission mode, control procedures, and recovery procedures. 2. In layered communications system architecture, a formal set of procedures that are adopted to facilitate functional interoperation within the layered hierarchy. 3. [In INFOSEC, a] set of rules and formats, semantic and syntactic, permitting information systems (IS's) to exchange information. [INFOSEC-99] 4. A set of semantic and syntactic rules that determine the behavior of entities in performing communication functions [POSIX.0]