RIXML Documentation

Specialties

RIXML 2.5 Element

Required

Container element for one or more individual Specialty elements.

Container element for one or more individual Specialty elements..

Schema:RIXML-Common-2_5.xsd:948

Specification Guide

Overview

Specialties is a container element that aggregates one or more Specialty children to describe the specific analytical and methodological areas in which an organization (or, from v3, a person) conducts research. It refines coarser classifications such as asset class or discipline by identifying focused capabilities like ESG analysis, forensic accounting, or quantitative modelling, enabling consumers to source research providers whose expertise matches precise analytical needs.

Usage

In RIXML 2.x, Specialties appears as an optional child of Expertise (cardinality 0..1). When present, it MUST contain at least one Specialty child, and multiple Specialty elements MAY be listed to enumerate the full range of analytical capabilities offered. Typical usage is to populate Expertise alongside PublishingLanguages, AssetClasses, and Disciplines to give consumers a rounded view of a publisher's research capabilities [Company Report (Advanced) Sample v2.4]↗. In the v3 draft, Specialties takes on a broader role: it replaces Expertise as the primary container for describing professional areas of focus, and applies to person/authorship information as well as organization-level descriptions (sources: data-dictionary-v3-draft p.27, meeting-2025-01 p.35).

Rules

Relationships

  • child-ofExpertise — In RIXML 2.x, Specialties is an optional child (0..1) of Expertise, grouping the Specialty entries that detail analytical focus areas.
  • containsSpecialty — Specialties aggregates one or more Specialty children, each of which identifies a single specialized research capability or methodology.
  • replacesExpertise — In the RIXML v3 draft, Specialties replaces Expertise as the primary container for describing professional areas of focus, providing a more streamlined model that applies to person/authorship as well as organization information.

Where It Fits

Canonical Path

Research/Product/Source/Organization/Expertise/Specialties

Children

Specialty

Definition

Type
Namespacehttp://www.rixml.org/2017/9/RIXML
Min Occurs1
Max Occurs1

Attributes

No attributes defined for this element

Children

Specialty(complex)1..unbounded
requiredSince 2.4

Example

<Specialties>
  <Specialty> ... </Specialty>
</Specialties>

Version History

Unchanged since introduction in RIXML 2.4

2.4: Specialties is defined as an optional child (0..1) of Expertise, containing one or more Specialty elements that classify an organization's specialized research capabilities (sources: data-dictionary-2.4 p.29, release-notes-2.4 p.18). 2.5: Structure and usage are unchanged from 2.4; Specialties remains nested within Expertise. 3.0 (draft): Specialties is promoted to replace Expertise entirely, representing a streamlined approach to describing professional areas of focus and extending its applicability to person/authorship information (sources: data-dictionary-v3-draft p.27, meeting-2025-01 p.35, meeting-2025-06 p.22).