Glossary of Terms & Acronyms (Note-Taking Tools)

Important Links to Related Pages

1.      Return to Explore the 32 Category Master List of Productivity Software Applications

2.      See our Side-by-Side Comparison of Note-Taking Applications

3.      Return to the Note-Taking Applications Category List

4.      Scan Through the List of Note-Taking Applications FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

📘 Glossary: Note-Taking Tools – Category-Specific Terms

Backlinking

Creating bidirectional links between notes for connected thinking (common in tools like Obsidian or Roam).

Bullet Journal / Outliner

A note format where items are structured as bullet points with nested hierarchies—great for structured thoughts.

Cloud Sync

Automatically syncing notes across devices via cloud storage.

Database Notes

A structured format for notes that act like spreadsheet rows—found in Notion, Coda, and Craft.

Markdown

A lightweight formatting language used to style text in plain-text environments (used in Obsidian, Joplin, etc.).

Page Linking / Tagging

A system for connecting notes using inline links or hashtags for organization and retrieval.

Rich Media Note

A note that includes images, audio, drawings, or files—beyond plain text.

Vault (Obsidian)

A local folder that stores all markdown notes in Obsidian’s note-taking ecosystem.

Zettelkasten

A method of atomic note-taking and linking—used in apps like Zettlr, Logseq, and Obsidian.

🔤 Glossary of Acronyms – Note-Taking Tools

E2EE – End-to-End Encryption

Ensures only you can read your notes—used in apps like Standard Notes and Turtl.

HTML / MD / PDF – Common Export Formats

HyperText Markup Language, Markdown, and Portable Document Format—used for saving and sharing notes.

OCR – Optical Character Recognition

Extracts text from scanned handwritten or image-based notes (used in Evernote, OneNote, etc.).

PKM – Personal Knowledge Management

A system of organizing thoughts, notes, and research for long-term memory and productivity.

RTE – Rich Text Editor

An editor that allows formatting like bold, links, checkboxes, and tables in your notes.

SSO – Single Sign-On

Used in enterprise tools for secure login across apps.

UX – User Experience

Refers to how intuitive and enjoyable the note-taking interface is.

Important Links to Related Pages

1.      Return to Explore the 32 Category Master List of Productivity Software Applications

2.      See our Side-by-Side Comparison of Note-Taking Applications

3.      Return to the Note-Taking Applications Category List

4.      Scan Through the List of Note-Taking Applications FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)