  We present ten simple rules that support converting a legacy vocabulary -- a
list of terms available in a print-based glossary or table not accessible using
web standards -- into a FAIR vocabulary. Various pathways may be followed to
publish the FAIR vocabulary, but we emphasise particularly the goal of
providing a distinct IRI for each term or concept. A standard representation of
the concept should be returned when the individual IRI is de-referenced, using
SKOS or OWL serialised in an RDF-based representation for machine-interchange,
or in a web-page for human consumption. Guidelines for vocabulary and item
metadata are provided, as well as development and maintenance considerations.
By following these rules you can achieve the outcome of converting a legacy
vocabulary into a standalone FAIR vocabulary, which can be used for unambiguous
data annotation. In turn, this increases data interoperability and enables data
integration.
