We explain what the protocol is (as rules of conduct, and in computing). Also, protocol types and some examples.
What is protocol?
The protocol, in its most used definition, refers to different behaviors and rules that people in a given society should know and respect on specific occasions, such as in official settings for a special reason or because you have a position that requires this protocol.
The word protocol comes from latin protocollum which was already derived from a Greek concept. In Spanish, protocol is a set of rules or instructions to follow, established by law or tradition.
These behaviors or rules They can include ways of dressing, good manners or even attitudes . In some countries, for example, those that still have a monarchical form of government, they must follow the protocol in a much stricter way than others. A case that always attracts attention when talking about protocols to follow is that of the mandatory use of hats when celebrating a royal wedding in England.
Protocols do not only exist in official spheres, since citizens who do not hold any special position are forced to comply with different behaviors and rules previously agreed upon in their society. These protocols They usually have to do with obedience and respect for authorities . Hierarchical organizations such as the Armed Forces, the institution of the Church, or even a school, are some of the most common examples where people must obey in an imposed manner.
Protocol in other disciplines
A protocol can be several things depending on the context one is in, e.g. a document that indicates how to act in a certain situation . Protocol is also called the set of social rules that establish behavior in public, for example at a dinner. We normally know protocol as so-called etiquette (to give some examples, chewing food with your mouth closed or maintaining manners above all).
The following are some of the many meanings that this term has:
- Medicine. For medicine, protocol refers to clinical or preclinical trials that evaluate a new drug as well as to add some indication or characteristic to a drug already known and on sale. They tend to be sources of knowledge that have something new for science. They may even exist in the branch of psychology, sociology, among others. Likewise, a treatment protocol is that document that has information about the patient to be treated and that serves as a guide for doctors when deciding how to continue with a treatment or disease, taking the references provided by this paper.
- International law. In International Law, a protocol is the annex to an initial international treaty, that is, a modification or extension of the original treaty. In some cases, as was the case with the Kyoto Protocol that referred to climate change, the protocol itself was more famous and important than the treaty in general.
- Computing. For computing and telecommunications, a communications protocol is the set of rules and standards that aim to control the sequences of messages that occur in communication between entities that are part of the same network. Telephones or computers are some examples of these communications.
- Internet Protocol. The Internet Protocol (Internet Protocol) is a communication protocol that has digital data that is functionally classified at the Network Layer following the international OSI model.
- Research protocol. A research protocol is one that includes the objectives, design, methodology and certain considerations that must be taken into account to implement and organize a scientific investigation or experiment. A protocol must include the background and reasons why said research is carried out. At the same time, it must define under what parameters the results obtained will be measured.
