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ACM Computing Classification System

subject classification system for computing

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 28, 2026
Entity authorityQ288530
Source-derived summary

The ACM Computing Classification System (CCS) is a subject classification system for computing devised by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The system is comparable to the Mathematics Subject Classification (MSC) in scope, aims, and structure, being used by the various ACM journals to organize subjects by area.

History

The system has gone through seven revisions, the first version being published in 1964, and revised versions appearing in 1982, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1998, and the now current version in 2012.

Structure

It is hierarchically structured in four levels. For example, one branch of the hierarchy contains:

Computing methodologies

Artificial intelligence

Knowledge representation and reasoning

Ontology engineering

See also

Computer Science Ontology

Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme

arXiv, a preprint server allowing submitted papers to be classified using the ACM CCS

Physics Subject Headings

References

Coulter, Neal (1997), "ACM's computing classification system reflects changing times", Communications of the ACM, 40 (12), New York, NY, USA: ACM: 111–112, doi:10.1145/265563.265579, S2CID 42548816.

Coulter, Neal (chair); French, James; Glinert, Ephraim; Horton, Thomas; Mead, Nancy; Ralston, Anthony; Rada, Roy; Rodkin, Craig; Rous, Bernard; Tucker, Allen; Wegner, Peter; Weiss, Eric; Wierzbicki, Carol (January 21, 1998), "Computing Classification System 1998: Current Status and Future Maintenance Report of the CCS Update Committee" (PDF), Computing Reviews, New York, NY, USA: ACM: 1–5.

Mirkin, Boris; Nascimento, Susana; Pereira, Luis Moniz (2008), "Representing a Computer Science Research Organization on the ACM Computing Classification System", in Eklund, Peter; Haemmerlé, Ollivier (eds.), Supplementary Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Conceptual Structures (ICCS-2008) (PDF), CEUR Workshop Proceedings, vol. 354, RWTH Aachen University, pp. 57–65.

External links

dl.acm.org/ccs is the homepage of the system, including links to four complete versions of the system:

the 1964 version Archived 2016-12-01 at the Wayback Machine

the 1991 version Archived 2017-09-21 at the Wayback Machine

the 1998 version

the current 2012 version.

Editorial summary

“ACM Computing Classification System” enters the record as subject classification system for computing. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Computing, Classification and System can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1964, 1982, 1983, 1987—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Computing, Classification and System.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“ACM Computing Classification System” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Computing, Classification and System provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q288530. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1964, 1982, 1983 and 1987.

Critical limits

Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “ACM Computing Classification System”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow ACM Computing Classification System primary sources, ACM Computing Classification System archive and Computing research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “ACM Computing Classification System”?
  2. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
  3. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from ACM Computing Classification System” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.