Basic description can be divided into traditional description and standardized description. The traditional description method is to determine a main title first, and then describe the characteristics of the document. The compiled title is called the main title (also called the basic title). Chinese documents are usually written with titles as the main titles, while western documents are written with authors as the main titles, so their main titles are titles and authors' titles respectively (titles are still the main titles of "anonymous works").

The first step of standardized description method is to objectively describe the characteristics of literature (starting from the title), and then determine the items to be made and provide retrieval ways, and record them in the list. This title is called the general title. Adding a title to a general item can make it an item, and if adding an author title, it becomes an author item. A general project consists of various descriptive projects. Due to different document types, description items are also different. There are 10 items in the Chinese national standard "Description Rules for Ordinary Books" (GB 3792. 1-85), namely, the item of title and responsible person, the item of edition, the item of special details of literature, the item of publication and distribution, the item of carrier form, the item of series, the item of annotation, the item of standard book number and related records, the item of abstract and the item of retrieval.

There are two basic recording formats: cards and books. The format of card description is as follows: this format can be called six-segment symbol, that is, 10 description items are divided into six description segments, the first four items are the first segment, the fifth and sixth items are the second segment, and the last four items are each a segment. Start each paragraph separately, and highlight one word when you return. In the same paragraph, except the first item, each item is preceded by a certain identification symbol.

The book recording format is as follows: This format can be called two-stage marking symbol, that is, the first eight items are merged into the first paragraph, the ninth item is the second paragraph, and the 10 item is generally not recorded.