guideline

Etymology

guide + line

noun

1. A non-specific rule or principle that provides direction to action or behaviour.
   In 2009, the Obama Administration released guidelines on enhanced interrogation written in 2003 and 2004 by the CIA Office of Medical Services. .1-3(appendix F)) The OMS guidelines, even in redacted form, and opinions from the US Department of Justice's (DOJ’s) Office of Legal Counsel show that CIA physicians, psychologists, and other health care personnel had important roles in enhanced interrogation. 4 August 2010, Leonard S. Rubenstein, JD, Stephen N. Xenakis, MD, “The Ethics of Enhanced Interrogations and Torture: A Reappraisal of the Argument”, in JAMA, volume 304, number 5, American Medical Association, →DOI, pages 569–570
   He considered the Ten Commandments more as a guideline than a requirement.
2. A plan or explanation to guide one in setting standards or determining a course of action.
3. A light line, used in lettering, to help align the text.