Authority vs Cerification vs Credentials [closed]
I want to know the difference of these three words (Authority, Certification, Credentials) I search about these on dictionary, but It is difficuit for me
Can you describe the proper usage?
As far as I think Authority means power, and Certification, Credentials mean the documentation of approval.
I want 2 things below
- main point of diffenrence
- proper usage
Thanks for reading
To be authorised refers to be entitled, empowered or allowed to execute a certain task. This is done by granting necessary rights. In a general business context, you could imagine a secretary who is granted the right to sign receipts for incoming mail. This means the secretary is authorized to handle this task.
Credentials are a set of properties, like user name, password, a smartcard or a company badge that are given to a person so they can prove that they are registered in a given domain. Credentials or derrived information need to be stored somewhere in order to confirm their identity (the confirmation step is called authentication). For example by using the company badge as a credential, a person can prove that they are a member of the company.
A certificate is issued by a trusted organisation or other entity. Usually this involves a chain of trust. A technical example is a root certificate authority which issues a certificate for a banking website. The user can check if the certificate is valid in their browser and optionally follow the certificate chain up and check those too. In a business context you might do an interview and present your certificates, e.g. a degree from a university or certificate from a company where you completed a specific training. These prove that you were present and did what was expected of you. Certificates can be seen as a form of quality assurance. As long as everyone trusts the certificate issuer, the system works.
I think you understand authority, but context matters. “She doesn’t have the authority to make that decision.” Could be used to describe one who doesn’t “have the credentials” to do something. For example, if someone is trying to teach students at a governmental institution he or she would need certification to do so. I used all three words to explain this, but it doesn’t necessarily give you a full idea of all possible contexts.
Credentials is kind of like credit/proper training, whereas certification tends to be more “formal” or more “official” such as a diploma, license, or something that’s on record of you completing and earning the right to do something. Going back to credentials, they could just be some proof of qualification - not necessarily a certification - but it is a more broad term and can definitely include certifications.
Think of the base words. Author, authority; credit, credentials; certificate, certification. I hope this didn’t just muddy the waters for you.