Standardization is the core word. Institutions like ISO exist to create common standards. Jounals can then force scientists to actually follow standards.
Controlled vocabularies and applied ontology seem other key words.
How useful standardization happens to be depends a lot on the quality of the standard. The DSM-V for example seems to be a standard that holds science back and as a result there are calls for funding research that tries to use new standards.
Thank you! I'll look at/read "Applied ontology: an introduction" (ed. by Munn and Smith) - the results are rather varied and have their own developed terminology, and this one looks as good place to start as any.
Edit to add: tentatively, the "automated information systems" angle might not be what I'm looking for:(
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