Most classifications of living things are organized in a hierarchical manner, consisting of various categories or ranks. Nomenclature regulations do not dictate how to classify organisms, they merely establish the naming conventions for the categories once taxonomic decisions have been made. Nevertheless, these regulations provide a list of categories that have traditionally been recognized by taxonomists, thus promoting standardization in this aspect of taxonomic practice, while also permitting the use of additional categories as long as they do not generate confusion.