A symmetric second rank tensor has six independent parameters which will need to each be assessed. The spherical tensor elements are ideal but are difficult to interpret, as are the tensor indicies themselves. The IUPAC recommended conventions may not be optimal either. The Maryland convention is a descriptor of the lineshape as a statistical distribution and is only applicable in specific cases and lacks generalization. The Haeberlen convention is based on the tensor itself and is generally true to the chemical shift tensor; however, the convention requires the ζ parameter to be sign invariant at η = 1, which creates a degeneracy.