How the record works

This is a running document. It is revised as the field develops, discussed in regular task force meetings, and versioned for citation. The live site always shows the current state; dated snapshots are available under Releases.

The practices run from the most general (decisions that hold across resources and institutions) to the most specific (per-use-case mechanics).

How practices are recorded

Each practice has a page with the same structure: the statement, why it matters, what it looks like in practice, what it means for each audience, and its sources. Metadata at the top records the review status and which organisations endorse it. Practices link back to library entries, which quote the source passages with locators.

How practices are gated

The record keeps a small number of high-impact practices. A new one gets its own page only if it passes all of these:

1. Scope. It changes how science is planned, performed, evaluated, communicated, or governed (the mission test).
2. Generality. It applies across audiences or many resources, not to a single service.
3. Not a sub-case. If it is a narrower version of an existing practice, it becomes a "what it looks like in practice" bullet on that page, not a new page. This is the main way we avoid bloat.
4. Backed. It is supported by an identified library entry or task-force observation.
5. Distinct action. A reader could do something differently because of it.

We merge rather than add. A source that agrees with an existing practice grounds it (a note and a citation) instead of creating a new one. A source with no bearing on practice is recorded as such, so the question is not reopened.

Status legend

Status	Meaning
draft	Proposed, under discussion.
reviewed	Accepted by the editor group.
endorsed	Formally backed by at least one named organisation or task force.