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NISO Registration Process

NISO Members are invited to submit specifications and guidelines, best practices, and other benchmark documents as NISO Registrations.

The Registration Process complements and extends the formal consensus process that NISO supports. By offering a lighter-weight review and accreditation NISO intends to support the work of organizations and communities that are developing new practices in evolving information services. NISO Registrations will also introduce the NISO community to emerging specifications of potential interest and build broader acceptance and recognition of emerging practices by a larger community of implementers.

To submit a Registration review the criteria and procedures described here, complete the Registration Application, and return it to NISO. View all approved registrations >>

NISO Registration Criteria

A NISO Registration must meet the following criteria:

  • It must be relevant to the NISO membership and support NISO's mission to facilitate information exchange.

  • The creators of the proposed registration must be committed to an open process in the further development of the Registration.

  • The creators of the proposed Registration must agree to provide sustained support for the further development and maintenance of the Registration.

  • NISO registrations must be freely and openly available and cannot be limited by copyright, patents, trade secret, etc. or other intellectual property obligations. In NISO, there is an understanding that original material contributed to a NISO publication can be copied and distributed freely within the NISO community.

Registration Approval Process

  1. Any NISO member may complete and submit the Application for Registration.
  2. NISO's Standards Development Committee (SDC) reviews the application to determine that it meets the criteria for registration. The SDC may ask for clarification. Following review, the SDC chair (or designated SDC member) notifies the applicant of the status of the application.
  3. Following SDC review and approval, the proposed Registration is submitted to the NISO Voting members for a 30-day ballot. Voting positions are: Support, Do not support, Abstain. The proposed Registration is approved for registration when 15% of the NISO voting representatives support the registration.
  4. An approved Registration is posted to the NISO website and included in NISO's list of Registrations.
  5. The registration expires after 18 months unless renewed. It is the responsibility of the applicant to request renewal from NISO by email at least 30 days prior to registration expiration.
  6. The registrant will communicate to NISO every 6 months throughout the registration period to report on the implementation and use of the Registration.

Statement on Registration

NISO will make the following statement about the registered specifications:

  • This Registration warrants member interest and investigation. There are organizations interested in the further development and implementation of the Registration. Those organizations are committed to working through an open process.

  • Registration does not imply NISO's endorsement nor does it commit or preclude NISO from processing this Registration as an American National Standard.