1. Principles
- Clarity: audiences must know who is speaking and with what authority.
- Non-representation: contributors speak for themselves unless explicitly authorized.
- Auditability: references must point to published artifact IDs and versions.
2. Contributor Voice vs. QIST Position
- Required label for interpretive work: Contributor Commentary.
- Required disclaimer: Non-normative / Non-authoritative; does not represent QIST institutional positions.
- Institutional statements are limited to official governance artifacts or artifacts with explicit status labels.
3. Prohibited Language
Contributor content must not imply institutional endorsement, certification, or regulatory authority.
- “QIST endorses …”
- “QIST certifies …”
- “QIST approved …” (unless referring to a recorded Reviewed decision)
- “Official QIST position …” (unless published as an official governance artifact)
4. Public Listings
When contributors are listed publicly, QIST uses minimal, non-promotional information:
- Optional short bio
- Optional affiliation (self-declared)
- Explicit “Speaks for self / Non-representative” disclosure
5. External Expert Referencing
- References must clearly attribute statements to individuals and sources.
- Expert perspectives must not be framed as QIST endorsements unless explicitly authorized.
- Where possible, references should point to published artifact IDs as the primary citable unit.
6. Status
This policy is informational and pre-standard; it does not certify implementations, mandate compliance, or assert regulatory authority.