Community governance · 20 groups
The 20 working groups
One working group per dictionary domain. Each is community-run, with a chair, members, and a recurring meeting cadence. Anyone can join. Groups are responsible for proposing, reviewing, and ratifying entries in their domain — and for cross-walks to the federation partner who stewards adjacent vocabulary.
Track A · Contribution
4 working groups in this track
Generative AI use and disclosure
Vocabulary for human–AI collaboration on research outputs and the disclosure required.
- Meets
- Monthly
CRediT extensions and adjacent contribution vocabularies
Extending CRediT to acknowledged contributors, peer reviewers, technical staff.
- Meets
- Monthly
Mentorship, training, and career stages
Career-stage terms underpinning narrative CVs and mentorship recognition.
- Meets
- Monthly
Research outputs (expanded)
Modern outputs taxonomy beyond articles — preprints, datasets, models, protocols, more.
- Meets
- Monthly
Track B · Identifiers
3 working groups in this track
The persistent identifier ecosystem
ORCID, ROR, RAiD, IGSN, PIDINST, DOIs — the PID landscape.
- Meets
- Monthly
Research-information systems and integration
CRIS, RIM, CERIF, OpenAIRE, JATS — vendor-neutral terms.
- Meets
- Monthly
Research data infrastructure
Trusted repositories, EOSC, biobanks, data trusts, federated infrastructure.
- Meets
- Monthly
Track C · Data & methods
3 working groups in this track
Machine-actionable data management plans
RDA DMP Common Standard and the ecosystem of maDMP tools.
- Meets
- Monthly
Reproducibility and computational research
Workflows, containers, FAIR4RS, Software Heritage, computational reproducibility.
- Meets
- Monthly
AI and ML research outputs
Model cards, system cards, datasheets, benchmarks, evaluation suites.
- Meets
- Monthly
Track D · Compliance
4 working groups in this track
Research integrity and misconduct
FFP, paper mills, retractions, COPE / ORI / UKRIO frameworks.
- Meets
- Monthly
Compliance and regulatory
IRB/REC, IACUC, GDPR, MTAs, EAR/ITAR — the compliance lattice.
- Meets
- Monthly
Research security
NSPM-33, foreign component, DURC, dual-use research.
- Meets
- Monthly
Indigenous data governance — CARE principles
CARE alongside FAIR; TK labels, FPIC, GIDA.
- Meets
- Monthly
Track E · Assessment
6 working groups in this track
Responsible research assessment
DORA, COARA, R4RI, narrative CVs.
- Meets
- Monthly
Knowledge equity, diversity, global-south inclusion
Diamond OA, APC waivers, Plan S, bibliodiversity.
- Meets
- Monthly
Engagement, impact, and SDG alignment
REF Impact, PPI, citizen science, SDGs.
- Meets
- Monthly
Sustainable research and laboratory operations
LEAF, My Green Lab, carbon footprint of research.
- Meets
- Monthly
Funding lifecycle and financial vocabulary
Calls, NCE, indirect costs, biosketch, current & pending.
- Meets
- Monthly
Research lifecycle stages and project metadata
RAiD-anchored project lifecycle, phases, milestones.
- Meets
- Monthly
Governance
How working groups operate
Twenty groups, one terms of reference. Public review, named contribution, CC-BY output.
Terms of reference
One charter, twenty groups
Each working group shares a common terms-of-reference document — chair role, voting rules, public-review obligations, conflict-of-interest disclosure. Domain-specific scope is set by the group itself within those bounds.
Read the governance model →Meeting cadence
Quarterly online, asynchronous between
Most groups meet quarterly online for 60 minutes; the GenAI working group meets monthly. Between meetings, candidate entries circulate for written comment with a two-week response window. All meetings are minuted and recorded.
See release cadence →Decision-making
Consensus, then vote
Working groups reach consensus where possible. Where consensus is not reached, the chair calls a recorded vote; a two-thirds supermajority is required to ratify an entry. Unresolved disputes escalate to the editorial board.
Editorial board →Get involved
Joining a working group
Working-group membership is free and open. Light commitment — most groups meet 60 minutes monthly or quarterly online. Senior practitioners and early-career researchers both welcome.
Step 1 — Pick a working group
Read the per-group pages above. Each has its remit, scope, deliverables and current seats published. Pick the group whose domain most closely matches your practitioner experience.
Step 2 — Submit your interest
The application is short — name, institution, ORCID iD (optional), the working group and seat you are applying for, and a paragraph on why this domain. Submit via the application form.
Step 3 — Review and decision
Applications are reviewed against a published rubric. Decisions are returned within four weeks of the close of the open-call window. Unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to participate via public comment and to re-apply at the next round.
Step 4 — Onboard
New members receive a short onboarding pack covering the terms of reference, the editorial style guide, and the current candidate-term pipeline. First meeting attendance is expected within one cycle.
FAQ
Frequently asked
Common questions about how the working groups are organised, who can join and how decisions are made.
- How are CASRAI working groups structured?
Each working group has a chair, an optional co-chair and 12 community seats. The chair holds a two-year renewable term, recognised on the editorial masthead. Seats are filled on merit against a published rubric covering domain expertise, institutional diversity, regional balance and an explicit slot for early-career researchers. See /about/governance for the full terms of reference.
- How often do working groups meet?
Most groups meet quarterly online for one hour; minutes are published and the meeting is recorded. The Generative AI use and disclosure working group meets monthly to keep pace with model releases. Asynchronous review of candidate entries circulates by email between meetings. Public-review windows open once per release cycle.
- Are working groups paid positions?
Working-group seats are voluntary; contributor honoraria are available for chair and co-chair roles to recognise the additional time commitment. All output is released under CC-BY 4.0 and every contributor is named in the release notes and machine-readable editorial-meta block alongside their CRediT role assignment.
- How do working groups make decisions?
Decisions are reached by working-group consensus. Where consensus is not reached, the chair calls a recorded vote; a two-thirds supermajority is required to ratify an entry. Unresolved disputes are escalated to the editorial board. All ratification records are public and linked from the changelog.
- Can institutions sponsor a working group?
Yes — institutional sponsorship supports meeting infrastructure, public-comment publication and contributor honoraria. Sponsors receive named acknowledgement on the working-group page and in release notes. Sponsorship does not confer a guaranteed seat: seat selection remains on merit. Enquiries to [email protected].
