1. Introduction

The scope of this document is a set of requirements for W3C Technical Reports (TRs) that if satisfied, will result in TRs that are clear, implementable, and testable. It decribes what goes into a TR with respect to conformance and conformance topics, dealing with how a TR establishes, defines, and presents its conformance policy. This document includes:

• This introductions, which provides context for understanding the requirements in section 2
• Section 2 explains fourteen guidelines. Each guideline consists of a list of requirements called "checkpoints", which must be satisfied in order to conform to this document.
• Section 3 defines explains how to make claims that W3C TRs satisfy the requirements of section 2. It defines conformance for this document
• An appendix provides use scenarios or examples of how this document could be used.
• A second appendix lists all the guidelines and checkpoints into a pro-forma that is required to be completed as part of the conformance claim to this document.

A separate document, entitled "Specification Examples and Techniques 1.0" (the "ExTech document" from here on) provides suggestions and examples of how each checkpoint might be satisfied. The techniques in the ExTech document are informative examples only, and other strategies may be used or required to satisfy the checkpoints. The ExTech document is expected to be updated more frequently than the current guidelines. Developers, W3C Working Groups, users, and others are encouraged to contribute techniques and examples.

1.1. Class of Product and Audience

This document was designed specifically to improve the readability, implementability, and testability of W3C Technical Reports. Within this Specification Guidelines document, the term "specifications' is specifically limited to W3C Technical Reports, even though these guidelines could be applied to other documents. The class of product or target W3C Technical Report is one that is in-development or being revised rather than an existing TR that pre-dates these guidelines. The checkpoints in this document are applied and conformance (to this document) achieved, as these new specfications are being written. As for legacy specifications, they may indirectly comply with the spirit or intent of some checkpoint, whichout actually satisfying all requirements in those checkpoints.

The primary target audience of this document is specficiation authors, however, it is applicable to a broader audience including:

• those who review specifications during their development,
• implementers of specifications,
• those who use specifications to build test materials.

It is a design goal of these guidelines the WGs can apply them in a common-sense and workable manner.