Publishing Contributions Specification (TBP-PCS)

Purpose and status

This draft provides portable, human-readable and machine-readable statements about contributions to a particular work and version. It is an initial specification originated by The Blue•Print, open to use and improvement. It is not a claim of industry consensus or independent certification.

The format is freely usable under the MIT license. You can implement it without registering with TBP or paying a fee. Registration is optional.

Download the XSD Download an example

Document structure

Use UTF-8 XML with root publishing-contributions, attribute specification-version="0.1" and namespace https://the-blue-print.com/publishing-contributions/ns/0.1.

registration (optional)

A service-issued reference, positive revision number, recorded-at timestamp and basis registrant-declaration. Omit it for an unregistered statement. A reference alone is not proof that a service issued it; check the named registry.

work (required)

Title, public creator name and edition/version label; an optional work URL. A pen name or organisation can be used. A creator field is a declaration, not identity verification.

scope (required)

Type: work, chapter, image, audio or translation. Identify the chapter or item in the element’s text when the type is not work.

human-contribution (required)

A plain-language description of human contributions and decisions: for example experiences, source material, ideas, writing, direction, selection, revision or approval. It does not determine whether a legal test for authorship has been met.

ai-involvement (required)

One or more use elements with the codes below and readable descriptions.

ai-details, other-contributors, notes (optional)

Additional explanation. Include known assistance by editors and other contributors, and distinguish what is known from what is not established. A contributor’s role can be described without publishing their personal identity.

AI involvement codes

In Draft 0.1 these codes concern generative AI used to create or edit the declared material. Ordinary non-generative spelling checks do not, by themselves, conflict with a no-generative-ai statement; explain other tools in the optional notes where useful. These statements do not describe a model’s training-data provenance.

no-generative-ai

No generative AI was used to create or edit this material.

proofreading

AI assisted with spelling, punctuation or grammar.

editorial-assistance

AI helped identify gaps, improve clarity or organise material.

drafting-assistance

AI drafted or rewrote passages from material and directions supplied by people. This includes substantial human-supplied source material organised, drafted or rewritten by AI under human direction, with people reviewing and approving the final text.

extensive-generation

Substantial portions were generated by AI, then selected, reviewed and approved by people.

not-established

AI involvement has not been fully established for all contributors.

Codes describe declared activities, not a ranking of literary value or a measured percentage. Multiple activities can be declared. Draft 0.1 does not define ratios or percentage measures.

Semantic rules beyond the XSD

1. Required text must contain meaningful, non-blank content.
2. Use no-generative-ai on its own. It cannot be combined with an AI-use or uncertainty code.
3. Each use code appears at most once. Other codes may be combined.
4. Scope references are required for chapters, images, audio and translations.
5. Associate the statement with the declared work version. A revised statement receives a new revision; do not silently rewrite a previous public declaration.
6. Keep private contact details outside the public XML. Do not require a disability, diagnosis or personal justification for using assistance.
7. Registration records a declaration. Do not present it as verified authorship, a copyright determination, a no-AI certificate or endorsement.

The schema checks structure. Implementations must also check these semantic rules. XML consumers should disable external entity resolution and must not fetch a work URL merely to validate this format.

The TBP registry pilot

Submissions enter a private review queue. After publication, a record has a public reference and XML download. The submitter’s contact email stays private and is excluded from the public record and XML. Corrections approved by the registrant create another public revision. A withdrawn registration stops exposing the statement and its earlier XML through the public service; its private review history is retained.

The operator checks publication permission and public wording. This is not independent verification of every declared contribution. There is no automatic identity or email verification in this pilot. Contributions through PayPal are optional and do not affect registration, review or publication.

Developing the next version

Propose new fields, roles, examples or interoperability mappings through The Blue•Print contact page, quoting “Publishing Contributions Draft 0.1”. Proposals will be considered as draft changes; this page does not give contributors automatic authority to change existing records.

Later versions may describe measured quantities with an explicit method, richer contributor roles and mappings to other disclosure formats. Those features are not claimed as supported in Draft 0.1.