Purpose
This Intelligence Community Standard (ICS) for Source Reference Citation Metadata shall be applied to intelligence products, information standards, content management and discovery applications, and service transactions where the inclusion of source reference citations benefits the transparency and substantiation of analytical positions.
The term source reference citation refers to a bibliographic citation of prior intelligence data used to substantiate analytic judgments.
Needs and Requirements
This standard was developed to support the consistent application, display, and use of source reference citation metadata which will improve discovery, sharing, and the exchange of intelligence between the collection, exploitation, analysis, and dissemination functions of the intelligence process. Source reference citations help:
- Consumers locate and review prior intelligence data upon which analytic judgments are based;
- Collectors and producers systematically analyze how and how often intelligence data is referenced; and
- Consumers identify analytic judgments impacted when prior intelligence data is modified, rescinded, or discredited.
Consistent with Intelligence Community Directive (ICD) 206, Sourcing Requirements for Disseminated Intelligence Products, the metadata elements defined in this standard are the essential concepts of a source reference citation necessary to refer to all significant and substantive reporting or other information upon which analytic judgment, assessments, estimates, or confidence levels depend. The types of metadata elements defined in ICD 206 include:
- US-produced classified or unclassified intelligence information,
- Unclassified open-source information,
- Intelligence disseminated by foreign intelligence liaison services, and
- Intelligence disseminated by foreign intelligence liaison services, but not yet contained in subsequently released US intelligence products.
Downloads
ICS2008-500-2SourceReferenceCitationMetadata.pdf