Proposals

Proposals are the primary mechanism for changing the knowledge graph, authority records, and governance policies. This document covers proposal types, the submission process, and lifecycle.

Proposal types

Field proposals

Changes to the knowledge graph taxonomy:

Type	Description	Threshold
Create	Add a new field to the taxonomy	67%, 5+ votes
Update	Modify field name, description, or relationships	60%, 3+ votes
Merge	Combine two or more fields into one	67%, 5+ votes
Deprecate	Mark a field as obsolete	75%, 7+ votes

Changes to the PMEST classification system:

Type	Description	Threshold
Create facet value	Add a new value to a facet	60%, 3+ votes
Update facet value	Modify facet value metadata	60%, 3+ votes
Deprecate facet value	Mark a facet value as obsolete	67%, 5+ votes

Authority proposals

Changes to authority records:

Type	Description	Threshold
Create authority	Add a new authority record	75%, 7+ votes
Update authority	Modify authority record	60%, 3+ votes
Merge authorities	Combine duplicate records	75%, 7+ votes
Link external	Add link to Wikidata, LCSH, etc.	60%, 3+ votes

Tag promotion

Elevating user tags to authority terms:

Phase	Description
Automatic nomination	Tag used by 3+ users on 10+ preprints
Community vote	Standard proposal process (60%, 3+ votes)

Creating a proposal

Required fields

interface Proposal {
  type: ProposalType;
  title: string;           // Concise summary (max 100 chars)
  description: string;     // Detailed rationale (500-2000 words)
  changes: ProposalChanges; // Specific modifications
  evidence?: Evidence[];   // Supporting materials
  relatedProposals?: string[];  // Links to related proposals
}

Field proposal example

{
  "type": "create_field",
  "title": "Add Quantum Machine Learning field",
  "description": "Quantum Machine Learning (QML) is an emerging interdisciplinary field at the intersection of quantum computing and machine learning. The field has grown significantly since 2018, with dedicated conferences (QML Workshop at NeurIPS, QTML) and journals (Quantum Machine Intelligence). This proposal adds QML as a child of both cs.QC (Quantum Computing) and cs.LG (Machine Learning).",
  "changes": {
    "action": "create",
    "field": {
      "name": "Quantum Machine Learning",
      "id": "cs.QML",
      "description": "Algorithms and theory combining quantum computing with machine learning techniques",
      "aliases": ["QML"],
      "parentFields": ["cs.QC", "cs.LG"],
      "relatedFields": ["cs.AI", "quant-ph"],
      "wikidataId": "Q96207645"
    }
  },
  "evidence": [
    {
      "type": "publication_count",
      "source": "OpenAlex",
      "value": 4523,
      "asOf": "2025-01-01"
    },
    {
      "type": "conference",
      "name": "QTML 2024",
      "url": "https://qtml2024.org"
    }
  ]
}

Proposal lifecycle

┌─────────┐     ┌────────────┐     ┌────────┐     ┌─────────┐
│  Draft  │────►│ Discussion │────►│ Voting │────►│ Outcome │
└─────────┘     └────────────┘     └────────┘     └─────────┘
     │                │                 │              │
     │                │                 │              │
     ▼                ▼                 ▼              ▼
  Author           Comments          Tallied        Enacted
  refines          & revisions       votes          or archived

Phase 1: Draft

Duration: Unlimited (until submitted)

Author creates and refines proposal
Can save drafts before submission
Not visible to community

Phase 2: Discussion

Duration: 7 days (14 for controversial)

Activities:

Community members comment
Author can revise proposal
Related discussions linked
Expert opinions solicited

Revisions during discussion:

Minor edits allowed anytime
Major changes restart discussion period
Changes logged in revision history

Phase 3: Voting

Duration: 5 days (plus extensions if needed)

No further changes to proposal
Votes cast by eligible users
Real-time tally displayed
Quorum monitored

Phase 4: Outcome

Result	Criteria	Next steps
Approved	Threshold met, quorum met	Changes enacted
Rejected	Threshold not met	Archived for 6 months
Expired	Quorum not met after extensions	Can resubmit
Withdrawn	Author withdrawal	Archived immediately

After approval

When a proposal is approved:

Governance PDS update: Changes written to the Governance PDS
Cache invalidation: Redis cache cleared for affected records
Search reindex: Elasticsearch updated with new classifications
Graph update: Neo4j updated with new nodes/relationships
Notification: Affected users notified

Timeline:

Most changes: Within 1 hour
Authority record changes: Within 24 hours (manual review)
Major taxonomy changes: Within 7 days (staged rollout)

Best practices

Writing effective proposals

Be specific: Clearly state what changes and why
Provide evidence: Link to publications, conferences, or databases
Address objections: Anticipate concerns in the description
Scope appropriately: One logical change per proposal
Use plain language: Avoid jargon; explain technical terms

During discussion

Respond promptly to questions
Incorporate constructive feedback
Thank contributors for engagement
Avoid arguing; let votes decide

Common rejection reasons

Reason	How to avoid
Insufficient evidence	Provide publication counts, conferences, expert endorsements
Overlap with existing fields	Search thoroughly before proposing
Too broad/narrow	Consult similar fields for appropriate scope
Poor description	Have someone else review before submitting
Controversial without consensus	Build support during discussion phase

Special proposal types

Batch proposals

For related changes that should be decided together:

{
  "type": "batch",
  "title": "Reorganize Computational Biology subfields",
  "proposals": [
    { "type": "create_field", ... },
    { "type": "update_field", ... },
    { "type": "merge_fields", ... }
  ],
  "rationale": "These changes are interdependent and should be evaluated as a whole"
}

Batch proposals:

Voted on as a single unit
Use highest threshold among component proposals
All succeed or all fail

Amendment proposals

To modify an in-progress proposal:

{
  "type": "amendment",
  "targetProposal": "proposal-123",
  "changes": {
    "field.description": "Updated description text..."
  }
}

Amendments:

Only during discussion phase
Require original author approval or 60% vote
Reset discussion period if substantial

Proposal API

Create proposal

POST /xrpc/pub.chive.governance.createProposal

{
  "type": "create_field",
  "title": "...",
  "description": "...",
  "changes": { ... }
}

List proposals

GET /xrpc/pub.chive.governance.listProposals?status=voting&type=field

Get proposal

GET /xrpc/pub.chive.governance.getProposal?id=proposal-123

Cast vote

POST /xrpc/pub.chive.governance.castVote

{
  "proposalId": "proposal-123",
  "vote": "approve",
  "comment": "Well-researched proposal with clear evidence."
}

Next steps

Voting system: How votes are weighted and tallied
Authority control: Special rules for authority records
Governance overview: The governance model

Proposal types​

Field proposals​

Facet proposals​

Authority proposals​

Tag promotion​

Creating a proposal​

Required fields​

Field proposal example​

Proposal lifecycle​

Phase 1: Draft​

Phase 2: Discussion​

Phase 3: Voting​

Phase 4: Outcome​

After approval​

Best practices​

Writing effective proposals​

During discussion​

Common rejection reasons​

Special proposal types​

Batch proposals​

Amendment proposals​

Proposal API​

Create proposal​

List proposals​

Get proposal​

Cast vote​

Next steps​