Etsi Drafting

ETSI Deliverable Drafting

Use this skill for ETSI-specific document structure, deliverable conventions, and concrete Word style names. For formatting rules (headings, enumerations, notes, tables, figures, citations), see sdo-docx-formatting. For officecli operations (tab-run injection, field codes, bookmarks), see sdo-docx-operations.

Assets

ETSI provides deliverable skeletons (Word templates) for each type via the editHelp! website at https://portal.etsi.org/edithelp/home.asp. These contain all required styles and structural elements. Always start from the appropriate skeleton for the deliverable type being drafted. Do not add new styles or modify existing ones.

Downloaded skeletons (assets/)

Upstream refresh URL:

• https://portal.etsi.org/Services/editHelp/Standards-development/Drafting/Skeletons

Template selection rule

• Always start from the skeleton matching the target deliverable type.
• If unsure which type applies, ask the user.
• The skeleton contains all required styles; do not create new styles or rename existing ones.

ETSI deliverable structure

Per the ETSI Drafting Rules (EDR), an ETSI deliverable follows this order:

Unnumbered preliminary elements (informative):

• Cover page (title, deliverable type, version, date, logos)
• Contents (generated)
• Intellectual Property Rights (provided by Secretariat -- do not modify)
• Foreword (TC that prepared it; optional: relationship to other docs, superseded docs, technical changes from previous version)
• Transposition table (EN only -- provided by Secretariat)
• Modal verbs terminology (provided by Secretariat -- do not modify)
• Executive summary (optional)
• Introduction (optional)

Numbered core:

1. Scope
2. References (2.1 Normative, 2.2 Informative)
3. Definitions of terms, abbreviations and symbols (3.1 Terms, 3.2 Symbols, 3.3 Abbreviations) 4+ Technical content

Supplementary:

• Annex A, B, C... (normative): title -- integral part of the deliverable
• Annex (continued lettering) (informative): title -- non-integral
• Bibliography (optional)
• Change history (required for EN HS; optional otherwise)
• History (provided by Secretariat)

Key drafting rules

Requirements language

Each requirement should be: necessary, unambiguous, complete, precise, well-structured, consistent, and testable.

Clause numbering

• Arabic numerals from 1 (for Scope)
• Up to 6 heading levels (e.g. 5.1, 5.1.1, 5.1.1.1, ...)
• If subdivisions exist, at least two at each level
• Never mix numbered and unnumbered subdivisions at the same level
• To insert between existing clauses: use alphanumeric (clause "8a")
• To delete: mark as "Void" to preserve numbering
• Automatic numbering may be used with proper ETSI styles

Scope

Worded as statements of fact:

• "The present document specifies..." / "establishes..." / "gives guidelines for..."
• "The present document is applicable to..."

References

• Normative references (2.1): must be publicly available in English
• Prefer specific (dated) references
• Non-specific (undated) allowed only if referring TC controls the document
• References to 3GPP deliverables: replace with ETSI equivalents (e.g. 3GPP TS 23.040 -> ETSI TS 123 040)

Figures and tables

• Numbered with Arabic numerals from 1
• Title below figure: "Figure N: title"
• Title above table: "Table N: title"
• Notes within the figure/table frame

ETSI-specific figure paragraph rules (mandatory)

Apply these rules for all ETSI deliverables (TS, ES, EN, TR, EG, SR, GS):

• Figure layout in Word must be In line with text. Floating layouts (Square, Tight, Through, Top and Bottom, Behind Text, In Front of Text) are forbidden.
• A single nominal figure may contain multiple images/pictures inside the same figure paragraph.
• The paragraph containing the figure(s) must use style FL (figure-para).
• After the last image in the figure paragraph, end the paragraph before adding the caption (equivalent to pressing Enter). Do not use a soft line break (Shift+Enter) between image content and caption.
• Place the caption in a separate paragraph with style TF (figure-caption).

Notes

• Integrated in text: "NOTE: " or "NOTE N: " for multiple
• Notes shall NOT contain requirements (except notes to tables/figures)
• Examples: "EXAMPLE: " or "EXAMPLE N: "
• Avoid footnotes; if used, shall not contain requirements

Neutrality

Do not promote or endorse services, products, or technologies of one company over another. If only one product/technology is available and needed, follow the rules in EDR clause 4 (copyright provisions).

ETSI style-name mapping

Concrete Word style IDs for ETSI deliverables. ETSI styles are provided by the deliverable skeleton (from editHelp!). These are largely the same as 3GPP styles.

Note: These style names are based on the 3GPP/ETSI convention pool. Always verify with the skeleton template from editHelp! for the specific deliverable type. ETSI may define additional styles for specialised elements (front cover, IPR clause, etc.) that are handled by the Secretariat.

References

• references/etsi-drafting-rules.md -- detailed extract from the ETSI Drafting Rules (EDR)

Cross-references

• sdo-project-setup -- common project bootstrap
• sdo-docx-formatting -- formatting rules (delegated; see mapping above)
• sdo-docx-operations -- officecli guardrails
• sdo-writing-style -- prose quality rules
• sdo-writing-conventions -- mechanical writing rules
• etsi-basics -- ETSI organisation, deliverable types, lifecycle
• etsi-spec -- ETSI specification metadata retrieval