FAO's publications play an important role in informing agricultural policy and practices, food security strategies, and global awareness-raising. This calls for rigorous quality standards, including ensuring that the content is accurate, professionally laid out, and fully compliant with FAOSTYLE and FAO terminology. A high-quality publishing programme strengthens FAO's reputation as a global authority on food and agriculture, fostering trust and cooperation among Members, donors and stakeholders.

FAO's publications governance mechanism^a provides the framework for the quality assurance of publications, enabling FAO to deliver targeted knowledge products that support the Organization in the delivery of its work. This includes:

• a Publications Board that oversees the publishing programme;
• divisional or thematic Editorial Committees that ensure the technical quality and relevance of publications under their responsibility; and
• the Publications and Library Branch (OCCP) in the Office of Communications, which provides editorial expertise and quality control.

The Publications Workflow System (PWS), managed by OCCP, is a tool that supports planning, production, quality control and reporting, thereby underpinning all aspects of publications governance at FAO. All knowledge products published by the Organization must be inserted in the PWS (see Appendix 1 What goes in the PWS for more detail).

This guide sets forth the main criteria for quality assurance of FAO's knowledge products, and related roles and responsibilities. It complements the guidance provided in Publishing at FAO.

2 Top criteria for quality assurance

All knowledge products must meet the following standards in order to be published. Non-compliance generates delays, as products will be sent back to the previous step until the relevant criteria have been met.

2.1 Content quality

Foremost among the quality criteria for FAO publications is the content, including scientific accuracy, relevance and alignment with FAO's priorities. This is why step 1 of the PWS is structured as a concept note, setting out the aspects to be taken into account when planning a publication, including rationale, target audience, content category and relationship to FAO's Programme Priority Areas (PPAs) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In line with the FAO Publications Taxonomy (AC 2024/07), quality control criteria are applied according to content categories. Documentation related to the new criteria and matrix is available from the Publications Governance SharePoint site.

The concept note is checked at step 2 by the Unit Publications Coordinator (UPC), who will flag the publication to the relevant Editorial Committee for review and inclusion, where relevant, in the Publishing Plan shared with the Publications Board. The UPC will also follow up with the Editorial Committee regarding processes such as peer review and plagiarism checks (see 2.7 Plagiarism).

2.2 Editorial quality

All content, whether original or translated, must be written in a clear style appropriate to the audience of the publication; free of spelling and grammatical errors; and edited according to FAOSTYLE, the FAO Terminology Portal (FAOTERM) and the Names of Countries and Territories (NOCS) database.

At step 4, UPCs must check editorial quality of the publication, ensuring that the metadata is in the right language, the content was edited, and the information about the translation is accurate (for language versions).

At step 5 in the PWS, OCCP's editors review publications in the six FAO languages against all these criteria, checking again at step 8 that any requested changes have been made. This language review is carried out for publications listed in the FAO Publications Taxonomy with “highest” and “high” level of quality control.

2.3 Map compliance

All maps used in publications should adhere to the guidance set out in Maps in FAO knowledge products, which is based on, and complements, the United Nations Geospatial Guidance for the Publication of Maps (both FAO’s and the UN’s guidance is confidential), for disclaimers, citation of sources, and data representation. Compliance with the guidance is reviewed by OCCP at step 5.

OCCP encourages the use of the geospatial data provided by the United Nations, which applies standardized geographical boundaries and features for global consistency. Any maps created or used must comply with UN modalities.

2.4 Metadata in PWS records

Metadata is defined as data that provides information about other data. In a publication, the metadata includes information such as the title, author, publisher, publication date, ISBN and subject categories. High-quality metadata is key to ensuring accessibility, discoverability, interoperability and the wider dissemination of knowledge products, so that they will survive and continue to be accessible in the future.

The initiator of the record should enter all available metadata at step 1. The metadata must be accurate and curated for every field. If any additions or changes need to be made to the metadata after step 1, the initiator should update this in the PWS record prior to publication (step 10). Make sure the title, subtitle and synopsis are correct and in the language of the publication. The synopsis should be well written and summarize the content and purpose (see also the synopsis field info balloon in the PWS). OCCP reviews AGROVOC keywords at step 9.

2.5 Layout

Publications should be designed and laid out by professionals with knowledge of best practices in publishing. Refer to "Graphic design guidelines" in Publishing at FAO and the standard terms of reference (TOR) for graphic designers as a basis to check that all expected tasks have been carried out and deliverables provided (including final print and source files). Where possible, use existing templates to lay out publications. Layout review is performed at step 5 by OCCP and checked again at step 8. For further information, refer to section 2 Building a publication of "FAOSTYLE".

2.6 Copyright, logo and identifiers

All FAO knowledge products should carry the copyright statement (© FAO, year) and Creative Commons (CC) licence with the CC icon and job number.

Depending on the FAO Publications Taxonomy content category, a digital object identifier (DOI), required citation, copyright disclaimer, ISBN and/or barcode may be required. If so, they will be provided by OCCP via the PWS at step 5.  

Copyright information must be clearly visible.  

• When a copyright page is required, the copyright statement, CC licence and required citation are included on that page and the job number – either alone or as part of a barcode, if there is an ISBN assigned – is placed on the back cover.
• When a copyright page is not required, the copyright statement, CC licence, job number and any necessary disclaimers are usually placed on the back cover or in the footer of the last page. A required citation may also be needed and placed in the footer when a DOI is assigned.  

At step 5, OCCP colleagues will provide clear indications regarding the copyright page or disclaimer(s), and provide any additional information as needed, such as the job number and, when assigned, the ISBN and DOI.  

Disclaimer texts are prepared by OCCP and available in the Resources tab of the PWS. Customized disclaimers are prepared for co-publications (publications issued jointly with other entities). Contact copyright@fao.org for the co-publishing agreement as soon as co-publishing is envisaged.

The FAO logo must comply with the FAO logo policy and guidelines. See also the FAO Global Goals visual identity guidelines to highlight FAO’s commitment to the SDGs.

2.7 Plagiarism

Defined as passing off the ideas or words of another as one’s own or using another’s ideas or words without crediting the source, plagiarism is not permitted in FAO publications. FAO has a corporate licence for iThenticate, a tool to check for similarity and detect plagiarism, available for use by anybody with an FAO account. OCCP’s plagiarism guidelines explain how to use IThenticate. Access to the tool can be requested to PWS-support@fao.org.

2.8 Artificial intelligence

FAO authors may use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of the process to develop their publication and to polish the final product. However, raw, unedited AI-generated text may not be used in the final published product. In all cases, AI must be used in a way that adds value, while maintaining scholarly integrity and ethical principles, in line with FAO’s mandate and obligations to its Members. AI-generated images may not currently be used in FAO publications. See also Practical Guidance on the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) for FAO Official Activities.

3 How to manage urgent records

Planning the editorial production of a product – from language editing to final web release – is of utmost importance. It is a phase of the publication process that requires time and attention to avoid delays in the approval process of PWS.  

In exceptional circumstances, it is possible to flag a record as urgent by sending a request to PWS-support@fao.org and including a justification. If the request is accepted, the PWS colleagues will prioritize the record at step 5 and step 8.  

Level 3 Emergency Response activities as well as Level 2 Emergency Response activities are usually treated as priorities, with a target window of 24-48 hours to review documents under ten pages in length. To facilitate swift processing, documents must adhere to publishing standards. The PWS team should be alerted in advance, and in particular when the record reaches steps 5 and 8 (the UPC should send an email to publishing-submissions@fao.org).

If there is no time to make all the changes requested by PWS colleagues, the record can be published exceptionally under these conditions:

• Changes related to country names, maps, disclaimers and photo credits must be addressed even for very urgent records.
• The director of the division/office OR the chair of the editorial committee must send a formal request to publishing-submissions@fao.org and knowledge-repository@fao.org, taking responsibility for publishing a product that is not fully compliant with publishing standards and committing to address the changes within 7 working days (from the day it is published).
• The record will be published as Tier 4 until the changes are implemented. It will then be upgraded to the appropriate content category and tier, as defined in the FAO Publications Taxonomy.

4 Roles and responsibilities within the PWS

The PWS workflow covers various roles, including internal approvals, quality control and metadata management.

The initiator is responsible for:

• creating the record of the publication in the PWS, which involves reflecting on the purpose and value of the planned knowledge product and its relevance to FAO’s Strategic Framework;
• working closely with the Unit Publications Coordinator (UPC) to ensure that production moves forward according to the expected timeline in the Publishing Plan;
• inserting accurate metadata in the PWS; and
• uploading publishing files that comply with FAO publishing standards.

The Unit Publications Coordinator (UPC), as detailed in the terms of reference, is a publishing expert responsible for managing and supporting the production of publications within a specific division, office or thematic area of FAO, and acts as the secretary of the respective Editorial Committee. According to the FAO Publications Taxonomy (AC 2024/07) and corresponding delegation of authority, the UPC is responsible for:

• ensuring initial quality control of publications in content categories that fall under Tiers 1, 2 and 3 and full quality control for content categories that fall under Tier 4 of the taxonomy;
• generating a list of planned publications at step 2 for review by the relevant Editorial Committee, and following up with initiators accordingly;
• submitting the approved list to OCCP on a biannual basis for inclusion in the corporate Publications Plan; and
• providing support to authoring teams along the publishing workflow.

The Editorial Committee, as set out in its terms of reference, plays an important role in quality assurance, including:

• advising on the planning, approval and clearance of all publications under its purview (divisional or thematic);
• reviewing and endorsing publishing proposals at step 2;
• including publications, where appropriate, in the list to be submitted to OCCP for inclusion in the corporate Publishing Plan;
• ensuring peer review and plagiarism checks have been done;
• providing final technical clearance; and
• providing support to authoring teams along the publishing workflow.

OCCP is responsible for:

• performing quality control at step 5, for both layout and language for all product categories (except those covered fully by the UPC as indicated above);
• doing a final check at step 8 to ensure that any changes requested at step 5 have been implemented;
• generating job numbers, ISBNs and DOIs;
• managing all copyright-related aspects, including agreements with other institutions;
• performing final quality control for metadata, supplementary files, datasets, and finalizing the digital publishing to step 10 (for online publication in the FAO Knowledge Repository); and
• providing support along the entire PWS workflow.

The Publications Board, as set out in its terms of reference, represents the overarching instance for the quality assurance of FAO's knowledge products. It is notably responsible for:

• reviewing the corporate Publishing Plan;
• conducting periodic evaluations of the quality, relevance and value for money of FAO publications;
• strategically reviewing the flagships and other high-profile publications; and
• regularly reviewing the direction, relevance, effectiveness and fitness for purpose of FAO's publishing programme.

For more information, see Director-General's Bulletin No. 2021/34 and the FAO Publications Governance website.