The NIH Request for Comments (NIHRFC) document series is the official publication channel for NIH standards documents, produced outside of the domain team process, and for other publications of the Architecture Review Board (ARB), Office of the Chief Information Technology Architect (OCITA), and the NIH enterprise architecture community.
The NIH Enterprise Architecture website is the authoritative source for this document series. Depending on the status of the NIHRFC, it can be labeled as a draft, approved, or obsolete.
Four types of documents comprise the main NIHRFC series:
Back to Top
Standards Sub-series
Some NIHRFCs document NIH standards. These NIHRFCs form the Standards sub-series of the NIHRFC series.
The process that governs all types of standards, including those in the NIHRFC Standards Sub-series is described in the Standards Development Process.
Back to Top
Best Community Practice Sub-series
Some NIHRFCs are statements of principle or an agreed upon approach to completing a process, operation, or architectural function. These NIHRFCs form the best community practice (BCP) sub-series.
Visit Best Community Practice Process to learn move about this document sub-series.
Back to Top
Informational Sub-series
An 'informational' specification is published for the general information of the NIH enterprise architecture community and does not represent an NIH community consensus or recommendation. The “informational“ designation is intended to provide for the timely publication of a very broad range of responsible informational documents from many sources and the Chief IT Architect’s consent for publication. However, the Chief IT Architect must validate that the document is applicable to the NIH enterprise architecture community and does not place NIH at risk.
Back to Top
Procedures for Informational NIHRFCs
Unless they are the result of architecture domain team action, informational documents should be submitted directly to OCITA at EnterpriseArchitecture@mail.nih.gov. OCITA will publish the documents to the NIH Portal and will allow for a minimum ten business day comment period.
OCITA is expected to exercise good judgment concerning the editorial suitability of an informational NIHRFC and may refuse to publish a document that, in the expert opinion of the Chief Architect, is unrelated to NIH architecture activity or falls below the technical and/or editorial standard for NIHRFCs.
After the minimum ten business days have expired and no other further action is initiated by a stakeholder, OCITA may publish the NIHRFC to the authoritative source for enterprise architecture standards http://enterprisearchitecture.nih.gov/. Generally NIHRFCs in this sub-series do not require ARB approval.
To learn more about this process review NIHRFC0001, “Architecture Standards Process.”
The process model that describes the procedures for information NIHRFCs follows:
Informational NIHRFC Process Model: GIF | PDF
(Note: Select the process model you'd like to review. If you are using the image format, use your browser's zoom feature or Automatic Image Resizing with Internet Explorer 6® to view the model in its original size.)
Back to Top
Draft NIHRFCs
During the development of a specification or a standard, draft versions of the NIHRFC document are available for review and comment on the NIH Portal in the NIH Enterprise Architecture community. Recommended changes and comments must be submitted in the discussion area, which is attached to the document, to ensure an open, collaborative approach to standards specification.
A draft, proposed, or revised NIHRFC will be moved to an archived status, if it has not been approved within 6 months of its submission to OCITA in order to reduce overhead in the administration of the process and confusion concerning the status of unapproved documents. In the case of a revision that has not been approved, the previous version will remain the authoritative source until it is classified as obsolete or retired. Subsequent to a document being deleted, stakeholders may resubmit a newly revised version of the document at a later date.
The NIHRFC author is the only authorized editor for substantive changes to an NIHRFC unless the NIHRFC author has appointed a delegate. An NIHFRC author must submit it in the format prescribed in NIHRFC0003, “Instructions to NIHRFC Authors.” A template (NIHRFC0009) is available on the NIH Portal. OCITA will appoint an NIHRFC editor to proofread the document for grammar, consistency, and readability. In the case of a minimal number of minor errors of these types, the NIHRFC editor may make the change to the document but must document and notify the author of the changes.
Back to Top
Obsolete NIHRFCS
A specification that has been superseded by a more recent specification or is for any other reason considered to be obsolete is classified as “Obsolete.” Any stakeholder may recommend that an NIHRFC be classified as obsolete.
OCITA will maintain an archive of obsolete NIHRFCs indefinitely on the NIH Portal. The NIH Portal is the authoritative source for obsolete NIHRFCs. However, a record of the obsolete NIHRFC will remain on the enterprise architecture website with the classification of “Obsolete.” OCITA will annotate the obsolete NIHRFC with the reason it is obsolete and a citation for the mechanism, such as a new NIHRFC, that obsoletes it.
The decision authority for classifying a BCP or informational NIHRFC as obsolete is the Chief Architect, whose decisions may be appealed to the ARB for final disposition. The decision authority for NIHRFCs in the standards sub-series is the ARB, whose decisions may be appealed to the ITWG. The final disposition of an obsolete NIHRFC should be communicated to the NIH enterprise architecture community and to the NIHRFC author.
Back to Top