# Adjudication for Content Requests

<mark style="color:$danger;">**This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.**</mark>

There are processes for making decisions about adding or changing content in SNOMED CT.

## Change requests

All change requests, whether for new content or for change to existing content, go through a request submission approval process. It involves review by authors to determine that there is:

* International applicability
* Compliance with Understandable, Reproducible, Useful (URU) principles
* No duplication with existing content
* No link to existing larger projects, as detailed in a Content Tracker document
* No conflict with existing collaboration agreements (e.g. *Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC)* agreement)

{% hint style="warning" %}
Legacy concepts, i.e. concepts not in the current draft/work-in-progress version of SNOMED CT, may not follow current guidelines. Requests based on legacy concepts are unacceptable.
{% endhint %}

## Appeals, deferrals, and resolution

### Appeals

Requests that are rejected may be appealed by the submitter.

### Deferrals

Requests may be deferred for a number of reasons including questions about:

* How to model the concept; which attributes may be used
* Concept meaning
* Literature reference missing or inadequate
* Use case unclear
* Size of required change (attached to a Content Tracker)

### Resolution

Resolution of deferrals may result in a decision delay requiring:

* A larger project or work item or
* Referral, internally, to other groups for decision. This depends on the complexity of the request and understanding of the wider impact.

## Results

Results of adjudication are received by email from the Content Request System (CRS). Simpler issues can be resolved expeditiously (e.g. by a ruling from the Chief Terminologist).

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