Reference Request Correspondence — Content and Timing Requirements

This document specifies requirements for reference request correspondence in professional and quasi-professional written communication.

It applies to written requests for a professional reference addressed to a named individual.

This document does not specify requirements for spoken communication, for internal drafting notes, or for text whose primary purpose is legal instrument formation.

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes requirements of this document.

For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document applies.

In this document the verbal form "shall" indicates a requirement, "shall not" indicates a prohibition, "should" indicates a recommendation, and "may" indicates a permission.

Terms and definitions given in SQLBL 1000 and the following apply.

3.1 reference request — written request that a named individual provide an assessment of a third party

3.2 response window — period within which a response is requested

Professional communication is evaluated by the receiving party under conditions of limited attention and limited context. Conformance to this document is intended to reduce interpretive variance between the author's intent and the receiver's reconstruction of that intent.

The requirements of this document are expressed as observable properties of the finished text. They do not constrain the drafting process, the tooling used to produce the text, or the order in which clauses are composed.

Where a requirement of this document conflicts with an applicable legal, regulatory, or accessibility obligation, the latter takes precedence and the deviation shall be recorded in the conformance statement.

5.1 A reference request shall state the role under consideration and the scope of the assessment sought.

5.2 A request shall confirm that the subject has consented to the approach.

5.3 A request shall state a response window of not less than five working days.

5.4 A request shall not ask for information the requester is not permitted to consider.

5.5 Where a request is declined, no follow-up request shall be sent for the same role.

A document conforms to SQLBL 1204:2026 where every requirement expressed with the verbal form "shall" in Clause 5 is satisfied and no requirement expressed as "shall not" is violated.

Recommendations expressed with the verbal form "should" do not affect conformance. Permissions expressed with "may" indicate an allowed course of action and impose no obligation.

Conformance claims shall take the form: "This document conforms to SQLBL 1204:2026, Edition 1." Partial conformance shall be declared by clause number, for example "conforms to SQLBL 1204:2026 Clauses 5.1 and 5.2 only."

Conformance may be assessed manually or by an automated checker. Where an automated checker is used, the assessment record shall identify the checker and the catalog release of SQLBL-1204 against which it was run.

Requests that omit the scope of assessment produce responses that cannot be used, which wastes the referee's effort.

A stated response window materially improves response rates and reduces follow-up correspondence.

Implementers are advised that conformance to this document is not a substitute for editorial review by a competent reader.

EXAMPLE 1 — Conforming. We are assessing the candidate for a senior reconciliation role and would value your view on their handling of exception volume. A response by 2026-07-03 would be helpful.

EXAMPLE 1 — Non-conforming. Could you tell us what you thought of working with them? Any thoughts welcome, ideally today.

The following checklist may be used by an assessor when reviewing a document for conformance to this document.