Our Review Process

An application to join the DBL either as Contributor or Distributor goes through a review process outlined below. If an organization is approved as a new DBL member, they will be notified via email by our Care Team. 

Once the application is received, it is evaluated based on the criteria listed below. These criteria differ slightly depending on the kind of membership for which you are applying.

Contributor Criteria

Any organization wishing to submit their text, audio or other content (IP) to the DBL must fulfill the following criteria and requirements:

• Demonstrate Ownership – First and foremost,  demonstrate ownership of the content to be submitted as verified by copyright and/or other legal documentation, as recognized by the rules of the country of origin.
• Credentials – be recommended by one of the ETEN Alliance Ministries (UBS, Biblica, Wycliffe) or follow the Forum of Bible Agencies International (FOBAI) translation standards. A summary of FOBAI translation standards can be found here.
• Reputable Standing – Only reputable organizations will be considered for participation in the DBL. A reputable organization is one that follows the historic tenets of Christianity.
• Cooperation – While we don’t expect all partners to hold to similar confessional practices or standards, we do expect all members  to be able to operate cordially and constructively with all ETEN members, including the inter-confessional ones. Applying organizations should not have any outstanding conflicts with any current ETEN partners or other Contributors.
• Application Review Process – Organizations understand that each application is reviewed by DBL staff. DBL staff reserves the right to review individual texts for conformance to above mentioned criteria.
• Authentication – The ultimate authority for approving new Contributors will be the Partnership Credentials Committee.

Contributor Operational Requirements

• Technical Knowledge – The DBL expects that a contributing organization has sufficient technical capacity to be able to interact efficiently with DBL staff.
• Licensing Management – Contributing organizations will be expected to manage the licensing process for their content within the DBL.
• Content Designation – In Bible publication and distribution, each contributor agrees to reference the United Bible Societies (UBS) designation of Scripture products (Bible, New Testament, Portion, Selection), and for the identification of languages, the SIL Ethnologue as well as its accompanying statistics regarding the number of languages.
• Fill out a complete profile within the DBL

Distributor Criteria

Any organization or ministry interested in gaining access to the DBL must fulfill the following criteria.

• Reputable Standing – Only reputable organizations will be considered for participation in the DBL. A reputable organization is one that follows the historic tenets of Christianity.
• Cooperation – While we don’t expect all partners to hold to similar confessional practices or standards, we do expect all members  to be able to operate cordially and constructively with all ETEN members, including the inter-confessional ones. Applying organizations should not have any outstanding conflicts with any current ETEN partners or other DBL members.
• Respect – Organizations will adhere to the limits, terms, and conditions of the licenses and permissions granted them by the Contributor.
• Accessibility – Becoming a Distributor does not automatically mean access to content. Although some content in DBL may be accessed by default (fair use / open access), a majority of the content will require additional licensing steps in order to secure permissions from each Contributor
• Application Review Process – Organizations understand that each application is reviewed by DBL staff. DBL staff reserves the right to review individual texts for conformance to above mentioned criteria.

Distributor Operational Requirements

Technical Background – Distributors should already possess viable distribution technology and a well-functioning digital platform before receiving Distributor membership. See the Technical Competency information below.

• Provide Statistics and Reports – All participants need to be able to provide engagement statistics and reports on a regular basis. These statistics need to be detailed enough to accommodate requests from each IP contributor who has provided them access to their content.
• Fill out a complete profile within the DBL

Technical Competency information

Applicants should be able to handle the intricacies of accessing a web API. In particular, they must already be proficient at:

1. Understanding written web services documentation.
2. Making authenticated HTTP requests using any of the usual REST verbs.
3. Handling data returned by those requests in the form of XML, JSON, or ZIP archives containing those formats. (A scripture translation is typically packaged in a bundle with texts in USX format. USX (Unified Scripture XML) is an XML schema used for encoding the digital text for scripture translations. To learn more about USX, click here. 

In addition, applicants will need the technical skills and staffing to provide a means for copyright holders (Contributors) to preview and approve presentation of texts before public release.