As described in Contributor
Policies, there are three different roles:
- Editor
- An editor is responsible for reflecting the proposals and consensus of the WG within the
specification. "Each document produced by a group will be edited by one or more
editors appointed by the group Chair. It is the responsibility of these editors to ensure
that the decisions of the group are correctly reflected in subsequent drafts of the
document." http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/#DocumentsGeneral
...
- Author
- Authors by their own initiative or through commitments to the Chair make substantive
contributions that are included within the specification. Frequently an author will make
and write a proposal that is then the basis of a section of the specification. Criteria
for authorship are the expressed interest (agreed to by the Chair) to be listed as an
author and the substance and quality of the contributions....
- Contributor
- Contributors are the many important WG members who provide the ideas, comments, feedback
and implementation experience that makes the specification meaningful. Criteria for the
contributor role are an expressed interest to be listed as a contributor to the document
and the quality of contribution as determined by the Chair; this is based on the
consistency of participation on the email list, participation in teleconferences and
face-to-face meetings as appropriate, and a responsiveness to open WG issues....
