Derivative classification relies on properly marked classified source documents or authorized classification guidance, usually a current security classification guide. If you are asking which sources you may use, start there. Interim guidance issued by an original classification authority can also qualify when a formal guide has not yet been developed or updated.

For a cleared job seeker, this distinction matters when a role involves writing reports, preparing briefings, or producing technical deliverables. You need to understand how an existing classification decision follows information into a new product, and where your authority ends when the source leaves a question unanswered.

Which sources are authorized for derivative classification?

For contractor personnel, the authorized basis is guidance from an original classification authority, supplied through a properly marked source document or a current security classification guide provided by the government contracting activity. The source types serve different purposes, but both connect your new work to an existing decision.

The contractor classification rule, 32 CFR 117.13(b), covers incorporating, paraphrasing, restating, or generating already classified information in a new form. Merely duplicating or reproducing an existing classified document is excluded from its definition of derivative classification.

CDSE’s September 2026 Derivative Classification Student Guide describes the source types as properly marked classified documents and OCA-issued classification guidance. It expressly permits interim OCA guidance when a formal guide has not yet been developed or updated. For a contractor assignment, ask security to confirm the guidance supplied through the government contracting activity.

That distinction helps you describe your experience accurately. Producing a newly written assessment from classified reporting involves a classification decision about the new product. Making an authorized copy of an existing report does not become derivative classification merely because the copier has a clearance.

What makes a source document usable?

A usable source lets you identify the information being carried forward and the instructions that apply to it. Read its portion markings and classification authority block. A classification banner alone cannot tell you how every passage in a new document should be marked.

Consider a hypothetical report containing both classified analysis and an unclassified administrative paragraph. If you use the administrative paragraph, first establish which markings apply to that content. Copying the report’s overall classification onto every new paragraph would skip the necessary evaluation of what your new text actually contains or reveals.

Missing markings are a reason to seek correction, not permission to treat the material as unclassified. Executive Order 13526, section 1.6(f), directs holders to coordinate with an appropriate classification authority to apply omitted markings when using such information in derivative classification. It also says the information remains classified at its assigned level despite those omissions.

There is a specific source restriction worth recognizing: under 32 CFR 117.13(b)(3), a document without portion markings because of an approved waiver must warn that it cannot be used as a derivative classification source. Do not infer that every official document is eligible simply because it arrived through an authorized channel.

How does a security classification guide differ?

A security classification guide organizes original classification decisions by information element. It can tell you how to treat information you are generating about a covered subject, rather than only how an existing report marked a particular passage.

The ISOO derivative classification training slides, dated August 2017, describe guides as records of original decisions requiring approval by the appropriate original classification authority. Their illustrative document dates are examples, not dates to reuse in your own work.

The current guide-content requirements in 32 CFR 2001.15(b) call for the subject, authority, agency contact, issuance or review date, precise protected elements, classification levels, applicable caveats, reasons, and declassification instructions. Those fields give you a practical way to examine whether you have the relevant entry and enough context to apply it.

Check the scope before relying on a familiar title. A guide for a related program may describe different information. Within the applicable guide, read the surrounding entries and notes; an instruction about a combination of facts can matter even when the facts appear less sensitive separately.

Currency requires more than choosing the file with the newest-looking name. Ask the security office which approved version and amendments govern the assignment. CDSE’s September 2026 guide says the SCG takes precedence over a conflicting classified source document; preserve the references and seek clarification if the applicable entry or marking remains uncertain.

Can an FSO, expert, or regulation supply the answer?

A facility security officer can help you obtain and clarify guidance, but the person’s title is not an authorized source document. Likewise, technical expertise can help explain what information reveals without replacing the written classification basis.

Understanding the FSO’s contractor security responsibilities helps you use that relationship well. Bring the document identity, guide entry, and exact ambiguity through approved channels. “Which approved entry covers this statement?” is more useful than asking whether a whole project is classified.

A regulation supplies the rules for classification; it does not necessarily classify the specific program fact you are writing. A training example teaches the process. Neither becomes your substantive source merely by appearing on a government website.

The same caution applies when information appears in public. Under 32 CFR 117.13(g), an improper public release does not automatically declassify it. Contractors must continue protecting the information until the government contracting activity formally advises otherwise. A public search result cannot settle that decision.

What should you check before marking the new product?

Check the source’s identity, its applicability to your assignment, the information portions you actually use, and the declassification instructions. Then ensure that another authorized holder could identify the source from the new product’s attribution.

The derivative marking requirements in 32 CFR 2001.22 distinguish “Classified By,” which identifies the derivative classifier, from “Derived From,” which identifies the source. For the source line, include the agency, office where available, and source or guide date. The guide reference should let the next holder locate the information you used.

Keep classification level and duration separate in your review. A correct overall banner does not cure an incorrect declassification instruction. Nor does a correct source citation prove that every portion marking matches the new text.

For contractor onboarding, the practical connection to the NISPOM contractor framework is access to pertinent guidance and authorized training. Ask how your team obtains current guides, records classification decisions, and routes unanswered questions before you are assigned to produce classified deliverables.

How do you handle multiple sources and duration?

When you actually use multiple source documents or guides, the marking rules call for “Derived From: Multiple Sources” and a source list on or attached to the new document. The declassification instruction must reflect the longest applicable duration among the sources used.

The source list preserves traceability. Keep it as you work, rather than trying to reconstruct it from memory when the product is finished. Include the materials that support the classification decisions in the new document; an undifferentiated reading list makes review harder.

There is a useful exception to a common shortcut. If you use a source document that is itself marked “Multiple Sources,” 32 CFR 2001.22(c)(2) directs you to cite that source document. Its own marking does not mean you personally used every underlying source.

Duration also needs careful reading. The rule includes a hierarchy for restrictive declassification instructions, including exemption markings. Choosing the latest-looking calendar date without examining those instructions can miss the controlling direction. Ask for help applying an unfamiliar exemption or legacy marking instead of treating it as ordinary date arithmetic.

What if guidance conflicts or seems outdated?

Apply the SCG’s precedence over a conflicting source document, and route unresolved marking questions through your security office. For contractors, the government contracting activity has final responsibility for classification guidance. Protect the information while an uncertainty or challenge is being resolved.

Under 32 CFR 117.13(e), contractors address improper, unnecessary, or inadequate classification with the government contracting activity. While a challenge is pending, they safeguard the information at its assigned or proposed level, whichever is higher. A challenge does not authorize a lower marking in the meantime.

An elapsed declassification date creates another possible trap. Section 117.13(h)(2) says contractors are not authorized to implement even automatic downgrading or declassification instructions themselves. They seek guidance from the government contracting activity when the marked date or event has occurred.

Use your security briefing preparation to establish the reporting route and approved way to share the question. Keep the actual classified content within authorized systems. For an interview, explain this decision process using a hypothetical example rather than bringing a real classified product.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a security clearance enough to make derivative classification decisions?

No. A clearance does not replace the contractor training requirement or the need for pertinent classification guidance. Confirm your authorization and training with your security office before taking on the duty, even if you have handled classified information in another role.

Should every paragraph receive the source document’s overall classification?

No. The new document’s portions must reflect the information they contain in accordance with the source. Its overall marking reflects the highest classification of information included. Evaluate the actual content instead of copying a banner indiscriminately.

Can a knowledgeable coworker resolve a missing source?

A coworker can help find the applicable guide or identify the authority who can resolve the question. Expertise alone does not supply the authorized written basis. If guidance is missing or inadequate, take that specific gap to your security office.

What should I ask before starting a job with classification duties?

Ask your security office to identify the approved source repository, the current guide for your assignment, and the contact for unresolved classification questions. Record that contact in your authorized workplace reference materials before preparing your first classified deliverable.