Markings and data rights
What else must a derivative classifier carry forward from an authorized source?
Besides the classification level, a derivative classifier carries forward when the information can be downgraded and declassified. The full list.
Nov 13, 202616 questions answered9 sources
The short version
- 1The exam answer: guidance on when the information can be downgraded and when it can be declassified.
- 2On the real document you also carry forward portion and banner markings and dissemination controls, cite the source on Derived From, and put your own name on Classified By.
- 3You drop the Reason line entirely, and you never copy the source's own Classified By or Derived From lines.
Besides the classification level, a derivative classifier carries forward guidance about when the information can be downgraded and when it can be declassified. That is the answer the Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE) teaches in its Derivative Classification course, IF103 (student guide, p. 7).
The common version of this question echoes the opening of a sentence on that page. CDSE doesn't publish its final exam, so this page works from the student guide and the rules behind it. The manuals still carry Department of Defense (DoD) titles, so DoD Manual 5200.01 is the rulebook for the Department of War (DoW). For more practice questions, see the derivative classification study guide.
The exam question
In addition to assigning the appropriate classification level, what else must a derivative classifier carry forward from an authorized source to the new document?
Answer
Guidance about when the information may be downgraded and when it may be declassified.
Why
Every classified document needs a decision on how long it stays protected. If you drop the source's instructions, the new document could stay classified too long or lose protection too soon. Federal rules require you to carry the source's Declassify On instruction to the new document (32 CFR 2001.22(e)(1)). DoD Manual 5200.01 adds downgrading instructions when they apply (Volume 2, Enclosure 3, para 8.c(1)).
Source document
Secret//Rel to USA, GBR
MEMORANDUM: COURSE PLAN
(S//REL)The length of the course is two hours.
(U)The course ends with a final exam.
Classified By: J. Doe, Course Director
Reason: 1.4(a)
Downgrade To: CONFIDENTIAL on 20360301
Declassify On: 20510301
Secret//Rel to USA, GBR
Illustration only
Your new document
Secret//Rel to USA, GBR
BRIEFING: TRAINING SCHEDULE
(S//REL)The course runs 120 minutes.
(U)Students take a final exam.
Classified By: You, Analyst, Plans Office
Derived From: Memo, Course Plan, dtd 20260301
Downgrade To: CONFIDENTIAL on 20360301
Declassify On: 20510301
Secret//Rel to USA, GBR
Illustration only
Carried forward
- Classification level and banner
- Portion marks
- Dissemination controls (REL TO)
- Declassify On
- Downgrade To
Rewritten for you
- Classified By: your name and position
- Derived From: the source you used
Dropped
- Reason for classification
Sources: 32 CFR 2001.22(a)-(h); DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 2, Enclosure 3, para 8.c; CDSE student guide, p. 7. Mock documents, illustration only.
What does a derivative classifier carry forward on the actual document?
Answer
The level, portion marks, dissemination controls, and the declassification and downgrading instructions. Classified By and Derived From describe you and your source, and you drop the Reason line.
Why
The regulation says the new document "shall bear all markings" required on originally classified documents, and the information for them comes from the source or the guide (32 CFR 2001.22(a)). Don't copy declassification instructions blindly. Multiple sources or new guidance can change them (Volume 1, Enclosure 4, para 4.d, p. 38).
| Marking | What you put on the new document | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Banner line | The highest level of any portion | 2001.22(f) |
| Portion marks | Each portion marked as its source marks it | 2001.22(g) |
| Dissemination controls | Control markings such as REL TO, after the level | 2001.22(h), 2001.24(j)(3), Vol. 2, Figure 4 |
| Classified By | Your own name and position, or a personal identifier | 2001.22(b) |
| Derived From | The source document or guide you used | 2001.22(c) |
| Declassify On | The source's instruction, or the longest one if several | 2001.22(e) |
| Downgrade To | The lower level and the date or event, when applicable | Vol. 2, Encl. 3, para 8.c(1)(c) |
| Reason | Not carried forward | 2001.22(d) |
Source
Student guide, p. 7, which lists portion and banner markings, the source list, Derived From, Classified By, and downgrade or declassification guidance.
Secret//Rel to USA, GBR
BRIEFING: TRAINING SCHEDULE
(U)Subject: Training schedule
(S//REL)The course runs 120 minutes.
(C)Class size is set by the plans office.
(U)Students take a final exam.
Classified By: You, Analyst, Plans Office
Derived From: Multiple Sources
Downgrade To: CONFIDENTIAL on 20360301
Declassify On: 20510301
Secret//Rel to USA, GBR
Illustration only
- 1Banner line: the highest level in the document, top and bottom
- 2Dissemination control after the level
- 3Portion mark before every portion, as the source marks it
- 4Classified By: you, by name and position
- 5Derived From: the source document or guide
- 6Downgrade To: when applicable
- 7Declassify On: carried from the source
Sources: 32 CFR 2001.22(b)-(g) and 2001.24(j)(3); DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 2, Enclosure 3, para 8.c and Figure 4. Mock document, illustration only.
Does the Derived From line copy the source's Derived From line?
Answer
No. Cite the source document itself.
Why
Derived From names the document or guide you took the information from, with its agency, office, type, subject, and date. Copying the source's own Derived From line would point to the wrong document.
Classification guide
Course SCG, 2025
Your source
Memo, Course Plan, dtd 20260301. Its own line says Derived From: Course SCG.
Your document
Derived From: Memo, Course Plan, dtd 20260301
Copying "Derived From: Course SCG" onto your document would skip the memo you actually used.
Source: DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 2, Enclosure 3, para 8.c(1)(b). Example titles are made up.
Multiple sources
What goes on the Derived From line with more than one source?
Answer
"Multiple Sources," with a list of the sources on or attached to the document.
Why
A reader needs to trace every classified statement. If your one source is itself marked "Derived From: Multiple Sources," cite that source by name instead.
Sources
- Memo, Course Plan, dtd 20260301
- Course SCG, 2025, item 4.2
- Report, Range Survey, dtd 20250910
Secret
(S)The course runs 120 minutes.
(U)Range time follows the course.
Classified By: You, Analyst
Derived From: Multiple Sources
Declassify On: 20510301
Secret
Illustration only
One exception: if your only source already says "Multiple Sources," cite that source by name.
Sources: 32 CFR 2001.22(c)(1); DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 2, Enclosure 3, para 8.c(2)-(3). Mock document, illustration only.
Which Declassify On date do you use with more than one source?
Answer
The one that keeps the information classified longest.
Why
The longest duration protects every piece of information in the document. If no source gives an instruction, CDSE and DoD Manual 5200.01 count 25 years from the date you create the new document. The governmentwide rule counts 25 years from the source document's date, or from the current date if the source has none.
Years of protection from 2026
No instruction anywhere: DoW
25 years from the day you create the new document
No instruction: governmentwide rule
25 years from the source's date, or today if it has none
Sources: 32 CFR 2001.22(e)(1)-(2); DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 2, Enclosure 3, para 8.c(6)-(7). Dates are made up for the example.
Authorized sources
What are the authorized sources for derivative classification?
Answer
A security classification guide (SCG) and a properly marked classified source document. Interim guidance from an original classification authority (OCA) counts when no SCG exists yet.
Why
These carry the OCA's decision. Memory, hearsay, personal opinion, and the media or internet are not authorized sources.
Authorized
Security classification guide
The primary source. Wins a conflict on a specific item.
Properly marked source document
Carry its markings into your product.
Interim OCA guidance
Counts when no SCG exists yet.
Not authorized
Memory
"That project was Secret years ago."
Unconfirmed source
"Someone told me it's declassified."
Personal opinion
"I think this should be Top Secret."
Media or internet
"It was in a magazine, so it's public."
Sources: CDSE student guide, p. 6; DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 1, Enclosure 4, para 3.c and 3.e. Quotes paraphrase the guide's examples.
Is the DD Form 254 an authorized source?
Answer
The current student guide names only the SCG and the source document. Some study sets list the DD Form 254 as a third source.
Why
The DD Form 254 is the Contract Security Classification Specification. A government contracting activity (GCA) uses it to give a cleared contractor the classification guidance for a contract.
Source
32 CFR 117.13(d); Volume 3, Enclosure 2, para 18.i, p. 32 for the form's title; student guide, p. 6.
Government contracting activity
Owns the classification guidance for the contract
DD Form 254
Contract Security Classification Specification. Identifies the classified elements of the contract.
Cleared contractor
Follows the guidance when it classifies derivatively
Sources: 32 CFR 117.13(d); DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 3, Enclosure 2, para 18.i (form title).
What do you do when an SCG and a source document conflict?
Answer
Follow the SCG.
Why
The SCG takes precedence on a specific item. If two sources of guidance give different levels for the same information, contact the OCA and protect it at the highest level until you hear back.
SCG vs. source document
Two guidance sources disagree
- 1Contact the OCA for a ruling
- 2Until then, protect it at the highest level any source gives
Sources: CDSE student guide, p. 15; DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 1, Enclosure 4, para 3.e and 4.f.
Who do you ask when the sources don't settle it?
Answer
Your Security Manager or the OCA if you're DoW personnel. Your Facility Security Officer (FSO) or the GCA if you're a contractor.
Source
DoW personnel
Contractors
Source: CDSE student guide, p. 7 and 15.
Making the new document
What are the three ways to create new content from a source?
Answer
Extracting, paraphrasing or restating, and generating.
Why
Extracting copies the words verbatim. Paraphrasing rewords them, which can change the classification, so take care. Generating converts the information into a new format, such as a document into a video.
Source
Extract
(S)The length of the course is two hours.
Word for word from the source.
Paraphrase
(S)The course runs 120 minutes.
Reworded. Check the meaning didn't change.
Generate
Same information, new medium, such as a video.
Source: CDSE student guide, p. 9. The course-length examples follow the guide's own.
What are "contained in," "revealed by," and compilation?
Answer
Contained in means the classified information is plainly in your document, verbatim or reworded. Revealed by means a reader can deduce it. Compilation means individually unclassified or lower-level items become classified, or more classified, when combined.
Why
Only an OCA decides compilation, through an SCG. Mark each portion at its own level, put the compiled level in the banner, and explain the basis for the compilation on the document.
Contained in
Plainly there. No deduction needed.
Source
(S)The length of the course is two hours.
New document
(S)This course is 120 minutes long.
Revealed by
A reader can work it out.
New document
(S)The first half of the course is one hour.
the Secret fact, deduced
Compilation
Only when the SCG says so.
Secret
(U)Outage report summary
(U)Problem report summary
Note: per the SCG, two or more of these reports in one document are SECRET.
Portions keep their own marks. The banner shows the compiled level.
Sources: CDSE student guide, p. 10-13; DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 2, Enclosure 3, para 12. Examples follow the guide's.
Is photocopying a classified document derivative classification?
Answer
No. Copying or reproducing classified material is not derivative classification.
Photocopy or duplicate
Not derivative classification
Extract, reword, or generate
Derivative classification
Sources: CDSE student guide, p. 4; 32 CFR 117.13(b)(2); DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 1, Enclosure 4, para 2.a.
Who can be a derivative classifier
Who are derivative classifiers?
Answer
All cleared DoW personnel and contractor personnel who create documents or products from classified sources. No delegation of authority is needed.
How often must derivative classifiers be trained?
Answer
Before your first derivative classification, then at least once every 2 years.
Why
Miss it and your authority to apply derivative markings is suspended until you're trained. The training covers principles of derivative classification, levels, duration, markings, prohibitions and limitations, sanctions, challenges, SCGs, and information sharing. The CDSE guide calls it "a mandatory annual requirement," so check what your organization requires.
Trained
before your first derivative action
2 years
refresher due at the latest
Missed it
authority suspended until trained
The CDSE course calls it a mandatory annual requirement. The rule sets 2 years as the outer limit, so follow whichever your organization requires.
Sources: EO 13526, sec. 2.1(d); 32 CFR 2001.71(d); CDSE student guide, p. 5.
Limits on classification
What conditions must information meet to be classified?
Answer
An OCA classifies it, the U.S. Government owns, produces, or controls it, it falls in one or more of 8 categories, and its disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause damage the OCA can identify or describe.
Why
Those are the four conditions for original classification. The 8 categories include military plans, foreign government information, intelligence, and weapons of mass destruction.
1
An original classification authority classifies it
2
The U.S. Government owns, produces, or controls it
3
It falls in one or more of the 8 categories
4
Disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause identifiable damage
The 8 categories
Source: Executive Order 13526, sec. 1.1(a) and 1.4. Category names shortened.
What can information never be classified to do?
Answer
Conceal violations of law, inefficiency, or administrative error; prevent embarrassment; restrain competition; or prevent or delay release of information that doesn't need protection.
Why
Basic scientific research not clearly related to national security can't be classified either. Unauthorized disclosure of foreign government information is presumed to cause damage.
Conceal violations of law, inefficiency, or administrative error
Prevent embarrassment to a person, organization, or agency
Restrain competition
Prevent or delay release of information that needs no protection
Basic scientific research not clearly tied to national security
Source: Executive Order 13526, sec. 1.7(a) and 1.7(b).
What to do next
- Before you mark a draft, write down every source you use and portion-mark as you go (Volume 1, Enclosure 4, para 4.b).
- Check the new document against the table above: banner, portions, controls, Classified By, Derived From, Declassify On.
- With several sources, write "Multiple Sources," attach the list, and pick the longest declassification instruction.
- If a source looks wrong, ask your Security Manager or FSO before you guess.
- Check your training date and your organization's refresher cycle.
- For marking basics, read classification markings explained.
Azcuna's TRACE is one offline viewer for S1000D, MIL-STD-3001 XML, and PDF technical manuals. It keeps the source location and the markings of everything it shows and never modifies the source. It was proposed to NAVAIR under Navy SBIR Phase I topic DON26BZ05-NV078, and the proposal was submitted on September 23, 2026.
Sources
- 1Derivative Classification Student Guide, September 2026 · Center for Development of Security Excellence, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
- 232 CFR 2001.22 Derivative classification · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 332 CFR 2001.24 Additional requirements · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 432 CFR 2001.71 Coverage · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 532 CFR 117.13 Classification · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 6Executive Order 13526, Classified National Security Information, December 29, 2009 · Information Security Oversight Office, National Archives
- 7DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 1, DoD Information Security Program: Overview, Classification, and Declassification, Change 3, January 17, 2025 · Department of Defense
- 8DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 2, DoD Information Security Program: Marking of Information, Change 4, July 28, 2020 · Department of Defense
- 9DoD Manual 5200.01, Volume 3, DoD Information Security Program: Protection of Classified Information, Change 3, July 28, 2020 · Department of Defense
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