DRAFT Math Working Group Charter
The mission of the Math Working Group is to promote the inclusion of mathematics on the Web so that it is a first-class citizen of the web that displays well, is accessible, and is searchable.
This proposed charter is available on GitHub. Feel free to raise issues.
| Charter Status | See the group status page and detailed change history. |
|---|---|
| Start date | [TPD] |
| End date | [TBD] (Start date + 2 years) |
| Chairs |
|
| Team Contacts | Bert Bos (0.1 FTE) |
| Meeting Schedule |
Teleconferences: two 1-hour calls working on different aspects of MathML held on a schedule ranging from weekly to monthly to resolve issues as needed.
Face-to-face: no face-to-face meetings are currently planned, but the group may choose to have one or more face-to-face meetings if needed and if circumstances allow. See also this group calendar |
Motivation and Background
MathML is a markup language for encoding and communicating mathematics. The need for mathematical rendering on the web was evident from the earliest days of the Web at CERN, and MathML was among the first specifications taken up and developed by the W3C in the mid to late 1990s XML/XHTML era. It received much attention and has created a vibrant ecosystem of implementations and integration outside of web browsers. At the start of 2023, Chromium support of MathML Core was enabled by default so that all major browsers now support MathML without the need of third party libraries. MathML Core is a subset of the full MathML recommendation. Additional work is needed to expand MathML Core to encompass more features used in mathematical layout and to resolve some open issues which were put off to a future time such as links in MathML.
Scope
MathML Core is currently in CR, and MathML 4 has started horizontal review in preparation for the transition to CR. The continuation of this group will allow time to move these and the XML Entities to Recommendation status. The goals of these recommendations are:
- Wide adoption by browsers of a core set of presentational elements so that authors can be assured that mathematics will be displayed similarly in all browsers, without having to rely on external libraries to do the display.
- Increased accessibility of Presentation MathML for mathematical notation achieved by allowing a means of specifying relevant mathematical intent, as well as by providing guidelines for interpreting Presentation MathML in the absence of additional information.
The Working Group will continue to provide a thorough review and refinement of MathML Core Level 1’s rendering, including integration with current CSS and basic DOM, and providing tests and opening bugs.
The Working Group will take up new work looking for areas where MathML Core should be expanded to a MathML Core Level 2. It will also use feedback to look for areas where MathML 4's Core Concepts and Properties should be extended to support better accessibility.
The scope of the Math Working Group includes the following:
- Development of Recommendations as outlined above.
- Continued development of test suites to check conformance of implementations.
- Clarifications to the current use of Web Platform technologies, such as supported JavaScript APIs and CSS modules.
- Enhancements and improvements to internationalization/localization in consultation with a broad international community.
- Continued integration of errata and bug fixes.
-
Integration of new and existing Web Platform technologies, including, but not limited to:
- DOM APIs
- Shadow DOM and Custom Elements
- CSS
- Integration with tools above and beyond browsers.
- Refinements to the MathML markup and processing model that enhance accessibility.
Out of Scope
- Changes that would cause legacy MathML that has significant usage to stop working on the Web Platform or elsewhere.
- Significant changes in MathML 4 to Content MathML beyond those useful for accessibility. Larger changes will be considered for MathML 5 after gaining experience and feedback from proposed additions to Presentation MathML and MathML Core.
Deliverables
Updated document status is available on the group publication status page.
Draft state indicates the state of the deliverable at the time of the charter approval.
Expected completion indicates when the deliverable is projected to become a Recommendation, or otherwise reach a stable state
The Working Group will deliver the following W3C normative specifications:
This specification defines a core subset of Mathematical Markup Language, or MathML, that is suitable for browser implementation.
MathML is a markup language for describing mathematical notation and capturing both its structure and content.
The goal of MathML is to enable mathematics to be served, received, and processed on the World Wide Web,
just as HTML has enabled this functionality for text.
Draft state: Candidate Recommendation Expected completion: [Q4 2026] Latest publication: 2025-06-24 Exclusion Draft:
https://www.w3.org/TR/2025/CR-mathml-core-20250624/ Exclusion Draft Charter: Produced under Working Group Charter:
https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2023.html This specification defines the Mathematical Markup Language, or MathML.
MathML is a markup language for describing mathematical notation and capturing both its structure and content.
The goal of MathML is to enable mathematics to be served, received, and processed on the World Wide Web, just as HTML has enabled this functionality for text. This specification of the markup language MathML is intended primarily for a readership consisting of those who will be developing or implementing renderers or editors using it,
or software that will communicate using MathML as a protocol for import or export.
It is not a User's Guide but rather a reference document. MathML can be used to encode both mathematical notation and mathematical content.
About thirty-eight of the MathML tags describe abstract notational structures, while another about one hundred and seventy provide a way of unambiguously
specifying the intended meaning of an expression.
Additional chapters discuss how the MathML content and presentation elements interact,
and how MathML renderers might be implemented and should interact with browsers.
Finally, this document addresses the issue of special characters used for mathematics, their handling in MathML, their presence in Unicode, and their relation to fonts. Draft state: Working Draft Expected completion: [Q1 2027] Latest publication: 2026-03-12 Exclusion Draft:
https://www.w3.org/TR/2022/WD-mathml4-20220908/ Exclusion Draft Charter: Produced under Working Group Charter:
https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2021.html Depending on the incubation progress, interest from multiple implementers, and the consensus
of the Group participants, the Working Group may adopt the following documents
as Rec-track specifications: This specification will address some features left out of Level 1 due to time and implementation constraints.
It will provide guidance on improving MathML within the evolving Web Platform and enhancing the descriptions of polyfilling or extending MathML,
using technologies such as Shadow DOM, Custom Elements, the CSS Layout API or other Houdini APIs.
It will also address questions such as linking and accessibility through suggested accessibility mappings of elements and attributes.
Draft state:
Features identified for possible inclusion in Core Level 2 can be found on the MathML Core issue tracker.
Other non-normative documents may be created such as:
These dates are not meant as deadlines; work may need to continue after these dates to ensure the quality of the deliverables.
Normative Specifications
Exclusion period
began on 2025-06-24 and
ended on 2025-08-23.
Exclusion period
began on 2022-09-08 and
ended on 2023-02-05.
Tentative Deliverables
Other Deliverables
Timeline
Success Criteria
In order to advance beyond Candidate Recommendation, each normative specification is expected to have at least two independent interoperable implementations of every feature defined in the specification, where interoperability can be verified by passing open test suites. In order to advance beyond Candidate Recommendation, each normative specification must have an open test suite of every feature defined in the specification.
There should be testing plans for each specification, starting from the earliest drafts.
To promote interoperability, all changes made to specifications in Candidate Recommendation or to features that have deployed implementations should have tests. Testing efforts for MathML Core are conducted via the Web Platform Tests project. MathML 4 is a superset of MathML Core and can't be tested in the same way. We expect at least two independent implementations of software that generates MathML 4 content and at least two independent implementations by assistive technologies of MathML 4 features that are relevant.
Each specification should contain separate sections detailing all known security and privacy implications for implementers, Web authors, and users.
Each specification should contain a section on accessibility that describes the benefits and impacts, including ways specification features can be used to address them, and recommendations for maximizing accessibility in implementations.
This group is expected to be guided by the following documents:
Coordination
For all specifications, this Working Group will seek horizontal review for accessibility, internationalization, privacy, and security with the relevant Working and Interest Groups, and with the TAG. Invitation for review must be issued during each major standards-track document transition, including FPWD. The Working Group is encouraged to engage collaboratively with the horizontal review groups throughout development of each specification. The Working Group is advised to seek a review at least 3 months before first entering CR and is encouraged to proactively notify the horizontal review groups when major changes occur in a specification following a review.
Additional technical coordination with the following Groups will be made, per the W3C Process Document:
W3C Groups
- CSS Working Group
- The Math Working Group will contribute to and coordinate work with the CSS Working Group related to aligning the development and testing of new and existing CSS functionalities that are of interest to the MathML community. The group will designate liaisons to work with the CSS Working Group on issues as needed. Liaisons will ideally be participants of both groups.
- Web Platform Incubator Community Group
- The Web Platform Incubator Community Group (WICG) provides a lightweight venue for proposing and discussing new web platform features, like new HTML features or Web Platform APIs. Also, new technical features arising during the development of MathML may have relevance for the Web Platform in general, or ideas developing for the Web Platform in general might be developing in WICG which could be relevant to MathML. The MathML WG will make an effort to make sure these are explored further together within incubations in the Web Platform Incubator Community Group where appropriate.
- Accessible Platform Architectures Working Group
- The APA WG provides horizontal review of potential accessibility issues in the architecture, including knowledge domains for STEM accessibility, as well as of the accessibility impact of a specification. The MathML WG will request reviews and coordinate, and may nominate liaisons to ensure that these groups are aligned and working in concert toward accessible mathematics.
- ARIA Working Group
- The ARIA Working Group is responsible for the development of ARIA and related Accessibility Mappings. The MathML WG will appoint a liaison and coordinate with the ARIA Working Group to provide the MathML AAM and continue to improve the accessibility of that which is part of MathML.
- Publishing Maintenance Working Group
- MathML is used in EPUB documents for the display of math. Accessibility of all of the contents of an EPUB document is a priority of the group, and math accessibility has been a challenge for them due to uneven support of MathML in various reading systems. The MathML WG will work with the PM WG to ensure their needs are met with updates to the MathML recommendations.
- SVG Working Group
- The SVG Working Group is responsible for the development of SVG. While largely non-overlapping technically, SVG and MathML share similar origin stories and are both special in their integration with the HTML Parser specification and integration as embedded content. As such they have many similar challenges and efforts to align with the larger Web Platform and share common interests in providing common developer experiences and expectations. The Math Working Group will attempt to coordinate furthering these efforts with the SVG Working Group (and the SVG CG).
- Chemistry for the Web and Publishing Community Group (Chem CG)
- Chemical Formulas make use of mathematical notations. The Chem CG is concerned about the accessibility challenges of using math notations and having them spoken and brailled appropriately. The MathML Refresh CG has worked with the Chem CG to ensure appropriate access to chemical formulas and the Math WG will continue this effort.
- Publishing Community Group
- The Publishing Community Group is an incubation zone for digital publishing ideas. MathML has been a topic of discussion for them. Working with this group may lead to inclusion of support for new ideas in MathML.
External Organizations
- WHATWG
- The WHATWG is responsible for the development of HTML and DOM. This may have an influence on the future evolution of MathML. Efforts to align MathML Core with the Web Platform may lead to alignment requirements (issues might arise from a new IDL, focusability, support for ideas like Shadow DOM, support for attributes, etc.), in which case these should be explored further together with the WHATWG (and the WICG).
Participation
To be successful, this Working Group is expected to have 6 or more active participants for its duration, including representatives from the key implementors of this specification, and active Editors and Test Leads for each specification. The Chairs, specification Editors, and Test Leads are expected to contribute half of a working day per week towards the Working Group. There is no minimum requirement for other Participants.
The group encourages questions, comments and issues on its public mailing lists and document repositories, as described in Communication. The group also welcomes non-participants to make technical contributions for ongoing work, provided they agree to the terms of the W3C Patent Policy.
Participants in the group are required (by the W3C Process) to follow the W3C Code of Conduct.
Communication
Technical discussions for this Working Group are conducted in public: the meeting minutes from teleconference and face-to-face meetings will be archived for public review, and technical discussions and issue tracking will be conducted in a manner that can be both read and written to by the general public. Working Drafts and Editor's Drafts of specifications will be developed in public repositories and may permit direct public contribution requests. The meetings themselves are not open to public participation, however.
Information about the group (including details about deliverables, issues, actions, status, participants, and meetings) will be available from the Math Working Group home page.
Most Math Working Group teleconferences will focus on discussion of particular specifications, and will be conducted on an as-needed basis.
This group primarily conducts its technical work on the public mailing list www-math@w3.org (archive) and on GitHub issues. The public is invited to review, discuss and contribute to this work.
The group may use a Member-only mailing list for administrative purposes and, at the discretion of the Chairs and members of the group, for member-only discussions in special cases when a participant requests such a discussion.
Decision Policy
This group will seek to make decisions through consensus and due process, per the W3C Process Document (section 5.2.1, Consensus). Typically, an editor or other participant makes an initial proposal, which is then refined in discussion with members of the group and other reviewers, and consensus emerges with little formal voting being required.
However, if a decision is necessary for timely progress and consensus is not achieved after careful consideration of the range of views presented, the Chairs may call for a group vote and record a decision along with any objections.
To afford asynchronous decisions and organizational deliberation, any resolution (including publication decisions) taken in a face-to-face meeting or teleconference will be considered provisional. A call for consensus (CfC) will be issued for all resolutions (for example, via email, GitHub issue or web-based survey), with a response period from one week, depending on the chair's evaluation of the group consensus on the issue. If no objections are raised by the end of the response period, the resolution will be considered to have consensus as a resolution of the Working Group.
All decisions made by the group should be considered resolved unless and until new information becomes available or unless reopened at the discretion of the Chairs.
This charter is written in accordance with the W3C Process Document (Section 5.2.3, Deciding by Vote) and includes no voting procedures beyond what the Process Document requires.
Patent Policy
This Working Group operates under the W3C Patent Policy (Version of 15 May 2025). To promote the widest adoption of Web standards, W3C seeks to issue Web specifications that can be implemented, according to this policy, on a Royalty-Free basis. For more information about disclosure obligations for this group, please see the licensing information.
Licensing
This Working Group will use the W3C Software and Document license for all its deliverables.
About this Charter
This charter has been created according to section 3.4 of the Process Document. In the event of a conflict between this document or the provisions of any charter and the W3C Process, the W3C Process shall take precedence.
Charter History
Note:Display this table and update it when appropriate. Requirements for charter extension history are documented in the Charter Guidebook (section 4).
The following table lists details of all changes from the initial charter, per the W3C Process Document (section 4.3, Advisory Committee Review of a Charter):
| Charter Period | Start Date | End Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Charter | April 1997 | June 1998 | MathML 1.0, character entities |
| Rechartered | July 1998 | February 2000 | MathML 2.0 |
| Rechartered | February 2000 | December 2000 | - |
| Rechartered | May 2001 | May 2003 | XML schema for MathML, modularization of MathML, DOM for MathML, spoken math via VoiceXML |
| Charter extension | April 2003 | August 2003 | - |
| Second period | |||
| Rechartered | March 2006 | February 2008 | MathML 3.0 |
| Charter extension | March 2008 | April 2010 | - |
| Charter extension | March 2010 | March 2011 | - |
| Charter extension | April 2011 | March 2012 | - |
| Charter extension | March 2012 | March 2013 | - |
| Charter extension | March 2013 | March 2014 | - |
| Charter extension | March 2014 | March 2016 | - |
| Third period | |||
| Rechartered | April 2021 | May 2023 | MathML 4.0, MathML Core Level 1 & 2 |
| Charter extension | June 2023 | October 2023 | - |
| Rechartered | October 2023 | October 2025 | Requirements for MathML 5 |
| Charter extension | October 2025 | April 2026 | - |
Change log
Changes to this document are documented in this section.