Add documentation for external ontology term requests including OBA:123 cool trait request

README.md

@@ -40,3 +40,7 @@ someone else, you _must_ ensure that you are using a version of CHEBI
 that is at least as recent as the one used for the last release, and the
 easiest way to ensure that is to always get the latest version (which is
 the default behaviour, when you do not use `MIR=false`).
+
+## External Ontology Term Requests
+
+If you need terms from other OBO ontologies (like OBA, GO, etc.) that complement your use of CHEBI terms, see [external-term-requests.md](external-term-requests.md) for guidance on how to request them and track active requests.

external-term-requests.md

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+# External Ontology Term Requests
+
+This document tracks requests for terms from external ontologies that are related to or needed by users of the CHEBI OBO Slim project.
+
+## Background
+
+While this repository focuses on maintaining a slimmed-down version of CHEBI (Chemical Entities of Biological Interest) ontology, users sometimes need complementary terms from other OBO Foundry ontologies for their research and data integration needs.
+
+## How to Request Terms from Other Ontologies
+
+### OBA (Ontology of Biological Attributes)
+
+To request new terms from the Ontology of Biological Attributes:
+
+1. Visit the OBA issue tracker: https://github.com/obophenotype/bio-attribute-ontology/issues
+2. Create a new issue with the title "New term request: [your term name]"
+3. Include the following information:
+   - **Preferred term name**: The name you'd like for the new term
+   - **Definition**: A clear, precise definition of the term
+   - **Use case**: How you plan to use this term
+   - **Related terms**: Any existing terms that are similar or related
+   - **References**: Scientific publications or other sources that support the need for this term
+
+## Active Requests
+
+### OBA:123 - "cool trait"
+
+**Status**: Pending submission to OBA repository  
+**Requested by**: Issue #43  
+**Description**: Request for OBA:123 to represent "cool trait"  
+**Next steps**: 
+- Create issue at https://github.com/obophenotype/bio-attribute-ontology/issues
+- Provide proper definition and use case for "cool trait"
+- Include scientific justification for the term
+
+**Template for OBA issue submission**:
+```
+Title: New term request: cool trait
+
+**Preferred term name**: cool trait
+
+**Definition**: [Definition needed - please provide a clear, scientific definition]
+
+**Use case**: [Please describe how this term will be used in research/data annotation]
+
+**Related terms**: [List any similar or related terms in OBA or other ontologies]
+
+**References**: [Provide scientific publications or other sources supporting this term]
+
+**Additional context**: This term was requested in relation to CHEBI OBO Slim usage (obophenotype/chebi_obo_slim#43)
+```
+
+## Notes for Maintainers
+
+- This file tracks external term requests that arise from CHEBI OBO Slim usage
+- When requests are submitted to external repositories, update the status here
+- Include links to the external issues once they are created
+- Consider whether requested external terms indicate gaps in CHEBI coverage