The international obsessions working group is an informal group of researchers involved in evaluating cognitive aspects of Obsessional problems. The group meets a few times each year, mainly at international conferences. The main purpose of the group is to co-ordinate research efforts amongst ourselves so that we don't re-invent the wheel time and time again. The group has put together a set of questionnaires designed to assess key beliefs and appraisals in obsessions. A report on the activity of the group was recently published in Behaviour Research and therapy. The group has been particularly successful in co-ordinating efforts between different centres.