The Electoral Commission will be given the role of testing the wording of the proposed question for the referendum on independence, the Scottish Government has said.
The commitment was made in a letter from First Minister Alex Salmond to opposition party leaders.
Mr Salmond said: "It follows a process which is identical to that in current Westminster legislation and confirms that Scotland's referendum will meet the highest international standards.
"By accepting the central role of the Electoral Commission, we have accepted the requests previously put forward by the opposition parties.
"However, the referendum will still meet the requirement of being made in Scotland with the Government responding to the Scottish consultation, the Electoral Commission advising and recommending potential changes and parliament deciding as part of the legislative process."
The arrangements will be identical to those for other referendums in the UK under the Westminster Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, the Scottish Government said.
Ministers want to respond to the consultation on the staging of the referendum, then propose the question or questions, which keeps the door open to a multi-option ballot.
The commission will then send advice and test the intelligibility of the question including any recommendation for changes, which MSPs will be able to debate.
Mr Salmond's letter was sent to Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and copied to other leaders, including the independent MSP Margo MacDonald.
Ms Davidson wrote to the First Minister on June 22 asking for a meeting to discuss the possibility of appointing an independent body to suggest the wording of the question for the ballot in autumn 2014.
The SNP government wants to ask: "Do you believe that Scotland should be an independent country?"
Critics argue the question is loaded towards a positive response.
MPs on Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee are due to hear from the Electoral Commission in London tomorrow.
The session will focus on funding and regulation of referendum campaigns.
The committee has previously argued that the commission should test the proposed question or questions.
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