 Scantlebury is one of the first people to describe the term "protocol" in a data-communications context in an April 1967 memorandum entitled ""A Protocol for Use in the NPL Data Communications Network"" written with Keith Bartlett.He was part of a team that developed the alternating bit protocol (ABP) in 1969.Along with Donald Davies he participated in the International Networking Working Group (INWG) from 1972, initially chaired by Vint Cerf.