Holding talks about Scottish independence before the 2014 referendum is "common sense", the Deputy First Minister has said.
Nicola Sturgeon has written to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, calling for such an approach to enable "sensible preparations" to be made in the event of a Yes vote.
Scottish Secretary Michael Moore has insisted that the UK Government will not enter negotiations over the terms of Scottish independence before the referendum.
But in a new blog on the Scottish Government's referendum website, Ms Sturgeon said: "I disagree strongly with Michael Moore's statement at the weekend that there should be no pre-referendum discussions between our two governments."
She said she hopes "common sense will prevail", writing: "Before Christmas, I wrote to Nick Clegg, who is responsible for constitutional matters in the UK Government, to suggest this common sense approach - open exchange of information and sensible preparations for a Yes vote."
The Deputy First Minister, who has responsibility for constitutional matters, said all parts of the Scottish Government would be "working on a transition plan considering what needs to be done to give effect to the decision of the Scottish people when they vote Yes, as I believe they will".
Ms Sturgeon is "not suggesting that we should 'pre-negotiate' the independence settlement" but "I am saying, very clearly, that we must do the groundwork now to ensure that, in the event of a Yes vote, both governments are in a position to work together constructively in the best interests of the people of Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom."
While the UK Government plans to publish a series of papers examining Scotland's current position and the choices it would be faced with if it voted to leave the UK, Mr Moore said this would not "set out a contingency plan" for independence.
In an article for the Scotland on Sunday newspaper, Mr Moore said: "The UK Government works for the whole of the UK including Scotland, and we are deeply committed to the United Kingdom. I and my ministerial colleagues represent the whole of the UK; we cannot - and should not - negotiate or plan in the interests of only one part of it."
"I hope and believe that Scots will choose to keep the UK family together, not split it apart. But if I am wrong, and Scots vote to leave the United Kingdom, only then will negotiations between Scotland and the rest of the UK begin."
