Governance Section

The governance section tracks the review status, last review date, and documentation URL for the dataset. This helps users understand how well-maintained and vetted the dataset is.

Fields

All fields in the governance section are optional.

FieldTypeDescription
review_statusenumCurrent review status
last_reviewedstring (date)When the dataset was last reviewed (ISO 8601)
documentation_urlstring (uri)URL to human-readable documentation

Enum Values

review_status

ValueDescription
draftInitial version, not yet reviewed
community-reviewedReviewed by community members
auditedFormally audited by designated reviewers
deprecatedNo longer recommended for use

Example

{
  "governance": {
    "review_status": "community-reviewed",
    "last_reviewed": "2025-01-15",
    "documentation_url": "https://example.org/datasets/hausa-news/docs"
  }
}

Field Details

review_status

The review status indicates confidence level:

StatusUse WhenUser Expectation
draftNew dataset, untestedExperimental use only
community-reviewedFeedback incorporatedSuitable for research
auditedFormal review completeProduction-ready
deprecatedIssues identified or supersededAvoid for new projects

last_reviewed

Use ISO 8601 date format:

{
  "last_reviewed": "2025-01-15"
}

Update this date when you:

  • Review and verify the data card accuracy
  • Update the dataset contents
  • Address reported issues
  • Perform quality audits

documentation_url

Link to comprehensive documentation:

{
  "documentation_url": "https://github.com/example/hausa-news-corpus/blob/main/README.md"
}

The documentation should include:

  • Detailed dataset description
  • Collection methodology
  • Usage examples
  • Known limitations
  • Changelog

Governance Lifecycle

draft -> community-reviewed -> audited
                                  |
                                  v
                            deprecated

  1. Draft: Initial release

    • Basic data card filled out
    • Limited testing

  2. Community-Reviewed: Community feedback incorporated

    • Users have provided feedback
    • Known issues documented
    • Quality checks performed

  3. Audited: Formal audit completed

    • Independent review
    • Compliance verification
    • Security assessment (if applicable)

  4. Deprecated: End of life

    • Superseded by newer version
    • Critical issues discovered
    • Legal or ethical concerns

Deprecation Notice

When deprecating a dataset, update the data card:

{
  "governance": {
    "review_status": "deprecated",
    "last_reviewed": "2025-02-01",
    "documentation_url": "https://example.org/datasets/old-corpus/deprecation-notice"
  }
}

Include in documentation:

  • Reason for deprecation
  • Recommended replacement (if any)
  • Timeline for data removal (if applicable)

See Also

Back to Documentation