- Status: accepted · Date: 2026-07-17 · Deciders: Davor Runje
Context
Should the literature registry share the dataset manifest format? A field-level comparison showed literature and dataset registries are more different than similar — and literature has a mature standard format that datasets lack. The author also wants to record decisions about papers (interesting? act on?).Decision drivers
- Bibliography has a mature ecosystem standard (BibTeX/CSL-JSON, Zotero, pandoc).
- The author needs a triage/decision layer (roles, dispositions, rationale) a bib file doesn’t have.
- Provenance spine + mirror mechanism are shared with datasets (ADR-0012).
Considered options
- Standard bib (facts) + a git-tracked triage sidecar (decisions), joined by citekey/DOI.
- A unified
datasets.yml-style manifest for both papers and data. - Bib only (no triage).
Decision
Option 1. Bib = immutable facts (BibTeX/CSL-JSON); triage YAML = our decisions (role, disposition state-machine, rationale,seeded links, intent). acted-on
→ backlog; screened + rationale → PRISMA log.
Consequences
- Reuses the citation ecosystem; captures the decision trail the author wanted.
- Two files per corpus (bib + sidecar), joined by key.
Rejected alternatives
- Unified manifest — throws away the bib ecosystem; forces a hand-rolled clone.
- Bib only — no place for triage decisions / PRISMA reasons.