Governance and Stewardship

A durable research space needs stewardship rules.

Stewards protect object identity, lifecycle discipline, review quality, and continuity. They do not own Reality and should not become gatekeepers who suppress correction.

Governance should define:

• who may create and revise objects;
• what review is required for status transitions;
• how conflicts are recorded;
• how vocabulary changes are introduced;
• how breaking contract changes are versioned;
• how abandoned research spaces are maintained or archived.

Good governance protects openness to correction while preventing careless mutation of the record.