Gouvernance et politiques

Scope & inclusion criteria

HealthArchive focuses on Canadian public health sources where guidance changes matter for research, accountability, and historical context.

• The current corpus includes federal sources such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada. Adding any source requires a separately authorized data-continuity decision.
• Sources must be publicly accessible, stable enough to capture with clear provenance labeling, and relevant to public health guidance or surveillance.
• We explicitly avoid private, user-submitted, or personal-data sources, and we do not attempt to archive the entire internet.

Reliability and provenance take priority over breadth. If a source cannot be archived responsibly, it stays out of scope.

Capture edition policy

The existing corpus contains labeled annual editions and, where applicable, explicitly labeled ad-hoc captures. This history does not establish a future cadence.

• Existing editions retain their actual capture dates and source labels.
• Existing ad-hoc captures, where present, are explicitly labeled so they can be distinguished from annual editions.
• Any new scheduled or ad-hoc capture requires a separately authorized data-continuity decision.
• Change feeds and digests are edition-aware and should not be read as real-time monitoring.

Provenance commitments

Each snapshot is labeled and stored so that readers can verify what was captured and when.

• Capture timestamp (UTC).
• Source organization and original URL.
• Permanent snapshot URL for citation.

Some complex pages (interactive dashboards, third-party embeds) may not replay perfectly. The archive reflects what the capture pipeline could observe at the time.

Change tracking policy

Change tracking highlights text differences between archived captures so researchers and journalists can audit how guidance evolved over time.

• Change summaries are descriptive (for example: sections added or removed) and never interpret meaning.
• High-noise changes (layout shifts or boilerplate updates) are labeled explicitly.
• Default feeds are edition-aware and reflect labeled editions in the existing corpus rather than implying real-time updates or a future annual cadence.

Corrections policy

We correct factual errors in metadata, labeling, and replay access when they are reported and verified.

• Examples: wrong capture date, wrong source label, broken replay or raw HTML.
• We do not change historical source content, and we do not mediate disputes about what an agency published.

We aim to acknowledge correction requests within 7 days. Urgent safety labeling issues are prioritized within 48 hours.

Takedown / opt-out

HealthArchive focuses on public-interest sources, but we still review takedown or opt-out requests in good faith.

• Requests must include the original URL, the snapshot URL, and the reason for the request.
• We may temporarily restrict access while reviewing a credible request, especially for third-party embedded content.
• We do not promise removal of public-interest government material unless there is a compelling reason.

Use the report form or email to initiate a request.

Outside stewardship input

HealthArchive may seek bounded, qualified input when a specific scope, governance, or risk question is separately authorized and operator capacity is available.

• Digital preservation / library or archival expertise.
• Public health research or methodology experience.
• Science communication or journalism background.

No standing advisory recruitment or quarterly participation program is active. Inbound feedback may be submitted through the contact page for assessment, without a commitment to begin a review or collaboration.