ARIMA_SAX_Hybrid_Forecaster/RESEARCH_RULES.md

RESEARCH RULES

field	value
Document	RESEARCH_RULES.md
Version	1.0 (2026-08-28)
Status	CONTROLLED
Project	ARIMA_SAX_Hybrid_Forecaster
Authoritative workspace	D:\TradingTerminal\MetaTrader 5\MQL5\Shared Projects\ARIMA_SAX_Hybrid_Forecaster

These rules govern every session and every gate in this repository. They are read together with RESEARCH_CHARTER.md (the permanent purpose) and RESEARCH_STATE.md (the compact machine-readable checkpoint). Rules are mandatory. A change to these rules is a controlled change, documented and versioned as described in §"Rule-change governance".

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Mandatory rules

1. Read RESEARCH_CHARTER.md and RESEARCH_STATE.md before any session.
2. Use repository documents as the source of truth, not conversation history.
3. One session = one gate.
4. Do not repeat completed gates.
5. Do not broaden scientific scope without explicit authorization.
6. Frozen protocols are immutable.
7. Any scientific-scope change requires protocol amendment.
8. SHA proves identity, not scientific correctness.
9. Any quantity that can change the scientific conclusion requires independent verification.
10. A test written by the same implementation is not sufficient by itself for scientific validation.
11. Never select models, parameters, horizons, features, or costs because they produce a preferred result.
12. Engineering failure is not a scientific result.
13. Scientific failure is not automatically an engineering defect.
14. Never claim success from an execution that fails an integrity gate.
15. Never infer execution authorization from context or previous approval.
16. Current gate must always be completed before NEXT_GATE begins.
17. If a gate fails, STOP and preserve evidence.
18. Do not overwrite historical evidence.
19. Do not silently repair discrepancies.
20. Results may update project STATE but may not redefine the research question without authorization.

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Interpretation notes

• Rules 6 and 18 protect frozen/immutable evidence: R1-R evidence, R2-H evidence, frozen MALE5-ML protocols and manifests, and reference MALE5 v3.2.0 are preserved byte-for-byte.
• Rules 11, 5, 7 together prohibit every form of "model shopping," of outcome-driven selection, and of silent scope broadening.
• Rule 8 reminds that a correct SHA-256 (identity) does not by itself establish scientific correctness.
• Rules 9 and 10 guard the independence of verification: conclusions that can flip must be confirmed independently of the code that produced them.
• Rules 12 and 13 keep engineering defects and scientific results distinct so that one is not mislabeled as the other.
• Rules 15 and 20 bind the gate discipline: authorization for execution is obtained per gate, and results update the state checkpoint only.

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Controlled classifications

• IMMUTABLE: R1-R evidence, R2-H evidence, frozen MALE5-ML protocols, frozen manifests, reference MALE5 v3.2.0.
• MUTABLE: RESEARCH_STATE.md.
• CONTROLLED: RESEARCH_CHARTER.md, RESEARCH_RULES.md.

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Rules-change governance

A change to this document must:

1. Be proposed, documented, and explicitly authorized;
2. Increment its version and add a dated entry to the table below; and
3. Preserve prior wording in the change record rather than silently rewriting.

Change table

Version	Date	Scope	Authorized by
1.0	2026-08-28	Initial permanent research rules (20 mandatory rules)	RESEARCH GOVERNANCE SETUP gate

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End of RESEARCH_RULES.md — version 1.0.