Track availability, not just dates
A report period ending in December does not mean the report was public in December. Store publication or availability timestamps separately from the period being described. Similar care is needed for revised economic series and index constituents.
Inspect one decision
Pick a timestamp and list every input the rule reads. Verify that the observation and its publication were available then. For a close-based signal, check whether the assumed fill happens after the signal can be known.
Do not confuse a fix with proof
Point-in-time data and chronological evaluation address important timing problems, but they do not prove that a strategy has an edge. Document residual limitations. Choosing only assets that survive today is a related source of selection bias.
Sources & references
References support specific definitions or methodological context. Examples and research checklists are explanatory; no performance result is claimed.