r/datasets rules, stats, and what to post

This community describes itself as a place to share, find, and discuss datasets. So the room is made of people who publish datasets, people hunting for data for a project, and people talking about the data itself. The rules tell you the community cares about provenance, because there is a rule pushing you to link the original source of a dataset. It also cares about honesty in labeling, with separate rules for synthetic data and paid data. Requests for data are welcome, but only when they are specific and searched for first. Surveys have a special status here, allowed only when the person running them also releases the data they collect.

The rule that decides most marketing adjacent posts here is “No Spam/Self-promotion without disclosure”, which says any link to a site you own or work for counts as self promotion, so you must always add a disclaimer and never spam. “Try to post Original Source” matters because linking the original source of a dataset is the norm, and posting a blog that describes a dataset from another website on purpose is not allowed. “No Low-Effort Request posts” means vague titles and thin posts get removed, and if you request a dataset you must search the sub first and describe exactly what you need. “Label all Synthetic/Artificial Datasets” requires a mention in the title and the synthetic flair for anything not produced by real measurement. “Label all Paid Datasets” requires the paid tag in the title for any paid dataset or resource. “All Surveys must be approved by Mods” means you cannot post a survey without moderator approval, and only surveys where you also release the collected data are considered. “No sharing/requesting Personally identifiable information (PII)” bans datasets with full names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, or identity documents unless there is clear consent or the data is public domain.

The strongest post here is a dataset shared with a link to its original source, a clear descriptive title, and a disclaimer if the dataset or the site is yours. If the data is synthetic, say so in the title and use the synthetic flair. If the dataset or resource costs money, put the paid tag in the title. If you need a dataset for your product or research, search the subreddit first, then write a self text post that describes exactly what information you need. If you want to run a survey, message the moderators for approval first, and be ready to release the data you collect, because that is the condition the community sets.

The fastest way to get removed is self promotion without a disclaimer, because the rule on spam and self promotion covers any link to a site you own or work for. Posting a blog that describes someone else's dataset instead of the original source is also out. Low effort posts and comments get removed, so a vague title or a lazy request will not survive. Unlabeled synthetic datasets and unlabeled paid datasets both break the labeling rules. Surveys posted without moderator approval get removed, and any survey that collects identifying information is not allowed at all. Sharing or requesting personally identifiable information is banned unless there is clear consent or the data is public domain.

What stands out to me is how much of this rulebook is about honesty in labeling, from the synthetic tag to the paid tag to the survey approval rule. That tells me the people here care about knowing exactly what they are downloading before they build on it. If your product touches data, sharing something genuinely useful with a plain disclaimer is probably the most natural fit I have seen in a while. Just remember the survey rule, because it is one of the few places where you truly cannot post without asking first.