Update README.md

README.md

@@ -1,82 +1,105 @@
+---
+dataset_info:
+  title: Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) Dataset
+  author: Yonathan A. Arbel
+  contact: yaarbel@ua.edu
+  license: MIT
+  citation: |
+    Arbel, Yonathan A. "The Readability of Contracts: Big Data Analysis."
+    Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 21, no. 4 (2024): 927-978.
+    https://doi.org/10.1111/jels.12400
+  description: >
+    Comprehensive collection of Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs)
+    from various U.S. states. One of the largest publicly available
+    FDD datasets to date, useful for empirical legal research, NLP,
+    and franchise law analysis.
+---
+
 # Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) Dataset
 
-This repository contains a comprehensive collection of Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) from various states in the United States. It represents one of the largest publicly available datasets of FDDs to date.
+This repository provides a comprehensive dataset of Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) from several U.S. states. It represents one of the largest publicly available collections of FDDs to date.
+
+If you use this dataset, please cite:
 
-If you find this dataset useful, please cite:
-Arbel, Yonathan A., The Readability of Contracts: Big Data Analysis, Forthcoming J. Empirical Legal Stud. 21:4 (Dec. 2024)
+> **Arbel, Yonathan A.** (2024). "The Readability of Contracts: Big Data Analysis." *Journal of Empirical Legal Studies*, 21(4), 927ΓÇô978.
+> DOI: [10.1111/jels.12400](https://doi.org/10.1111/jels.12400)
 
-For the latest version of the paper, please visit: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4962098
+Latest manuscript: [SSRN](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4962098)
 
-## Dataset Overview
+---
 
-The dataset consists of text files (.txt) organized by state. Here's a breakdown of the files by state:
+## 📑 What are FDDs?
 
-- California: 15,276 files
-- Wisconsin: 1,660 files
-- Indiana: 1,606 files
-- New York: 1,396 files (1,394 in New_York folder, 2 in New York folder)
-- North Dakota: 1,376 files (1,374 in North_Dakota folder, 2 in North Dakota folder)
-- Virginia: 753 files
-- Minnesota: 568 files
-- South Dakota: 169 files (167 in South_Dakota folder, 2 in South Dakota folder)
-- Maryland: 111 files
-- Rhode Island: 48 files (47 in Rhode_Island folder, 1 in Rhode Island folder)
-- Illinois: 23 files
+Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) are legal documents franchisors must provide to potential franchisees before selling a franchise. FDDs contain essential information about the franchisor, franchise system, and terms of the franchise agreement. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) mandates these documents to ensure prospective franchisees make informed investment decisions.
 
-**Total Files: 22,986**
+---
 
-## What are FDDs?
+## 📂 Dataset Overview
 
-Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) are legal documents that franchisors are required to provide to prospective franchisees before they can sell a franchise. These documents contain crucial information about the franchisor, the franchise system, and the terms of the franchise agreement. FDDs are mandated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and are designed to help potential franchisees make informed decisions about their investments.
+The dataset contains **22,986 text files (.txt)** organized by U.S. state, as follows:
 
-## File Structure
+| State           | Number of files                                 | ZIP Archive                           |
+|-----------------|-------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
+| California      | 15,276                                          | `CA_FDD_split.zip` + `.z01ΓÇô.z03`      |
+| Wisconsin       | 1,660                                           | `WN_FDD.zip`                          |
+| Indiana         | 1,606                                           | `ind_fdd.zip`                         |
+| New York        | 1,396 (1,394 in New_York, 2 in New York)        | `FDD_in_TXT_Format.zip`               |
+| North Dakota    | 1,376 (1,374 in North_Dakota, 2 in North Dakota)| Inside `FDD_in_TXT_Format.zip`        |
+| Virginia        | 753                                             | `NASAA_FDD.zip`                       |
+| Minnesota       | 568                                             | `mn_fdd.zip`                          |
+| South Dakota    | 169 (167 in South_Dakota, 2 in South Dakota)    | Inside `NASAA_FDD.zip`                |
+| Maryland        | 111                                             | Inside `NASAA_FDD.zip`                |
+| Rhode Island    | 48 (47 in Rhode_Island, 1 in Rhode Island)      | Inside `NASAA_FDD.zip`                |
+| Illinois        | 23                                              | Inside `NASAA_FDD.zip`                |
 
-The FDDs are organized into separate ZIP files for each state. Additionally, there is a file that describes all the files in the dataset.
+**Total files**: 22,986
+**Compressed size**: Approximately 108 GB
 
-## Usage
+---
 
-This dataset can be used for various research purposes, including but not limited to:
+## 🛠️ File Structure & Data Format
 
-- Analysis of franchise agreement terms and conditions
-- Comparative studies of franchise policies across different states
-- Natural language processing tasks on legal documents
-- Franchise law and regulation research
-- Trend analysis in the franchising industry
+Each ZIP archive contains plain-text (.txt) documents representing individual FDDs, organized into folders by state.
 
-## Data Format
+- For multi-part archives (California):
+  - Download all parts (`.zip`, `.z01`, `.z02`, `.z03`) into the same folder.
+  - Open `CA_FDD_split.zip` with 7-Zip or run:
+    ```bash
+    7z x CA_FDD_split.zip
+    ```
+  - 7-Zip will automatically include the `.z01`, `.z02`, etc.
 
-Each file within the ZIP archives is a plain text document (.txt) containing a Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDDs are organized by state.
+---
 
-## Accessing the Data
+## 📈 Suggested Usage
 
-To access the data:
+This dataset supports diverse research activities:
 
-1. Download the desired state's ZIP file.
-2. Extract the contents using a ZIP extraction tool.
-3. Navigate through the extracted files to find specific FDDs.
+- Analysis of contract terms and readability.
+- Comparative franchise law studies.
+- NLP analysis of legal and contractual language.
+- Trends and policy implications within franchising.
 
-## Citation
+---
 
-If you use this dataset in your research, please cite it as follows:
+## ⚠️ Disclaimer
 
-```
-Arbel, Yonathan A., The Readability of Contracts: Big Data Analysis, Forthcoming J. Empirical Legal Stud. 21:4 (Dec. 2024)
-```
+This dataset is compiled from publicly available FDD documents. Efforts were made to ensure accuracy, but users should verify critical information against original sources. Dataset maintainers are not responsible for errors or omissions.
 
-For the latest version of the paper, please visit: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4962098
+---
 
-## Disclaimer
+## 🙋 Contributing
 
-This dataset is derived from publicly available FDDs. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, users should verify critical information against the original documents. The maintainers of this dataset are not responsible for any errors or omissions.
+Please report issues or suggest improvements by opening an issue or pull request.
 
-## Contributing
+---
 
-If you find any issues or have suggestions for improvements, please open an issue or submit a pull request.
+## 📜 License
 
-## License
+This dataset is provided under the MIT license. No copyright is claimed over the underlying public documents.
 
-This dataset is provided under the MIT license.
+---
 
-## Contact
+## 📧 Contact
 
-For questions or further information about this dataset, please contact yaarbel@ua.edu
+For inquiries or additional information, contact: [yaarbel@ua.edu](mailto:yaarbel@ua.edu)