What do you want your readers to be able to understand or to accomplish after reading this text?
This section serves two functions. It helps collaborators decide on key values that can inform their curation and composition efforts. It also helps readers recognize those values and understand what this text offers them from the start.
For an example of a critical edition goals statement, see this section of The Woman in White: Grangerized. Your goals statement can, of course, be as brief or as extended as you and your collaborators would like it to be.