32 Why document your data?
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Lesson 3 of 17
There are advantages to having clear and concise data documentation, for both you and any research team members you interact with, and also for any future data sharing.
Some of those advantages include:
Easier to find and organize data
Research projects can be complex and evolve over time. Describing data and documenting practices makes it easier to find and organize your data and to return to it later.
Useful reference material
Documentation can serve as a reference for team members to maintain consistency in how data is handled, files named, and data storage organized.
Documentation also makes it easier to train new team members on a project or to explain processes to a supervisor or colleague.
Documentation makes data more reusable and shareable
Well-documented data is easier for you to re-use within either a lab or project, or in similar future projects. It also enables broader sharing, when such sharing is appropriate for your project. Good data documentation allows someone else to understand your data set and how it was created. If you want to deposit your data in a repository and/or make it shareable in another manner, good documentation facilitates that process by making it possible for others to understand and re-use your data set. If you know where you want to deposit your data, you can document it in a way that facilitates that deposit (see Module 5).
Some repositories may recommend particular documentation, for example:
- A readme file that describes the data set
- A copy of blank consent forms to accompany human participant data.
Documentation supports transparency and reproducibility of research
Documentation supports transparency and reproducibility of research. When data is described and documented, you can also use that documentation to discuss and support decisions made throughout a project.
