{"id":190,"date":"2025-11-27T12:43:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T17:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/?post_type=chapter&p=190"},"modified":"2026-03-01T21:22:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T02:22:32","slug":"why-document-your-data","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/chapter\/why-document-your-data\/","title":{"raw":"Why document your data?","rendered":"Why document your data?"},"content":{"raw":"

Previous Lesson<\/a><\/h4>\r\n

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Lesson 3 of 17<\/h4>\r\n

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.<\/h3>\r\n

Some of those advantages include:<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nEasier to find and organize data<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nResearch 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.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nUseful reference material<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nDocumentation can serve as a reference for team members to maintain consistency in how data is handled, files named, and data storage organized.\r\n\r\nDocumentation also makes it easier to train new team members on a project or to explain processes to a supervisor or colleague.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nDocumentation makes data more reusable and shareable<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nWell-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<\/a>).\r\n\r\nSome repositories may recommend particular documentation, for example:\r\n