Librarian
Documentation Overview
Regardless of whether your data will be shared, it is important to document how the data for your project have been collected, processed, and analyzed—including reasons behind decisions made. This will reduce the amount of time necessary for others (and even future you!) to understand how the data can be reused.
Documentation Essentials
Start with a README file (template from IU). This can be created early in the project and added to as you go. Capture basic information such as:
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Who contributed to this project? Be sure to include authors, research assistants, lab support, etc.
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When and how were the data collected? How were the data processed?
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Where did the project take place? Does the research involve a specific geographic region? Is that a key variable?
Detailed Documentation
For this category, consider the information you would want to know about the project. If you want to reuse the data, you might need to know things such as:
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How files were created and handled (file naming, organization, etc.)
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Abbreviations and variable names (e.g., codebook)
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Protocols for data collection (what decisions were made and why)