ReadMe files in the context of systems or projects
contain information about the respective system, project, etc., to help users orient themselves.

ReadMe files in the context of research data
provide information about research data, datasets, or data collections in a compact and structured format. They are often available as simple text files or in TEI-XML (.txt, .md, .xml). ReadMe files can be published as accompanying documents to research data or used for the structured storage of research data at the end of a project (e.g., on an institutional server or repository for archiving). They compile key metadata about the project in which the data were generated (such as project name, people involved, funding), provide information about folder structures, abbreviations, and authority dataAuthority data provide standardized records and unique identifiers in the form of specific numbers that distinctly describe and categorize individuals, works, institutions, research funders, entities, or keywords. This standardization eliminates incorrect or duplicate assignments. Authority data is particularly useful in catalogs and databases, where it facilitates easy retrieval of information about specific entities and supports digital networking and discoverability across projects. In Germany, the 'Integrated Authority File” (GND) by the German National Library is the central authority filei see: https://www.dnb.de/DE/Professionell/Standardisierung/GND/gnd_node.html. Read More, and document changes and versions of the research data (Forschungsdaten.info, 2023).