If research data are to be archived and made available for reuse, thorough data documentation is indispensable. As part of good scientific practiceGood scientific practice (GSP) represents a standardized code of conduct established in the guidelines of the German Research Foundation (DFG). These guidelines emphasize the ethical obligation of every researcher to act responsibly, honestly, and respectfully, also in order to strengthen public trust in research and science. They serve as a framework for guiding scientific work processes. Read More, it also serves to ensure data quality and should comply with the FAIR principlesThe FAIR Principles were first developed in 2016 by the FORCE11 community (The Future of Research Communication and e-Scholarship). FORCE11 is a community of researchers, librarians, archivists, publishers, and research funders aiming to bring about change in modern scientific communication through the effective use of information technology, thereby supporting enhanced knowledge creation and dissemination. The primary goal is the transparent and open presentation of scientific processes. Accordingly, data should be made findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) online. The objective is to preserve data long-term and make it available for reuse by third parties in line with Open Science and Data Sharing principles. Precise definitions by FORCE11 can be found on their website see: https://force11.org/info/the-fair-data-principles/. Read More. Proper documentation is crucial for reuseData reuse, often referred to as secondary use, involves re-examining previously collected and published research datasets with the aim of gaining new insights, potentially from a different or fresh perspective. Preparing research data for reuse requires significantly more effort in terms of anonymization, preparation, and documentation than simple archiving for storage purposes. Read More, as it helps prevent misinterpretations and misuses and facilitates the search for suitable data (Huber, 2019, p. 14).

A data report can also serve as the basis for a dedicated publication on methodology. This makes the work conducted within the research project visible and citable beyond the publication of an article.

Moreover, careful data documentation positively impacts the organization and workflow of the researcher, even when archiving or reuse is not planned. In any case, data documentation should accompany the research process to avoid labor-intensive reconstructions later (RatSWD, 2023, p. 25).