Dokumentationswissenschaft

Dokumentationen is the plural form of the German noun Dokumentation, meaning a collection or description of information about a subject. In German usage, it refers to materials that explain, preserve, or analyze a topic, and can take the form of written records, manuals, data sets, images, audio or video material, and metadata. In English contexts the plural is rarely used; “documentation” or, for films, “documentaries,” are more common, while Dokumentationen may appear in German-language titles or scholarly discussions.

Context and scope

Dokumentationen encompass a wide range of materials produced to explain, preserve, or analyze a topic. They are created by archives, libraries, museums, government agencies, research institutes, media producers, educational organizations, and corporations. Examples include institutional catalogs, research reports, technical manuals, digitized collections, documentary films, and digital datasets with accompanying metadata.

Purpose and standards

The primary function is to capture provenance, context, content, and relationships among records to aid access and understanding over time. Quality criteria emphasize clarity of scope, accuracy, completeness, and traceability. Metadata standards such as Dublin Core, METS, PREMIS, and field-level schemas help with interoperability. Digital preservation strategies—format normalization, version control, checksums, and redundant storage—aim to ensure long-term accessibility.

Impact and use

Dokumentationen support scholarly research, education, risk assessment, and public engagement by providing organized, citable sources about subjects ranging from historical events to technical processes. In film and media, the term is closely related to documentary works that document reality or present evidence-based narratives.