Evidenssidokumentation

Evidenssidokumentation is the systematic recording, organization, and preservation of evidence that supports claims, decisions, or outcomes. It is used to establish traceability of data and arguments, enable review and replication, and satisfy legal, regulatory, or organizational requirements.

Core elements include provenance (origin and history of data), chain of custody where applicable, metadata describing data collection and analysis, versioning and change logs, audit trails, access controls, and retention schedules. Documents typically cover sources, methods, equipment, personnel, timestamps, and decision rationales.

Applications span research and development, clinical trials, forensic investigations, compliance auditing, risk assessment, and public policy. In research, evidenssidokumentation supports reproducibility; in business, it supports accountability and risk management.

Standards and practices emphasize transparent templates, data management plans, standardized terminologies, and alignment with data protection and privacy requirements. When possible, formats may align with recognized schemas or provenance models (e.g., PROV-O) to enable interoperability.

Challenges include maintaining completeness across complex workflows, ensuring data integrity and tamper-evidence, balancing openness with privacy, and allocating resources for documentation. Effective evidenssidokumentation relies on clear governance, trained personnel, and ongoing review to maintain trust and usefulness across stakeholders.