document

Document refers to any written, drawn, photographed, recorded, or otherwise stored information that conveys meaning and can serve as evidence or reference. It may exist in physical form, such as paper, or as digital data stored on electronic media. Documents are created to communicate information, validate transactions, or record events, and they often carry legal or organizational weight.

Common categories include legal documents (contracts, deeds, court filings), administrative records (forms, reports, minutes), business documents (invoices, receipts, memos), scholarly papers, licenses, and correspondence. In information technology, a document is a file that contains content with a defined structure or format, possibly accompanied by metadata.

Digital documents use formats such as PDF, Microsoft Word DOCX, OpenDocument, plain text, or HTML. Standards and specifications govern interoperability and fidelity, for example ISO 32000 for PDF, ISO/IEC 26300 for OpenDocument, and metadata schemes such as Dublin Core. Accessibility guidelines aim to ensure documents are usable by people with disabilities.

Document management involves creation, revision control, storage, retrieval, and eventual disposal. Versioning, indexing, searchability, and backup are key concerns. Security measures protect authenticity and confidentiality through access controls, encryption, and digital signatures. Integrity can be verified by checksums or hashes.

Historically, documents have enabled administration and law, evolving from clay tablets and papyrus to printed sheets and digital files. The rise of electronic documents and cloud storage has increased portability, collaboration, and rapid dissemination, while raising concerns about privacy, provenance, and long-term accessibility.