Data Makers and Users' Views on Useful Paradata

Priorities in Documenting Data Creation, Curation, Manipulation and Use in Archaeology

Abstract

Understanding and making data (re)usable requires adequate documentation of the data but also information on how it has been created, curated, manipulated and used, termed in data documentation literature as paradata. This paper reports results of a survey study (N=91) of data creating and (re)using archaeologists' views of what data creation, curation, manipulation and use related information (termed here as paradata) they consider important when they are working with data. Data makers' and users' perceptions align to a considerable degree. It is important to have an explanation of the original general context of data creation and knowing the purpose, procedures and methods of data making, analysis and documentation. The findings underline that there is a need to continue developing and testing ideas how to capture and document paradata, and to find ways how to help data makers adopt proven practices to facilitate paradata making. Simultaneously, it is crucial that the paradata aimed at facilitating data use is relevant for data users rather than, for instance, technical or administrative details considered useful primarily by data makers.