Documentation

DaSCH recommends creating comprehensive documentation to help other researchers and the general public understand data. Good documentation provides a clear overview of project goals, data characteristics, and how data can be accessed, utilized, and reused. DaSCH suggests structuring documentation into the following subsections (or separate documents): Project Documentation, Database Documentation, and Search Documentation.

The first page of each document should include the following information:

Title of the document, including the project name
Date of creation or last update
Legal information:
- License under which the document is released (e.g. CC BY 4.0)
- Copyright information (e.g. © Your research project)
- Author(s) of the document
Version number of the document
How to cite the document
Table of contents

Project Documentation

This section provides users with a clear understanding of the research project's objectives, data collection methods, scope, data characteristics, and processing steps. Authors of this section should be part of the project team, as it requires deep understanding of the project and its data.

Contact DaSCH for templates and examples of complete project documentation.

Database Documentation

This section provides a detailed overview of the data model (resource classes, properties, controlled vocabularies) in DSP. It helps users understand how data is structured and how to navigate and utilize it.

This section should be written by those who created the data model, as it requires deep understanding of the DaSCH Service Platform and its functionalities.

Contact DaSCH for templates and examples of complete database documentation.

Search Documentation

This section includes a basic introduction to search functionalities (Fulltext search and Advanced Search), explaining when each approach may be more appropriate. Search documentation should include specific examples from the project data, based on anticipated user interests.

Contact DaSCH for templates and examples of complete search documentation.

Support

DaSCH is available to review documentation drafts and provide feedback to ensure they meet audience needs.