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A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin Documentum, which denotes a "teaching" or "lesson": the verb doceō denotes "to teach". In the past, the word was usually used to denote written proof useful as evidence of a truth or fact. In the Computer Age, "document" usually denotes a primarily textual computer file, including its structure and format, e.g. fonts, colors, and images. Contemporarily, "document" is not defined by its transmission medium, e.g., paper, given the existence of electronic documents. "Documentation" is distinct because it has more denotations than "document". Documents are also distinguished from "realia", which are three-dimensional objects that would otherwise satisfy the definition of "document" because they memorialize or represent thought; documents are considered more as two-dimensional representations. While documents can have large varieties of customization, all documents can be shared freely and have the right to do so, creativity can be represented by documents, also. History, events, examples, opinions, stories etc. all can be expressed in documents.
Abstract definitions
The concept of "document" has been defined by Suzanne Briet as "any concrete or symbolic indication, preserved or recorded, for reconstructing or for proving a phenomenon, whether physical or mental."
An often-cited article concludes that "the evolving notion of document" among Jonathan Priest, Paul Otlet, Briet, Walter Schürmeyer, and the other documentalists increasingly emphasized whatever functioned as a document rather than traditional physical forms of documents. The shift to digital technology would seem to make this distinction even more important. David M. Levy has said that an emphasis on the technology of digital documents has impeded our understanding of digital documents as documents. A conventional document, such as a mail message or a technical report, exists physically in digital technology as a string of bits, as does everything else in a digital environment. As an object of study, it has been made into a document. It has become physical evidence by those who study it.
"Document" is defined in library and information science and documentation science as a fundamental, abstract idea: the word denotes everything that may be represented or memorialized to serve as evidence. The classic example provided by Briet is an antelope: "An antelope running wild on the plains of Africa should not be considered a document[;] she rules. But if it were to be captured, taken to a zoo and made an object of study, it has been made into a document. It has become physical evidence being used by those who study it. Indeed, scholarly articles written about the antelope are secondary documents, since the antelope itself is the primary document." This opinion has been interpreted[by whom?] as an early expression of actor–network theory.
Kinds
A document can be structured, like tabular documents, lists, forms, or scientific charts, semi-structured like a book or a newspaper article, or unstructured like a handwritten note. Documents are sometimes classified as secret, private, or public. They may also be described as drafts or proofs. When a document is copied, the source is denominated the "original".
Documents are used in numerous fields, e.g.:
- Academia:
- manuscript,
- thesis,
- paper,
- journal,
- chart,
- and technical drawing
- Media:
- Administration, law, and politics:
- Business:
- Geography and planning:
- topographic map,
- cadastre,
- legend,
- and architectural plan
Such standard documents can be drafted based on a template.
Drafting
The page layout of a document is how information is graphically arranged in the space of the document, e.g., on a page. If the appearance of the document is of concern, the page layout is generally the responsibility of a graphic designer. Typography concerns the design of letter and symbol forms and their physical arrangement in the document (see typesetting). Information design concerns the effective communication of information, especially in industrial documents and public signs. Simple textual documents may not require visual design and may be drafted only by an author, clerk, or transcriber. Forms may require a visual design for their initial fields, but not to complete the forms.
Media
Traditionally, the medium of a document was paper and the information was applied to it in ink, either by handwriting (to make a manuscript) or by a mechanical process (e.g., a printing press or laser printer). Today, some short documents also may consist of sheets of paper stapled together.
Historically, documents were inscribed with ink on papyrus (starting in ancient Egypt) or parchment; scratched as runes or carved on stone using a sharp tool, e.g., the Tablets of Stone described in the Bible; stamped or incised in clay and then baked to make clay tablets, e.g., in the Sumerian and other Mesopotamian civilizations. The papyrus or parchment was often rolled into a scroll or cut into sheets and bound into a codex (book).
Contemporary electronic means of memorializing and displaying documents include:
- Monitor of a desktop computer, laptop, tablet; optionally with a printer to produce a hard copy;
- Personal digital assistant;
- Dedicated e-book device;
- Electronic paper, typically, using the Portable Document Format (PDF);
- Information appliance;
- Digital audio player; and
- Radio and television service provider.
Digital documents usually require a specific file format to be presentable in a specific medium.
In law
Documents in all forms frequently serve as material evidence in criminal and civil proceedings. The forensic analysis of such a document is within the scope of questioned document examination. To catalog and manage the large number of documents that may be produced during litigation, Bates numbering is often applied to all documents in the lawsuit so that each document has a unique, arbitrary, identification number.
See also
- Archive
- Book
- Documentality
- Documentation
- History of the book
- Identity document
- Letterhead
- Realia (library science)
- Travel document
References
- Briet, S. (1951). "Qu'est-ce que la documentation?". Éditions Documentaires Industrielles et Techniques. Quoted in Buckland, Michael (1991). "Information as Thing". people.ischool.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- Levy, David M., Fixed or Fluid? Document Stability and New Media., CiteSeerX 10.1.1.119.8813, archived from the original on 2013-06-06, retrieved 2023-10-18
- Buckland, M. "What Is a Digital Document?" 1998. In Document Numérique Paris. 2(2). [1] Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine.
- Buckland, Michael (2018). "Document theory" (PDF). Knowledge Organization. 45 (5): 425–436. doi:10.5771/0943-7444-2018-5-425. Archived from the original on 2022-05-06. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
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Further reading
- Briet, S. (1951). Qu'est-ce que la documentation? Paris: Documentaires Industrielles et Techniques.
- Buckland, M. (1991). Information and information systems. New York: Greenwood Press.
- Frohmann, Bernd (2009). Revisiting "what is a document?", Journal of Documentation, 65(2), 291–303.
- Hjerppe, R. (1994). A framework for the description of generalized documents. Advances in Knowledge Organization, 4, 173–180.
- Houser, L. (1986). Documents: The domain of library and information science. Library and Information Science Research, 8, 163–188.
- Larsen, P.S. (1999). Books and bytes: Preserving documents for posterity. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 50(11), 1020–1027.
- Lund, N. W. (2008). Document theory. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 43, 399–432.
- Riles, A. (Ed.) (2006). Documents: Artifacts of Modern Knowledge. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI.
- Schamber, L. (1996). What is a document? Rethinking the concept in uneasy times. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 47, 669–671.
- Signer, Beat: What is Wrong with Digital Documents? A Conceptual Model for Structural Cross-Media Content Composition and Reuse, In Proceedings of the 29th International Conference on Conceptual Modeling (ER 2010), Vancouver, Canada, November 2010.
- Smith, Barry. "How to Do Things with Documents", Rivista di Estetica, 50 (2012), 179–198.
- Smith, Barry. "Document Acts", in Anita Konzelmann-Ziv, Hans Bernhard Schmid (eds.), 2013. Institutions, Emotions, and Group Agents.Contributions to Social Ontology (Philosophical Studies Series), Dordrecht: Springer
- Ørom, A. (2007). The concept of information versus the concept of a document. I: Document (re)turn. Contributions from a research field in transition. Ed. By Roswitha Skare, Niels Windfeld Lund & Andreas Vårheim. Frankfurt is Main: Peter Lang. (pp. 53–72).
This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations April 2018 Learn how and when to remove this message A document is a written drawn presented or memorialized representation of thought often the manifestation of non fictional as well as fictional content The word originates from the Latin Documentum which denotes a teaching or lesson the verb doceō denotes to teach In the past the word was usually used to denote written proof useful as evidence of a truth or fact In the Computer Age document usually denotes a primarily textual computer file including its structure and format e g fonts colors and images Contemporarily document is not defined by its transmission medium e g paper given the existence of electronic documents Documentation is distinct because it has more denotations than document Documents are also distinguished from realia which are three dimensional objects that would otherwise satisfy the definition of document because they memorialize or represent thought documents are considered more as two dimensional representations While documents can have large varieties of customization all documents can be shared freely and have the right to do so creativity can be represented by documents also History events examples opinions stories etc all can be expressed in documents Documents across mediums Top left a word processor document using LibreOffice Top right a copy of the Swiss Constitution in German Bottom left a vinyl record holding a set of songs Bottom right a computer program interpreting a fragment of a clay tablet with cuneiform script about king Shalmaneser IIIAbstract definitionsThe concept of document has been defined by Suzanne Briet as any concrete or symbolic indication preserved or recorded for reconstructing or for proving a phenomenon whether physical or mental An often cited article concludes that the evolving notion of document among Jonathan Priest Paul Otlet Briet Walter Schurmeyer and the other documentalists increasingly emphasized whatever functioned as a document rather than traditional physical forms of documents The shift to digital technology would seem to make this distinction even more important David M Levy has said that an emphasis on the technology of digital documents has impeded our understanding of digital documents as documents A conventional document such as a mail message or a technical report exists physically in digital technology as a string of bits as does everything else in a digital environment As an object of study it has been made into a document It has become physical evidence by those who study it Document is defined in library and information science and documentation science as a fundamental abstract idea the word denotes everything that may be represented or memorialized to serve as evidence The classic example provided by Briet is an antelope An antelope running wild on the plains of Africa should not be considered a document she rules But if it were to be captured taken to a zoo and made an object of study it has been made into a document It has become physical evidence being used by those who study it Indeed scholarly articles written about the antelope are secondary documents since the antelope itself is the primary document This opinion has been interpreted by whom as an early expression of actor network theory KindsA document can be structured like tabular documents lists forms or scientific charts semi structured like a book or a newspaper article or unstructured like a handwritten note Documents are sometimes classified as secret private or public They may also be described as drafts or proofs When a document is copied the source is denominated the original Documents are used in numerous fields e g Academia manuscript thesis paper journal chart and technical drawing Media mock up script image photography and newspaper article Administration law and politics application brief certificate commission constitutional document form gazette identity document license manifesto summons census and white paper Business invoice request for proposal proposal contract packing slip manifest report detailed and summary spreadsheet material safety data sheet waybill bill of lading financial statement nondisclosure agreement NDA mutual nondisclosure agreement and user guide Geography and planning topographic map cadastre legend and architectural plan Such standard documents can be drafted based on a template DraftingThe page layout of a document is how information is graphically arranged in the space of the document e g on a page If the appearance of the document is of concern the page layout is generally the responsibility of a graphic designer Typography concerns the design of letter and symbol forms and their physical arrangement in the document see typesetting Information design concerns the effective communication of information especially in industrial documents and public signs Simple textual documents may not require visual design and may be drafted only by an author clerk or transcriber Forms may require a visual design for their initial fields but not to complete the forms MediaA page of a birth register for Jews from 1859 Traditionally the medium of a document was paper and the information was applied to it in ink either by handwriting to make a manuscript or by a mechanical process e g a printing press or laser printer Today some short documents also may consist of sheets of paper stapled together Historically documents were inscribed with ink on papyrus starting in ancient Egypt or parchment scratched as runes or carved on stone using a sharp tool e g the Tablets of Stone described in the Bible stamped or incised in clay and then baked to make clay tablets e g in the Sumerian and other Mesopotamian civilizations The papyrus or parchment was often rolled into a scroll or cut into sheets and bound into a codex book Contemporary electronic means of memorializing and displaying documents include Monitor of a desktop computer laptop tablet optionally with a printer to produce a hard copy Personal digital assistant Dedicated e book device Electronic paper typically using the Portable Document Format PDF Information appliance Digital audio player and Radio and television service provider Digital documents usually require a specific file format to be presentable in a specific medium In lawDocuments in all forms frequently serve as material evidence in criminal and civil proceedings The forensic analysis of such a document is within the scope of questioned document examination To catalog and manage the large number of documents that may be produced during litigation Bates numbering is often applied to all documents in the lawsuit so that each document has a unique arbitrary identification number See alsoArchive Book Documentality Documentation History of the book Identity document Letterhead Realia library science Travel documentReferencesBriet S 1951 Qu est ce que la documentation Editions Documentaires Industrielles et Techniques Quoted in Buckland Michael 1991 Information as Thing people ischool berkeley edu Retrieved 2023 10 18 Levy David M Fixed or Fluid Document Stability and New Media CiteSeerX 10 1 1 119 8813 archived from the original on 2013 06 06 retrieved 2023 10 18 Buckland M What Is a Digital Document 1998 In Document Numerique Paris 2 2 1 Archived 2011 10 02 at the Wayback Machine Buckland Michael 2018 Document theory PDF Knowledge Organization 45 5 425 436 doi 10 5771 0943 7444 2018 5 425 Archived from the original on 2022 05 06 Retrieved 2023 10 18 a href wiki Template Cite journal title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Further readingWikimedia Commons has media related to Documents Briet S 1951 Qu est ce que la documentation Paris Documentaires Industrielles et Techniques Buckland M 1991 Information and information systems New York Greenwood Press Frohmann Bernd 2009 Revisiting what is a document Journal of Documentation 65 2 291 303 Hjerppe R 1994 A framework for the description of generalized documents Advances in Knowledge Organization 4 173 180 Houser L 1986 Documents The domain of library and information science Library and Information Science Research 8 163 188 Larsen P S 1999 Books and bytes Preserving documents for posterity Journal of the American Society for Information Science 50 11 1020 1027 Lund N W 2008 Document theory Annual Review of Information Science and Technology 43 399 432 Riles A Ed 2006 Documents Artifacts of Modern Knowledge University of Michigan Press Ann Arbor MI Schamber L 1996 What is a document Rethinking the concept in uneasy times Journal of the American Society for Information Science 47 669 671 Signer Beat What is Wrong with Digital Documents A Conceptual Model for Structural Cross Media Content Composition and Reuse In Proceedings of the 29th International Conference on Conceptual Modeling ER 2010 Vancouver Canada November 2010 Smith Barry How to Do Things with Documents Rivista di Estetica 50 2012 179 198 Smith Barry Document Acts in Anita Konzelmann Ziv Hans Bernhard Schmid eds 2013 Institutions Emotions and Group Agents Contributions to Social Ontology Philosophical Studies Series Dordrecht Springer Orom A 2007 The concept of information versus the concept of a document I Document re turn Contributions from a research field in transition Ed By Roswitha Skare Niels Windfeld Lund amp Andreas Varheim Frankfurt is Main Peter Lang pp 53 72
