the greek research infrastructure
for social sciences
The present paper highlights the need for strict and qualitative documentation for empirical social quantitative research. The information usually provided for quantitative research is insufficient, resulting in incomplete information of the end user of the data. Strict and good quality documentation is required for the following reasons: a) to understand and use the data other researchers, b) so that the original researcher can return to the data, once all the details have been erased from memory c) to provide the basis for systematic cumulative construction of prior knowledge and d) to enable post-homogenization, where applicable. It is also obvious that undocumented data becomes cheap over time. The Documentation Initiative (DDI) documentation design as well as the Nesstar system that supports the standard are helpful in this difficult task of strict and qualitative documentation. This text also presents the DDI desing as well as the Nesstar system.
