Data are the basis for many forms of scholarly writings and serve as the definitive source of facts, observations and details of methods, procedures, or analyses. Recorded and preserved data foster the norms of accuracy, replication, and reliability in scientific research, and provide the ability to understand precisely how a procedure was performed by someone else, and what was observed months or years before.
Accurate and authenticated data records are critical for the documentation of inventions and the defense of patents. Recorded data are also critical in resolving challenges to data or conclusions, including formal allegations of research misconduct that may arise long after the primary researcher has moved on to another project or institution.