A document[1] (noun) is a piece of information that is used to communicate something. In the past it was usually a piece of paper that contained information written in ink, but documents are now often digital.

To document (verb) means to produce an object by collecting and representing information, and has a slightly different pronunciation.

Different sorts of documents

Everyday use

When one views a document, they can see the connotations and denotations that appear in a search for document. From these usages, readers can infer one or more of the following typical contexts:

Document life cycle management

Technology to manage documents has developed with documents themselves. They include practices for preserving, archiving, destroying, and managing documents. These together are called the "document life cycle"

Related pages

Software for document creation

Text editors

See the main article: Text editor

References

  1. Definition: a bounded physical representation of body of information designed with the capacity (and usually intent) to communicate
  • Sellen, A. J. and Harper, R. H. R., 2001, The Myth of the Paperless Office
  • McLuhan, M., 1969, The Gutenberg Galaxy
  • McLuhan, M., 1964, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
  • Landow, G. P., 2006, Hypertext 3.0: Critical Theory and New Media in an Era of Globalization
  • Bush, V., 1945, As We May Think, Atlantic Monthly, https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/194507/bush
  • Kelly, K. 2006, Scan This Book!, New York Times Magazine, http://www.kk.org/writings/scan_this_book.php
  • Owen, D., 2004, Copies in Seconds: How a Lone Inventor and an Unknown Company Created the Biggest Communication Breakthrough Since Gutenberg—Chester Carlson and the Birth of the Xerox Machine
  • Searle, J. R., 1997, The Construction of Social Reality
  • Anderson, B., 2006, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, New Edition
  • Levy, D., 2003, Scrolling Forward: Making Sense of Documents in the Digital Age
  • Gladwell, M., 2002, The Social Life of Paper, New Yorker Magazine, http://www.gladwell.com/2002/2002_03_25_a_paper.htm
  • Lewis, D. K., 2002 Convention: A Philosophical Study (Revised edition)
  • Pedauque, R. T., Document: Form, Sign and Medium, as Reformulated for Electronic Documents [1]
  • Romano, F., 1989, Pocket Guide to Digital Prepress
  • Sweet, J., 2003, Document Boundaries Master's Thesis, Rochester Institute of Technology