DDI (Data Documentation Initiative)

The Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) is a standardized framework for organizing and describing research data, especially in social sciences. It ensures that data files include comprehensive metadata—information about the data—such as how it was collected, what variables mean, and how to interpret it. This comprehensive documentation makes data easier to find, understand, and reuse by researchers, policymakers, or educators. Essentially, DDI acts like a detailed “user’s manual” for data, promoting clarity, consistency, and long-term accessibility across different studies and institutions.