Documentation of data collection hardware, software, and procedures ensures that details with critical implications for resulting research are recorded correctly. CAIDA offers guidance on How to Document a Data Collection.

Clear agreements about what data will be collected, stored, and distributed create common understanding between those collecting data and organizations providing or hosting data collection infrastructure. CAIDA seeks to clarify our role, goals, and specific data collection activities by agreeing upon Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) with organizations that host our data collection infrastructure.