Which of the following documents are considered a record?

The answer

In records management, a record is not defined by what kind of file it is but by its role. The standard (ISO 15489) definition is: information created, received, and maintained as evidence and as an asset by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business. Put plainly, if a piece of information documents a business activity or decision and is kept because it has evidential or reference value, it is a record — no matter the format.

So on a multiple-choice list, the correct answers typically include emails, memos, reports, meeting minutes, completed forms, contracts, invoices, and policies. Photographs, spreadsheets, databases, voicemails, and text messages all qualify too if they document business. The medium (paper, PDF, email, audio, video) is irrelevant.

Why the tricky options still count

The questions that trip people up are usually emails and drafts.

• Is an email a record? Yes — if it documents a decision, transaction, or obligation. A one-line "lunch at noon?" note is transitory and not a real record, but an email approving a purchase, confirming a policy, or giving instructions absolutely is.
• Are drafts records? They can be. A draft that shows how a decision evolved, or that was circulated and relied upon, has evidential value and is a record. A throwaway working copy with no informational value is usually classed as transitory and can be discarded.

The document-vs-record distinction

The cleanest way to answer this type of question is to separate document from record:

• A document is any recorded information — it can be edited, is often a work in progress, and may or may not be kept.
• A record is a document (or other information) that has been finalized in its role as evidence and is fixed and retained. A record generally should not be altered; it is kept for a defined retention period.

So every record is a form of recorded information, but not every working document becomes a record. A record has four hallmarks: it is authentic (it is what it claims to be), reliable (a full and accurate account), has integrity (complete and unaltered), and is usable (can be found and read).

A quick 'is it a record?' test

Ask three questions. If you answer yes to all three, it's a record:

1. Was it created or received in the course of business?
2. Does it document a decision, transaction, activity, or obligation?
3. Is it kept for its evidential or informational value (legal, fiscal, administrative, or historical)?

Applying that test beats memorizing a list, because the list of possible formats is endless. It also explains why the answer to "which of the following are records" is usually most or all of them — the exam is checking whether you understand that format doesn't matter, purpose does.