electronic records

Computerized data storage

Electronic records are documents, data, or information stored in digital format rather than on paper.

The term appears most often in legal, medical, and business contexts where record-keeping matters: The hospital converted all patient files to electronic records.

Electronic records can be created, modified, searched, and transmitted more easily than physical documents, though they raise distinct concerns about security, authenticity, and long-term preservation.

Opposites
medium/format

electronic recordshard copy

Printed physical document

paperwork · manila folders · filing cabinets · paper trail

technological era

electronic recordsclay tablets

Inscribed earthen slabs

stone inscriptions · card catalogs · index cards · microfiche · papyrus scrolls

storage medium

electronic recordshard copy

Printed physical document

file cabinets · manila folders · ledger books · bound volumes · card catalogs

Family

records, electronic

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G