Integrity

Integrity is one of the core characteristics that makes a record trustworthy, alongside authenticity, reliability, and usability. A record has integrity when it is complete and unaltered, and when any sanctioned changes (such as format migration or redaction) are documented rather than hidden. Integrity does not mean a record can never change; it means change is controlled, accountable, and traceable.

Integrity matters because recordkeeping rests on the assumption that a record still says what it said when it was created. If content can be silently edited, deleted, or corrupted, the record loses evidential value for audits, litigation, and accountability. Organizations protect integrity through access controls, audit trails, fixity checks (such as checksums), and managed disposition.

For example, scanning a paper memo and discarding the original is acceptable when the conversion is verified and documented; quietly altering a digitized memo’s text is not. Modern electronic-records guidance, reflected in NARA’s shift away from its former DoD 5015.2 endorsement toward the Universal ERM Requirements and FERMI, treats demonstrable integrity as a baseline expectation for systems that manage records over time.