[What your personal archive should contain. Practical suggestions for the young (and not so young) researcher]

In science it is indispensable to be able to organise knowledge. It is a prerequisite of efficient scientific research to have also a good system of filing and organisation for relevant documents. This means that the researcher must be able to identify and properly file--right from the start of his or her career--all documentation and records which will also be useful to future research. This paper contains a number of practical recommendations on how to establish and maintain the scientist's personal archive; how to classify and select documents; and how to archive them in a way which allows for easy retrieval. The aim of this paper is to eliminate all errors and omissions, as subsequent rectification can be laborious and time consuming. Documents are arranged beginning with those which are important for the researcher as an employee (representing his personal portfolio) and are followed by documents attesting to his scientific competence and experimental skills (presentations at conferences, published papers, teaching activities, grant projects, etc.). It is important and useful to conduct an occasional review of one's personal archive, to update and revise some documents, and to discard others. A change of employment or affiliation usually presents a good opportunity for such a review. An archive which is systematically maintained throughout a researcher's career is a valuable source of objective personal reminiscences and reviews of scientific development.