SWAT Literature Database for Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Title:Hydrologic and water quality models: Documentation and reporting procedures for calibration, validation and use 
Authors:Saraswat, D., J.R. Frankenberg, N. Pai, S. Ale, P. Daggupati, K.R. Douglas-Mankin and M.A. Youssef 
Year:2015 
Journal:Transactions of the ASABE 
Volume (Issue):58(6) 
Pages:1787-1797 
Article ID: 
DOI:10.13031/trans.58.10707 
URL (non-DOI journals): 
Model:none 
Broad Application Category:documentation and/or terminology 
Primary Application Category:calibration, sensitivity, and/or uncertainty analysis 
Secondary Application Category:none 
Watershed Description:None 
Calibration Summary: 
Validation Summary: 
General Comments:This study is part of a set of 10 articles published as a special issue in Transactions ASABE, issue 58(6). The overall special issue is focused on a broad range of ecohydrological model calibration and validation topics. The articles are not necessarily focused on SWAT but the topics are extremely relevant for the SWAT user community so all 10 articles have been included in the SWAT Literature Database. 
Abstract:The increasing use of hydrologic and water quality (H/WQ) models for technical, policy, and legal decision making calls for greater transparency in communicating the methods used and decisions made when using H/WQ models. The objectives of this article are to: (1) provide guidelines to properly document H/WQ model calibration, validation, and use, and (2) raise issues about how to improve model documentation and reproducibility, and encourage open discussion of these topics in the H/WQ modeling community. First, eight recommended elements of model documentation and reporting are identified and described, and good examples are provided for each. Next, steps to move the H/WQ modeling community toward a culture of full model reproducibility are discussed. The use by model practitioners of the consistent and comprehensive elements described herein for documentation and reporting of H/WQ model calibration, validation, and use will allow better interpretation of published modeling studies, improve the utility of modeling studies, and allow more systematic advancement of H/WQ models. 
Language:English 
Keywords:Documentation, Model calibration, Model validation, Performance criteria, Performance measures, Reporting.