The acceptance and usefulness of simulation models are often limited by the efficiency, transparency, reproducibility, and reliability of the modelling process. We address these issues by suggesting that modellers (1) “trace” the iterative modelling process by keeping a modelling notebook corresponding to the laboratory notebooks used by empirical researchers, (2) use a standardized notebook structure and terminology based on the existing TRACE documentation framework, and (3) use their notebooks to compile TRACE documents that supplement publications and reports. These practices have benefits for model developers, users, and stakeholders: improved and efficient model design, analysis, testing, and application; increased model acceptance and reuse; and replicability and reproducibility of the model and the simulation experiments. Using TRACE terminology and structure in modelling notebooks facilitates production of TRACE documents. We explain the rationale of TRACE, provide example TRACE documents, and suggest strategies for keeping “TRACE Modelling Notebooks.”

仿真模型的可接受性和实用性通常受到建模过程的效率，透明度，可重复性和可靠性的限制。我们通过建议建模者（1）保持与经验研究人员使用的实验室笔记本相对应的建模笔记本来“跟踪”迭代建模过程，以解决这些问题，（2）基于现有TRACE文档框架使用标准化的笔记本结构和术语，以及（3）使用他们的笔记本来汇编补充出版物和报告的TRACE文档。这些实践对模型开发人员，用户和利益相关者都有好处：改进和高效的模型设计，分析，测试和应用；提高模型接受度和重用性；模型和仿真实验的可复制性和可再现性。在对笔记本进行建模时使用TRACE术语和结构有助于TRACE文档的生成。我们解释了TRACE的原理，提供了TRACE示例文件，并提出了保存“ TRACE建模笔记本”的策略。