Paper trail

A “paper trail” is a collection of documents or records that show what someone has done over time. “Paper trail” is often used in situations where it’s important to prove that something was done or to check what happened in the past.

You can use “paper trail” when talking about any group of documents or records that prove something. It can be about written papers or digital files. People often use this phrase when they need to show evidence, check on actions, or when they’re investigating something.

• When paired with invoices, checks allow businesses to have a paper of scanned PDF record of service provided, payment sent, and payment received. This “paper trail” is essential for good financial management and record-keeping. In this case, the “paper trail” is the scanned PDF documents that record all of the business’s payments.
• “The criminals were careful not to leave a ‘paper trail’ of their fraudulent activities.” This means that the criminals made sure there were no documents that would prove they were guilty of fraud.