{"id":188,"date":"2025-11-27T12:43:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T17:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/?post_type=chapter&p=188"},"modified":"2026-03-01T21:16:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T02:16:48","slug":"metadata","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/rdmoer\/chapter\/metadata\/","title":{"raw":"Metadata","rendered":"Metadata"},"content":{"raw":"

Previous Lesson<\/a><\/h4>\r\n

\"\"<\/h4>\r\n

Lesson 2 of 17<\/h4>\r\n

Metadata<\/strong><\/span> is data about data, which means that it is descriptive information about your data set(s).<\/h3>\r\nAn example is when you search a database through the library: The search results display records of journal articles and books that are relevant to your search terms. Such records are metadata about the articles or books they represent. The term metadata is often used when an established standard or schema is used to structure the description.\r\n\r\nSome disciplines and repositories have established metadata standards used to describe their data. If you deposit your data in a repository, they may ask you to create metadata that matches their standards as a part of the process, or they may map your descriptive records onto the schemas they use.\r\n
\r\n

For an example, see the Federated Research Data Repository's Guide to Describing Your Data.<\/p>\r\n

GO TO EXAMPLE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

\r\n

Projects that involve creating databases or collections may use metadata standards as a part of the project. The Research Data Alliance created a metadata standards catalog, where you can find metadata standards by disciplinary area as well as use cases and tools.1<\/sup><\/p>\r\n

GO TO WEBSITE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n1. The Research Data Alliance Metadata Standards Working Group<\/a>\u00a0maintains the catalog.<\/sub>\r\n

\r\n\r\nAs you create documentation, consider the documentation standards used in your discipline or more broadly. Consulting with your supervisor and a librarian at your institution can assist in this process. For example, if you have social science data, the\u00a0Data Documentation Initiative<\/a> has created standards that can help you to create machine-readable codebooks to describe your data set.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Next Lesson<\/a><\/h4>","rendered":"

Previous Lesson<\/a><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/h4>\n

Lesson 2 of 17<\/h4>\n

Metadata<\/strong><\/span> is data about data, which means that it is descriptive information about your data set(s).<\/h3>\n

An example is when you search a database through the library: The search results display records of journal articles and books that are relevant to your search terms. Such records are metadata about the articles or books they represent. The term metadata is often used when an established standard or schema is used to structure the description.<\/p>\n

Some disciplines and repositories have established metadata standards used to describe their data. If you deposit your data in a repository, they may ask you to create metadata that matches their standards as a part of the process, or they may map your descriptive records onto the schemas they use.<\/p>\n

\n

For an example, see the Federated Research Data Repository’s Guide to Describing Your Data.<\/p>\n

GO TO EXAMPLE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Projects that involve creating databases or collections may use metadata standards as a part of the project. The Research Data Alliance created a metadata standards catalog, where you can find metadata standards by disciplinary area as well as use cases and tools.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

GO TO WEBSITE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

1. The Research Data Alliance Metadata Standards Working Group<\/a>\u00a0maintains the catalog.<\/sub><\/p>\n

\n

As you create documentation, consider the documentation standards used in your discipline or more broadly. Consulting with your supervisor and a librarian at your institution can assist in this process. For example, if you have social science data, the\u00a0Data Documentation Initiative<\/a> has created standards that can help you to create machine-readable codebooks to describe your data set.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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