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Types of Metadata

Descriptive metadata​

Descriptive metadata helps users of the data to know what it is about. For example:

  • The title of the dataset
  • Keywords
  • An abstract describing the data or the research
  • Bibliographic information such as author's names and affiliations
  • Substances, reactions, experimental conditions, and the properties measured.

Structural metadata​

Structural metadata describes how the data is organised to help users to navigate the dataset structure or understand what format the data is in. For example:

  • Structure of the directories and the relationships of the files they contain, for example raw or processed data
  • Structure of tables, for example, column headers for CSV files
  • File formats
  • Links between datasets and associated publications

Provenance metadata​

Provenance metadata tracks the origin and history for the data so that users can understand how the data was produced. For example:

  • Instrument settings
  • Sample preparation steps
  • Software used for analysis
  • Version history of the dataset
  • References and IDs, for example notebook, experiment, and sample IDs

Geospatial / temporal metadata​

Geospatial and temporal metadata can be used to give precise information about location and timing for research data. For example:

  • Where a sample was collected with a GPS location
  • When a measurement was taken with a date/time stamp

Technical metadata​

Technical metadata describes the quality of the data and steps taken during processing of the data. For example:

  • Instrument, hardware, and software dependencies and versions
  • Calibration details
  • Error margins or uncertainty
  • Measurement units
  • Data normalisation or cleaning steps
  • Missing data information

Administrative metadata​

Administrative metadata typically describes information about data management, rights access, and preservation for the data within a repository. For example:

  • Timestamps for creation and modifications of the dataset
  • Licence information such as rights and attribution requirements
  • Access restrictions
  • Repository identifiers
  • Contact information
  • Preservation information such as retention schedule, preservation actions, migration, file integrity information and audit trails

Usage metadata​

Usage metadata provides information about the use and impact of data. For example:

  • Number of views
  • Number of downloads
  • Frequency of access over time
  • Location of users of the data
  • Citations and alternative metrics such as social media shares
  • Ratings
  • Referring sources

What to do next​

Learn about different kinds of metadata standards in Schemas, Vocabularies, and Ontologies

Related links: See the links below to information about controlled vocabularies and standards in the physical sciences community:

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