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Trinity College
Library & Information Technology Services

Research Data Management

What is Metadata?

Metadata is often, and most simply defined as "data about data," meaning that it uses pre-determined, often standardized terms or codes to describe the data including how it was collected, when it was collected, who collected the data, definitions of variables, how data relates to one another, and other relevant or pertinent information for understanding the scope, purpose, and provenance of the data, etc. 

The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) defines metadata as "structured information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource."

For more in-depth introductions to metadata, see the links below:

Why Document Data?

Metadata is useful for:

  • Finding data from other researchers to support your research
  • Using the data that you find
  • Helping others both find & use data from your research
  • Understanding and using your own data in the future

Questions Your Documentation or Metadata should Answer

  • Who collected the data?
  • Who or what were the subjects under study?
  • What data were collected, for what purpose?
  • What is the content & structure of the data?
  • Where was the data collected?
  • What were the experimental conditions that produced it?
  • When was the data collected?
  • Are the data part of a series, or ongoing experiment?
  • Why was this experiment performed?
  • How do the data relate to your research question?

Best Practices

  • Keep a data dictionary or codebook
  • Always use an established metadata standard
  • Extract pre-existing metadata
  • Consistent data entry is important
  • Use templates and macros when possible
  • Avoid extraneous punctuation
  • Avoid most abbreviations
  • Consult with a librarian

Metadata Standards

What metadata will you provide to augment and inform your data?

Plan to include documentation on your methodology, analysis, a data dictionary, and hardware and software used.

The Research Data Alliance has a metadata standards catalog you can use to search for schema relevant to your discipline.

Additional Metadata Standards Resources: