| Status | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Disclaimer: This FAIR Metroline Step focuses solely on the registration of metadata. It does not cover the technical details of metadata schemas or FAIR Data Point, both of which will be detailed in subsequent FAIR Metroline Steps.
Short description
...
Metadata is essential for describing information about your resource, whether it is a dataset, article, software, report or other project outputs. In this chapter, we explain how to make metadata about your resources available online so others can find it. As explained in A Generic Workflow for the Data FAIRification Process, this step will help you make your data resources more Findable by registering them in a searchable repository, such as a metadata catalogue.
Metadata catalogues are platforms that store and help you find information about various resources. They allow you to search for existing data relevant for your research, saving time in data collection, and enable others to find your work, thereby increasing collaboration opportunities. Examples of metadata catalogues include the Health-RI Data Catalogue for healthcare and life sciences data and the BBMRI-NL catalogue for biosample information.
Unlike data repositories like Zenodo or DANS data stations, metadata catalogues do not store the actual resource, but just information about it. Metadata catalogues can link directly to the resource’s location, for example by linking your metadata catalogue entry to your DANS entry through its URL, or let others request access via a contact point or data access forms. Many data repositories also act as metadata catalogues, blending the functions of both. For example, when you publish data in DANS, you provide metadata (Title, Description, Keywords) that helps catalog and find entries within the DANS portal. This blurs the line between metadata catalogues and data repositories (see figure below). Both concepts can also be illustrated by platforms like Google Scholar, which works as a metadata catalogue by indexing information about publications that, then, links each entry to external repositories like Elsevier or PLOS where the actual publications can be accessed.
...
Registering resource level metadata depends on the context of your project and your expertise in metadata and FAIR principles. Here, we present a generic workflow applicable to most scenarios, but it is advisable to customise this workflow to accommodate your context. This workflow emphasises selecting appropriate metadata catalogues for resources, rather than the technical aspects of metadata schemas.
...
Resource type | Resource subtype | Metadata element | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Dataset | Lab data | Collection methods | Description of the method or instruments used to collect the data. |
Date Data sources | Information about where or from whom the data was collected. | ||
Python code | Contributors | Names or IDs of other individuals who contributed to the code. |
...
your department’s familiarity with data-sharing practices;
your personal experience with metadata catalogues and metadata elements relevant to your research domain;
availability of metadata catalogues within your community.
Depending on these variables, selecting the appropriate metadata catalogue may be a straightforward process or may require input from multiple experts. Experts that may need to be involved, as described in FAIR Metroline Step: Build the Team, are described below.
Researcher with domain knowledge. Someone that understands the project, study and data to create detailed and comprehensive metadata.
Data FAIR data steward. Specialist who can advice on the metadata catalogues to use and providing can provide advice on how to fill in metadata accurately.
Infrastructure professional. When no suitable metadata catalogue is available or if you need to connect with federated catalogues (such as the Health-RI Data Catalogue), specialised IT knowledge may be required. This is particularly important when exposing metadata on the web via a FAIR Data Point or integrating with other systems.
...