Metadata Dictionary

Field

Definition

Formatting

Mandatory/Optional

Viewable During Upload

Title

Full title by which the Dataset is known.

M

Y

Subtitle

A secondary title used to amplify or state certain limitations on the main title.

O

N

Alternative Title

A title by which the work is commonly referred, or an abbreviation of the title.

O

N

Alternative URL

A URL where the dataset can be viewed, such as a personal or project website.

Enter full URL, starting with http://

Example:

• http://www.my.org

O

N

Other ID

Data in this section refer to another unique identifier that identifies this Dataset

(e.g., producer's or another repository's number).

Agency

Name of agency which generated this identifier.

O

N

Identifier

Other identifier that corresponds to this Dataset.

O

N

Author

Data in this section refer to the person(s), corporate body(ies), or agency(ies) responsible for creating the work.

Name

The author's Family Name, Given Name or the name of the organization responsible for this Dataset.

Personal name expressed as LastName, FirstName MiddleInitial.

Organizational name as it appears

Examples:

• Obama, Barack H.
• Texas Digital Library

M

Y

Affiliation

The organization with which the author is affiliated.

M

Y

Identifier Scheme

Name of the identifier scheme (ORCID, ISNI, LCNA).

O

Y

Identifier

Uniquely identifies an individual author or organization, according to various schemes.

O

Y

Contact

Data in this section refer to the contact(s) for this Dataset.

Name

The contact's Family Name, Given Name or the name of the organization.

Personal name expressed as LastName, FirstName MiddleInitial.

Organizational name as it appears

Examples:

• Obama, Barack H.
• Texas Digital Library

O

Y

Affiliation

The organization with which the contact is affiliated.

O

Y

E-mail

The e-mail address(es) of the contact(s) for the Dataset. This will not be displayed to the user.

M

Y

Description

Data in this section refer to a summary describing the purpose, nature, and scope of the Dataset.

Text

A summary describing the purpose, nature, and scope of the Dataset.

M

Y

Date

In cases where a Dataset contains more than one description (for example, one might be supplied by the data producer and another prepared by the data repository where the data are deposited), the date attribute is used to distinguish between the two descriptions.

Date expressed in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

Example:

• 2016-01-30

O

Y

Subject

Domain-specific Subject Categories that are topically relevant to the Dataset.

M

Y

Keyword

Data in this section refer to key terms that describe important aspects of the Dataset.

Term

Key terms that describe important aspects of the Dataset. Can be used for building keyword indexes and for classification and retrieval purposes. A controlled vocabulary can be employed.

O

Y

Vocabulary

For the specification of the keyword controlled vocabulary in use.

Abbreviated name of vocabulary

Examples:

• LCSH
• LCNA
• MeSH

O

Y

Vocabulary URL

Keyword vocabulary URL points to the web presence that describes the keyword vocabulary, if appropriate.

Enter an absolute URL where the keyword vocabulary web site is found.

Example:

• http://www.my.org

O

Y

Topic Classification

Data in this section refer to the classification field that

indicates the broad important topic(s) and subjects that the data cover.

Term

Topic or Subject term that is relevant to this Dataset.

O

N

Vocabulary

Provided for specification of the controlled vocabulary in use.

Abbreviated name of vocabulary

Examples:

• LCSH
• LCNA
• MeSH

O

N

Vocabulary URL

Specifies the URL location for the full controlled vocabulary.

Enter an absolute URL where the keyword vocabulary web site is found.

Example:

• http://www.my.org

O

N

Related Publication

Data in this section refer to publications that use the data from this Dataset.

Citation

The full bibliographic citation for this related publication.

O

N

ID Type

The type of digital identifier used for this publication (e.g., Digital Object Identifier (DOI)).

Examples:

• Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
• handle
• isbn

O

N

ID Number

The identifier for the selected ID type.

O

N

URL

Link to the publication web page

Enter an absolute URL where the keyword vocabulary web site is found.

Example:

• http://www.my.org

O

N

Notes

Additional important information about the Dataset.

O

Y

Language

Language of the Dataset

O

N

Producer

Data in this section refer to the person or organization with the financial or administrative responsibility over this Dataset

Name

Producer name

Personal name expressed as LastName, FirstName MiddleInitial.

Organizational name as it appears

Examples:

• Obama, Barack H.
• Texas Digital Library

O

N

Affiliation

The organization with which the producer is affiliated.

O

N

Abbreviation

The abbreviation by which the producer is commonly known.

Example:

• TDL

O

N

URL

Producer URL points to the producer's web presence, if appropriate. Enter an absolute URL where the producer's web site is found, such as http://www.my.org.

Enter an absolute URL where the keyword vocabulary web site is found.

Example:

• http://www.my.org

O

N

Logo URL

URL for the producer's logo, which points to this producer's web-accessible logo image.

Enter an absolute URL where the producer's logo image is found

Example:

• http://www.my.org/images/logo.gif

O

N

Production Date

Date when the data collection or other materials were produced (not distributed, published or archived).

Date expressed in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

Example:

• 2016-01-30

M

Y

Production Place

The location where the data collection and any other related materials were produced.

M

Y

Contributor

Data in this section refer to the organization or person responsible for either collecting, managing,

or otherwise contributing in some form to the development of the resource.

Type

The type of contributor of the resource.

O

N

Name

The Family Name, Given Name or organization name of the contributor.

Personal name expressed as LastName, FirstName MiddleInitial.

Organizational name as it appears

Examples:

• Obama, Barack H.
• Texas Digital Library

O

N

Grant Information

Data in this section refer to grant Information

Grant Agency

Grant Number Agency

O

N

Grant Number

The grant or contract number of the project that sponsored the effort.

O

N

Distributor

Data in this section refer to the organization designated by the author or producer to generate copies

of the particular work including any necessary editions or revisions.

Name

Distributor name

Personal name expressed as LastName, FirstName MiddleInitial.

Organizational name as it appears

Examples:

• Obama, Barack H.
• Texas Digital Library

O

N

Affiliation

The organization with which the distributor contact is affiliated.

O

N

Abbreviation

The abbreviation by which this distributor is commonly known (e.g., IQSS, ICPSR).

Example:

• TDL

O

N

URL

Distributor URL points to the distributor's web presence, if appropriate. Enter an absolute URL where the distributor's web site is found, such as http://www.my.org.

Enter an absolute URL where the keyword vocabulary web site is found.

Example:

• http://www.my.org

O

N

Logo URL

URL of the distributor's logo, which points to this distributor's web-accessible logo image. Enter an absolute URL where the distributor's logo image is found, such as http://www.my.org/images/logo.gif.

Enter an absolute URL where the producer's logo image is found

Example:

• http://www.my.org/images/logo.gif

O

N

Distribution Date

Date that the work was made available for distribution/presentation.

Date expressed in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

Example:

• 2016-01-30

O

N

Depositor

The person (Family Name, Given Name) or the name of the organization that deposited this Dataset to the repository.

Personal name expressed as LastName, FirstName MiddleInitial.

Organizational name as it appears

Examples:

• Obama, Barack H.
• Texas Digital Library

O

Y

Deposit Date

Date that the Dataset was deposited into the repository.

Date expressed in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

Examples:

• 2016-01-30

O

Y

Time Period Covered

Data in this section refer to the time period to which the data refer. This item reflects the time period covered by the data, not the dates of coding or making documents machine-readable or the dates the data were collected. Also known as span.

Start

Start date which reflects the time period covered by the data, not the dates of coding or making documents machine-readable or the dates the data were collected.

Date expressed in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

Examples:

• 2016-01-30

O

N

End

End date which reflects the time period covered by the data, not the dates of coding or making documents machine-readable or the dates the data were collected.

Date expressed in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

Examples:

• 2016-01-30

O

N

Date of Collection

Data in this section refer to date(s) when the data were collected.

Start

Date when the data collection started.

Date expressed in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

Examples:

• 2016-01-30

O

N

End

Date when the data collection ended.

Date expressed in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

Examples:

• 2016-01-30

O

N

Kind of Data

Type of data included in the file

Free text

Examples:

• survey data
• census/enumeration data
• aggregate data
• clinical data
• event/transaction data
• program source code
• machine-readable text
• administrative records data
• experimental data
• psychological test
• textual data
• coded textual
• coded documents
• time budget diaries
• observation data/ratings
• process-produced data

M

Y

Series

Data in this section refer to information about the Dataset series.

Name

Name of the dataset series to which the Dataset belongs.

O

N

Information

History of the series and summary of those features that apply to the series as a whole.

O

N

Software

Data in this section refer to the software used to generate the Dataset.

Name

Name of software used to generate the Dataset.

O

N

Version

Version of the software used to generate the Dataset.

O

N

Related Material

Any material related to this Dataset.

O

N

Related Datasets

Any Datasets that are related to this Dataset, such as previous research on this subject.

O

N

Other References

Any references that would serve as background or supporting material to this Dataset.

O

N

Data Sources

List of books, articles, serials, or machine-readable data files that served as the sources of the data collection.

O

N

Origin of Sources

For historical materials, information about the origin of the sources and the rules followed in establishing the sources should be specified.

O

N

Characteristic of Sources Noted

Assessment of characteristics and source material.

O

N

Documentation and Access to Sources

Level of documentation of the original sources.

O

N

Field

Definition

Formatting

Mandatory/Optional

Viewable During Upload

Journal

Data in this section refer to the volume, issue, and date of a journal, which this Dataset is associated with.

Volume

The journal volume which this DataSet is associated with

Example:

• Volume 4

O

N

Issue

The journal issue number which this DataSet is associated with

Example:

• Number 2, Autumn

O

N

Publication Date

The publication date for this journal volume/ issue number, which this DataSet is associated with

Date expressed in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

Examples:

• 2016-01-30
• 1999

O

N

Type of Article

Indicates what kind of article this is

Values from JATS

Examples:

• research article
• commentary
• book review
• product review

O

N

Field

Definition

Formatting

Mandatory/Optional

Viewable During Upload

Geographic Coverage

Data in this section refer to the geographic coverage of the data. Includes the total geographic scope of the data.

Country / Nation

The country or nation that the Dataset is about.

O

N

State / Province

The state or province that the Dataset is about.

Use GeoNames for correct spelling and avoid abbreviations.

O

N

City

The name of the city that the Dataset is about.

Use GeoNames for correct spelling and avoid abbreviations.

O

N

Other

Other information on the geographic coverage of the data.

O

N

Geographic Unit

Lowest level of geographic aggregation covered by the Dataset, e.g., village, county, region.

O

N

Geographic Bounding Box

The fundamental geometric description for any Dataset that models geography is the geographic bounding box. It describes the minimum box, defined by west and east longitudes and north and south latitudes, which includes the largest geographic extent of the Dataset's geographic coverage. This element is used in the first pass of a coordinate-based search. Inclusion of this element in the codebook is recommended, but is required if the bound polygon box is included.

West Longitude

Westernmost coordinate delimiting the geographic extent of the Dataset.

A valid range of values, expressed in decimal degrees, is -180,0 <= West Bounding Longitude Value <= 180,0.

O

N

East Longitude

Easternmost coordinate delimiting the geographic extent of the Dataset.

A valid range of values, expressed in decimal degrees, is -180,0 <= East Bounding Longitude Value <= 180,0.

O

N

North Latitude

Northernmost coordinate delimiting the geographic extent of the Dataset.

A valid range of values, expressed in decimal degrees, is -90,0 <= North Bounding Latitude Value <= 90,0.

O

N

South Latitude

Southernmost coordinate delimiting the geographic extent of the Dataset.

A valid range of values, expressed in decimal degrees, is -90,0 <= South Bounding Latitude Value <= 90,0.

O

N

Field

Definition

Formatting

Mandatory/Optional

Viewable During Upload

Unit of Analysis

Basic unit of analysis or observation that this Dataset describes, such as individuals, families/households, groups, institutions/organizations, administrative units, and more.

For information about the DDI's controlled vocabulary for this element, please refer to the DDI web page at http://www.ddialliance.org/Specification/DDI-CV/.

O

N

Universe

Description of the population covered by the data in the file; the group of people or other elements that are the object of the study and to which the study results refer. Age, nationality, and residence commonly help to delineate a given universe, but any number of other factors may be used, such as age limits, sex, marital status, race, ethnic group, nationality, income, veteran status, criminal convictions, and more. The universe may consist of elements other than persons, such as housing units, court cases, deaths, countries, and so on. In general, it should be possible to tell from the description of the universe whether a given individual or element is a member of the population under study. Also known as the universe of interest, population of interest, and target population.

O

N

Time Method

The time method or time dimension of the data collection, such as panel, cross-sectional, trend, time- series, or other.

O

N

Data Collector

Individual, agency or organization responsible for administering the questionnaire or interview or compiling the data.

O

N

Collector Training

Type of training provided to the data collector

O

N

Frequency

If the data collected includes more than one point in time, indicate the frequency with which the data was collected; that is, monthly, quarterly, or other.

O

N

Sampling Procedure

Type of sample and sample design used to select the survey respondents to represent the population. May include reference to the target sample size and the sampling fraction.

O

N

Target Sample Size

Data in this section refer to specific information regarding the target sample size,

actual sample size, and the formula used to determine this.

Actual

Actual sample size.

O

N

Formula

Formula used to determine target sample size.

O

N

Major Deviations for Sample Design

Show correspondence as well as discrepancies between the sampled units (obtained) and available statistics for the population (age, sex-ratio, marital status, etc.) as a whole.

O

N

Collection Mode

Method used to collect the data; instrumentation characteristics (e.g., telephone interview, mail questionnaire, or other).

O

N

Type of Research Instrument

Type of data collection instrument used. Structured indicates an instrument in which all respondents are asked the same questions/tests, possibly with precoded answers.

If a small portion of such a questionnaire includes open-ended questions, provide appropriate comments. Semi-structured indicates that the research instrument contains mainly open-ended questions. Unstructured indicates that in-depth interviews were conducted.

O

N

Characteristics of Data Collection Situation

Description of noteworthy aspects of the data collection situation. Includes information on factors such as cooperativeness of respondents, duration of interviews, number of callbacks, or similar.

O

N

Actions to Minimize Losses

Summary of actions taken to minimize data loss. Include information on actions such as follow-up visits, supervisory checks, historical matching, estimation, and so on.

O

N

Control Operations

Control Operations Methods to facilitate data control performed by the primary investigator or by the data archive.

O

N

Weighting

The use of sampling procedures might make it necessary to apply weights to produce accurate statistical results. Describes the criteria for using weights in analysis of a collection.

If a weighting formula or coefficient was developed, the formula is provided, its elements are defined, and it is indicated how the formula was applied to the data.

O

N

Cleaning Operations

Methods used to clean the data collection, such as consistency checking, wild code checking, or other.

O

N

Study Level Error Notes

Note element used for any information annotating or clarifying the methodology and processing of the study.

O

N

Response Rate

Percentage of sample members who provided information.

O

N

Estimates of Sampling Error

Measure of how precisely one can estimate a population value from a given sample.

O

N

Other Forms of Data Appraisal

Other issues pertaining to the data appraisal. Describe issues such as response variance, nonresponse rate and testing for bias, interviewer and response bias, confidence levels, question bias, or similar.

O

N

Notes

Data in this section refer to general notes about this Dataset.

Type

Type of note.

O

N

Subject

Note subject.

O

N

Text

Text for this note.

O

N

Field

Definition

Formatting

Mandatory/Optional

Viewable During Upload

Type

The nature or genre of the content of the files in the dataset.

O

N

Facility

The observatory or facility where the data was obtained.

O

N

Instrument

The instrument used to collect the data.

O

N

Object

Astronomical Objects represented in the data (Given as SIMBAD recognizable names preferred).

O

N

Spatial Resolution

The spatial (angular) resolution that is typical of the observations.

Use decimal degrees.

O

N

Spectral Resolution

The spectral resolution that is typical of the observations, given as the ratio λ/Δλ.

O

N

Time Resolution

The temporal resolution that is typical of the observations.

Given in seconds

O

N

Bandpass

Conventional bandpass name

O

N

Central Wavelength (m)

The central wavelength of the spectral bandpass.

Use meters

O

N

Wavelength Range

Data in this section refer to the minimum and maximum wavelength of the spectral bandpass.

Minimum (m)

The minimum wavelength of the spectral bandpass.

Use meters

O

N

Maximum (m)

The maximum wavelength of the spectral bandpass.

Use meters

O

N

Dataset Date Range

Data in this section refer to the time period covered by the data.

Start

Dataset Start Date

O

N

End

Dataset End Date

O

N

Sky Coverage

The sky coverage of the data object.

O

N

Depth Coverage

The (typical) depth coverage, or sensitivity, of the data object in Jy.

O

N

Object Density

The (typical) density of objects, catalog entries, telescope pointings, etc..

Use number per square degree

O

N

Object Count

The total number of objects, catalog entries, etc., in the data object.

O

N

Fraction of Sky

The fraction of the sky represented in the observations.

Value ranging from 0 to 1

O

N

Polarization

The polarization coverage

O

N

RedshiftType

RedshiftType string C "Redshift"; or "Optical" or "Radio" definitions of Doppler velocity used in the data object.

O

N

Redshift Resolution

The resolution in redshift (unitless) or Doppler velocity (km/s) in the data object.

O

N

Redshift Value

Data in this section refer to the value of the redshift (unitless) or Doppler velocity (km/s in the data object.

Minimum

The minimum value of the redshift (unitless) or Doppler velocity (km/s) in the data object.

O

N

Maximum

The maximum value of the redshift (unitless) or Doppler velocity (km/s in the data object.

O

N

Field

Definition

Formatting

Mandatory/Optional

Viewable to Depositor

Design Type

Design types that are based on the overall experimental design.

O

N

Factor Type

Factors used in the Dataset.

O

N

Organism

The taxonomic name of the organism used in the Dataset or from which the starting biological material derives.

O

N

Other Organism

If Other was selected in Organism, list any other organisms that were used in this Dataset.

Terms from the NCBI Taxonomy are recommended.

O

N

Measurement Type

A term to identify the technology used to perform the measurement (e.g. DNA microarray; mass spectrometry).

O

N

Other Measurement Type

If Other was selected in Measurement Type, list any other measurement types that were used.

Terms from NCBO Bioportal are recommended.

O

N

Technology Type

A term to identify the technology used to perform the measurement (e.g. DNA microarray; mass spectrometry).

O

N

Technology Platform

The manufacturer and name of the technology platform used in the assay (e.g. Bruker AVANCE).

O

N

Cell Type

The name of the cell line from which the source or sample derives.

O

N