To ensure the understanding of your data and allow others to find, use, and properly cite it, it is helpful to add documentation and metadata (information about the data) to the documents and datasets you create.
What do "documentation" and "metadata" mean?
The term 'documentation' includes all the information necessary to interpret, understand, and use a particular dataset or set of documents. On this website, we use 'documentation' and 'metadata' (data about data—usually embedded within the files/documents themselves) interchangeably.
When and how should you include documentation/metadata?
It is a good practice to start documenting data from the beginning of the research project and continue adding information as the project progresses. Include the procedures for documentation in your data management planning.
There are several ways to add documentation to your data:
Embedded Documentation
Information about a file or dataset can be included directly within the data or document itself. For digital datasets, this means the documentation can be in separate files (e.g., text files) or integrated into the data files, such as in headers or specific locations within the file. Examples of embedded documentation include:
- Code, field descriptions, and labels
- Headers or summary descriptions
- Recording information in the Document Properties function of a file (e.g., Microsoft)
Supporting Documentation
This refers to information in separate files accompanying the data to provide context, explanations, or instructions on confidentiality and data usage or reuse. Examples of supporting documentation include:
- Work notes or laboratory notebooks
- Questionnaires or interview guides
- Final project reports and publications
- Catalog Metadata
Supporting documentation should be structured so that the data can be identified and located via a web browser or a web-based catalog. Catalog metadata are usually structured according to an international standard and associated with the data by repositories or data centers when the materials are deposited. Examples of catalog metadata include:
- Title
- Description
- Creator
- Funder
- Keywords
- Affiliation
Further Information
- The Digital Curation Centre rovides discipline-specific metadata examples.
- ISA Tools - metadata tracking tools for life sciences
- FAIRsharing - a searchable portal of related data standards, databases, and policies for life sciences
- Open Data Sources
Some institutions provide free access to various datasets available on different topics.
Here are some examples:
https://geodati.gov.it/geoportale/