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Unit 4.2 How to create metadata

Unit overview

Unit study time

  • 10 minutes

Intended Learning Outcome

  • By the end of the unit, you will be able to ...

What tool should you use to create metadata?

There's no singular software or tool you should use to create and manage metadata. You can use any software that generates and supports machine readable formats. You may then export your metadata into text based formats such as PDF in order to create further documentation, but the original file must be machine readable (for example, XML, XLS, JSON, RDF).

There are also tools to help make metadata creation and management easier and more efficient. These tools can be particularly useful if you're doing a large project and need to capture extensive metadata. Metadata tools can provide different functionalities, for example: metadata management, quality review or repository compliance checkers. Depending on your needs, you may want to use more than one tool in your metadata management.

Metadata tools include...

You can further explore useful metadata tools here ...

Choosing a metadata tool

There is no single tool that is suitable for every project. The choice of tool depends on your research context, the type of metadata you are creating, and how you intend to use it.

When selecting a metadata tool, consider the following:

  • Purpose and role in the research workflow
    What is the purpose of your metadata, and where does it fit within your research lifecycle and workflow? For example, is it being used for data collection, documentation, sharing, or repository submission?

  • Users, skills, and expertise
    Who will be creating, managing, and using the metadata? Consider the level of experience within your team and whether the tool needs to support multiple users or roles. Also consider whether your team has the capacity to set up, manage, and maintain the tool, as some tools may require technical expertise, training, or ongoing support.

  • Project scale and requirements
    How well does the tool fit the size and complexity of your project? Larger projects may require more robust tools, while smaller projects may benefit from simpler approaches.

  • Metadata coverage
    Does the tool allow you to capture all the metadata elements you need (e.g. study, dataset, variable, and codelist metadata)?

  • Output format
    What format does the tool produce (e.g. CSV, XML, JSON)? Is the output suitable for your intended use (e.g. sharing or depositing data)?

  • Interoperability
    Does the tool support integration with your other systems?

  • Cost and licensing
    Is the tool open source, free to use, or proprietary? Consider any financial or licensing constraints, particularly for long-term use.

  • Features and functionality
    Does the tool support the specific features you need, such as controlled vocabularies, validation rules, or structured relationships between metadata elements?

Different tools offer different combinations of these features. Simpler tools may be easier to use but may require more interpretation and manual consistency. More advanced tools can support standardisation and interoperability, but may require more training or setup.

Where to store metadata

Depending on how you create your metadata, it can be stored in different locations. This includes ...

  • in a separate file alongside your data
  • embedded in the data file

It is important to keep a record of where your metadata is stored so you can easily extract it when necessary.

Now we have discussed the different types of metadata and what to consider when creating it, the next few sections will enable you to apply your learning and create several different types of metadata.