What are metadata and why are they important?
Metadata are “data about data.” They are structured information describing other data or resources and their characteristics. While the term may be defined slightly differently across disciplines, the purpose of metadata is universal: to make data findable, understandable, and reusable. Standardising metadata descriptions through recognised schemas (such as Dublin Core) allows information from different sources to be linked and processed together. Without metadata, your data is like a mystery gift with no label: intriguing, but potentially frustrating. Good metadata ensures that your work remains findable, understandable, and citable—even years from now.
We chose today’s resource, the DataCite Metadata Generator for Dublin Core, because it helps you to quickly produce machine-readable metadata for datasets, publications, or other research outputs. It is a practical way to better understand metadata in general and how different characteristics of your data can be described in a structured and standardised way.
You can use the generator directly in your browser without registration. Just open the link, fill out the online form, and watch your metadata file being generated in real time.