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Glossary entryMetadata Schema

Metadata Schema

A metadata schema provides mandatory guidelines on how metadataMetadata are descriptions of research data (data about data) and provide content-related and structured information about the research context, methodological and analytical procedures, as well as the research team that generated the data. They can be categorized into bibliographic, administrative, procedural, and descriptive metadata and are typically created using templates, ReadMe files, or data curation profiles. Metadata are published alongside the research data themselves and are essential in online repositories and research data centers, where they enable third parties to understand and contextualize datasets. Metadata also enhances the findability and machine-readability of data, making them a key component of the FAIR Principles and good scientific practice. Read More should be structured. It specifies elements for describing research data and the required format. This standardization and regulation of metadata improve machine readability, comparability, and facilitate automated data usage and capture.