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Everything about Metadata

Data about other data

Metadata is data that defines and describes the characteristics of other data. It often helps to describe, explain, locate, or otherwise make data easier to retrieve, use, or manage. For example, the title, author, and publication date of a book are metadata about the book. But, while a data asset is finite, its metadata is infinite. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: MetadataA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: IMG/VR v4: an expanded database of uncultivated virus genomes within a framework of extensive functional, taxonomic, and ecological metadataInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: The Library at NightThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Research electronic data capture (REDCap)—A metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics supportCited 48,733 times
  5. Go sideways: Metadata registryA closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: Geospatial metadataA closely related topic

📖 Definitions

Noun Data that describes other data, serving as an informative label.

Noun Structured information about a file (date created, creator, software used to create, last modified, file format, file fingerprint, etc).

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. Types
  2. History
  3. Definition
  4. Structures
  5. Standards
  6. Use
  7. Creation
  8. Administration and management
  9. Popular culture
  10. Contrast with documentation

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics