Metadata use in research data management

Abstract

EDITOR'S SUMMARY Prompted by federal requirements, academic institutions and librarians have become more involved in data management planning. An e‐research implementation group was formed at the University of Illinois to develop and promote data initiatives in a variety of ways, including updating a data management website to provide education and awareness to students and faculty. Part of the site focuses on documentation and metadata, describing traditional and nontraditional data types and sources, including lab notebooks, data files and database contents, workflow and operating procedures. The site details the importance of data documentation for the immediate research project and for the institution, explains metadata and provides links to metadata standards and resources.