CHEM 260: Concepts of Biochemistry

In short, metadata is data about data. 

But it's not that easy or simple. 

We really on metadata all day, every day. Our phones, laptops, and other devices are constantly generating metadata. Did you just place a cell phone call? Then you generated metadata. How about browsing the web? You just created metadata. Have you ever filled out a medical intake form at a doctor's office? Then you provided metadata about yourself! 

As a student, you have generated your own data by running experiments, and it is important to organize your data well. One of the key parts of having a good data management plan is knowing what metadata will best describe your work. Today's class will provide: 

• An introduction to metadata, including examples 
• Briefly describe the principles of a good data management plan 
• A data management activity

Historically, metadata has been associated with the field of Library & Information Science. Since the days of storing information on scrolls, librarians have organized materials by assigning relevant metadata to the object. For example, librarians might use a books genre, author, title, publication date, call number, or ISBN to easily store, find, and retrieve the document for use. Imagine your favorite book-- the outer covers would provide valuable metadata (title, author, etc.), but the written words inside represent the "data," or the item itself. While a simple book might seem unassuming, metadata swirls around each volume, and when working well, metadata fades into the background. 

Other small, daily examples of metadata include: Your birthdate, a home address, an informational placard beside a museum exhibit, a few helpful notes written on the back of a family photograph, any many, many others. Metadata comes into play when you need to describe something. 

At this point in the semester, you have conducted research and collected your own data. Your task now is to generate metadata for the data that you have gathered. Organizing your materials by using metadata is a key component of developing a data management plan (DMP). A DMP  includes best practices for saving, organizing, an preserving your data. 

Begin by reflecting on how you have organized your files, lab data, or other information in the past. Do you have good systems in place, or do your data practices need a check-up? The data management guide below provides in-depth resources on how to better manage your data.