REFODAT Logo

Instructions for Filling Out the Metadata Form

There are only a few mandatory fields in our repository, marked with *. The use of other fields is voluntary. With each additional entry, you make it easier for others to find, understand, and reuse your data.

Basics

Title*

The title is the most important description of your datasets under which they will be listed later. It will be the heading of your publication in the repository.

Persons*

In this section, you can specify one or more people (or institutions) involved in this publication. You can freely determine the order of entries within each category (roles). There is no automatic alphabetical sorting. The following functions are available for controlling this input mask, which you can find to the right of each name field:

  • opens the detailed view for the person, closes it.
  • adds another person below.
    • removes the person.
  • moves the person up in the mask and in the subsequent display order.
  • moves the person down in the mask and in the subsequent display order.

To the left of each name field, you can specify the role of the person. Only the specification of the author is mandatory. The remaining roles are optional.

Author (mandatory field): These individuals will be displayed directly next to the title in the repository and are also primarily named in exported metadata.

Creator: Creators are not displayed next to the title in the repository but are shown in the detailed view with the other metadata. They are still considered the author of the registered DOI and are included in most metadata exports as an author.

Additional roles: Commentator, Compiler, Contributor, Data Contributor, Interviewer, Metadata Contact, Reviewer, Owner, Other. These roles are displayed in the detailed view with the other metadata. Depending on the target system, they are included in metadata exports - always secondary and not as authors.

The input methodology is identical for all these roles:

Display Name and Linked IDs (ORCID, GND, etc.)

The display name is the field directly to the right of the role. It specifies how the name will be displayed in the repository. Please provide this name in the format Last Name, First Name - for example, Doe, John. This requirement does not apply if it is not a natural person. In this case, as described below, change the type from Person to Institution.

Academic titles can be incorporated in various ways:

  • If you do not want to include a title, enter the display name without it (Doe, John)
  • If the title should be displayed on the publication page, include it with the first name in the display name (Doe, Prof. Dr. John). In this case, we recommend specifying in the detailed view later which part of the name belongs to the title (see below).
  • If the title should not be displayed on the publication page but should still be included in the metadata, enter the display name without the title (Doe, John) and add it later in the detailed view under the name (see below).

It is possible to link each person’s identity with other systems for unique identification, and we recommend creating at least one link:

  • ORCID: Creating this link ensures that your name in the repository includes a publicly visible link to your ORCID profile. Your ORCID iD will also be included in some metadata exports. Notably, the DOI is also linked to it.
  • GND: Creating this link ensures that your name in the repository includes a publicly visible link to your record at the German National Library. The associated ID will also be included in some metadata exports. Notably, the DOI is also linked to it.
  • Other: Other persistent identifiers from other sources may also be displayed.

All types of links are created in the same way: first enter your persistent identifier (ORCID, GND) or the display name as described above. On the right is a button labeled Search. Click on it and wait for the results lists from the various sources to finish loading. You can then take a complete hit, including the name, by clicking the checkmark or selectively adding individual IDs by clicking the + next to them. If you cannot find the person you are looking for in the results list, try searching for the name without academic titles, or use alternative spellings (without special characters, etc.). You can check the selected IDs in detail by clicking the ID card icon to the right of the display name.

The following fields belong to the detailed view of each name. You may need to expand this area first with the button next to the display name:

Type

Specify here whether it is a natural person or an institution. The display names of institutions do not have to be provided in the format Last Name, First Name. The default value is Person.

Last Name, First Name, Salutation

These fields specify in detail which parts of the display name serve which function. Normally, they are automatically derived from the display name when saving and do not need to be filled in manually. Only if it contains an academic title do we recommend manually specifying these details. The buttons on the right allow you to add new fields (e.g., for multiple first names) or change the order of the fields. Stick to the order Last Name, Salutation1, Salutation 2, ..., First Name 1, First Name 2, ... and enter academic titles in the salutation fields. For example, for Doe, Prof. Dr. John:

  • Last Name: Doe

  • Salutation: Prof.

  • Salutation: Dr.

  • First Name: John

And in this order.

Affiliation

Here you can specify the organization to which this person belongs (e.g., institute and research group). This information can be viewed on the publication page in the repository and is also stored with the DOI and other export formats.

Note on Email Addresses

Email addresses are often tied to employment/enrollment and thus not stable. There is currently no way to include them in the metadata. If you want to provide special contact information, we recommend the following alternatives:

  • Link your ORCID profile and keep it up to date. You can store email addresses and contact links there and manage them autonomously even after changing employers.
  • It is also recommended to include the contact details of responsible persons or contact details in the documentation (e.g., in the ReadMe file).

Descriptions

Abstract*

Provide a general, understandable description of your dataset in German and/or English, as well as in the language used in the dataset itself, if applicable, in multiple sentences or paragraphs. It is possible to format this text. Keep in mind that viewing the full description in the completed dataset or preview requires an extra click. Therefore, you should list the most important information as concisely as possible at the beginning.

In addition to the short description, you have the option to create additional description fields (click the "+" button) to, for example, display methodology, table of contents, technical information, and other information. The categories can be selected from the drop-down menu on the left.

The description is displayed under the heading of your publication.

Dates*

Use the button to specify the respective start and end date for indicating periods.

published*

The date when the resource is published or distributed, e.g., to a data center. This can be a date in the past if the dataset is associated with a publication or thesis defense.

accepted

The date when the publisher accepted the resource into their system (i.e., the editorial process is complete). If you register a dataset originally published elsewhere in REFODAT, please make sure to specify the original publication date here.

available

The date when the resource is made publicly available. Use "available" to indicate the end of an embargo period.

copyrighted

The specific, documented date when the resource received copyright status, if applicable.

collected

The date or date range during which the resource content was generated (e.g., measurements, simulations, collections, or surveys). This refers to the data collection period.

created

The date when the resource itself was compiled (data aggregation).

submitted

The date when the creator submitted the resource to the publisher.

updated

The date of the last update of the resource when added. Can be a date range.

valid

The date or date range when the dataset or resource became valid (e.g., based on a guideline or other legal requirement).

withdrawn (not visible to users)

The date when the resource was removed for various reasons. Meta information set by the editorial team. The reason for revocation or withdrawal is noted in the "Description" section.

Additional Information

Language

Select the languages you used for your research data (not metadata). German and English are preset as options; for other languages, use the search field and select from the provided list. If the language you used in the research data is missing from the options, please contact us at refodat[at]uni-jena.de.

SDNB*

Indicate here which subject area your data belongs to. The schema of the German National Library is used for this purpose.

Additional subject groups can be added with the "+" button. An overview of the subject groups can be found on the German National Library pages.

Type of Resource*

Specify what type of research data it is. You can specify multiple resource types using the "+" button on the right side.

Rights

License*

Select the license under which you release the research data for public access (the associated metadata you enter in the form are always licensed as CC0 according to our terms of use). More information about licenses is available on a separate page.

Access Permissions

Here, select the options under which third parties can access your data.

  • No restrictions mean that, from the date you set for publishing your data, third parties can freely access your data. The license you set governs the terms of reuse of the data.
  • No access (restricted access) means that REFODAT does not grant third parties direct access to your data. However, the metadata are always visible. Other registered users can request access to the research data, which can then be granted by an access key from the user who created the dataset.
  • For external access, especially if you registered a dataset and did not create it in REFODAT, access is regulated at the original publication site. The information provided there applies.

Embargo

You have the option to place your research data under an embargo. After publication, initially only the metadata will be publicly visible. To specify an embargo period, enter the end of the embargo period under available in the date specifications.

Institution*

Here you can select the university institution under which this publication should be classified. This affects the display in the repository's institution index. If you miss an institution in our repository, please feel free to contact us. If you have logged in via SSO with Shibboleth, your university or college will automatically be selected here. However, you can further specify your institution (e.g., chair or institution).

Keywords

Keyword

Here you can enter keywords that make your publication more discoverable.

  • Enter your keyword in the text field and...
  • Then click the Search button. The keyword will only be saved if you complete this step!
  • A list of results in the classification scheme will now be displayed. Click the Add button next to the desired keyword.
  • If no result is found, click Add free keyword.

The DNB uses German terms. Therefore, it may be advisable to enter your keywords in both English and German. Enter one keyword per input field. To enter multiple keywords, add more fields by clicking the "+" button on the right.

Geographic place

If the research data relates to a geographical location, you can enter the place names here.

Enter the geographical location (place name) in the text field and then click the Search button. The geographical location will only be saved if you complete this step!

A list of results in the classification scheme will now be displayed. Click the Add button next to the desired place name.

If no result is found, click Add free place name.

Geographical Coordinates

Two options are available for recording geographical coordinates.

Click Add coordinates and enter them manually.

Use Add polygon or Add point to create the desired geometry on the displayed map. The corresponding coordinates are generated automatically.

On a technical level, your coordinates are stored as decimal degrees in WGS84, EPSG 4326 tuples in the format Longitude1 Latitude1, Longitude2 Latitude2, ... with the decimal point as a separator.

Technical Specifications

Extent

Enter the total size of the dataset. This information may refer to the storage size of the files (e.g., 12 GB), the number of pages (e.g., 15 pages), or other dimensions. If your data is packaged, enter the size of the unpacked data. If you have a collection of videos or audio, specify the playback length of the material.

Format

Here you can specify the technical formats of the resource. List all formats in which files are available, ideally in order of frequency. Use the file extension or MIME type of the files (e.g., PDF, XML, MP4). A corresponding list of MIME types is stored, which narrows down as you enter the first characters of the word. If a MIME type for your data is missing from the list, please contact us at refodat[at]uni-jena.de.

Funding

In this section, you can specify one or more funders involved in this publication. Each funding has the following detailed information associated with it:

Name of the Funder

Enter the name of the funding organization here.

Funding Id

Enter the ID of your funder and specify the schema (RoR, ISNI, etc.) the entry follows.

Award Title

Enter the project title or the name of the award, such as a scholarship or prize, through which financial support for the dataset is provided.

Award Number

Enter the code assigned by the funding agency. Use the code provided for reporting purposes, not the one for internal communication with the funder.

URI – you can link additional information about the funding here (must be provided by the funder).

You are free to determine the order of funders. There is no automatic alphabetical sorting. The following functions are available for controlling this input mask, which you can find to the right of each name field:

  • opens the funder's view, closes it.
  • adds another funder with the associated details below.
  • removes a funder and the associated details.
  • moves the funder up in the mask and in the subsequent display order.
  • moves the funder down in the mask and in the subsequent display order.

Related Resources

In this section, you can specify one or more related resources associated with this publication. Each resource has the following detailed information associated with it:

Existing Relationship

First, choose the relationship the related resource has to your dataset.

Identifiers of related resources

To uniquely identify the related resource, first select the type of identifier associated with the resource from the list provided (expand with ).

Then enter the actual identifier in the appropriate field.

Title

Enter the title of the related resource here.

Type of Resource

Select the type of related resource from the provided list.

Link

Here you can create a link to the described document. This is especially useful if the persistent identifier does not provide direct access to the document.

You can shorten this process if the related resource is also stored in REFODAT by searching for the record in REFODAT via Link record and directly adopting the corresponding information from the respective entry.