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Dryad

Metadata requirements

Good metadata helps make a dataset more discoverable and reusable. The metadata should describe the data themselves, rather than the study hypotheses, results, motivations, or conclusions. A thorough description of the data file, the context in which the data were collected, the measurements that were made, and the quality of the data are all important.

We require:

  • Journal name: If associated with a manuscript, fields for journal name and manuscript number are required; if associated with a published or in-press article, fields for journal name and DOI are required.
  • Title: The title should be a succinct summary of both the data and study subject or focus. A good title typically contains 8 to 10 words that adequately describe the content of the dataset.
  • Author(s): Name, email address, primary institutional affiliation of main researcher(s) involved in producing the data.
    • Affiliations are drawn from the Research Organization Registry (ROR)
    • If you provide your co-authors' email addresses, when the dataset is published, they will receive a message giving them the option to add their ORCID to the Dryad record
  • Abstract: Brief summary of the dataset's structure and concepts including information regarding values, contents of the dataset, reuse potential and any legal or ethical considerations. If this dataset is associated with a study, abstract language can be similar, but it should focus on the information relevant to the data itself, rather than to the study.
  • Research domain: Primary research domain. Domains are drawn from the OECD Fields of Science and Technology classification.
  • Keyword(s): Descriptive words that may help others discover your dataset. We require a minimum of 3 keywords for submission. Keywords can match those from your related research article or, if available, you can select from a controlled vocabulary for your discipline.

We recommend:

  • Funding Information: Name of the funding organization that supported the creation of the resource, including applicable grant number(s). Each grant and associated award number should be input separately. Options in the drop-down menu are populated from the Research Organization Registry (ROR).
  • Research facility: Where the research was conducted, if different from your current affiliation (e.g., a field station). Options in the drop-down menu are populated from the Research Organization Registry (ROR).
  • Methods: Any methodological information that may help others to understand how the data were generated (i.e. equipment/tools/reagents used, or procedures followed).
  • Related works: Use this field to indicate resources, other than the primary article, that are associated with the data. Examples include related datasets, preprints, etc.

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