News
New WUR documentation & metadata package
Archiving research data at WUR or publishing them in a data repository doesn’t automatically mean that other people can easily understand and reuse them. Clear documentation and metadata are key! The new WUR documentation package helps you clearly describe your research data.
Whether your data is stored at WUR or in a data repository, you need to document your research data. Only then can others fully understand and reuse the data now and in the future.
Minimum data documentation
To properly describe data, WUR Library recommends the following minimum data documentation:
- a readme file describing the data that includes the purpose of the research, steps undertaken in collecting/processing/analysing data, etc.
- a metadata file containing characteristics describing the data, such as the creator(s), affiliation(s), keywords, licence, etc.
- a codebook explaining variables, abbreviations, etc.
Get started
WUR Library (data librarians and research data management support) have recently developed the WUR documentation/metadata package. This package contains a template for a readme file (guidance in the file) and a codebook. We recommend to the Yoda metadata editor to create metadata. You can also find filled-in examples in the package.
More information & support
You can find detailed information on the research data documentation webpage. If you have any questions, please email the Data Desk.