Metadata creation is part data science, part creative integration of knowledge, and part manual labor. While CEDAR aims to minimize the manual labor while maximizing the accomplishment of integrative data science, it helps greatly if users are familiar with general objectives and principals of metadata creation.
The good news is that many sites and projects are working to provide advice about metadata creation, so that people new to the field can improve their understanding and skills. Unfortunately, many resources on the web are outdated, and training is often specific to particular tools.
We want to help, and offer resources and opportunities for your consideration. We will be improving our references as the CEDAR project continues; please suggest your favorite topics or resources for us to include.
Recommended Basic Metadata Resources
The following table documents resources likely to be helpful for the new metadata creator.
| Resource Name | Content Type | URL | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESIP Data Management Short Course for Scientists | Web pages | Data Management Short Course | Many resources |
| MMI Guides | Web pages | MMI Guides | Rich; somewhat dated |
Resources for the Experienced Curator
Experienced metadata curators are already experienced with data management and entry, and are likely to have more complex questions. We will be looking for—and sometimes creating—resources for this community, and ask you to help us fill out this table with the best possible recommendations.
| Resource Name | Content Type | URL | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Commons | Blog Post | The Commons on Pebourne | Overview of The Commons and its purpose |
| HCLS Community Profile | Web page | HLCS Community Profile | New life sciences metadata specification |
| BIoSharing | Web site | BioSharing site | Many standards records link to training material |
| Pistoia Alliance | Web site | Ontologies: Mapping resources | To support practical application and mapping |
Upcoming Activities
If there are upcoming training activities that we think will help improve your biomedical metadata , we’ll highlight those here. If none are shown, it means we are not aware of any in the near future.