Metadata
Metadata helps future users find and understand published datasets. Please contact the Library to discuss metadata standards in your field.
Readme files and codebooks
A common way to provide metadata to your research dataset is through a readme file and/or a codebook.
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Readme checklist from Mozilla Science.
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Readme template, adapted from Cornell University.
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Guide to codebooks from ICPSR.
Recommended descriptive elements for your dataset
When publishing data in a repository, we recommend that you provide the following descriptive elements:
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Title of the dataset (unique from associated articles)
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Author (the person/people who collected the data)
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Institution (Montana State University)
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Date last modified
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Version, if applicable
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Short description of the dataset
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Citation and DOI for related publication(s), if applicable
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Licensing information
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For more information, please see Policies for Reuse.
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Certain data may be owned by the university. For more information, see MSU Policy on Intellectual Property.
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Data ownership questions may be directed to MSU's Legal Counsel.