It is best practice to create metadata from the beginning of your data collection process. Even if your project does not require a formal data management plan, generating metadata during your research will help ensure your data is well-documented and better prepared for later dissemination and archiving. 

Documenting your data by creating metadata during the collection and analysis phase of your research will help you to recall and understand your data in the future (when you are no longer on intimate terms with your dataset) and help others to understand, discover, reuse, cite, and verify your data. 

Research data requirements are increasingly imposed by funders and publishers. You may be expected to enter metadata in a form when submitting materials for publication or depositing them in a repository, so it is beneficial to anticipate those metadata requirements throughout your research project. Managing your data early on, which includes creating metadata, will save you time and resources overall. 

Learn more about research data management. 

The Library’s Metadata and Discovery Unit provides metadata advice and support.  To ask a question, set up a consultation, or learn more about our services, contact us.