This entry-level course introduces doctoral researchers and Postdocs to the fundamentals of scientific metadata, exploring its role in research, its connection to data and knowledge, and key technologies for structured, machine-readable metadata
This course is offered by HMC in cooperation with HIDA
HMC
The Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration (HMC) promotes the qualitative enrichment of research data by means of metadata – and implements this approach across the whole organization.
HMC develops and implements novel concepts and technologies for a sustainable handling of research data through high-quality metadata. Its main goal is to make the depth and breadth of research data produced by Helmholtz Centres findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) for the whole science community.
In this course we will look at the intricate relationship between (digital) research data, metadata and knowledge, discuss why metadata is critical in today's research, as well as explain some of the technologies and concepts related to structured machine-readable metadata.
So whether you're trying to understand data shared by a collaborator or revisiting your own work months after publication, this course will teach you how to enhance your data by properly annotating it with metadata – because context matters.
Learning goals
You will learn:
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of the difference between and the importance of data & metadata
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how to annotate your research data with structured metadata
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how to find and evaluate a suitable metadata framework and data repository
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how to use basic Markdown / JSON / JSON Schema
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about available tools that you can use to up your metadata annotation game
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why structured metadata is important and how it can increase your scientific visibility
For more information on how to register, please follow the link on the course date. Please note: The link to the course happening in the second half of 2025 will be published in summer.
Prerequisites
none
Target group
This course was originally designed for scientific staff and researchers in the Helmholtz research field "Information" by HMC Hub Information but its broad range of topics and easy-to-understand examples make it suitable to members of all scientific fields so that it is open to anyone interested in mastering research data annotation through metadata.
This course is free of charge.
