Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cameron, Rhiannon, Griffiths, Emma, Dooley, Damion, Hsiao, William
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.21825
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866917248444137472
author Cameron, Rhiannon
Griffiths, Emma
Dooley, Damion
Hsiao, William
author_facet Cameron, Rhiannon
Griffiths, Emma
Dooley, Damion
Hsiao, William
contents Contextual metadata is the unsung hero of research data. When done right, standardized and structured vocabularies make your data findable, shareable, and reusable. When done wrong, they turn a well intended effort into data cleanup and curation nightmares. In this paper we tackle the surprisingly tricky process of vocabulary standardization with a mix of practical advice and grounded examples. Drawing from real-world experience in contextual data harmonization, we highlight common challenges (e.g., semantic noise and concept bombs) and provide actionable strategies to address them. Our rules emphasize alignment with Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability (FAIR) principles while remaining adaptable to evolving user and research needs. Whether you are curating datasets, designing a schema, or contributing to a standards body, these rules aim to help you create metadata that is not only technically sound but also meaningful to users.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_21825
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle 10 Simple Rules for Improving Your Standardized Fields and Terms
Cameron, Rhiannon
Griffiths, Emma
Dooley, Damion
Hsiao, William
Digital Libraries
Information Retrieval
E.0
Contextual metadata is the unsung hero of research data. When done right, standardized and structured vocabularies make your data findable, shareable, and reusable. When done wrong, they turn a well intended effort into data cleanup and curation nightmares. In this paper we tackle the surprisingly tricky process of vocabulary standardization with a mix of practical advice and grounded examples. Drawing from real-world experience in contextual data harmonization, we highlight common challenges (e.g., semantic noise and concept bombs) and provide actionable strategies to address them. Our rules emphasize alignment with Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability (FAIR) principles while remaining adaptable to evolving user and research needs. Whether you are curating datasets, designing a schema, or contributing to a standards body, these rules aim to help you create metadata that is not only technically sound but also meaningful to users.
title 10 Simple Rules for Improving Your Standardized Fields and Terms
topic Digital Libraries
Information Retrieval
E.0
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.21825