Metadata guidelines for ADA Dataverse

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Good metadata makes your dataset findable, citable, and reusable. It tells future users—​including you—​what the data are, who created them, and how they may be used. Complete the fields below as accurately as you can; richer descriptions mean greater impact.

Steps for Depositors

Accessing the metadata fields

The metadata fields can be accessed by: 

1. Navigate to the metadata section on your deposit page, by selecting the "Metadata" Tab, followed by the "Add + Edit Metadata" button.

This will open up the dataset metadata fields ready for review and population.

Populating the Metadata fields

2. Review and populate the Metadata fields.

SECTION A. Citation metadata (always complete)

  • Project title – Required. Clear, descriptive title. *Example:* Australian Election Study 2025
  • Author – Required. Lead researcher(s) in “Family, Given” order; add ORCID if known.
  • Contact – Required. Person or group who can answer questions (email only is fine).
  • Description – Required. 2–4 sentences on what the dataset contains, why it was collected, and key methods.
  • Subject – Required. Choose the closest category from the drop-down list.
  • Keyword – Recommended. Add 3–5 terms from a controlled vocabulary (e.g. ANZSRC, ELSST).
  • Topic classification (ANZSRC FoR code) – Recommended. 4- or 6-digit code plus description (e.g. 160601 – Australian Government and Politics).
  • Related publication – Optional. Full citation and DOI if a paper already uses the data.
  • Notes – Optional. Short, important notices only (e.g. ethics approval number, copyright statement).
  • Language – Recommended. Primary language of the data (usually English).
  • Time period covered – Recommended. Start and end dates the data refer to.
  • Date of collection – Optional. When the data were gathered.
  • Kind of data – Optional. Brief type description (e.g. Survey data, Administrative records).
  • Series – Optional. Name the study series if this dataset is part of one (e.g. HILDA Wave 20).
  • Grant information – Optional. Funder name and grant number.
  • Software – Optional. Software and version needed to read the files (e.g. SPSS v29).
  • Related material / datasets – Optional. Links or citations to questionnaires, codebooks, or previous waves.

SECTION B. Geospatial metadata (fill in if your data have a location element)

  • Geographic coverage – Recommended. Country, region, or coordinates covered.
  • Geographic unit – Optional. Finer units such as postcode or mesh block.
  • Bounding box – Optional. Use the map tool if exact bounds are important.

SECTION C. Social science & humanities metadata

Depositors should be able to complete most of this subset of DDI fields to describe the research methods used to collect the data. The aim is to complete as many fields as possible to facilitate usability.
  • Unit of Analysis
  • Universe
  • Time Method
  • Frequency
  • Sampling Procedure
  • Collection Mode
  • Type of Research Instrument
  • Characteristics of Data Collection Situation
  • Actions to Minimize Losses
  • Weighting
  • Response Rate

Completion

3. Save changes and notify ADA
  1. Click Save changes.
  2. Submit your files as instructed.
  3. Notify ADA once these steps are completed and we will review your submission.

Need help?

Email us at support@ada.edu.au and an archivist will get back to you.

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