Digital Humanities

Metadata is defined as “structured information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource” (NISO, 2004)

Metadata describes the content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of data. Metadata is generally standardized, structured information that facilitates functions associated with data, such as:

1. Organizing and managing data
2. Preserving data for the long term
3. Ensuring that data can be indexed and discovered in a data repository
4. Retaining the context around which the data was captured or created, which is vital in facilitating comprehension and reuse of the data by other researchers

1. Descriptive metadata: Used for discovery and identification. This is the most common form of metadata. It includes information like title, author, and keywords

2. Structural: Describes the physical and/or logical structure of resources and establishes relationship between multiple items. 

3. Administrative: Provides information about file type, creation date, provenance (history of the item), copyright,  and technical information.