Resource Guides: Research Data Management Resources: Data Documentation

README

A README file is a text file that contains information about other files in a directory.

For eScholarship@UMassChan, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School's institutional repository, a README file is required before your data is approved for posting in the repository. The general README file we suggest you complete is available here:

README_template.txt

If your discipline requires more rigorous and detailed README files or metadata, you can upload that file with the data you are depositing into eScholarship@UMassChan.

Example README files:

Example 1 README example using the TRACE-CORE Dataset on Religious Practices and Long-Term Survival after Hospital Discharge for an Acute Coronary Syndrome
Example 2 README example using the Data from: The Institutional Repository Landscape in Medical Schools and Academic Health Centers: A 2018 Snapshot View and Analysis.

If you have questions about completing a README file, or other questions about managing and sharing your data, please contact the Library Research Data Services Team, datalib@umassmed.edu.

Data Dictionary

A data dictionary represents the structure of your dataset. Each row in a data dictionary, which is generally a spreadsheet, corresponds to a field in your data entry form and provides a detailed description of each variable, such as:

Variable name
Variable meaning
Variable units
Variable format
Permissible values or range of values
Known issues with the data (systematic errors, missing values, etc.)
Relationship with other variables
Null value indicator
Anything else someone needs to know to better understand the data

If you have questions about compiling a data dictionary, or other questions about managing and sharing your data, please the Library Research Data Services Team, datalib@umassmed.edu.

Video Tutorial: REDCap Data Dictionary
How to download the data dictionary from a REDCap project and edit it to update the data collection instruments. [10 minutes]

Metadata

Metadata is the structured information created, stored, and shared to describe data and helps others find, use, and properly cite data. It is often called "data about data" and is synonymous with data documentation, which includes READMEs and data dictionaries.

List of Metadata Tools
From the Digital Curation Center (UK).
Data standards guidance from NICHD
From the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

If you have questions about choosing a metadata schema, creating metadata for your data, or other questions about managing and sharing your data, please contact the Library Research Data Services at datalib@umassmed.edu.