Metadata Standards and Practices: Lessons Learned from Interviews with Experts

Data is difficult to reuse without consistent metadata, making it difficult to decipher and reuse dataset and analysis scripts. Our team is working on solutions at the variable level, including the so called Variable Object Identification (VOI) system. This Summer 2024 project included interviews with 35 researchers and digital infrastructure providers about “metadata”: current concepts, community needs, currently available tools, and the future of the field. Based on 17 questions, it explored aspects such as variable naming, data reuse problems, transparency and potential solutions including suggestions for standard tools. Online Qualitative Case Study interviews (~1-hour interviews) were recorded, transcribed and analyzed, identifying major themes and mentioned data standards such as RDA, BIDS, DDI, GESIS and Frictionless. The results indicate an awareness of the problems, a limited number of initiatives at the variable level, and difficulties in encouraging the use of standards, despite their potential in standardizing analytical scripts.