Metadata From Scratch

Follow this workflow if you are creating mdJSON metadata for the very first time and you do not have existing project or product metadata already on ScienceBase.

Step 1: Gather information needed for your metadata entries.

Have information about your contacts, projects, and products on hand before you begin creating metadata records. Key information to gather includes project proposals, funding agreements and amounts, project reports, product information, and contact information for individuals and organizations involved in the projects.

Use the "contacts seed file" that contains pre-filled information and standard naming conventions for all SA regions, common federal agencies, and the SA National Data Steward.

Step 2: Open mdEditor.

The direct link to mdEditor is https://go.mdeditor.org. Choose the browser you plan to use for mdEditor and bookmark this link.

mdEditor can also be accessed from its homepage at https://www.mdeditor.org/. This site provides some background information and Frequently Asked Questions about mdEditor.

Step 3: Set the correct default Settings.

In mdEditor settings, set the SA-specific settings for Importing, Metadata Repositories, and Publishing.

Step 4: Create Contacts.

Contacts must be created or uploaded before they can be added to project and product metadata records.

Step 5: Create Projects.

If you have an existing ScienceBase project record that has not been edited in mdEditor, import the ScienceBase record to create a new mdEditor record.

If you have no existing metadata for a project, create an mdEditor project record from scratch.

If you have already created an mdEditor record for the project, import the mdEditor file to continue editing.

Step 6: Create Products.

If you have an existing ScienceBase product record that has not been edited in mdEditor, import the ScienceBase record to create a new mdEditor record.

If you have no existing metadata for a product, create an mdEditor product record from scratch.

If you have already created an mdEditor record for the product, import the mdEditor file to continue editing.

Step 7: For applicable Products, create Data Dictionaries.

Step 8: Complete metadata.

Decide on your desired file management approach and complete your metadata accordingly. See the File Management section for options and instructions.

Step 9: Create desired Associations between Projects and/or Products.

Associations can be either associated from a project or associated from a product.

Step 10: Publish your records to ScienceBase.

Step 11: Export your records and contacts for backup, transfer, or sharing.

You may want to export working backups before publishing depending on your situation, but archival exports should be done after publishing since publishing can alter records, like adding or changing a ScienceBase ID.

Step 12: Review the resulting entries in the SA Science Catalog.

The Science Catalog updates overnight so you should review newly-published records the day after you publish to ScienceBase. This will be one of your best quality control checks.