Discovery metadata

Discovery metadata (hereinafter, the Metadata) is the descriptive metadata that identifies any report for its discovery and usage. Report's title, author, publisher, or any other descriptive element of the Dublin Core serves as the Metadata.

Description

The ANSI/NISO Scientific and Technical Reports standard details,

The required title section indicates the subject and content of the report and provides information needed for description and bibliographic control of, and access to, a report.

These data are critical to discover, acquire, store, and provide access to information resources. If the performing and sponsoring organizations are different entities, the title section clearly identifies the different responsibilities (that is, performance and sponsorship). The information in the cover and title section must be consistent; if an optional Report Documentation Page is used, its bibliographic data must also be consistent with the information in the cover and title section.

Recommended elements

The ANSI/NISO Scientific and Technical Reports standard indicates,

The recommended data elements of a title section are as follows:

• Report number. Each report requires a report number unique within the organization that appears in a consistent location for each document in a series.
• Report title and subtitle, if used (should be the same on the cover, title page, and report documentation page)
• Title and numbering of series, if the report is issued in a series
• Author, principal investigator, editor, and/or compiler, with the primary creator listed first, per standard library cataloging practice
• Performing organization (author/creator affiliation)
• Publication data, including place of publication, publisher (which may or may not be the same as the sponsoring organization), and date (may also defer to the copyright page)
• Type of report and period covered, where applicable (conditional)
• Contract or grant number, where applicable (may defer to the copyright page)
• Sponsoring or issuing organization (if different than the performing organization)
• Subject descriptors (e.g., keywords)

Report number

A report number is composed of an alphanumeric report code (2-16 characters) and, if desired, a numeric sequential group (1-14 digits indicating the year and sequence of report issuance). Different sponsoring and performing organizations usually assign separate report numbers; so a report may have multiple numbers. These numbers should appear together in a prominent location in the front matter. ANSI/NISO Z39.23-1997 (R2002), Standard Technical Report Number (STRN) Format and Creation, provides guidance on establishing and using standard scientific and technical report numbers.

Title and Subtitle

The title is especially important in abstracting, cataloging, indexing, and referencing a report and for informing potential readers of the content. A subtitle may be added to further define the contents. The words of the title and subtitle define and limit the topic of the report and appear on the cover, title section, and optional Report Documentation Page, using exactly the same wording. In creating the title of a report, a creator using best practices:

• selects words that distinguish the report from any other on the same general topic rather than writing, "Report on..."
• uses a distinctive subtitle for clarity if the report is one in a series or a supplement to previously published work (information about the period covered—for example, month, quarter, or year—may be included in the subtitle of reports in series); and
• spells out abbreviations and acronyms.

When a report consists of more than one volume (or binding), the title is repeated in a separate title section, and each separate volume is identified by an Arabic number and a volume title or subtitle. Example:

Interstellar and Interplanetary Dust

Volume 2: Supernova Isotopic Enrichments

Author(s)/Creator(s)

The author/creator of a report is reserved for the person or persons responsible for originating the scientific or technical information or the text of the report and who can effectively defend the content of the report to a peer group. The primary author/creator is always identified first. Identifying an editor is justified when the editor has applied subject matter expertise in preparing the report.

An author's/creator's name appears on the cover and title section and, if used, the Report Documentation Page in identical form. The preferred order is first name, middle name or initial, surname. Academic degrees are not given. However, authors/creators or contributors can identify themselves by their job titles in the organization (Jane R. Doe, Cost Analyst; Jack T. Doe, Head, Research and Development Division) or by their functions as contributors (Jane R. Doe, Principal Investigator; JackT. Doe, Compiler). If these titles are used, they should be used consistently within an organization or series. In cases of multiple authors/creators from different organizations, the names appear with their organizational affiliations.

Performing and Sponsoring Organizations

The performing organization conducts research; the sponsoring organization funds research and usually, but not always, controls report publication and distribution. The performing and sponsoring organization may be the same. Reports that present the results of research done under contracts or grants identify both a performing and a sponsoring organization if different. In such cases, the name of the sponsoring organization, the performing organization (or other responsible units), and the complete address(es) appear on the title section. If there are multiple sponsoring organizations, each is listed and the functions of each are identified.

Appearance in reports

Title section

In scientific and technical reports, title sections are required parts of front matter.

Report documentation page

According to the ANSI/NISO Scientific and Technical Reports standard,

Agencies within the federal government use a Report Documentation Page (e.g., a National Technical Information Service bibliographic data sheet or Standard Form 298) in addition to a title section. It is an optional component for academic and industrial reports.

A sample Report Documentation Page that is included in that standard contains:

all pertinent bibliographic data about the report (including keywords or identifiers) necessary for librarians, information specialists, and others concerned with information processing and handling. An abstract of 200 words or fewer is an integral part of this section. Some federal agencies require that reports prepared for them under contract or grant include a Report Documentation Page and specify its location. Academic and industrial report producers that use a report documentation page frequently place it as the final component of back matter. A Report Documentation Page is not listed in the table of contents unless it appears as back matter; however, it is paginated whether it appears as front or back matter.

See also

Related lectures

• Tech Report Metadata.