History and early versions

This repository was initiated in late 2019, after the EML 2.2 release (Jones et al. 2019). Prior to this there were several efforts to create guidance documents for creating research metadata in EML, starting with the “Best Practices for Dataset Metadata in Ecological Metadata Language” guide. Since that time, additional guides for a more diverse set of research metadata use cases have been added. Some versions of these guides are published in accessible form, and some are not. Below we have collected historical information and, where possible, accessible copies of early versions these guides.

EML Best Practices

The first “EML Best Practices” documents (the origins of this collection) were focused on the use of the EML metadata schema, and created by the LTER data managers.

Over time, that document was expanded to include specifics about data types and practices of the LTER related to the then-nascent PASTA system.

In 2017, the newly established EDI repository (established in 2016) revised the EML BP to include general material about use of the EML specification.

This repository was created in 2019 to house the EML Best Practices and other dataset preparation guides as markdown files accessible on the web. At that time, some minor edits and formatting modifications were made to Version 3, so we refer to the document here as Version 3.1. See the repository history for details.

  • EML Best Practices, Version 3.1: HTML pages. Other formats are available from rendered web pages.

In 2023 and 2024, the EML Best Practices working group re-convened to produce EML Best Practices, Version 4, which will be published soon. Older versions will also receive DOIs.

Data Package Design for Special Cases (Non-tabular data guide)

The first version of the “Data Package Design for Special Cases” guide was created by the Non-tabular data working group, composed of LTER Information Managers and EDI staff. The group initially convened in August of 2019 and completed the first version of the guide in February of 2021.

In 2022-2024, some minor edits and formatting modifications were made to Version 1, so we refer to the document here as Version 1.1. See the repository history for details.

  • Data Package Design for Special Cases, Version 1.1: HTML pages. Other formats are available from rendered web pages.

In 2026, a new version of the working group has convened to revise and create version 2 of the guide.

References

Jones, Matthew, Margaret O’Brien, Bryce Mecum, et al. 2019. Ecological Metadata Language Version 2.2.0. KNB Data Repository. https://doi.org/10.5063/F11834T2.