Announcing DataCite Metadata Version 3.0

25 July 2013

The DataCite Metadata Working Group is pleased to announce the release of Version 3.0 of the Metadata Schema. Documentation for the new schema is available. The DataCite Metadata Store (MDS) will accept Metadata Version 3.0 immediately. The MDS will continue to accept submissions using the prior versions of the Schema for the foreseeable future.

Key new features include:

– Better support for depiction of dates by implementing the RKMS-ISO8601 standard for date ranges.
– New support for recording data collection location, with box and point coordinates, as well by using a free-text description.
– Provision of a mechanism to associate additional metadata so that discipline-specific descriptions can be added to DataCite’s more generic schema.
– And, finally, numerous improvements to the documentation, including:

– greater detail, explanatory material and definitions for controlled lists

– more and more varied XML examples on the Metadata Schema website

– and, indicators of which optional properties are most important for helping the metadata to be found, cited and linked to original research.

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