Understanding the Nature of Metadata: Systematic Review

Ulrich H, Kock-Schoppenhauer AK, Deppenwiese N, Gött R, Kern J, Lablans M, Majeed RW, Stöhr MR, Stausberg J, Varghese J, Dugas M, Ingenerf J (2022)

Publication Type: Journal article, Review article

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Journal of Medical Internet Research Journal of Medical Internet Research / Gunther Eysenbach

Book Volume: 24

Article Number: e25440

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.2196/25440

Abstract

Background: Metadata are created to describe the corresponding data in a detailed and unambiguous way and is used for various applications in different research areas, for example, data identification and classification. However, a clear definition of metadata is crucial for further use. Unfortunately, extensive experience with the processing and management of metadata has shown that the term “metadata” and its use is not always unambiguous. Objective: This study aimed to understand the definition of metadata and the challenges resulting from metadata reuse. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in this study following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for reporting on systematic reviews. Five research questions were identified to streamline the review process, addressing metadata characteristics, metadata standards, use cases, and problems encountered. This review was preceded by a harmonization process to achieve a general understanding of the terms used. Results: The harmonization process resulted in a clear set of definitions for metadata processing focusing on data integration. The following literature review was conducted by 10 reviewers with different backgrounds and using the harmonized definitions. This study included 81 peer-reviewed papers from the last decade after applying various filtering steps to identify the most relevant papers. The 5 research questions could be answered, resulting in a broad overview of the standards, use cases, problems, and corresponding solutions for the application of metadata in different research areas. Conclusions: Metadata can be a powerful tool for identifying, describing, and processing information, but its meaningful creation is costly and challenging. This review process uncovered many standards, use cases, problems, and solutions for dealing with metadata. The presented harmonized definitions and the new schema have the potential to improve the classification and generation of metadata by creating a shared understanding of metadata and its context.

Authors with CRIS profile

Noemi Deppenwiese Lehrstuhl für Medizinische Informatik

Involved external institutions

Universität zu Lübeck DE Germany (DE) Universitätsmedizin Greifswald / Universitätsklinikum Greifswald DE Germany (DE) Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) DE Germany (DE) Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen DE Germany (DE) Universitätsklinikum Essen DE Germany (DE) Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster DE Germany (DE) Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Ulrich, H., Kock-Schoppenhauer, A.K., Deppenwiese, N., Gött, R., Kern, J., Lablans, M.,... Ingenerf, J. (2022). Understanding the Nature of Metadata: Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/25440

MLA:

Ulrich, Hannes, et al. "Understanding the Nature of Metadata: Systematic Review." Journal of Medical Internet Research 24.1 (2022).

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