The metadata
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Metadata is often described as "data about data". It is a structured and standardised form of data documentation that can be read by "machines".
The Passeport for Open Science defines metadata as follows:
a set of structured information that describes, specifies and localises a resource with the aim of facilitating its findability, usage and management (Open Science, Research Data, Passeport for Open Science, p. 39)
Among other things, metadata contains administrative information about the data (title, author, language, format, date, embargo period, publisher, license, access conditions, etc.). Metadata is used by data repositories and search engines to catalogue data and make it easier to find and reuse. Metadata contributes to the "F" and "A" of FAIR data management. Metadata also serves as a bibliographic record for citations.
There are international standards for metadata (DublinCore, DataCite Metadata Schema). However, metadata may vary depending on the repository and/or the discipline. If you would like further information on the metadata standards used in your scientific community, please consult the catalogues of disciplinary metadata standards: