Dublin Core Schema Properties

The Dublin Core properties are fundamental to document metadata and:

  • Provide essential document identification
  • Support resource discovery
  • Enable interoperability between systems
  • Facilitate content management
  • Support archiving and preservation
  • Enable effective document cataloging

The Dublin Core schema is widely adopted because it provides a simple yet effective way to describe digital resources across different domains and applications.

Core Elements

dc:title

  • The name/title given to the document
  • Typically this will be name by which the document is formally known
  • Supports multiple languages
  • Example:
    • Primary: "Environmental Impact Report 2024"
    • Alternative: {"en-US": "Environmental Impact Report", "fr-FR": "Rapport d'Impact Environnemental"}

dc:creator

  • The person/organisation primarily responsible for the resource
  • Can be personal,organization names or services
  • Ordered list of creators if multiple
  • Example: ["Dr. Jane Smith", "Environmental Research Institute"]

dc:subject

  • The topic of the document
  • Typically includes keywords, key phrases, or classification codes
  • Unordereds array of text strings
  • Example: ["climate change", "environmental science", "sustainability"]

dc:description

  • An account of the resource content - list of textual descriptions of the content of the resource
  • Can include abstract, table of contents, or reference
  • Supports multiple languages
  • Example: "A comprehensive analysis of climate change impacts in urban areas during 2020-2024"

dc:publisher

  • Entity responsible for making the resource available
  • Usually a person, an organization, or a service
  • Example: "Nature Publishing Group"

dc:contributor

  • Entities who contributed to the resource
  • Examples of a contributor include a person, an organization, or a service
  • Example: ["Dr. Jane Smith", "Environmental Research Institute"]

dc:date

  • Point or period of time associated with the document
  • Uses ISO 8601 format
  • Can include multiple date types
  • Example: ["2024-03-20T10:30:00Z"]

dc:type

  • Nature or genre of the resource
  • Recomended is to use controlled vocabulary such as the DCMI Type Vocabulary [DCMITYPE]
  • Example: "Research Paper", "Technical Report", "Dataset"

dc:format

  • File format, physical medium, or dimensions
  • Usually includes MIME type
  • Example: "application/pdf", "image/jpeg"

dc:identifier

  • An unambiguous reference to the document within a given context
  • Could be DOI, ISBN, URL
  • Example: "DOI:10.1000/xyz123", "ISBN:978-3-16-148410-0"

dc:source

  • Related resource from which the document is derived
  • Reference to original work
  • Example: "Original Research Data Set #RS789"

dc:language

  • Language(s) of the resource
  • Uses standard language codes
  • Can be multiple values
  • Example: ["en-US", "fr-FR"]

dc:relation

  • Related resource/document reference
  • Can include multiple relationship types
  • Example: "References Study XYZ-2023"

dc:coverage

  • The spatial or temporal topic of the document, the spatial applicability of the document, or the jurisdiction under which the document is relevant
  • Geographic locations or time periods
  • Examples:
    • Spatial: "North America; Europe"
    • Temporal: "2020-2024"
    • Geographic: "51.5074° N, 0.1278° W"

dc:rights

  • Information about rights held in and over the document.
  • Copyright and usage rights
  • Example: "© 2024 Organization Name. All rights reserved."