People and Organizations (Parties)
People and organizations are all described using a “ResponsibleParty”
group of elements, which is found at these locations (XPath):
/eml:eml/dataset/creator
/eml:eml/dataset/contact
/eml:eml/dataset/metadataProvider
/eml:eml/dataset/associatedParty
/eml:eml/dataset/publisher
/eml:eml/dataset/project/creator
/eml:eml/dataset/method/methodStep/protocol/creator
General recommendations: When using <individualName> elements anywhere within an EML document, names should be constructed with English alphabetization in mind. Many sites have found that maintaining full contact information for every creator is impractical, however a few important contact information should be kept up to date (see below). If a name includes a suffix, it should be included in the <surName> element after the last name.
It is recommended to include complete contact information for a permanent role that is independent of the person holding that position. For example, for an information manager, site contact, pay careful attention to phone number and use an e-mail alias that can be passed on. (See below, under<contact>.)
With the advent of general identifiers such as ORCIDs, the text in the <address>, <phone>, and <onlineURL> elements may become unnecessary for individuals and so is optional if and an individual’s ORCID is included. <electronicMailAddress> is recommended to simplify contacting responsible parties. See the <userId> field. ORCID identifiers are not yet available for organizations, so <address>, <phone>, and <onlineURL> elements should be included for them. In the examples, these elements are included for completeness.
userId
This element is found at this location (XPath):
/eml:eml/dataset/creator/userId
/eml:eml/dataset/contact/userId
/eml:eml/dataset/metadataProvider/userId
/eml:eml/dataset/associatedParty/userId
/eml:eml/dataset/publisher/userId
/eml:eml/dataset/project/creator/userId
/eml:eml/dataset/method/methodStep/protocol/creator/userId
The optional <userId> field holds identifiers for responsible parties from other systems. This element is repeatable so that multiple systems can be referenced. EML prepares should contact the system they plan to use to learn their preferences for inclusion in metadata. The examples here are for ORCID identifiers, and that organization has asked that its full URI be used as both the system attribute, and as the head of the identifier itself.
Example 4: creator
<creator id="org-1" system="FLS" scope="system">
<organizationName>Fictitious LTER Site</organizationName>
<address>
<deliveryPoint>Department for Ecology</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>Fictitious State University</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>PO Box 111111</deliveryPoint>
<city>Ficity</city>
<administrativeArea>FI</administrativeArea>
<postalCode>11111-1111</postalCode>
</address>
<phone phonetype="voice">(999) 999-9999</phone>
<electronicMailAddress>fsu.contact@fi.univ.edu</electronicMailAddress>
<onlineUrl>http://www.fsu.edu/</onlineUrl>
<userId system="https://orcid.org">
https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
</userId>
</creator>
<creator id="pos-1" system="FLS" scope="system">
<positionName>FLS Lead PI</positionName>
<address>
<deliveryPoint>Department for Ecology</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>Fictitious State University</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>PO Box 111111</deliveryPoint>
<city>Ficity</city>
<administrativeArea>FI</administrativeArea>
<postalCode>11111-1111</postalCode>
</address>
<phone phonetype="voice">(999) 999-9999</phone>
<electronicMailAddress>fsu.leadPI@fi.univ.edu</electronicMailAddress>
<onlineUrl>http://www.fsu.edu/</onlineUrl>
<userId system="https://orcid.org">
https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
</userId>
</creator>
<creator id="pers-1" system="FLS" scope="system">
<individualName>
<salutation>Dr.</salutation>
<givenName>Joe</givenName>
<givenName>T.</givenName>
<surName>Ecologist Jr.</surName>
</individualName>
<organizationName>FSL LTER</organizationName>
<address>
<deliveryPoint>Department for Ecology</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>Fictitious State University</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>PO Box 111111</deliveryPoint>
<city>Ficity</city>
<administrativeArea>FI</administrativeArea>
<postalCode>11111-1111</postalCode>
</address>
<phone phonetype="voice">(999) 999-9999</phone>
<electronicMailAddress>jecologist@fi.univ.edu</electronicMailAddress>
<onlineUrl>http://www.fsu.edu/~jecologist</onlineUrl>
<userId system="https://orcid.org">
https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
</userId>
</creator>creator
This element is found at this location (XPath):
/eml:eml/dataset/creator
The <creator> is considered to be the author of the data package, i.e. the person(s) responsible for intellectual input into its creation. <surName> and <givenName> elements are used to build citations, so these should be completed fully for credit to be understandable. For long-term data, e.g., from an LTER Site, preparers should include the organization (using the <organizationName>) or current principal investigator (PI, using <postitionName>). It should be kept in mind that in the past, different approaches have led to confusion over how to best search for long-term data, and searchers frequently default to searches using PI’s last name. Therefore it is a reasonable practice to include more creators rather than fewer, even if it blurs the credit for long-term data.
metadataProvider
This element is found at this location (XPath):
/eml:eml/dataset/metadataProvider
The <metadataProvider> element lists the person or organization responsible for producing or providing the metadata content. For primary data sets generated by LTER sites, the LTER site should typically be listed under <metadataProvider> using the <organizationName> element. For acquired data sets, where the <creator> or <associatedParty> are not the same people who produced the metadata content, the actual metadata content provider should be listed instead (see Example below).
Example 5: metadataProvider
<metadataProvider>
<organizationName>Fictitious LTER Site</organizationName>
<address>
<deliveryPoint>Department of Ecology</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>Fictitious State University</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>PO Box 111111</deliveryPoint>
<city>Ficity</city>
<administrativeArea>FI</administrativeArea>
<postalCode>11111-1111</postalCode>
</address>
<phone phonetype="voice">(999) 999-9999</phone>
<electronicMailAddress>fsu@fi.univ.edu</electronicMailAddress>
<onlineUrl>http://www.fsu.edu/</onlineUrl>
<userId system="https://orcid.org">
https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
</userId>
</metadataProvider>associatedParty
This element is found at this location (XPath):
/eml:eml/dataset/associatedParty
List other people who were involved with the data in some way (field technicians, students assistants, etc.) as <associatedParty>. All <associatedParty> trees require a <role> element. The parent university, institution, or agency could also be listed as an <associatedParty> using <role> of “owner” when appropriate.
Example 6: associatedParty
<associatedParty id="12010" system="FLS" scope="system">
<individualName>
<givenName>Ima</givenName>
<surName>Testuser</surName>
</individualName>
<organizationName>FSL LTER</organizationName>
<address>
<deliveryPoint>Department for Ecology</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>Fictitious State University</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>PO Box 111111</deliveryPoint>
<city>Ficity</city>
<administrativeArea>FI</administrativeArea>
<postalCode>11111-1111</postalCode>
</address>
<phone phonetype="voice">(999) 999-9999</phone>
<electronicMailAddress>itestuser@lternet.edu</electronicMailAddress>
<onlineUrl>http://search.lternet.edu/directory_view.php?personid=12010&query=itestuser</onlineUrl>
<userId system="https://orcid.org">
https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
</userId>
<role>Technician</role>
</associatedParty>contact
This element is found at this location (XPath):
/eml:eml/dataset/contact
A <contact> element is required in all EML metadata records. Full contact information should be included for the position of data manager or other designated contact, and should be kept current and independent of personnel changes. If several contacts are listed (e.g. both a data and site manager) all should be kept current. Technicians who performed the work belong under <associatedParty> rather than <contact>. Complete the <address>, <phone>, <electronicMailAddress>, and <onlineURL> elements for the <contact> element.
Example 7: contact
<contact>
<positionName id="pos-4">Information Manager</positionName>
<address>
<deliveryPoint>Department for Ecology</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>Fictitious State University</deliveryPoint>
<deliveryPoint>PO Box 111111</deliveryPoint>
<city>Ficity</city>
<administrativeArea>FI</administrativeArea>
<postalCode>11111-1111</postalCode>
</address>
<phone phonetype="voice">(999) 999-9999</phone>
<electronicMailAddress>fsu.data@fi.univ.edu</electronicMailAddress>
<onlineUrl>http://www.fsu.edu/</onlineUrl>
<userId system="https://orcid.org">
https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000
</userId>
</contact>publisher
This element is found at this location (XPath):
/eml:eml/dataset/publisher
The organization producing the EML metadata (e.g., an LTER site or field station) should be placed in the <publisher> element. Spell out the organization’s name (<organizationName>). Complete the <address>, <phone>, <electronicMailAddress>, and <onlineURL> elements for each publisher element. Some citation displays may use this element, although typically, the repository becomes the publisher in citations.
Example 8: publisher
<publisher>
<organizationName>Fictitious LTER site</organizationName>
</publisher>