When preparing a scientific article, the main focus is usually on the content of the research, methodology, results and conclusions. At the same time, it is equally important to format the metadata correctly – the information by which the article is identified by search engines, databases and other information resources. What mistakes should be avoided when preparing article metadata? We discuss them in our article.
Main metadata of a scientific article
Even a minor inaccuracy in an author’s surname, the name of an institution or a DOI can create problems with the correct display of the publication and its connection with other scientific data. The key components of a scientific article’s metadata include the following:
- title
- author information
- ORCID
- abstract and keywords
- journal title, volume, issue, pages or article number
- DOI
Crossref emphasises that bibliographic metadata should be complete, accurate and up to date, as it is used for generating citations, matching DOIs with publications and searching for scientific content.
Incorrect information about the author’s name
One of the simplest yet common problems is the inconsistent spelling of an author’s first name and surname across different publications. This is particularly relevant for researchers whose names are transliterated from Cyrillic or other writing systems.
For example, using different transliteration variants, omitting a middle name or changing the order of parts of a name can make it more difficult to identify the author unambiguously. It is advisable to use one consistent spelling in scientific publications and check how the name is presented in your own academic profiles. ORCID also allows researchers to specify a primary name for publications and additional name variants under which they may be known.
Errors in ORCID
ORCID helps link researchers to their scientific works, even when other authors have the same or a similar name.
When submitting an article, it is worth checking not only whether an ORCID is provided, but also whether the identifier itself is correct. It is particularly risky to copy an ORCID manually without checking it, as a single incorrect digit may result in another person’s profile or an invalid identifier being specified.
It is also advisable to ensure that the information in the ORCID profile is up to date, particularly employment information and name variants. ORCID explicitly states that affiliation information helps distinguish between researchers with identical names.
Inaccuracies in affiliation
The name of the university, research institution or other organisation should be stated correctly and in accordance with the journal’s requirements.
It is not advisable to create an abbreviated or translated version of an institution’s name independently if it already has an official English-language name. It is also important to distinguish carefully between the name of the organisation itself, the faculty, department or another structural unit.
For example, ORCID recommends specifying the main organisation and information about the structural unit separately, where required.
Affiliation should be checked particularly carefully if the author has changed their place of employment or represents several institutions at the same time. In such cases, the rules of the specific journal and the author’s actual connection with the institution during the research should be followed.
Mismatch in the article title
The title in the manuscript file, article submission system and other forms should match. Even minor differences can create unnecessary inaccuracies in subsequent work with the material.
Information that does not belong in the title field should not be added there, such as the author’s name, a list of keywords and so on. Crossref specifically advises against adding unrelated bibliographic information to the title field, as this may negatively affect the display and discoverability of the material. If the article has a subtitle, it should also be specified in accordance with the structure provided by the journal’s system.
Errors in the abstract and keywords
The abstract should correspond to the actual content of the article. If the authors substantially changed the methodology, results or conclusions during peer review, the abstract should also be checked again.
Keywords should describe the subject of the research rather than simply repeat general words from the title or contain the broadest possible range of terms.
Particular attention should be paid to metadata versions in different languages: the translated title, abstract and keywords should correspond to the original in meaning.
Incorrect DOI or other bibliographic data
A DOI should be copied without errors and should not be confused with the DOI of another version of the material, a related publication or another document. The publication year, volume, journal issue, page range or article number should also be checked carefully. Crossref recommends providing accurate information about authors, titles, dates and identifiers, as well as not omitting page numbers or article identifiers if they are used by the publication.
Some of this information may only appear after the manuscript has been accepted or the issue has been compiled, so it is important for the author to check the final publication after it has been released.
What should be checked before submitting an article?
Before finally sending the manuscript to the editorial office, it is worth checking once again:
- consistent spelling of all authors’ names in the manuscript and submission system
- correct ORCID for each author
- official names of institutions and affiliations
- complete consistency of the article title across all forms
- consistency of the abstract and keywords with the final version of the work
- accuracy of DOI and bibliographic references
- absence of accidental errors in dates, titles, numbers and surnames
Checking metadata takes considerably less time than correcting inaccuracies after publication. This is why working with metadata should be regarded as a separate stage of manuscript preparation. Attention to these details helps make information about the research consistent and clear for journals, scientific platforms and readers who will subsequently work with the publication.
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