Abstract
The most common definition for metadata is “data about data”. However, this expression is rather simple and ambiguous. It is also insufficient and easy to be misunderstood. Metadata has already been used widely in the past years in the electronic environment, thus researchers and practitioners have come up with various meanings for metadata on different information applications. This paper analyzes three perspectives of metadata from the domain of information processing, including function, literal, syntax and structure. The paper, therefore, concludes with appropriate definitions for each of the three views of metadata. In addition, this paper discusses the popular Chinese translations of metadata and their appropriateness. It is believed that clear definitions for metadata in different scenarios will eventually help users to understand the term and its applications better.
| Keywords: | metadata; definition; resource description; content analysis; denotation analysis |
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