Related information
Meaning & purpose
The RelatedInfo element is intended for linking to resources located outside the RDA Registry, but can also be used for linking to objects within the Registry. It is described using an Identifier, which ideally resolves to a web page providing contextual information about the object or entity being described. There are no restraints on the kind of information that can be linked to including parties, activities, collections, services, reuse information, or reference to a publication or thesis based on a research data collection. Examples include a publication arising from the data described in a collection or a research grant in which the collection is an output.
RelatedInfo has a Type (optional), and a number of child elements that can be used to describe the related information or resource:
- an Identifier, and its Type, are mandatory.
- a Title for the related information. A title is optional, but recommended, particularly when the identifer used is not resolvable. eg. ISBN
- Relation, to describe the nature of the relationship between a registry object and related information. Relation is optional, but if used, a Relation Type must be specified. Relation contains the optional child elements:
- Description—a plain text description further refining or describing a relationship. Optionally, the language of the relation description metadata can be recorded in the language attribute.
- URL—a URI expressing or implementing the relationship. For example, the URL for a collection implemented by a related service.
- Format can be used to identify an alternative metadata format or schema where the Related Information Type is ‘metadata’. Format is optional.
- Notes providing additional information about the object being described. Notes can be used to record citations for related print or electronic publications. A note is optional.
Related Information attributes
Related Information Type
A Related Information Type is optional. If used, preferably specify a type from the Related Information Type vocabulary. Local types may also be used.
Related Information Identifier Type
A RelatedInfo Identifier and its Type are required. Preferably specify a type from the Identifier Type vocabulary. Local types may also be used.
Relation Type
The kind of relation (Relation Type) can be described using any of the existing relation types for related objects. Optionally, choose from the Collection Relation Type (publication) vocabulary below to describe the relationship between collections and publications. Local values can also be used, for example, if a data source has described different relationships according to a standard schema. Ad hoc local values should be avoided.
Collection Relation Type (publication)
| Type | Explanation |
|---|---|
isCitedBy | indicates that B includes A in a citation |
isReferencedBy | indicates A is used as a source of information by B |
isDocumentedBy | indicates B is documentation about/explaining A |
isSupplementedBy | indicates that A is a supplement to B |
isSupplementTo | indicates that B is a supplement to A |
isReviewedBy | the cited entity (or A) presents statements, ideas or conclusions that are reviewed by the citing entity (or B) |
isSupportedBy | the cited entity (or A) receives intellectual or factual support from the citing entity (or B) |
Note: The values above for relations between collections and publications have been selected from the DataCite Metadata Schema v.3 and CiTO, the Citation Typing Ontology.
Use in Research Data Australia
Identifiers are displayed within Research Data Australia as provided by the data provider and prefixed with the identifier type.
Parties (persons or groups) related to an object using RelatedInfo (type="party") will display in Research Data Australia in the title bar, directly underneath the registry object's name. The name will display if: this is provided in the Title element of RelatedInfo, or where the Identifier provided in RelatedInfo is "matched" to the same identifier provided in another registry object. Otherwise, the Identifier provided in RelatedInfo will display.
For related information of all other types, the information will display in the main body of the record in Research Data Australia under the appropriate heading for the type, eg. Related Organisations, Related Services, Additional metadata, Related Publications, Related Websites etc.
Best practice
Include links to related information which provide research context for understanding the registry object being described. For example, adding a related publication to a collection object can provide rich contextual information to support data reuse.
RelatedInfo or RelatedObject?
Registry objects can be linked to a related collection, party, activity or service in one of two ways:
- using an Identifier in the RelatedInfo element, OR
- using the Key of an (existing or new) related RegistryObject in the RelatedObject element.
As Research Data Australia is primarily a collections registry, it is preferred that a RegistryObject be created to describe collections. However, consider whether you need to create a RegistryObject for parties. Research Data Australia treats parties linked via RelatedObject or RelatedInfo in almost exactly the same way: the indexing and display of names are equivalent; however, an advantage of using RelatedObject is that reverse links are generated from the Party Object, allowing all collections related to that Party to be displayed when a Party name is clicked on (this functionality will hopefully be available with RelatedInfo links in a future release). The advantage of using RelatedInfo is that it is the simplest (and most sustainable) way to link parties to collections, activities and services with a globally unique persistent identifier (preferably an ORCID).
Whichever option is chosen, contributors are strongly encouraged to provide a globally unique persistent identifier such as a DOI, ORCID or PURL in their records. Identifiers support a linked data approach that enables relationships between resources to be identified and displayed in Research Data Australia regardless of the source of the record.
XML encoding examples
RelatedInfo of Type "service"
<relatedInfo type="service">
<title>Marine Virtual Laboratory Information System</title>
<identifier type="uri">http://marvlis.aodn.org.au/marvlis</identifier>
<relation type="presents"><url>http://marvlis.aodn.org.au/marvlis/ACQ_SurfPlt/MAPWaterTemps.png</url></relation>
<notes>Provides visualisation of data with changes to parameters supported</notes>
</relatedInfo>RelatedInfo of Type "party"
<relatedInfo type="party">
<title>Ross Wilkinson</title>
<identifier type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4192-1522</identifier>
<relation type="hasCollector"></relation>
</relatedInfo> RelatedInfo of Type "publication"
<relatedInfo type="publication">
<title>Turbulence measurements in estuarine systems</title>
<identifier type="uri">http://eprints.qut.edu.au/7451/</identifier>
<relation type="isCitedBy"></relation>
<notes>Smith, J.(2013) Turbulence measurements in estuarine systems. Journal of Water Quality, vol.2, pp.2-9</notes>
</relatedInfo>RelatedInfo of Type "metadata"
<relatedInfo type="metadata">
<title>SMART Metadata System record</title>
<identifier type="uri">http://smart-metadata.eis.uow.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/search?&uuid=1ecb8a02-5c94-4532-ad19-ce690b8b0c21</identifier>
<notes>This is the ANZLIC version of the record</notes>
</relatedInfo>