The DataCite schema is used to determine minimum metadata in the SAEON ODP. The form for data submissions to the ODP can be accessed here.
The basic metadata schema required for data submission to the Open Data Portal is that of DataCite. The DataCite Metadata Schema is a list of core metadata properties, chosen for accurate and consistent identification of a resource for citation, discovery and re-usability purposes. The schema can be used to describe any digital object, meaning it can be used for any data family. DataCite has 6 mandatory (M) properties (that must all be completed regardless of data type or conditions), 6 recommended (R) properties (the completion of which depends on conditions of data submission), and 7 optional (O) properties. The DataCite properties are listed and described in Table 1.
Table 1: DataCite Properties
| # (1) | Property | Description | Obligation | Purpose |
| 1 | Identifier | Unique identifier in the provider's environment | M | Citation |
| 2 | Creator(s) | Usually the author of the work. | M | Citation |
| 3 | Title | The title of the work | M | Citation |
| 4 | Publisher | The publisher of the work | M | Citation |
| 5 | Publication Year | The year of publication | M | Citation |
| 6 | Subject | One or more keywords, which may come from authoritative lists (vocabularies) | R | Discovery |
| 8 | Date | The date coverage of the dataset or digital object - in most cases not the same as the year of publication | R | Discovery |
| 10 | ResourceType | This assists with re-usability and discovery of resource types appropriate to the intended end use. | M | Re-usability |
| 11 | Alternate Identifier | An alternative identifier, such as a DOI, handle, or ARK. If an identifier is not provided, SAEON will assign a DOI on behalf of the requestor. | O | Re-usability |
| 12 | Related Identifier | Critical for version management - references previous versions of the same digital object, amongst other uses. | R | Re-usability |
| 16 | Rights | This is an important determinant of re-usability. SAEON advocates the use of open licenses | O | Re-usability |
| 17 | Description | The element can be used for both an abstract and a methodology or lineage description. | R | Re-usability |
| 18 | Geo-Location | Spatial region or named place where the data was gathered or about which the data is focused. This may not be applicable to all datasets, but very useful for discovery in cases where it does apply. | R | Discovery |
| A | Online Resource | A link to the location of the digital object in the web. | Discovery | |
| B | Original Metadata | A link to the original metadata record in the web. | Re-usability | |
| C | Supplementary Material | A link to supplementary material in the web. This can be a formal; published methodology or protocol. | Re-usability | |
| D | Research Ethics | A link to an ethics protocol or guideline in the web. | Re-usability | |
| E | Download Link | A download link in cases where this is different from (A). | Re-usability | |
| F | Grant Number | If research is grant funded, this attribute is mandatory to prove deposit (this condition applies to NRF funded research). | Re-usability | |
| 7 | Contributor(s) | Additional contributions to the work | R | Re-usability |
| 9 | Language | In South Africa, the language is almost exclusively English, but the element should be used if it is not. | O | Re-usability |
| 13 | Size | Size of the work - assists with download decisions. | O | Re-usability |
| 14 | Format | Format of the work - assists with discovery and download decisions. | O | Re-usability |
| 15 | Version | The version assigned by the owner of the work. This is not the preferred method of indicating versioning - see Related Identifier above. | O | Re-usability |
| 19 | Funding Reference | Information about financial support (funding) for the resource being registered. It is a best practice to supply funding information when financial support has been received. | O | Re-usability |
(1. Corresponds to the element ID in DataCite Schema: https://goo.gl/r5jDRo)