What are the benefits and limitations of metadata-only records for restricted datasets?

Metadata-only records are an increasingly important tool for researchers who work with restricted, sensitive, or proprietary data that cannot be shared openly. At Indiana University, both institutional repositories for data, RCDataCOREProvides access & preservation services for digital research data RC DataCORE (IUB) and RCDataWorksRepository for preserving and sharing IUI digital research data RC DataWorks (IUI), support this approach, allowing researchers to create a publicly visible entry describing the dataset, complete with a RCDOIMints DOIs for scholarly work deposited in DataCore & IUScholarWorks RC DOI (Digital Object Identifier), citation, and metadata, without exposing the actual data files. This model enables researchers to maintain compliance with ethical and legal obligations while still participating in broader data-sharing and transparency efforts.

Benefits of metadata-only records:

• They make the existence of a dataset discoverable and citable, even when the data itself must remain behind access controls
• Supports transparency, promotes reproducibility (by showing that a dataset underlies published findings), and fulfills many funder requirements related to data sharing or data availability statements
• Researchers retain credit for their datasets through DOIs and citations, and interested parties can follow provided instructions to request access through controlled mechanisms, often requiring a review and a formal agreement.
• Useful in situations where data includes personally identifiable information (PII), RCprotected health information (PHI)IU policy regarding use of protected health information in research RC protected health information (PHI) , RCFERPAFERPA compliance information RC FERPA -covered student data, or data governed by agreements with third-party providers.
• Provide a middle ground between full openness and complete invisibility, allowing researchers to respect privacy and compliance requirements while still adhering to the RCFAIRGuiding principles for scientific data management and stewardship RC FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), as much as possible given legal or privacy restrictions.

Limitations of metadata-only records:

• Since the data are not publicly available, it introduces friction in the access process, requiring manual intervention, institutional approval, or legal agreements that may deter or delay secondary use.
• Metadata-only records may lack some of the reuse benefits of fully open datasets, such as integration into machine-readable catalogs or automated discovery services.
• If metadata is not well crafted, e.g., missing key descriptors or vague access instructions, the value of the record is diminished. Researchers can work with IU’s RCdata librariansContact information for IU Research Data Services Librarians RC data librarians to ensure the metadata is robust, the access process is clear, and the dataset is as accessible as legally and ethically possible.