| DDI_XPath | Required | CDC Label | Type | Repeatable | Usage note |
| /codeBook/@xml:lang | Mandatory | Attribute | ISO 639-1 codes are strongly encouraged to be used | ||
| /codeBook/@xsi:schemaLocation | Mandatory | Attribute | System-required information - always "ddi:codebook:2_5 codebook.xsd" | ||
| /codeBook/docDscr/citation/titlStmt/titl | Optional | Content element | No | Title of the CDC XML document - note that the Study Title goes in /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/titlStmt/titl | |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/titlStmt/titl | Mandatory | Study title | Content element | No | Title of the Study. If additional titles are required in other languages, use the parTitl element |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/titlStmt/parTitl | Optional | Study title | Content element | Yes | Title of the Study in additional languages other than the 'titl' element. It is preferable to include this element to hold an English version of the title if the 'titl' element is not in English. |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/titlStmt/IDNo | Mandatory | Content element | Yes | The content of this element serves two purposes. It is used both for the PID and for the study/archival number given by the SP. These two cases have different specifications. IDNo in the sense of study number is optional. PID is mandatory | |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/titlStmt/IDNo/@agency | Mandatory | Attribute | Agency responsible for the identifier of the study. If you are using IDNo for a Persistent Identifer, value should be one of https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/vocabulary/CessdaPersistentIdentifierTypes i.e. ARK or DOI or Handle or URN | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/holdings/@URI | Mandatory | Attribute | This is the document the metadata refers to, i.e. the URL of the study description page at the SP website. | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/rspStmt/AuthEnty | Recommended | Creator | Content element | Yes | Principal investigator Person OR Institution |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/rspStmt/AuthEnty/@affiliation | Optional | Attribute | If AuthEnty is a person, the organisational affiliation of that person | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/distStmt/distrbtr | Mandatory | Publisher | Content element | Yes | The element should contain the name of the organisation who has published the metadata for the harvested study description. This is usually the SP. |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/distStmt/distrbtr/@abbr | Optional | Attribute | Abbreviated form of the Publisher name e.g. 'UKDA' for 'UK Data Archive' | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/distStmt/distDate | Optional | Year of publication | Content element | Yes | The year or freetext date of when the study description was published. This element may be empty. |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/citation/distStmt/distDate/@date | Mandatory if 'distDate' element is present | Year of publication | Attribute | Ideally 'YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ' format, but can accept 'YYYY-MM-DD', 'YYYY-MM' or 'YYYY' as date format. | |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/subject/keyword | Recommended | Keyword | Content element | Yes | Keyword for the study in the local language. |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/subject/keyword/@vocab | Recommended if 'keyword' element is present | Attribute | Source of keywords - ELSST is recommended but other vocabularies can be referenced. | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/subject/keyword/@vocabURI | Optional | Attribute | |||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/subject/topcClas | Recommended | Topic | Content element | Yes | Subject classifcation term for the study in the local language. Use descriptive terms from https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/vocabulary/TopicClassification if possible but other vocabularies are permitted. |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/subject/topcClas/@vocab | Recommended | Attribute | name of the vocabulary. If possible, use "CESSDA Topic Classification" (regardless of language) but other vocabularies are permitted. | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/subject/topcClas/@vocabURI | Recommended | Attribute | The Canonical URL of the CV version that is being used e.g. https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/v2/vocabularies/TopicClassification/4.0?languageVersion=en-4.0 | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/abstract | Mandatory | Abstract | Content element | Yes | The abstract for the study |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/sumDscr/collDate | Optional | Data collection period | Content element | Yes | This is the free text expression of the collection period. This element may be empty. |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/sumDscr/collDate/@event | Mandatory if parent is present | Data collection period: start date OR Data collection period: End date | Attribute | Either 'start', 'end' or 'single' to indicate the type of @date Attribute | |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/sumDscr/collDate/@date | Recommended strongly if 'collDate' element is present. | Attribute | Ideally YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ format, but can accept YYYY-MM-DD, YYYY-MM or YYYY as date attribute. If there are multiple end dates, use the last. | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/sumDscr/nation | Recommended | Country | Content element | Yes | Countries relevant to the study area |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/sumDscr/nation/@abbr | Recommended | Attribute | Use this attribute only if the country in the 'nation' element has an ISO 3166-1 2-letter code. | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/sumDscr/anlyUnit | Recommended | Analysis unit | Content element | Yes | Contains the Analysis Unit CV item in the local language. |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/sumDscr/anlyUnit/concept | Recommended | Content element | No | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/sumDscr/anlyUnit/concept/@vocab | Recommended | Attribute | Use the string "DDI Analysis Unit" regardless of language. | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/stdyInfo/sumDscr/anlyUnit/concept/@vocabURI | Optional | Attribute | The Canonical URL of the CV version that is being used e.g. https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/v2/vocabularies/AnalysisUnit/1.0?languageVersion=en-1.0 | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/timeMeth | Recommended | Time dimension | Content element | Yes | Contains the Time Method CV item in the local language |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/timeMeth/concept | Content element | No | Time Method Controlled Vocabulary "Code value" that is the same across languages. e.g if the 'timeMeth' element is 'Pitkittäisaineisto' for Finnish, the 'concept' element is 'Longitudinal'. See example at https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/urn/urn:ddi:int.ddi.cv:TimeMethod | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/timeMeth/concept/@vocab | Recommended | Attribute | Use the string "DDI Time Method" regardless of language. | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/timeMeth/concept/@vocabURI | Optional | Attribute | The Canonical URL of the CV version that is being used e.g. https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/v2/vocabularies/TimeMethod/1.2?languageVersion=en-1.2 | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/sampProc | Optional | Sampling procedure | Content element | Yes | Contains the Sampling Procedure CV item in the local language and/or a freetext description in the local language |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/sampProc/concept | Content element | No | Sampling Procedure Controlled Vocabulary "Code value" that is the same across languages. e.g if the 'sampProc' element is 'Todennäköisyysotanta' for Finnish, the 'concept' element is 'Probability'. See example at https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/urn/urn:ddi:int.ddi.cv:SamplingProcedure | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/sampProc/concept/@vocab | Recommended | Attribute | Use the string "DDI Sampling Procedure" regardless of language. | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/sampProc/concept/@vocabURI | Optional | Attribute | The Canonical URL of the CV version that is being used e.g. https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/v2/vocabularies/SamplingProcedure/1.1?languageVersion=en-1.1 | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/collMode | Recommended | Data collection method | Content element | Yes | Contains the Mode of Collection CV item in the local language. |
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/collMode/concept | Content element | No | Mode of Collection Controlled Vocabulary "Code value" that is the same across languages. e.g if the 'collMode' element is 'Haastattelu' for Finnish, the 'concept' element is 'Interview'. See example at https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/urn/urn:ddi:int.ddi.cv:ModeOfCollection | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/collMode/concept/@vocab | Recommended | Attribute | Use the string "DDI Mode of Collection" regardless of language. | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/method/dataColl/collMode/concept/@vocabURI | Optional | Attribute | The Canonical URL of the CV version that is being used e.g. https://vocabularies.cessda.eu/v2/vocabularies/ModeOfCollection/3.0?languageVersion=en-3.0 | ||
| /codeBook/stdyDscr/dataAccs/useStmt/restrctn | Recommended | Terms of data access | Content element | Yes | Refers to any information relating to the access and use conditions of data that the SP wants to send. SPs need to concatenate the information for 'restrctn' the way they want it to appear in the CDC, if they use data from different elements e.g.specPerm, restrctn, avlStatus etc. |
| /codeBook/fileDscr/fileTxt/fileName | Recommended | Content element | Yes | Language-specific name of file |