researcherspecified

researcherspecified is a metadata attribute used in data management and metadata schemas to indicate that a value in a record was provided directly by the researcher rather than being computed, inferred, or automatically generated by a system. The term functions as a marker of human-sourced input within a dataset’s metadata, helping distinguish between fields that require expert judgment and those produced by automated processes.

In practice, researcherspecified is commonly implemented as a boolean flag or as part of provenance information within schemas, data dictionaries, or repository metadata. It supports data stewardship by clarifying the origin of values, which in turn aids validation, reproducibility, and trust in the data. By signaling human input, it also informs users about potential subjectivity or variability introduced by manual entry.

Examples of researcherspecified fields include descriptive notes, experimental conditions, qualitative classifications, or any parameter entered by the researcher during data collection or curation. These can be contrasted with system-derived values such as instrument readings, time stamps generated by software, or algorithmic classifications.

The concept is useful for provenance tracing and quality assessment, but it is not universally standardized across disciplines. In practice, consistent use requires clear governance, documentation, and alignment with a repository’s metadata framework. Without standardization, interpretations of researcherspecified can vary between projects.

See also data provenance, metadata, reproducibility, and data quality.