Add qualified attributions

In this guide

Overview
Add a qualified attribution
Manage existing qualified attributions

Overview

Add qualified attributions to document organisations and their specific roles in creating, maintaining, or distributing your dataset. Attributions provide detailed information about contributors, sources, or responsible parties beyond basic publisher information—improving transparency and accountability.

For example: A dataset for Transport Infrastructure may involve the Ministry of Transport as the Publisher, a research institute as the Author, and a data centre as the Custodian. By adding these attributions, data users can understand each organisation's role when the dataset is published.

How qualified attributions work:

• Editors add attribution entries to datasets to specify organisations and their roles
• Multiple attributions can be added to document all parties involved with a dataset
• Attribution details appear in published dataset metadata for data users
• The same organisation can have multiple roles (e.g., both Author and Custodian)

Add a qualified attribution

To add qualified attributions to a dataset, you must be a Metadata Editor or have the permission to edit datasets. Check your permissions.

1. Ensure the dataset is in draft mode, or revert it to draft if needed

2. Open the dataset in the Draft tab using one of the following methods:

   • Select the options icon ( ⋮ ) on the dataset and select Edit
   • Select View on the dataset, go to the Qualified Attributions tab, and select Manage Qualified Attributions

   

3. Select Qualified Attributions in the left panel.

4. Select Expand Form to add a new entry.

5. Fill out the attribution form:

   • Organisation: Select the organisation name
   • Role: Select the appropriate role that best describes this organisation's relationship to the dataset (see available roles below)

   In this example, we select LNDS as the Custodian of the dataset.

   

6. Select Add Attribution to save the entry. Repeat for each attribution.

   Multiple roles for one organisation

   The same organisation can have multiple roles. For example, an organisation might be both the Author and Custodian of a dataset. Add separate attributions for each role.

Available attribution roles:

The roles are based on the INSPIRE Responsible Party Role codelist:

• Author: Party who authored the dataset or its documentation
• Custodian: Party responsible for accepting accountability for the data and ensuring appropriate care and maintenance
• Distributor: Party who distributes the dataset to others
• Originator: Party who created the original data or dataset
• Owner: Party who owns the dataset or has ownership rights
• Point of contact: Party who can be contacted for acquiring knowledge about or acquisition of the dataset
• Principal investigator: Key party responsible for gathering information and conducting research
• Processor: Party who has processed the data in a manner such that the dataset has been modified
• Publisher: Party who published the dataset
• Resource provider: Party that supplies the dataset or resource
• User: Party who uses the dataset

Manage existing qualified attributions

After you add attribution entries, you can edit or delete them as needed.

1. Open the dataset editor and select Qualified Attributions in the left panel.

2. Locate the entry you want to manage in the table.

   

3. Choose your action:

   • Edit: Select the edit icon (✏️), update the details, and select Update Attribution
   • Delete: Select the edit icon (✏️) and select Delete Attribution to permanently remove the entry

   

Well done

After you add qualified attributions, data users can view the organisations and their roles in the published dataset metadata. This improves transparency and accountability.