ISO/TR 23081-4:2026

Technical
Report
ISO/TR 23081-4
First edition
Information and documentation —
2026-06
Metadata for records —
Part 4:
Report on metadata element sets
Information et documentation — Métadonnées pour les
documents d'activité —
Partie 4: Rapport concernant les jeux d'éléments de métadonnées
Reference number
© ISO 2026
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Context . 4
5 Steps and methodology . 4
5.1 Collection of metadata element sets.4
5.2 Methodology .5
5.3 Conclusions .6
Bibliography .12

iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely
with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent
rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a)
patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that
this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at
www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 46, Information and documentation,
Subcommittee SC 11, Archives/records management.
A list of all parts in the ISO 23081 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

iv
Technical Report ISO/TR 23081-4:2026(en)
Information and documentation — Metadata for records —
Part 4:
Report on metadata element sets
1 Scope
This document provides an overview of the metadata element sets, developed in different countries and by
different organizations according to the ISO 23081 series of standards.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 30300, Information and documentation — Records management — Core concepts and vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 30300 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
identifier
data, string or pointer that establishes the identity of an item, organization or person, alone or in combination
with other elements
3.2
title
name given to a record, folder or class
3.3
subject
word or phrase indicating a topic associated with a registry object Typically, subject will be expressed as
keywords, key phrases or classification codes from a controlled vocabulary or formal classification scheme.
3.4
description
creation of a representation of an object and its component parts
3.5
creator
any entity (corporate body, family or person) that created, accumulated and/or maintained records
in the conduct of personal or corporate activity
[SOURCE: ISO 5127:2017, 3.7.1.06]

3.6
type
recognized form a record takes, which governs its internal structure and relates to its transactional purpose
or to the action or activity it documents
3.7
relation
identifies instances in which a record has a direct relationship with another record, either through content
or a direct business process, or clarifies how a record at one level of aggregation relates to records at other
levels
3.8
function
group of activities aimed at achieving one or more goals of an organization
[SOURCE: ISO 30300:2020, 3.1.12]
3.9
aggregation
any accumulation of record entities at a level above record object
[SOURCE: ISO 23081-1:2017, 3.2]
3.10
location
place where a record or resource is stored or held
3.11
security and access
security classification restrictions and permissions governing access to records
3.12
disposition
range of records processes associated with implementing records retention, destruction or transfer
decisions which are documented in disposition authorities or other instruments
[SOURCE: ISO 30300:2020, 3.4.8]
3.13
preservation
measures taken to maintain the usability, authenticity, reliability and integrity of records over time
Note 1 to entry: Measures include principles, policies, rules, strategies, processes and operations.
[SOURCE: ISO 30300:2020, 3.4.11]
3.14
accessibility
usability of a product, service, environment or facility by people with the widest range of capabilities
[SOURCE: ISO 5127:2017, 3.11.1.02]
3.15
publisher
entity responsible for making the resource available
Note 1 to entry: Examples of a Publisher include a person, an organization, or a service.
Note 2 to entry: Publisher http:// purl .org/ dc/ elements/ 1 .1/ publisher.
[SOURCE: ISO 15836-1:2017, 3.3.5]

3.16
source
external resource from which the present resource is derived
3.17
digital signature
signature based upon cryptographic methods of originator authentication, computed by using a set of rules
and a set of parameters such that the identity of the signer and the integrity of the data can be verified
Note 1 to entry: Digital signatures employ a type of asymmetric cryptography. For messages sent through an insecure
channel, a properly implemented digital signature gives the receiver reason to believe the message was sent by the
claimed sender.
[SOURCE: ISO 17523:2025, 3.4]
3.18
coverage
extent or scope of the content of the resource
3.19
mandate
legal, regulatory or business rules governing the organization
Note 1 to entry: In the records management field, mandates affect the records processes.
[SOURCE: ISO 30300:2020, 2.1.14]
3.20
medium
physical ‘carrier’ on which a digital record is stored.
Note 1 to entry: For physical records, the material of the record.
3.21
integrity check
method for determining whether the bits that make up a digital record have been changed in the course of
transmission or storage
Note 1 to en
...