Metadata Fix: 2025.coling-main.571 Author Correction

This article addresses a metadata correction for the 2025.coling-main.571 discussion within the acl-org and acl-anthology categories. Specifically, the correction involves updating an author's name to ensure accuracy and consistency across the digital library. Maintaining accurate metadata is crucial for the discoverability and proper citation of research papers.

Understanding the Importance of Accurate Metadata

Accurate metadata is the backbone of any digital library or research database. Think of it as the information card on a library book – it tells you the title, author, publication date, and other crucial details. In the context of academic publications, metadata includes the title, authors, abstract, publication venue, year of publication, and keywords. This information allows researchers to easily find relevant papers, cite them correctly, and understand the context of the research. When metadata is inaccurate or incomplete, it can lead to several problems:

• Reduced Discoverability: If author names or titles are misspelled, or keywords are missing, researchers may not be able to find the paper when searching databases.
• Citation Errors: Incorrect author names or publication years can lead to errors in citations, which can impact the credibility of research.
• Misattribution of Work: Inaccurate metadata can lead to confusion about who authored a paper, potentially misattributing credit for the work.
• Data Analysis Issues: Metadata is often used for bibliometric analysis, which involves studying publication patterns and research trends. Inaccurate metadata can skew these analyses and lead to incorrect conclusions.

Therefore, ensuring the accuracy of metadata is a critical task for any organization managing a digital library or research repository. This correction highlights the commitment to maintaining high-quality data within the ACL Anthology.

The Specific Correction: From "Yx L" to "Yaoxu Li"

The specific issue addressed in this metadata correction is the discrepancy in the author's name. The original metadata listed the author as "Yx L," which is an abbreviated and potentially ambiguous form. The corrected metadata updates this to the full and accurate name, "Yaoxu Li." This seemingly small change is significant for several reasons:

• Clarity and Identification: Using the full name ensures that the author is clearly and uniquely identified. This prevents confusion with other authors who might have similar initials.
• Comprehensive Search Results: Researchers searching for papers by Yaoxu Li will now be able to find this publication, whereas they might have missed it if searching for the full name and only the abbreviated form was available.
• Consistent Representation: Maintaining a consistent format for author names across all publications in the anthology ensures a professional and standardized presentation of research.

This correction exemplifies the meticulous attention to detail required in metadata management. While abbreviations may sometimes be used, it is generally best practice to use full names to avoid ambiguity and ensure accurate attribution.

The Impact of the Correction on the ACL Anthology

The ACL Anthology is a comprehensive digital library of research papers in computational linguistics and natural language processing. It serves as a primary resource for researchers in these fields, and its quality and reliability are paramount. Each correction, such as this one, contributes to the overall integrity of the anthology.

By ensuring accurate author names, the ACL Anthology maintains its reputation as a trusted source of information. This benefits the entire research community by making it easier to find and cite relevant work. Furthermore, accurate metadata supports the long-term preservation of research, ensuring that future generations of scholars can access and build upon existing knowledge.

This particular correction also highlights the dynamic nature of digital libraries. Metadata is not static; it requires ongoing maintenance and updates to reflect changes in author information, affiliations, and other details. The ACL Anthology's commitment to metadata correction demonstrates its proactive approach to ensuring data quality.

The Broader Context of Metadata Management in Digital Libraries

Metadata management is a complex and multifaceted process that involves several key activities:

• Creation: Metadata is often created during the submission or publication process. Authors may be asked to provide keywords, abstracts, and other information about their work.
• Standardization: Using standardized metadata schemas and controlled vocabularies ensures consistency and interoperability across different systems.
• Quality Control: Metadata should be reviewed and validated to ensure accuracy and completeness. This may involve manual checks or automated tools.
• Maintenance: Metadata needs to be updated over time to reflect changes in author information, affiliations, and other details.
• Enhancement: Metadata can be enhanced by adding additional information, such as links to related resources or persistent identifiers.

The correction of "Yx L" to "Yaoxu Li" falls under the quality control and maintenance aspects of metadata management. It demonstrates the importance of having processes in place to identify and correct errors in metadata. This requires a combination of automated checks and human review.

Furthermore, this correction highlights the collaborative nature of metadata management. Authors, editors, and database administrators all play a role in ensuring the accuracy of metadata. Open communication and feedback mechanisms are essential for identifying and resolving issues.

Practical Implications for Researchers and Information Professionals

For researchers, this metadata correction underscores the importance of carefully reviewing the metadata associated with their publications. Authors should ensure that their names are spelled correctly, their affiliations are up-to-date, and the keywords accurately reflect the content of their work. This will help to ensure that their papers are easily discoverable and properly cited.

For information professionals, such as librarians and archivists, this correction serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for metadata maintenance. Digital libraries are not static entities; they require continuous attention to ensure data quality. This includes implementing processes for metadata creation, quality control, maintenance, and enhancement. Information professionals should also stay up-to-date on best practices in metadata management and collaborate with researchers and database administrators to ensure the accuracy and accessibility of research publications.

Conclusion: A Commitment to Accuracy and Accessibility

The metadata correction from "Yx L" to "Yaoxu Li" for the 2025.coling-main.571 discussion may seem like a small change, but it reflects a broader commitment to accuracy and accessibility in digital libraries. By ensuring that author names are correctly represented, the ACL Anthology enhances the discoverability of research, promotes proper citation practices, and maintains its reputation as a trusted resource for the computational linguistics and natural language processing communities.

This correction is a testament to the ongoing efforts to maintain high-quality metadata and underscores the importance of collaboration between authors, editors, and information professionals. As digital libraries continue to grow and evolve, metadata management will remain a critical task for ensuring the long-term preservation and accessibility of research knowledge.

For more information on metadata best practices, visit the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative.