This paper defines the best practices for documenting ocean acidification(OA) data and presents a framework for an OA metadata template. Metadata isstructured information that describes and locates an information resource.It is the key to ensuring that a data set will be accessible into thefuture. With the rapid expansion of studies on biological responses to OA,the lack of a common metadata template to document the resulting data posesa significant hindrance to effective OA data management efforts. In thispaper, we present a metadata template that can be applied to a broadspectrum of OA studies, including those studying the biological responses toOA. The "variable metadata section", which includes the variable name,observation type, whether the variable is a manipulation condition orresponse variable, and the biological subject on which the variable isstudied, forms the core of this metadata template. Additional metadataelements, such as investigators, temporal and spatial coverage, and datacitation, are essential components to complete the template. We explain thestructure of the template, and define many metadata elements that may beunfamiliar to researchers.
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