Metadata Best Practices

To ensure broad discoverability, visibility and sell-through, your metadata should be as complete as possible.

Examples of useful data to include are:

  • ISBNs: All ISBNs associated with the title, including all print ISBNs, digital ISBNs, custom/distributor-specific ISBNs, and channel-specific ISBNs like Inclusive access identifiers.
    • Where newer edition ISBNs are available, link them to the previous edition asset. This helps to push users to the newest edition when previous editions have been retired.
  • Asset Information: Include complete metadata for the title, subtitle, author (first and last names), edition, and copyright years.
  • Marketing description/BISAC codes: Add a Marketing description and BISAC codes to improve discoverability in eCommerce environments. Think of BISAC Codes as a way to tell retailers where a book fits best, and to help customers more easily locate titles of interest.
    • For additional information on BISAC Codes, the BISG website offers helpful resources and FAQs.
  • Territorial sales rights: Include territorial sales rights for inclusion in regional-specific catalogs.

Ensure a Positive User Experience

To make *MLA and APA Citations clear for end users, consider aligning your content with the following recommendations:

Note: All citations use the publication year, not the copyright date.

  • Edition information should be limited to the edition field, and not included in the title.
  • To decrease visual clutter, titles should exclude extraneous verbiage such as “eBook” or “Digital edition”.
  • "Author First" and "Author Last" fields are the first and last name of the Primary Author only
  • When submitting multiple entries in the Author field, use a semi-colon to separate each author.
  • The Publication Date field should be formatted YYYYMMDD.
  • All build failures should be resolved to push your title into a distributable status.
    • Additional help and information on asset builds can be found on this VitalSource Success page, under the Build Status section.
  • Ensure your content file includes a Table of Contents, page labels, and a cover file. For more information, submission guides for ePub and PDF files can be accessed for free on the VitalSource Store.
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