creator

creator · Recommended by Google

Appears in

Dataset

What is it?

The creator property identifies the person or organization that produced a dataset. It tells search engines and data catalogs who is responsible for the data, which is critical for establishing trust and attribution.

creator is functionally equivalent to author on other CreativeWork types. For datasets, Google and the scientific community prefer creator over author.

Why this matters for AEO

When a user asks "who published the NCDC Storm Events data," AI answer engines pull the creator field to attribute the dataset. Structured creator data with names and persistent identifiers (ORCID, ROR) lets the AI give a definitive answer rather than hedging on authorship.

What the specs say

Schema.org:Organization, Person. The creator/author of this CreativeWork. This is the same as the Author property for CreativeWork.

Google: Recommended. "The creator or author of this dataset." Source

How to find your value

• Research papers — Author bylines, corresponding author
• Data portals — Publisher or contributor fields
• Government datasets — Issuing agency name
• Internal datasets — Team or department responsible
• Academic datasets — ORCID profile of the researcher

Format and code

Organization as creator:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Dataset",
  "name": "Water Balance Dataset",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Svartberget Research Station"
  }
}

Person with ORCID identifier:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Dataset",
  "name": "Climate Observations 2020",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "John Smith",
    "sameAs": "https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000"
  }
}

Multiple creators:

{
  "creator": [
    {"@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Doe", "sameAs": "https://orcid.org/0000-0001-2345-6789"},
    {"@type": "Organization", "name": "National Weather Service"}
  ]
}

Webflow implementation

Static pages

Add the creator object inside your Dataset JSON-LD block in Page Settings > Custom Code > Footer Code. Use the full Organization or Person type with name and sameAs.

CMS template pages

Map CMS fields for creator name and identifier URL to build the creator object dynamically. Use a plain text field for the name and a link field for the sameAs URL.

In Schema HQ

The creator field does not currently generate Dataset markup. Add creator data manually through Webflow custom code.

Real examples

From Swedish Research Data Service:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Dataset",
  "name": "Water balance dataset",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Svartberget Research Station"
  }
}

From Google Dataset Search Documentation:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Dataset",
  "name": "NCDC Storm Events Database",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "John Smith",
    "sameAs": "https://orcid.org/0000-0000-0000-0000"
  }
}

Related fields

• license
• spatialCoverage
• temporalCoverage
• author
• name

FAQ

What is the difference between creator and author for datasets?

They are functionally identical. Schema.org defines creator as "the same as the Author property for CreativeWork." For datasets, the data science community and Google Dataset Search both use creator as the conventional choice.

Should I use ORCID or ROR identifiers?

Yes, when available. For individual researchers, add their ORCID URL in sameAs. For organizations, use the ROR (Research Organization Registry) URL. These persistent identifiers help search engines and data catalogs disambiguate creators across datasets.

Can a dataset have multiple creators?

Yes. Pass an array of Person and/or Organization objects. List creators in the order they should be attributed.