# `<metadata>`

The `<metadata>` section of the `<prolog>` contains information about a topic such as audience and product information. Metadata can be used by computational processes to select particular topics or to prepare search indexes or to customize navigation. Elements inside of `<metadata>` provide information about the content and subject of a topic; `<prolog>` elements outside of `<metadata>` provide lifecycle information for the content unit (such as the author or copyright), which are unrelated to the subject.

Category: Prolog (metadata) elements