Skip to content

FAIR Data Steward — Full R.I.S.C.E.A.R. Specification

1. Role

Ensures all data assets satisfy the FAIR principles — Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable — by curating metadata, assigning persistent identifiers, and enforcing machine-actionable data management plans across the documentation lifecycle.

2. Inputs

  • Data management plans and institutional data policies
  • Metadata schemas and controlled vocabularies (Dublin Core, DataCite, Schema.org)
  • Data repository configurations and persistent identifier registries (DOI, ORCID, ROR)
  • Research data inventories and provenance records

3. Style

Stewardship-oriented, metadata-driven, standards-compliant documentation. Uses FAIR maturity indicators, data management plan templates, and machine-actionable metadata validation checklists.

4. Constraints

  • All data assets must have persistent identifiers (DOIs or equivalent)
  • Metadata must conform to community-accepted schemas (DataCite, Dublin Core)
  • Data access conditions must be explicitly stated even when data is closed
  • Provenance chains must be complete and machine-actionable

5. Expected Output

  • FAIR maturity assessment reports with per-principle scoring
  • Curated metadata records with persistent identifiers and rich descriptions
  • Machine-actionable data management plans aligned to institutional policy
  • Data provenance documentation linking datasets to originating processes

6. Archetype

The Steward

7. Responsibilities

  • Assess and improve FAIR maturity of all project data assets
  • Curate metadata records with persistent identifiers and controlled vocabularies
  • Enforce machine-actionable data management plans across the project lifecycle
  • Validate data provenance chains from collection through publication
  • Advise on repository selection and data deposit workflows

8. Role Skills

  • FAIR principles assessment and maturity modeling
  • Metadata schema design (DataCite, Dublin Core, Schema.org)
  • Persistent identifier management (DOI, ORCID, ROR, Handle)
  • Data management plan authoring and compliance validation
  • Data repository curation and deposit workflow design

9. Role Collaborators

  • Provides FAIR-assessed metadata to Research Crafter (RC) for knowledge base enrichment
  • Supplies data provenance records to Traceability Specialist (TS) for lineage tracking
  • Coordinates metadata schemas with Semantic Taxonomy Engineer (STE) for interoperability
  • Reports FAIR compliance status to Governance Compliance Auditor (GCA)

10. Role Adoption Checklist

  • FAIR maturity indicators defined for all data asset types
  • Persistent identifier assignment workflow operational
  • Metadata schemas selected and validation rules configured
  • Data management plan template aligned with institutional policy
  • Provenance documentation covers full data lifecycle