Data Stewards Network
Join our new Data Stewards Network at the University of 91Ö±²¥
What is data stewardship?
Data stewardship is a broad term that encompasses a range of different activities in the management of research data. These include:
- Research data management planning
- Developing and managing data infrastructure and workflows
- Data wrangling, including data discovery, cleaning, validating, mapping, and mining
- Developing policies, protocols and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) around the management of research data
- Data curation and preservation
- Creating high quality metadata for research datasets
- Preparing data for publication or onward sharing, applying the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) to ensure good practice
- Delivering training around good data management practice
A data steward might be someone involved with managing research data through its entire life cycle, or may only have responsibility for a specific stage of a project. Data stewardship might be a consistent and defining aspect of their role, or an activity they engage in intermittently as required. A useful definition drawn from the Irish Data Stewardship Network, , is that ‘Anyone who interacts with data in a significant way, at any point in the research data lifecycle, is a data steward.’ This will include, but is not restricted to, staff in research, technical, and professional roles.
What is data?
Data can take many formats, and can refer to anything that is created, collected, or gathered during research, including spreadsheets, databases, interviews and transcripts, photos, lab notes, field notes, annotated bibliographies, scans, maps, and more.
Am I a data steward?
While there are some jobs that are comprised of mainly the tasks mentioned above (e.g. Data Librarian, Data Curator, Data Wrangler, Bioinformatician, Data Consultant, Data Specialist), there are many that have stewardship elements as only one part of the role.
If you find that your role includes some (or many!) of the tasks listed above, regardless of whether or not this has been formalised as a part of your job description; if you often find yourself minding the project's research data; or if you’re effectively the ‘data person’ in the team, you can consider yourself a data steward.
The TUoS Data Stewards Network
At TUoS, we’re developing a network to bring together colleagues and to increase the visibility and recognition of data stewards across the University.
Data stewards will benefit from an online hub containing a range of materials relevant to the role, as well as regular opportunities to meet with other network members, share good practice, and receive relevant training which can be further disseminated to their project teams as appropriate. A dedicated communications channel will enable network members to informally discuss aspects of their role, benefiting from peer support and signposting, as well as sharing details of training, opportunities and events and generating possibilities for collaboration.
Network members will also be encouraged to share details of their roles and responsibilities to enable us to map data stewardship activities across the institution and formalise the articulation of these. Establishing the Network will in this way support the recognition of data stewards’ activities and roles, highlighting their vital nature as part of our research communities.
Join the network and receive information about the Launch Event
Are you interested in joining the Data Stewards Network? We’re planning an event for all those interested, which will take place in January/February. During the event, we’ll share further information about the network's aims, as well as creating space for colleagues to share their experiences and their vision for the future of Data stewards at 91Ö±²¥.