The NIST RDaF is a resource for the entire research data community, including both organizations and individuals engaged in research data management in any discipline, community members from industry, universities, government departments and agencies, funders, and scholarly publishers. . . .
[It is:]
- a map of the research data management ecosystem, organized by a canonical data lifecycle, into topics and subtopics;
- a dynamic guide for research data stakeholders to understand best practices in research data management and dissemination;
- a resource for understanding costs, benefits, and risks associated with research data management;
- and a consensus document based on inputs and conversations amongst stakeholders in research data.
Providing perhaps the most comprehensive view of the research data ecosystem to date, the NIST RDaF comprises: 6 lifecycle stages, 50 topics, and 335 subtopics (programmatic and operational activities, concepts, and other important factors relevant to research data management with definitions), 14 overarching themes, 8 “generic” profiles (samples for common job functions or roles), and over 1,000 informational references (standards, guidelines, and policies, that assist stakeholders in addressing that subtopic).
