Define a data steward and a data custodian in research data governance.

Define a data steward and a data custodian in research data governance.

• A. Data steward oversees data quality and policy; data custodian handles data storage, security, and access controls.
• B. Data steward handles data storage; data custodian develops data quality policies.
• C. Data steward is responsible for data security; data custodian approves ethics reviews.
• D. Both roles are the same and share all responsibilities.

Answer: (A)

In research data governance, responsibilities are split to balance using data well with keeping it secure. A data steward is the person responsible for data quality and policy. They define data standards, metadata, definitions, data quality rules, and how data should be used and governed so it remains accurate, consistent, and meaningful across projects. A data custodian, on the other hand, is the technical guardian of the data. They handle storage, security measures, access controls, backups, and the overall data lifecycle, ensuring the data is protected and available according to the policies the steward sets. This separation—steward focusing on quality and policy, custodian handling storage and security—best matches the described roles. The other options mix up these duties or assign governance tasks that aren’t core to these roles (for example, storage or security being attributed to the steward, or ethics approvals being placed with these roles).

In research data governance, responsibilities are split to balance using data well with keeping it secure. A data steward is the person responsible for data quality and policy. They define data standards, metadata, definitions, data quality rules, and how data should be used and governed so it remains accurate, consistent, and meaningful across projects. A data custodian, on the other hand, is the technical guardian of the data. They handle storage, security measures, access controls, backups, and the overall data lifecycle, ensuring the data is protected and available according to the policies the steward sets. This separation—steward focusing on quality and policy, custodian handling storage and security—best matches the described roles.

The other options mix up these duties or assign governance tasks that aren’t core to these roles (for example, storage or security being attributed to the steward, or ethics approvals being placed with these roles).