Assessment of FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability) data implementation frameworks: a parametric approach

Abstract

Open science movement has established reproducibility, transparency, and validation of research outputs as essential norms for conducting scientific research. It advocates for open access to research outputs, especially research data, to enable verification of published findings and its optimum reuse. The FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles support the philosophy of open science and have emerged as a foundational framework for making digital assets machine-actionable and enhancing their reusability and value in various domains, particularly in scientific research and data management. In response to the growing demand for making data FAIR, various FAIR implementation frameworks have been developed by various organizations to educate and make the scientific community more aware of FAIR and its principles and to make the adoption and implementation of FAIR easier. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the openly available FAIR implementation frameworks based on a parametric evaluation of these frameworks. The current work identifies 13 frameworks and compares them against their coverage of the four foundational principles of FAIR, including an assessment of these frameworks against 36 parameters related to technical specifications, basic features, and FAIR implementation features and FAIR coverage. The study identifies that most of the frameworks only offer a step-by-step guide to FAIR implementation and seem to be adopting the technology-first approach, mostly guiding the deployment of various tools for FAIR implementation. Many frameworks are missing the critical aspects of explaining what, why, and how for the four foundational principles of FAIR, giving less consideration to the social aspects of FAIR. The study concludes that more such frameworks should be developed, considering the people-first approach rather than the technology-first.