In the data steward’s shoes: An autoethnographic exploration of everyday challenges

The role of Data Stewards (DSs) in academic institutions has become increasingly complex as research data management (RDM) policies evolve under the pressures of open science, data protection regulations, and funding mandates. This paper examines the challenges DSs face through an autoethnographic approach, analysing four cases that highlight tensions between global compliance requirements and researchers' practical needs. The findings illustrate that DSs operate in a “buffer zone,” mediating between top-down global imperatives, such as the principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR), national data-sharing policies, and legal constraints, as well as bottom-up pressures from researchers prioritizing knowledge production, academic freedom, and project-specific requirements. Rather than offering generalisations or fixed solutions, this paper provides a practice-based perspective that seeks to open the debate on the current positioning of DSs within academic institutions. By highlighting recurring frictions and underexplored issues, it identifies key areas for reflection and improvement, such as integrating DSs into institutional decision-making and promoting more flexible, context-sensitive RDM frameworks. This study contributes to a growing conversation on how data stewardship can evolve to better support both regulatory compliance and research innovation.