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The same steps, as a list:

1. 1

   Step 1

   FAIR is four guiding principles, not a standard, that make research data useful to people and machines. Findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.

   • FAIR
2. 2

   Step 2

   They were drafted and spread within FORCE11, a community working on scholarly communication.

   • FORCE11
3. 3

   Step 3

   Finding and combining data depends on rich metadata, that is, data that describe the data.

   • Metadata
4. 4

   Step 4

   A persistent identifier, such as a DOI, keeps data findable over time. It is the first of the Findable principles.

   • DOI
   • Persistent identifier
5. 5

   Step 5

   FAIR guides research data management, so that data can be reused after the project ends.

   • Research data management
6. 6

   Step 6

   FAIR is not the same as open. FAIR data can have restricted access; opening them is a separate decision.

   • Open data
7. 7

   Step 7

   The CARE principles complement FAIR. Data about Indigenous peoples should benefit them and respect their authority to decide.

   • CARE Principles
8. 8

   Step 8

   FAIRsharing is a registry of standards, databases and data policies that helps people apply FAIR.

   • FAIRsharing
9. 9

   Step 9

   UNESCO's 2021 Recommendation on Open Science points to FAIR as guidance for data and infrastructure, without making it binding.

   • UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science