1/2     Schwartz, Ofira & Hayslett, Michele (2025) Perspectives on data: Management, access, and education across institutions, IASSIST 
Quarterly 49(4), pp. 1-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29173/iq1187 

 

 

The Creative Commons-Attribution-Noncommercial License 4.0 International applies to all works 

published by IASSIST Quarterly. Authors will retain copyright of the work and full publishing rights. 

Editors’ note: Perspectives on data: Management, access, and education across 

institutions 
 
Dear IASSISTers, 

 
Welcome to IASSIST Quarterly, Vol. 49 No. 4. 
 
IQ’s Editors and Editorial Board are continuously working on developing policies to provide a clear, 

consistent, and equitable experience for authors, reviewers, and readers. Authors who are considering 

submitting a manuscript are encouraged to download and read over the author template if they haven’t 

published with us recently. One recent update is a request that as part of the review process, authors 

include a separate letter, apart from their manuscript, explaining how the reviewers’ comments were 

addressed. This letter offers authors an opportunity to clarify why certain comments were not fully 

implemented or were addressed differently than recommended.   

As many of you may know, the Qualitative Social Science & Humanities Data Interest Group (QSSHDIG) 
has been working on a special issue highlighting the challenges of data sharing in the context of qualitative 
research. We are looking forward to publishing this issue in the spring of 2026.  Since this will be a double 
issue, the release date may vary from our regular publishing schedule; however, we’ll announce it debut 
on the list as usual. 
 
The current issue, IQ 49(4), brings together diverse perspectives on the evolving landscape of research 
data management, access, and data literacy within academic and research contexts. The four featured 
articles explore critical challenges and opportunities in supporting data-driven scholarship. Collectively, 
these contributions underscore the importance of cross-campus collaboration and shared understanding 
to advance data stewardship and literacy. 
 
Opening the issue is the winning submission of the 2025 IASSIST Conference Paper Competition, titled 

“Assessing data management and sharing plans: The “state of play” at Duke and opportunities for cross-

campus collaborations.” Authors Sophia Lafferty-Hess, William Krenzer, Jenny Ariansen and Jennifer 

Darragh, present key findings from a data management and sharing plans (DMSP) assessment project 

jointly undertaken by two research support groups at their institution. They further discuss how data 

management specialists can use this cross-campus collaboration model for ongoing education, training, 

and resource development.  

In their article “In the data steward’s shoes: An autoethnographic exploration of everyday challenges,” 

authors Auriane Marmier, Stefan Stepanovic, and Tobias Mettler use an autoethnographic approach to 

provide a practice-based perspective on the role of Data Stewards in academic institutions and the 

challenges they face. The authors seek to initiate a discussion about the current positioning of Data 

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2/2     Schwartz, Ofira & Hayslett, Michele (2025) Perspectives on data: Management, access, and education across institutions, IASSIST 
Quarterly 49(4), pp. 1-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29173/iq1187 

 

Stewards within academic institutions in order to understand how data stewardship can better support 

both regulatory compliance and research innovation. 

Graeme Campbell, Katie Cuyler and Alex Guindon offer us an overview of the current landscape of the 

Canadian census portals. In their article “Assessing the landscape for discovery and access to historical 

Canadian census data,” the authors argue that fragmented and inconsistent access to Canadian census 

data serve as a barrier to research and emphasize the need for a single comprehensive access point for 

Canadian census data. 

The paper “Conception of data literacy in statistics education literature” presents results from a scoping 

review of data literacy articles within the field of statistics education. The concept of data literacy is 

interpreted quite differently by librarians and statisticians. Authors Julia Bauder and Libby Cave review 

the landscape of data literacy education in statistics, offering librarians and other information 

professionals a map for coordinating their data literacy work with disciplinary faculty, and contributing to 

data literacy education. 

 

Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year! 

 

Ofira Schwartz and Michele Hayslett, December 2025 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	Editors’ note: Perspectives on data: Management, access, and education across institutions
	Opening the issue is the winning submission of the 2025 IASSIST Conference Paper Competition, titled “Assessing data management and sharing plans: The “state of play” at Duke and opportunities for cross-campus collaborations.” Authors Sophia Lafferty-...