> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://fairsharing.gitbook.io/fairsharing/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://fairsharing.gitbook.io/fairsharing/fair-assistance/fair-enabling-databases.md).

# FAIR-enabling databases

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## Introduction

FAIRsharing stores a wide range of human- and machine-accessible metadata describing the key characteristics of standards, databases, policies, and other FAIR-enabling resources. For databases, these metadata describe aspects such as identifier practices, governance, stewardship, preservation policies, standards implementation, interoperability features, and other characteristics that contribute to [FAIR](https://doi.org/10.25504/FAIRsharing.WWI10U) enablement.

To help the research community understand and evaluate these characteristics, FAIRsharing provides two FAIR benchmarks: **FAIR ARK**, a general benchmark applicable to any database registered in FAIRsharing, and **FAIR LS-ARK**, a specialised benchmark tailored to life science resources. These ARK-based benchmarks evaluate the FAIR-enabling qualities of databases represented within FAIRsharing. Individual benchmarks may specialise these definitions for particular domains or communities while maintaining a common conceptual framework.

These benchmarks evaluate FAIR-enabling qualities primarily at the level of the database itself rather than at the level of individual datasets, records, or other digital objects contained within it. The benchmarks therefore focus on repository-level characteristics such as governance declarations, identifier practices, metadata interoperability, standards implementation, preservation commitments, discoverability, and machine accessibility.

The benchmarks operationalise FAIR assessment using curated FAIRsharing metadata describing repository characteristics and linked governance artefacts. These may include standards, identifier schemas, organisations, publications, policies, certifications, and other relationships represented within FAIRsharing. Together, these provide structured evidence that can be used to support transparent and reproducible FAIR assessment.

The FAIR-enabling qualities assessed by these benchmarks are aligned primarily with the FAIR Principles. Where appropriate, mappings to community best practices, trust frameworks, and certification schemes are also provided through the Governance Crosswalk. These mappings support transparency, interoperability among FAIR assessment tools, and comparison with existing repository governance and trust frameworks.

The pages within this section describe how each FAIR principle is implemented in the context of evaluation of the FAIR-enabling qualities of databases. It helps databases managers understand how to better describe their resource to showcase its FAIRness, and helps the research community gain a greater understanding of those databases.

## Glossary

This glossary helps you understand the **Database** **FAIR-enabling characteristics** table for each page in this section.

<table><thead><tr><th width="105.40234375"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Symbol</td><td>Meaning</td></tr><tr><td>🏛</td><td><strong>Database governance</strong> (Information about the database)– Characteristics that describe the database itself, including its stewardship, governance, sustainability, funding, responsibility, policies, provenance, and trustworthiness.</td></tr><tr><td>🧩</td><td><strong>Database FAIR-support capability</strong> (Information about what the database enables its users to do) – Characteristics that describe how the database enables FAIR practices for the records it contains. These capabilities may include support for standards, identifiers, provenance, documentation, training, discoverability, interoperability, or other FAIR-enabling features.</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Governance Crosswalk

Each metric may align with one or more external repository governance, trust, or FAIR-enablement frameworks, including:  &#x20;

* FAIRest: Mathieu d'Aquin, Fabian Kirstein, Daniela Oliveira, Sonja Schimmler, Sebastian Urbanek; FAIREST: A Framework for Assessing Research Repositories. Data Intelligence 2023; 5 (1): 202–241. doi: <https://doi.org/10.1162/dint_a_00159>&#x20;
* Core Trust Seal (CTS): <https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17660462>&#x20;
* Nestor: <https://d-nb.info/135630141X/34>&#x20;
* TTRAM: L'Hours, H., Kleemola, M., Parkes, O., Recker, J., Duvaud, S., van Horik, R., Alaterä, T. J., Liberante, F., Conzett, P., Kaartinen, H., Bäckman, S., & Esteves, E. (2025). FIDELIS TTRAMatrix v01.00 Template (v01.00). Zenodo. <https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17144259>&#x20;
* USRN: USRN Desirable Characteristics of Digital Publication Repositories: <https://sparcopen.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Desirable-Characteristics-of-Digital-Publication-Repositories-APPROVED-20230331.pdf>&#x20;

These alignments support interoperability and comparability across repository governance frameworks.&#x20;

Alignment symbols: - = no alignment with any metrics for the principle; ✔ = alignment with at least one metric for the principle; ✔✔ = alignment with over half of the metrics for the principle.

<table><thead><tr><th width="106.37109375">FAIR Principle</th><th>FAIRest</th><th width="128">Core Trust Seal</th><th>Nestor</th><th>TTRAM</th><th>USRN</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>F1</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔ </td><td>✔✔</td></tr><tr><td>F2</td><td>-</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>F3</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>F4</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔</td><td>-</td><td>✔✔</td></tr><tr><td>A1</td><td>✔✔</td><td>-</td><td>✔</td><td>✔</td><td>✔</td></tr><tr><td>A2</td><td>✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td></tr><tr><td>I1</td><td>✔</td><td>-</td><td>✔✔</td><td>-</td><td>✔✔</td></tr><tr><td>I2</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>✔✔</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>I3</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔</td></tr><tr><td>R1.1</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td></tr><tr><td>R1.2</td><td>- </td><td>✔ </td><td>✔✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>- </td></tr><tr><td>R1.3</td><td>✔</td><td>✔</td><td>✔</td><td>✔✔</td><td>-</td></tr></tbody></table>

FAIR Assistance for Repositories and Knowledgebases Benchmark\
(FAIR ARK)
----------

This benchmark collects all of the metrics that are used to produce an evaluation of the FAIR-enabling qualities of databases registered in FAIRsharing. Find out more at <https://fairsharing.org/7162>.

## FAIR Assessment of Life Science Repositories and Knowledgebases Benchmark (FAIR LS-ARK)

This benchmark collects all of the metrics that are used to produce an evaluation of the FAIR-enabling qualities of life science databases registered in FAIRsharing. Find out more at <https://fairsharing.org/7456>.


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