Data curation is the management and maintenance of data throughout its lifecycle, from creation to archiving or disposal. It involves tasks such as data cleaning, formatting, organizing, preserving, and sharing in a way that ensures its quality, integrity, and accessibility for future use. Data curators work to ensure that data is accurate, reliable, and available for analysis and decision-making by researchers, organizations, and the public. This field is essential for ensuring that data remains usable and valuable over time.