Research Data: Start

Everything that researchers create, collect, produce, generate or (re)use in their research may be research data. Research data is a valuable part of the research process. In this guide, you find instructions and advice to help researchers and students at Åbo Akademi University to handle, create, find, share and publish research data to ensure the transparency and reliability of research.

Planning and handling research data in a responsible and long-term way is part of good scientific practice. Research data created, collected and used by researchers affiliated with Åbo Akademi University should be carefully managed from start to the end, according to the ÅAU guidelines for open access to research materials, methods and research infrastructures. Research data is valuable also after the project has finished and needs to be taken care of during its entire life cycle. Well-managed data provides citations and collaborations in the long run and ensures the quality of research by enabling validation as well as reuse.

This guide provides information for researchers and students about the following topics:

Planning and DMP

Confidential data and personal data

Storage, sharing, collaboration

Documentation and metadata

Open, share and/or archive after the project ends

Find and cite data

FAQ

Everything that researchers create, collect, produce, generate or (re)use in their research projects may be research data, for example:

    • measurement results, statistics, observations
    • interviews and surveys (e.g. transcriptions, survey forms, responses)
    • audio-visual materials (e.g. recordings, videos)
    • pictures, photos
    • research diaries, notes, lab books
    • software and source code
    • physical or digital source material (e.g. biological samples, objects, text excerpts, other collected material)

Research data and materials may be quantitative or qualitative, digital or physical. This guide does not differentiate between research data and research materials.

Planning and responsible handling of research data, and sharing data in an appropriate way, is beneficial for the researcher, the research community, funders, and society.

Benefits of responsible management of research data:

    • helps the researchers to organise, store and manage their research data in a proper and long-term way
    • saves time and resources
    • minimises the risk of data loss
    • promotes the transparency, validity, reliability and quality of research
    • enables archiving and long-term storage and promotes reuse of data
    • helps the researchers meet funders' requirements
    • helps the researchers meet publisher´s research data policies
    • publishing data is an academic merit

The research process and the management of research data go hand in hand. The research data life cycle includes: planning of the research, collection of data/materials, analysis (often including collaboration), organising and documenting data, storage and preservation, as well as sharing and publishing. The life cycle continues through (re)use and citation of research data.

Image: JISC https://rdmtoolkit.jisc.ac.uk/research-data-lifecycle/ CC-BY-ND

The ÅAU Guidelines for open access to research materials, methods and research infrastructures are defined in ÅAU:s Open Science Policy (downloaded in selection 8/8/2024): 

Guidelines for researchers and teachers

• Researchers at Åbo Akademi University (employed and affiliated) manage their research materials in accordance with current legislation and agreements, ethical principles and good research practice throughout the entire life cycle of the research data.
• Research materials and methods are stored, recorded, and documented to ensure that the data is available and usable even after the completion of the project, for purposes such as reuse or verification.
• Research materials are made as openly available as possible, and kept as closed as necessary, aiming to comply with the FAIR principles. The opening of research materials and methods should respect the legal protection for researchers and research participants, as well as take into account potential ethical, legal, and contractual restrictions. The openness of research data follows subject- and discipline-specific conditions, but restrictions to openness should not be justified only by established practice or traditions within a specific field of research.
• Researchers or research groups write a data management plan (DMP) before starting a project or a study. The DMP serves as a tool for planning responsible management, anticipating risks and complications, and making it easier for researchers to prepare their research material to be as open as possible according to the FAIR principles. Doctoral researchers prepare a DMP for their project before any data collection begins, or within their first year as a doctoral researcher.
• Research materials are published with an as open a license as possible, or with other predefined user rights for future use. The same principle also applies to research methods that can be shared (source code, software, lab protocols, interview guides, etc.). Open access to research methods is a prerequisite for understanding how results have been derived from the data and how a study has been conducted and analysed.
• At ÅAU, different degrees of openness are applied to research materials. Researchers decide on a case-by-case basis, considering ethical, legal, and contractual aspects, what degree of openness and access to the research material can be given. The researcher can choose to open only a part of the material, which can either be completely open, or only available for research purposes. For materials that cannot be opened, it is recommended to publish descriptive metadata in a high-quality data repository/archive.
• Researchers are responsible for providing sufficient metadata for their research data. In the case of very large amounts of data, metadata for materials directly relevant to publications is prioritised.
• The Heads of Subject are responsible for ensuring that everyone, including supervisors and students, are aware of and adheres to principles of responsible research practices and data management. Each research project has a person responsible for the purpose.

There is also a national policy for management if research data: Open research data and methods. National policy and executive plan by the higher education and research community for 2021–2025: Policy component 1 (Open access to research data) and 2 (Open access to research methods and infrastructures)

Summary: Openness is an integral part of research quality and impact throughout the research life cycle. Research data and methods are as open as possible and as closed as necessary. Data are handled appropriately in order to comply with the FAIR principles. Research data, materials, and methods are identified as independent research outputs. The updated policy includes the sub-policy on open access to research data from 2021 and the sub-policy on open access to research methods and infrastructures from 2023.