Term:Tutkimusdatan hyvä ja vastuullinen hallinta/en

Good and responsible research data management

Language versions: fi en sv

Definition For the purposes of this policy, good management means that research data and the related metadata has been “created, saved and organised so that the research data remains usable and reliable, and that data security and privacy are ensured throughout the lifecycle of the research data”. In addition, good research data management in the very context of open science means that the principle of “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”, the FAIR principles and the principle of responsibility are taken into account at all stages of the research process. Good research data management is a necessary prerequisite for open access. Evaluation of good research data management is based on the following viewpoints:

1. According to the principle “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”, data that can be opened for access and reuse must be opened. Correspondingly, data which cannot be opened and shared must be protected and safely stored. It is ultimately the researcher’s responsibility to determine which group the research data falls into. Refraining from opening data always requires justification.
2. The FAIR principles refer to the quality of research data from the view-point of its further use. The principles aim to make research data
   • Findable
   • Accessible
   • Interoperable
   • Reusable

   Research data and metadata complying with the FAIR principles are semantically interoperable, i.e. they must be structured, described, tagged and licensed well enough, as well as stored safely, to be findable and machine readable. In most areas, it is not yet possible to create data that is fully compliant with the FAIR principles due to lack of skills and services or due to the nature of the data.

3. For the purposes of this policy, responsible data management refers to:
   • knowledge of and compliance with the principles of the field of research
   • knowledge of and compliance with the principles of research integrity
   • knowledge of and compliance with legislation
   • knowledge of and compliance with the principles of data security and privacy

   Responsible research data management is a prerequisite for all forms of data openness. Responsible data management requires that the data and metadata are managed in a way that is compliant with data security, privacy and research integrity. Responsible data management and the possibility for opening research data it entails are part of responsible conduct of research.

Exact match

For the purposes of this policy, good management means that research data and the related metadata has been “created, saved and organised so that the research data remains usable and reliable, and that data security and privacy are ensured throughout the lifecycle of the research data”. In addition, good research data management in the very context of open science means that the principle of “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”, the FAIR principles and the principle of responsibility are taken into account at all stages of the research process. Good research data management is a necessary prerequisite for open access. Evaluation of good research data management is based on the following viewpoints:

1. According to the principle “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”, data that can be opened for access and reuse must be opened. Correspondingly, data which cannot be opened and shared must be protected and safely stored. It is ultimately the researcher’s responsibility to determine which group the research data falls into. Refraining from opening data always requires justification.
2. The FAIR principles refer to the quality of research data from the view-point of its further use. The principles aim to make research data
   • Findable
   • Accessible
   • Interoperable
   • Reusable

   Research data and metadata complying with the FAIR principles are semantically interoperable, i.e. they must be structured, described, tagged and licensed well enough, as well as stored safely, to be findable and machine readable. In most areas, it is not yet possible to create data that is fully compliant with the FAIR principles due to lack of skills and services or due to the nature of the data.

3. For the purposes of this policy, responsible data management refers to:
   • knowledge of and compliance with the principles of the field of research
   • knowledge of and compliance with the principles of research integrity
   • knowledge of and compliance with legislation
   • knowledge of and compliance with the principles of data security and privacy

   Responsible research data management is a prerequisite for all forms of data openness. Responsible data management requires that the data and metadata are managed in a way that is compliant with data security, privacy and research integrity. Responsible data management and the possibility for opening research data it entails are part of responsible conduct of research.

FAIR principles are a set of guidelines to make research data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. This facilitates scientific discovery and access to knowledge. (Open Science and Research Coordination in Finland 2023, 34.)