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Faculty of Arts and HumanitiesJakobi 2, r 116-121, 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaJakobi 2, 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaJakobi 2, IV korrus, 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaJakobi 2, III korrus, ruumid 302-337, 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaÜlikooli 16, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaÜlikooli 18, 50090 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaLossi 3, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaPosti 1, 71004 Viljandi linn, ViljandimaaJakobi 2, 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaJakobi 2, 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaFaculty of Social SciencesLossi 36, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaJakobi 5, 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaLossi 36, ruum 301, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaNarva mnt 18, 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaNäituse 2, 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaNäituse 20 - 118, 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaLossi 36, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaRaekoja plats 2, 20307 Narva linn, Ida-VirumaaRingi 35, 80012 Pärnu linn, Pärnu linn, PärnumaaLossi 36, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaLossi 36, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaFaculty of MedicineRavila 19, 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaBiomeedikum, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaNooruse 1, 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaL. Puusepa 1a, 50406 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaL. Puusepa 8, 50406 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaRavila 19, 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaUjula 4, 51008 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaRavila, 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaRavila 19, 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaFaculty of Science and TechnologyVanemuise 46 - 208, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaNarva mnt 18, 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaRavila 14a, 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaNarva mnt 18, 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaRiia 23, 23b - 134, 51010 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaNooruse 1, 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaJ. Liivi tn 2, 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaRiia 23b/2, 51010 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaVanemuise 46, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaVanemuise 46, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaArea of RectorArea of Vice Rector for Academic AffairsUppsala 10, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaÜlikooli 18b, 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaÜlikooli 18a (III korrus), 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaArea of Vice Rector for ResearchW. Struve 1, 50091 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaArea of Director of AdministrationÜlikooli 18, ruumid 102, 104, 209, 210, 50090 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaÜlikooli 18A (III korrus), 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaArea of Head of FinanceÜlikooli 17, 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaArea of Vice Rector for DevelopmentLossi 25, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaVanemuise 46, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaNarva mnt 18, 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, TartumaaArea of Academic SecretaryUppsala 6, Lossi 36, 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa
Data processing
When choosing research tools, it is advisable to think beyond the immediate needs of a single project. A good choice enables data to be re-analysed in the future and research outputs to be reused. Wherever possible, researchers should favour open-source software that supports widely used open file formats and has an active user community, as this often indicates long-term sustainability and support. Failing to consider these factors can undermine the reproducibility of research. For example, access to proprietary software may be lost if a licence is no longer available, or software required to process a specialised file format may cease to be developed altogether. This does not mean that commercial software should be avoided. In many cases, proprietary tools are the most effective option for a particular analysis. Where such software is used, however, researchers should ensure that it allows data to be converted into an open file format.
Integrated development environment for the open-source statistical programming language R
Recommended tools for data processing
For statistical analysis, we recommend R (in the development environment RStudio or Positron; both work on Windows, macOS and Linux) – it is a free, open-source and widely used statistical programming language. Stata and SPSS continue to be widely used in the social sciences, but they are proprietary and closed source, which means that replicating the analysis may depend on access to the relevant software licence. The licences of SPSS and other software can be purchased via the IT helpdesk.
Survey data can be collected using the university’s LimeSurvey environment, which students and staff can access using their University of Tartu user account.
A widely used tool for coding qualitative data in the social sciences is MAXQDA, a commercial software package. The University of Tartu does not provide a centrally managed licence for MAXQDA, but licences can be purchased on a project basis through the IT helpdesk portal. Open-source alternatives include QualCoder and Taguette, which offer a more limited range of features but are open source and support the open file format REFI-QDA. Another commonly used tool for qualitative content analysis is the web-based platform QCAmap.org, which, however, is not recommended for coding sensitive material.
Please note
When processing personal data or other sensitive information, it is essential to ensure that the chosen tools adequately protect data confidentiality and that the data is not transferred from the university to external software providers’ or service providers’ servers. For this reason, it is recommended to analyse data either on a university-managed workstation or within cloud services administered by the University of Tartu. Personal data must not be processed in commercial generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, etc.), as this could lead to such information reaching third parties.
Good to know
Practical guidance on issues to consider when processing research data can be found in Chapter 3, “Processing Data”, of the CESSDA Data Management Expert Guide.
