Research data management in the social sciences

At the University of Tartu Faculty of Social Sciences, we encourage researchers to value and share their research data and make it visible. We strive to ensure that promoting the data collected during research becomes as natural a part of academic work as disseminating research findings, articles and conference presentations. An overview of the data our researchers create, collect and use helps us foster academic collaboration and support the wider application of research results. Informed and forward-looking data management therefore contributes to the development of both the faculty and the university as a whole, but, above all, benefits researchers themselves by facilitating the smooth progress of their research projects.

To ensure that research data remains understandable and reusable in the future, researchers should plan their data-related activities in advance and follow good, up-to-date data management practices throughout the project. This guide provides our research staff with recommendations on the practices that deserve particular attention within our faculty, as well as information on the support materials and services available when planning data management.

What is research data management?

Research data is not limited to tables and statistics. Data can include anything a researcher has collected or created during a research project and on which their conclusions and findings are based. Research data management encompasses the entire data lifecycle, from data collection, organisation and storage to archiving and publication. The conscious and careful handling of data is not merely an administrative requirement of research; it is an integral part of research that supports transparency and reproducibility and helps to meet the expectations of funders and publishers.

The foundation of good data management lies in the FAIR principles: research data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. This does not mean that all data must be openly available. In this context, accessibility primarily refers to clear and transparent conditions governing access to and use of the data.

At the University of Tartu, a central policy on research data management and open science is still under development. So far, the faculty’s expectations for its researchers are derived from funders’ requirements and the Organisation of Research and Development and Innovation Act (TAIKS). According to TAIKS (subsection 3 of § 5 and clause 2 of subsection 5 of § 19), data generated through publicly funded research should be made available to the public, and universities have an obligation to ensure that research data complies with the FAIR principles.

This guide outlines the key aspects of research data management that should be considered throughout the lifecycle of a social science research project and addressed in project proposals. For more detailed guidance and practical advice, we also recommend consulting the CESSDA Data Management Expert Guide and the University of Tartu Library’s research data management learning materials.