Research data refers to the data produced in RDI activities by the staff and students of Turku University of Applied Sciences. These include, for example, measurement results, statistics, images, audio and video recordings, transcripts of interviews, survey data, fieldwork observations and physical samples.
Data management means that the research data and the related descriptive information (metadata) is created, stored and organised so that the data remains usable and reliable, and that data protection and information security are ensured throughout the life cycle of the research data.
This guide covers how you can follow good data management practices when conducting research, working in an RDI project or writing a thesis. Good data management practices mean that the data, their descriptive metadata and documentation are stored in a usable format, reliably and securely for as long as necessary, even permanently. Good data management practices are part of good research practices.
Data management covers the entire life cycle of research data, which is reflected in the structure of the guide:
Open data is one possible end result of good data management.
In addition to declarations that promote open science and research, the following national policies are taken into account in Turku UAS with regard to research data and research methods:
When data is in a digital format, the policies on the open data and research methods encourage to follow the FAIR principles. The purpose of the FAIR principles is to make the data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable.
The principles and policies for processing data that has been generated in Turku UAS's RDI activities are described in Tutkimusaineistonhallinnan toimintaperiaatteet Turun ammattikorkeakoulussa (link to Messi intranet, document in Finnish).
Open science and research aims to ensure that research results, research data, and research methods are available to anyone who wants to access them, within the limits set by research ethics and the law. The aim is to increase the quality, reliability, and visibility of research and to increase the societal impact of research and the creation of new innovations.
Turku University of Applied Sciences is committed to promoting open science and research by signing the Declaration for Open Science and Research 2025-2030, the DORA Declaration (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment) and the CoARA Declaration (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment).
Turku University of Applied Sciences promotes open science and research, which is divided into four different areas in Finland:
1) Culture of open scholarship
2) Open data
3) Open access
4) Open education
The Federation of Finnish Learned Societies is responsible for coordinating open science in Finland. The work is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.
More information: Declaration for Open Science and Research 2025-2030
This guide covers the Turku UAS instructions on data management.
Contact data management specialists by email datasupport@turkuamk.fi.
We are happy to help you!
Every member of the university of applied sciences community must follow the research ethics guidelines in data management and ensure the protection of confidential information, information security and data protection in accordance with legislation, responsible conduct of research, and the instructions and regulations issued by the university of applied sciences.
Turku University of Applied Sciences is committed to following the ethical principles of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) in research fields involving the human sciences: Ethical review in human sciences.
Check out the Turku UAS' Research ethics page in Messi intranet.
Following guides have been used in the making of this guide:
This resource has been licensed with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. It does not apply to photos or videos unless otherwise stated.