Skip to Main Content

Data Management Guide

Jamk Guide to data management in English

Data Management at Jamk

Are you planning a research project, will the project generate research data or are you starting a thesis? You need a data management plan!

The purpose of data management is to ensure that good scientific practice is followed. In addition, the purpose of the data management plan is to identify potential risks in advance (e.g. data protection, ownership) and to ensure that the research data is not compromised at any stage (e.g. data storage solutions used).

Jamk is committed to promoting open science and research, so opening of the data for further use should also be possible. The starting point is the FAIR principles: make data findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable.

In the data management plan you plan and describe how research data is collected, used, stored and archived and opened for further use, taking into account e.g. data protection, information security and ownership. It is also a tool for the researcher. The plan helps to structure the questions that must be solved during the research in any case!

Create a data management plan at the latest when the project/research starts and modify it if necessary as the research progresses.

Identify your research data and agree on its authorship

Different types of data can be collected, created or used in research. It is important that the data is identified in order to manage it. Different types of data:

  • data collected by various methods (such as surveys, interviews, measurements, imaging techniques etc.),;
  • data produced during the research (such as analysis results),;
  • research sources (such as archive material), and;
  • notes and field notes, and
  • source code and software.

(Source: Research data management, University of Helsinki 2023.)

You can use the following table to describe the research data and as an attachment to the data management plan (requires login).

Authorship and archiving of research data should always be agreed upon in accordance with the data management plan. You can take advantage of the following template (requires login):

Components of the data management plan

You can find more detailed instructions for each sections directly in the data management plan template in the DMP Tuuli tool.

  1. Overview of the data
  2. Personal data, ethical principles and legislation
  3. Documentation and metadata: documentation of data collection, content and processing
  4. Storage and backups during the research
  5. Storing and opening the data after the research has ended
  6. Data management responsibilities and resources

 

Data management at Jamk's RDI activities

The project manager/researcher/designer is responsible for preparing the data management plan (DMP). The project secretary ensures that the data management plan is saved for the project case in case management system (Tweb). At the end of the project, the project manager or responsible researcher is responsible for where the research data is stored after the end of the project or whether it is disposed.

It is recommended to make the data management plan for Jamk's R&D activities with the DMP Tuuli tool, which has ready-made plan templates. Use the funder's template if there is one. If there is none, use Jamk's own template. It is based on a national template model and follows its recommendations. In the DMP Tuuli tool you will find instructions and tips for each area of the data management plan.

 

Data management plans in theses at Jamk

The data management plan is part of the thesis plan at Jamk. The plan has the same sub-areas as in R&D activities. Instructions and Word templates for preparing the data management plan for the thesis can be found at Jamk's Thesis Guide.

The data management plan is created with the DMP Tuuli tool

Data management plans for R&D activities are made at Jamk using the DMP Tuuli data management planning tool used by Finnish universities and research institutes. Use the project funder's own template, if one is available. If not, use Jamk's template for RDI activities. Each template also has step-by-step instructions on what should be described in each section.

In DMP Tuuli, you can share your plan for comment or write it together with partners. The data management plan can also be downloaded and printed as an attachment to a funding application, research plan or research permit.

Here's how you can get started with your data management plan and use Jamk's or funder's template:

Familiarize yourself with the basic instructions of Jamk's data management plan through this guide.

  • Log in to DMPTuuli with your Jamk usernames via Haka login: https://www.dmptuuli.fi/
  • Create an account from the Register/Create Account view and select JAMK University of Applied Sciences as the organization from the list. After that, you can log in using your Haka credentials or the credentials you created.
  • After logging in, you can choose Finnish or English as the language of use.
  • Click Create Plan, name the plan, enter JAMK as the organization. Find a project funder from the list, and the program will provide the funder's template (for example European Comission, Academy of Finland). If there is no funder's template, put a check mark and select a suitable template for Jamk's R&D activities. NOTE! The template should always be selected at this stage.
  • When you use Jamk's template, you do not select guidance separately.

The General Finnish DMP instructions prepared in national cooperation can also be read separately in Finnish and English (select the instruction to be displayed from the list): General Finnish DMP Guidance (Tuuli project 2021). Jamk's templates are based on these instructions, refined with Jamk's own practices and tips.

Data protection, research permit and ethical review

Before starting the research or project and starting the data collection, you need to find out if you need a research permit or an ethical review. They are also part of data management planning.

Data protection issues affect almost all data management solutions. Familiarize yourself with the data protection guidelines and identify whether you are processing personal data or sensitive or confidental data.

A research permit is always required if the research subjects are the employees, students, representatives or members of Jamk. A research permit is also required for research projects that require the disclosure of information pertaining to Jamk University of Applied Sciences or its staff and students. If the research is related to an external funding project to which Jamk has already committed, please first find out whether a separate research permit is necessary.

Please note that the need for a research permit should always be asked from the target organization of the research. Different organizations have different practices.

Ethical review applies only to precisely defined research configurations. In these cases the researcher must request an ethical review statement. At Jamk, a request for a review statement is addressed to the Ethics Committee of Jamk. The purpose of the ethical review is to ensure the implementation of the ethical principles of human science research in accordance with the guidelines of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK). In addition, the aim of the review process is to ensure the ethics of research plans and to identify the risks involved.

An ethical review must always be done before applying for a possible research permit.

Do you need help?

If you need help with research data, data management, or questions about open science, get in touch: att(a)jamk.fi You can also request comments on your data management plan. We encourage to contact us especially when the research funder has specific requirements for data management and open science (e.g. Horizon, Research Council of Finland).