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Turku University Library

Mechanical & Material Engineering

Research Data Management for Students

Research materials are a key part of the research process. One prerequisite for the reliability of scientific research is that the research has been conducted as required by good scientific practice and the data management plan is a tool to achieve this goal. 

To help with you with your research data management, the library has built a Reserch Data Management Guide for Student

What Does Data Management Mean?

Research data management covers the entire life cycle of the data and consists:

  • planning how to compile data
  • getting possible research permits, such as the interviewee’s consent
  • storing the data during research (back-ups, data security)
  • planning file structures and folder and file naming practices
  • the correct manner of storing data after the research
  • storing data into an archive, or destroying data once the retention period is over.

It is advisable to start planning your research data and its management already before data collection. Research data management is an important part of conducting research, and it would be wise to include it in the research plan as a section of its own.
The secure processing of research data is also part of good scientific practice.

Ethical guidelines for learning on the Intranet

Research Data

Research data is data created during the research process. Research data can be used to justify or reproduce the research results. Different kinds of research data include:

  • measurements
  • data collected by surveys and interviews
  • recordings and videos
  • research diaries
  • notes
  • programmes and source codes created during the research
  • source materials collected by the researcher (e.g. biological samples, artefacts, text samples)
  • data created using earlier data

 

More about Researh Data, can be read from the librarys Research Data -guide.