Read about how to manage research data throughout the research lifecycle – from planning and storage to processing, completion, and archiving.
Transparency, verifiability, and the possibility for reuse are important research ethics principles that are particularly relevant for research data. At USN, research data is primarily archived in the USN Research Data Archive to make research data, associated documentation, and metadata accessible.
Are you a student with questions about research data? Visit the page on data collection and processing of personal data in student projects (Login required).
As with the rest of the research process, it is crucial to plan early for the lifecycle of your research data.
Will you be processing personal data in your research project? If so, you must complete and submit a notification form to Sikt and follow USN's guidelines for processing personal data in student and researcher projects.
It is important that you familiarize yourself early with the solutions available at USN. For this, we have a dedicated guide on information classification and an accompanying storage guide.
When planning how your research data will be managed, it is important to get an overarching view of the dataset. Therefore, you should complete a data management plan. A data management plan provides an overview of key areas that need to be clarified for effective data management throughout the project. Read more about data management plans.
If you need a project area for storing sensitive data on USN's research server, this can be arranged by completing an order form (Form only in Norwegian - Login required).
If you plan to collaborate with external partners, information and USN's standard agreements are available on USN's agreement portal for research projects (Only in Norwegian - Login required).
An essential part of the preparatory work for a research process is to map previous research on the topic to be explored. There are several solutions for locating existing research data, which can be reused and further developed in new research projects. We have compiled a selection of both general and more subject-specific resources.
A key element in ensuring effective data management during a research process is to ensure that the dataset is well-documented and structured.
Both you and others should be able to understand the dataset in the future. Therefore, it is important that, during processing, you consciously consider how you:
Below is a selection of tools available for the collection of research data:
Are you conducting a digital research interview? USN eDU has created guidance for using Zoom for this purpose.
USN employees can contact eDU for audio and video equipment.
The campus libraries in Porsgrunn and Vestfold have a limited number of audio recorders/dictaphones available for loan to both students and employees. In Porsgrunn, it is also possible to borrow video cameras.
If you have audio files that need transcription assistance, you can find an overview of available solutions at USN (Only in Norwegian) (Requires login).
When the research process is completed, it is time to assess the extent to which the research data can be shared.
The main principle for assessing how research data should be preserved for the future is: As open as possible — As closed as necessary. Key considerations include:
Another important consideration is determining which project documentation is necessary to make available so that others can understand how the research data was generated, and how the studies can be verified and replicated.
Archiving is the final step in the research data management process.
When you archive research data in the USN Research Data Archive, it will be sent to the University Library's research data curators for review. This ensures that the dataset published is quality-checked in accordance with the requirements established by the FAIR principles.
You can find a detailed help page on how to archive research data. The key points to remember during archiving:
USN deadline for registering scientific publications and uploading to NVA.
USN has a set deadline for registering scientific publications and uploading them to the Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA). It is important that researchers meet this deadline to ensure accurate reporting and accessibility of research results. You can read more about how to register publications in NVA on our pages.
National deadline for proposing new publication channels at Level 1.
If you have published or plan to publish scientifically, you must check whether the publisher or journal is included in the lists of approved scientific publication channels. If the publisher or journal is not on the lists, you must submit it for evaluation. On the Norwegian register's (Kanalregisteret) website, you can read more about how to proceed.