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Research data

Read about how to manage research data throughout the research lifecycle – from planning and storage to processing, completion, and archiving.

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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 the USN collection in DataverseNO to make research data, associated documentation, and metadata accessible.

Open science increasingly demands the sharing and reuse of research data. This represents good research practice, which USN aims to facilitate through our Open Science Policy.

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).

Planning Implementation Completion Archiving
Personal data

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.

Classification of your research data

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.

Data management plans

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.

Secure storage area

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).

Collaboration agreements for research

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).

How to find reseach data

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.
Structuring your research data

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:

Collection of research data

Below is a selection of tools available for the collection of research data:

 

Questionnaires
Audio or video recordings
Zoom

Are you conducting a digital research interview? USN eDU has created guidance for using Zoom for this purpose.

Access to recording equipment at USN

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.

Transcription tools

If you have audio files that need transcription assistance, you can find an overview of available solutions at USN (Only in Norwegian).

Service for Sensitive Data: TSD
Completion

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:

  • What can be shared openly?
  • What can be shared with limited access?
  • What can be shared at a later date?
  • What cannot be shared at all?

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.

Additional considerations
Deletion and anonymization
  • It is possible to preserve parts of the dataset in a way that does not compromise privacy. Anonymized data cannot be traced back to an individual, thereby exempting it from data protection regulations.
  • A dataset is considered anonymized when: The linkage key has been deleted, and when the transcriptions of audio and video materials have been rewritten to remove identifiable background variables, such as gender, age, and place of residence.
  • Please keep in mind that audio recordings of voices (including distorted voices) and video materials are considered personal data and must be deleted in accordance with the information provided to participants and the notification form submitted to the Norwegian Register (Kanalregisteret).
Quality metadata
  • By publishing quality metadata (metadata = data about data) and providing comprehensive information about the dataset, you facilitate proper citation and reuse of the data while minimizing the risk of misinterpretation or misunderstanding.
  • If you have a dataset that cannot be archived openly, you can still publish metadata to describe the project, methodology, data collection methods, data types, geographical information, and the time and date of collection. Supplementary metadata and contact information should be included in a ReadMe file that accompanies the dataset.
Additional documentation
  • As mentioned, not all datasets can be anonymized, and thus the option to archive the dataset openly may not be available. However, this does not mean you do not possess materials that fall under the definition of research data and are worth archiving in an open research data repository. Examples of such materials include:
    • The questionnaire given to respondents.
    • Interview guides.
    • Notes without personal data or identifiable background variables.
    • ReadMe file

 
Archiving

Archiving is the final step in the research data management process.

 

When you archive research data in the USN DataverseNO collection, 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:

Archive Research Data with Sikt

Sikt archives research data on people and society and makes them available for reuse. If you have either quantitative or qualitative research data that should be preserved in a way that ensures both data protection and the potential for reuse, Sikt's research data archive is recommended.

 

Annual deadlines

31 January

USN deadline for registering scientific publications and uploading to NVA.

31 January

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.

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30 November

National deadline for proposing new publication channels at Level 1.

30 November

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.

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