What is research data?

Research data is material which is collected and used in the research process to get results. Depending on research area it can be different, and everything from interviews, pictures, literature to biological tests, geo location data and code from computer applications can be data. It can be difficult to define what data is, as it depends on the research area. Different types of data can also be valued differently within one discipline. The common denominator for research data is that you use it and build your research upon it.

Research data should be stored and preserved according to laws and regulations. A lot of disciplines have their own traditions for how to handle data. How you manage and treat your data depends of course on what project and which types of data you work with.

During the last few years there has been an increasing focus on Open Science. One aspect of this is Open Data, which means that the data upon which research is conducted should be made as openly available as possible. Investments on research data were also mentioned in the latest Government Budget Bill for education and research.

The Swedish National Data Service (Svensk nationell datatjänst, SND) is a Swedish network that collaborates with international networks, and which Södertörn University is a member of, and they offer possibilities for researchers who want to make their data available. They support universities as well as authorities working with research data and offer training and courses to those who work with data at universities and organisations. SND has a lot of advice you can consider on how to for example name files and store them in a secure way External link, opens in new window..

Data management plans

A data management plan (DMP) is a living documentation that describes how data is treated within a research project. It is always a good idea to start writing a data management plan in the beginning of a project to get a picture of how you are going to handle your data, and it can be updated during the project if needed. It is also good if everyone involved in the project has taken part of the plan. Information that can be included in a data management plan is policies on naming files, how files should be stored or who the person responsible for personal data is.

Södertörn has its own data management plan External link, opens in new window. that you can find on Medarbetarwebben.

Writing a data management plan can be challenging, but there are several resources that give advice and guidance on how you do it:

• Swedish National Data Service (SND) about data management plans External link, opens in new window.
• DMP Online Tool External link, opens in new window.
• Science Europe Core Requirements for DMP:s External link, opens in new window.

Publish and archive your research data

Once you are finished with your project you will need to take care of your data. You can choose to only archive data or to also make them available by publishing them in an open repository.

If you choose to publish your data, you must first think about which types of data you have. Where is it suitable to publish it? Is there a fitting data repository where you can make your data available? You also need to consider if there is sensitive data in your dataset. Is there data that shouldn’t be made publicly available, only archived? It is perhaps better to only publish parts of your dataset or only the metadata (the description of your data) if the dataset contains sensitive data.

Support unit for research data questions at Södertörn University

Currently there is a project at Södertörn University to establish a DAU (Data Access Unit), a support unit for research data. This unit will provide support to researchers in questions about research data management, and it will consist of librarians, archivists, research advisors and IT-specialists. Södertörn University has in this process guidance from the Swedish National Data Service (SND), and they have domain experts that can give support to the members of the network in questions specific to their expertise. So, if you have a question on how to best publish and archive large quantities of data within for instance medical research or register-based research, there are several experts at SND that you can ask for help through the DAU.

Contact information

Do you need to contact us? Send an email to:

publications@sh.se - For general questions on research data

arkivarie@sh.se - Questions about archiving data

dataskydd@sh.se - For questions on data protection and GDPR

Useful resources

• Information about the use of personal data in student theses External link, opens in new window..
• On the Employee Web you will find the university's legal guidance for researchers External link, opens in new window.. For instance there are instructions on how you manage personal data in your research External link, opens in new window.. (both in Swedish)
• Guidence on how to manage information and documents External link, opens in new window. (in Swedish) on the Employee Web. Here you will find advice on how to handle public documents, including research data.
• The Swedish Research Council has made a good handbook on open access to research data. External link, opens in new window. The handbook goes through several points that are good to have knowledge about. (in Swedish)
• The Swedish Research Council have gathered guidelines for conducting research involving humans External link, opens in new window.. There are also guidelines for research on animals.
• The Swedish National Data Service (SND) External link, opens in new window. have several good resources on research data management that can help you handle data. They are worth looking at if you need help with different file formats or writing a data management plan.
• DataCite External link, opens in new window. is an organisation that has functions for searching and citing research data.