Guide to Thesis Data Management, Data Protection and Research Ethics

Data management in a thesis

Data management is the responsible and lawful handling of data, taking into account good scientific practice.

• In thesis, data management refers to the management of the thesis data.
• The main tool for data management is the data management plan.
• The plan checks that the collection of data takes into account legislation and research ethics. It helps to ensure that the right practices are followed at different stages of the project life cycle. The main aspects are: ethics, contracts, data protection, security, consistency and further use and opening of the data.
• Data management is a working life skill, which is needed, for example, when conducting surveys, interviews and processing personal data.

What is data in a thesis?

Thesis research material or data is the material generated during the thesis work, which is collected or produced and analysed for the thesis. The data is used to justify the results of the thesis.

For example, thesis data can be:

• Interview (e.g. audio, video, transcribed text)
• Survey (e.g. electronic form, paper form, spreadsheet)
•  Observation (e.g. photo, video, transcribed text, observation matrix)
•  Workshop (e.g. image, audio recording, video, text)
•  research diaries and notes
•  drawings, photographs, text samples and other data collected
•  samples
• data created from data previously created by someone else
• software and source code created by the user

Legal and ethical background to the guidelines