Study title

Open Access to and Reuse of Research Data 2006

Dataset ID Number

FSD2268

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2268

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Borg, Sami (University of Tampere. Finnish Social Science Data Archive)
• Kuula, Arja (University of Tampere. Finnish Social Science Data Archive)

Abstract

The aim of this survey was to chart how the universities in Finland have organised the depositing of digital research data and to what extent the data are reused by the scientific community after the original research has been completed. The respondents were professors of human sciences, social sciences and behavioural sciences in Finnish universities, and representatives of some research institutes. Opinions were also queried on the OECD guidelines and principles on open access to research data from public funding.

First, the respondents were asked whether there were any guidelines or regulations concerning the depositing of digital research data in their departments, what happened to research data after the completion of the original research, and to what extent the data were reused. Further questions covered how often the data from completed research projects were reused in secondary research projects or for theses. The respondents also estimated what proportion of the data collected in their departments/institutes were reusable at the time of the survey, and why research data were not being reused in their own field of research. Views were also investigated on whether confidentiality or research ethics issues, or problems related to copyright or information technology formed barriers to data reuse.

Opinions on the OECD Open Access guidelines on research data were queried. The respondents were asked whether they had earlier knowledge of the guidelines, and to what extent its principles could be implemented in their own disciplines. Some questions pertained to the advantages and disadvantages of open access to research data. The advantages mentioned included reducing duplicate data collection and more effective use of data resources, whereas the disadvantages mentioned included, for example, risks connected to data protection and misuse of data. The respondents also suggested ways of implementing the Open Access guidelines and gave their opinions on how binding the recommendations should be, to what extent various bodies should be involved in formulating the guidelines, and how the archiving and dissemination of digital research data should be organised. Finally, the respondents estimated how the researchers in their field would react to enhancing open access to research data, and also gave their opinion on open access to the data they themselves have collected.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, university, and research field.

Keywords

OECD; advantages; computer science; data; data archives; digital archiving; disadvantages; ethics of science; financing; open access; recommendations; research; research centres; scientific cooperation

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Information technology (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Information society (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• University of Tampere. Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Data Producers

• Finnish Social Science Data Archive
• Ministry of Education

Time Period Covered

2006

Collection Dates

2006-11-09 – 2006-12-05

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Organization/Institution

Universe

Professors of human sciences, social sciences, and behavioural sciences in Finnish universities

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Total universe/Complete enumeration

The professors' email addresses were collected from their departments' web pages.

The web survey was conducted on the 9th of November 2006 using automatic mailing. The server sent a personal message to each respondent. A reminder was sent on the 28th of November. 150 of the total of 528 professors responded.

80% of the responders were professors in the universities of Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Tampere, and Turku.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

28.4

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: English and Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Number of Cases and Variables

86 variables and 150 cases.

Data Version

1.1

Related Datasets

FSD3123 Open Access and Research Data: Researcher Survey 2015

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Borg, Sami (University of Tampere) & Kuula, Arja (University of Tampere): Open Access to and Reuse of Research Data 2006 [dataset]. Version 1.1 (2018-04-04). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2268

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Materials

Borg, Sami & Kuula, Arja (2007). Julkisrahoitteisen tutkimusdatan avoin saatavuus ja elinkaari. Valmisteluraportti OECD:n datasuosituksen toimeenpanomahdollisuuksista Suomessa. Tampere: Yhteiskuntatieteellinen tietoarkisto. Yhteiskuntatieteellisen tietoarkiston julkaisuja; 4.

Related Publications

Borg, Sami & Kuula, Arja (2007). Julkisrahoitteisen tutkimusdatan avoin saatavuus ja elinkaari. Valmisteluraportti OECD:n datasuosituksen toimeenpanomahdollisuuksista Suomessa [verkkodokumentti]. Tampere: Yhteiskuntatieteellinen tietoarkisto. Yhteiskuntatieteellisen tietoarkiston julkaisuja; 6. http://www.fsd.uta.fi/julkaisut/julkaisusarja/FSDjs06_OECD.pdf [viitattu 7.9.2007]