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Plan and prepare projects
What should you think about before starting a research project? On this page you will find information that can be helpful before the application and in the start-up of your project.
When you do research, you must ensure that your project is conducted in accordance with good research practice. You are required to follow a number of regulations and before you begin your research, you need the necessary permits and approvals. You will find more information on the page for legal and ethical issues.
What is research data?
Research data is the material collected and used during the research process in order to produce research results. This could include interviews, pictures, literary works, biological samples, GPS data or software code.
Research data must be stored and managed in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations.
Data management plans
A data management plan describes how research data will be processed within a research project. It is always a good idea to write a data management plan at the start of the project, to get an idea of how you plan to process your data. The plan can be updated as the project progresses.
Södertörn University’s template for data management plans is at the bottom of this expandable text (in Swedish and English).
Financier requirements
Research financiers have requirements for data management. These can vary from having a data management plan to making data accessible after the end of the project.
Södertörn University’s template for data management plans is based on the template developed by the Swedish Research Council and corresponds with Science Europe’s Core Requirements for Data Management Plans, to which many financiers refer.
Data storage
Södertörn University is investigating server solutions for storing research data. Work began in 2021, with the implementation of SUNET Drive, and we estimate that a solution will be in place next year. All SUNET Drive’s servers are located in Sweden.
We recommend that the shared storage space G is used for storage when starting a project and for ones currently underway. Read more about the university's recommendations for employees (in Swedish) and about how you should manage personal data, including in your email, as well as in all the services that Microsoft 365 provides for the university (Teams, OneDrive and Zoom).
More information about managing research data
Södertörn University Library has information on how to Manage your research data - Södertörns högskola External link, opens in new window., which includes research data, data management plans, and how research data can be archived and made accessible.
Contact information
General questions about research data: publications@sh.se
Questions about archiving data: arkivarie@sh.se
Questions about data protection and GDPR: dataskydd@sh.se
Prior to submitting an external grant proposal, the researcher must contact the Registrar’s Office registrator@sh.se to request a registration number. In most cases, the same registration number is used for the awarded grant. The number then follows the research project until the project comes to.
In order for the registrar to be able to upload a record number for you, they need:
- Project name
- Name of the funding body
- Name of project leader
- If it is a cooperation project between Södertörn University and other higher education institutions, in which case which higher education institution.
Once the Central records Office receives the above information, they will establish a registration number for you.
For more information on what should be recorded, see How to document, register and archive.
Literature search
You who are a researcher or doctoral student can get help with literature search in connection with research. Via the library, you book a meeting with a librarian to jointly search for research in a specific subject area. For example, you can make an appointment to:
- Deepen your knowledge of searching for and monitoring literature in connection with, for example, a doctoral dissertation, research application, research overview or research project.
- Make systematic information searches for a literature review.
- Refresh your knowledge of relevant databases within your subject area.
Reference management
You who are a researcher or doctoral student can get help from the library to collect your references in a reference management program. Via the library, you book a meeting with a librarian who gives you an introduction to the reference management programs EndNote and Zotero.
To book an appointment
To book an appointment for help with literature search and reference management – contact infosok@sh.se.
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