Open Access and Research Data: Researcher Survey 2015

The researcher survey charted the current practices for preservation, sharing, and reuse of digital data in the field of humanities and health sciences. The survey also charted the respondents' views on open access and the reuse of digital research data, as well as their opinions on how to most effectively spread information about open access and research data management. The survey was a part of the FSD's "National Service Provider for CESSDA: Establish, Expand, Equip" project, in which services are tailored specifically for humanities and health sciences. The project was funded by the Academy of Finland. The questionnaire began with general questions charting the respondents' knowledge about open access and the services provided by the FSD. Next the respondents' views were probed on how digital research data is used at their department/school/unit after research has been completed. The respondents were then asked about barriers relating to archiving and reuse of digital research data as well as the restrictions presented by removal of personal identifiers from data in their field of study. Furthermore, the respondents were asked which factors contribute to the fact that data from completed research projects is not reused in their field of study. In the next part, the respondents were asked about their opinions on how to restrict the use of datasets if doing so was necessary. Next the respondents were thoroughly interviewed about their views on the advantages and disadvantages of increasing the reuse of digital data. Finally, the respondents were asked which channels and methods would be good for sharing information about research data management and open access. The background variables included the respondents' organisation, gender, and field of study.