Introduction

In the last few years, more attention has been put on what a researcher does with his/her/their research outputs. Whether this would be data, code, software, or anything else. The general idea is that when using taxpayers’ money for scientific research, everybody (regular people) should have access to the data and results. This is why it is demanded that all the data be archived (if possible) and re-usable.

To ease the burden of trying to archive or publish the data at the end of the project, it is recommended to think about what you want to do with your research outputs at the beginning of the project. This way, you can implement data management and make your life easier. However, what constitutes “good data management” is not defined and is usually left as the decision of the data or repository’s owner. What also needs to be noted is that most (or at least some) of these practices you are probably already using.

We are compiling recommendations and references to help researchers manage their data on this page. These recommendations are (in principle) meant for researchers working in Estonia.

We have divided the data management practices into bigger subsections (the FAIR Principles, Sensitive data, storage, etc.). Under these tabs, you can find a very brief overview of the subject, recommendations for Estonian researchers, any extra materials produced by ELIXIR Estonia on the subject, and references, where you can get more detailed information. Additionally, we recommend visiting RDMkit, directed by ELIXIR. It is an online guide on data management throughout the research project lifecycle. It has guidelines, information, and pointers to help you with the problems that you may encounter.