Open Data and Researcher Assessment in the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH): Addressing Challenges and Building Tailored Support

Open Data and Researcher Assessment in the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH): Addressing Challenges and Building Tailored Support Marika Rauhala1[0000-0003-4805-369X], Egle Gedrimiene1[0000-0003-2586-2582], Elina Hyrkäs1[0000-0003-3690-5760] and Päivi H. Leinonen1[0000-0003-0210-5589] 1 University of Oulu, Oulu 90014, Finland Abstract. We explore how researcher assessment reform not only promotes open data but also presents challenges for the social sciences and humanities in Finland. While supporting open science, SSH researchers face barriers such as data sensitivity and limited infrastructure. The University of Oulu addresses these issues by providing tailored support and implementing FAIR-aligned policies. Since 2019, the number of open data records deposited annually has doubled. Recognising the diversity of outputs is key to fostering inclusive, impactful open science. Conference Themes: Recognition of Contributions to Open Science Keywords: Open Data, Research Assessment, Social Sciences and Humanities, SSH, Support Services. 1 Why Do We Need Field-Specific Support? The researcher assessment reform aims to shift the focus away from an overreliance on publication metrics and towards a more holistic understanding of research excellence. This approach acknowledges the diversity of research activities and outputs, prioritising quality and broad impact. Open science practices, including open data, are recognised as essential to impactful, high-quality research [1,2]. However, discussions often centre on open-access publishing, which influences researchers’ engagement with open science. Moreover, the demand for open data presents numerous challenges for SSH researchers, potentially affecting institutions’ ability to comply with open science policies [3]. To foster meaningful change, research assessment must recognise the full spectrum of research outputs. While attitudes towards open science practices are generally positive [4], open access to data is often hindered by its sensitivity, ethical concerns, and the lack of field-specific data repositories in many SSH disciplines [5]. Additionally, as data is frequently derived from existing sources, it can be difficult to demonstrate the effort involved in data reuse and enrichment. Nevertheless, SSH data can be highly valuable, particularly in times of societal crisis, underscoring the importance of the FAIR data principles [6]. 2 M. Rauhala, E. Gedrimiene, E. Hyrkäs and P.H. Leinonen Since 2019, the University of Oulu (UO) has provided discipline-specific data support, which is crucial in helping SSH researchers comply with open data requirements. The focus is on raising awareness, promoting positive attitudes, and offering practical, hands-on support for ethically sustainable open data – all of which have been identified as key elements of open data practices [5]. UO’s data policy guides researchers to follow the FAIR principles and publish their metadata in trusted repositories [7]. This is facilitated by the national FAIR data services provided by the IT Center for Science. Researcher assessment at UO also rewards open science, recognising the openness of various research outputs as a contributor to scientific excellence [8]. To help researchers gain recognition for their datasets, our research information system, OuluCRIS, now harvests published metadata records. These efforts have yielded encouraging results: the number of open data records published annually in the National Research Information Hub has doubled across disciplines since 2019. Building on the work at UO, our poster proposes strategies for developing effective, discipline-specific support services that encourage SSH researchers to adopt open data practices. In doing so, they can better demonstrate data-related merits in researcher assessment, thereby contributing to a more inclusive and impactful open science ecosystem. Disclosure of Interests. The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. References 1. Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment, CoARA webpage, https://coara.eu/ agreement/the-agreement-full-text/, last accessed 2025/6/24 2. Working group for responsible evaluation of a researcher: Good Practice in Researcher Evaluation: Recommendation for the Responsible Evaluation of a Researcher in Finland. Responsible Research Series 7:2020. The Committee for Public Information (TJNK) and Federation of Finnish Learned Societies (TSV), Helsinki (2020), https://doi.org/ 10.23847/isbn.9789525995282 3. Himanen, L., Nykyri, S.: Towards a sustainable and responsible model for monitoring open science and research—analysis of the Finnish model for monitoring open science and research. Research Evaluation, rvae008 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvae008 4. Ferguson, J., Littman, R., Christensen, G., Paluck, E.L., Swanson, N., Wang, Z., Miguel, E., Birke, D., Pezzuto, J.-H.: Survey of open science practices and attitudes in the social sciences. Nature Communications 14, 5401 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-02341111-1 5. Recker, A., Müller, S., Trixa, J., Schumann, N.: Paving the Way for Data-Centric, Open Science: An Example from the Social Sciences. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication 3(2), eP1227 (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.1227 6. Batzdorfer, V., Zenk-Möltgen, W., Young, L., Katsanidou, A.: Between urgency and data quality: assessing the FAIRness of data in social science research on the COVID-19 pandemic. Research Ethics 20(4), 744-763 (2024) 7. Open and FAIR research data at University of Oulu webpage, https://www.oulu.fi/en/ research/responsible-research#accordion-control-open-and-fair-research-data, last accessed 2025/6/24 8. Principles for the assessment of research and researchers at the University of Oulu at University of Oulu webpage, https://www.oulu.fi/en/research/responsible-research/ Open Data and Researcher Assessment in the Social Sciences and Humanities 3 principles-for-assessment-research-and-researchers-university-oulu, last accessed 2025/6/24