Requirements for the theses may seem confusing at first. This summary provides you with information and gives you practical tips. Fortunately, not all permits are needed for all thesis, and the permits that are needed have their own important meaning. The subject of the thesis, the method and the client affect what permits you need. The first step is to familiarize yourself with the material and form your own initial idea of what permits you need.
|
Agreement name |
When do you need this? | Parties to the agreement | More information and tips for the student | Form base and background material |
| Thesis contract | Whenever there is a client | Student and client of the thesis |
Applies to the completion and publication of a thesis by the Student/Students of Centria University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Commission. The agreement describes and agrees on the roles, responsibilities, conditions, and rights of the various parties related to the thesis, its preparation, supervision, and publication. Tip: in this context, it is good to discuss practical matters and ensure that the parties have a mutual understanding of the progress of the project. In this context, it is good to find out whether you need to ask for a separate thesis permit or whether a confidentiality agreement is required. |
Contracts: Thesis contract (see this chapter) |
| Research permit | on a case-by-case basis | Student and the organization to which the thesis relates |
Research permit is needed and usually applied for when you want an organization to;
Tip: you can ask the organization whether it is worth applying for a research permit => who to contact. |
Ethical guidelines for writing a thesis - Centria Guide for Thesis and Academic Writing 2022 |
| Data management plan | Always | Self-regulation by the student |
It is part of the ethical pre-assessment, or risk identification and management, that every researcher must do. Attention should be paid to issues such as the processing of personal data, thesis ethics, secure storage and sharing of data, access agreements. Tip: If the data deals with sensitive information, the content of the plan should be more extensive. If the data does not deal with sensitive information, the plan can be more limited. You do not have to answer all the subsections of the form if they are not related to your thesis. The reflections made here can be used in your thesis => ethical evaluation of the thesis. |
On the Arene website (Rectors' Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences) you can find a guide and a word document that can be used as a basis for a data management plan. The data management plan can be saved in Wihi. |
| Agreement on confidentiality | on a case-by-case basis | Student and the organization to which the thesis relates | Tip: you can inquire about the organization for which you are conducting thesis, whether there is a reason to sign a confidentiality agreement => what is their policy and who you should contact. | Contracts: Agreement on confidentiality (see this chapter) |
| Agreement on transfer of rights | on a case-by-case basis | Student and the organization to which the thesis relates |
The author of the thesis always has the copyright of the so-called paternity rights to his thesis, but he/she can hand over other rights related to his thesis to others if he wishes. Tip: In practice, the organization for which you are doing thesis should be proactive if they want to inquire about the transfer of rights from you. |
Contracts: Agreement on transfer of rights (see this chapter) |
| Background material transfer agreement | on a case-by-case basis | Student and the organization to which the thesis relates |
The author of the thesis always has the copyright of the so-called paternity rights to thesis, but he/she can hand over other rights related to thesis to others if he/she wishes. Tip: In practice, the organization for which you are doing thesis should be proactive if they want to inquire about background material from you. |
Contracts: Background material transfer agreement (see this chapter) |
| Research information and agreement | on a case-by-case basis | The student and the participants in the study |
This should be done whenever the thesis requires interaction with others (e.g. interviews, surveys, observations, etc.). Consent is required from the participants as to whether they want to participate in the study. To evaluate their consent, participants must receive sufficient information about the thesis and their own rights as a participant. Tip: Participants should be informed in writing (e.g. by e-mail or printed paper). If the information is given verbally, it should be sufficiently informative. In practice, you (as a researcher) should go through the same things orally, ensure consent and document what things have been said to the participants. (you can search more information using phrase: “Ethical principles for research involving human subjects”) |
Forms: Research information and Research agreement (see this chapter) |
| Data privacy statement | on a case-by-case basis |
The student needs to be proactive. Centria University of Applied Sciences acts as the data controller. |
If the thesis involves the processing of personal data, it must comply with the law and guidelines. For example, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (https://www.privacy-regulation.eu/fi/index.htm) and the Data Protection Act 1050/2018 (https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/alkup/2018/20181050) also regulate the processing of personal data in theses. When processing personal data, the student is considered to be ”the controller” and is therefore also responsible for his/her actions. Tip: In a thesis, the main purpose of a privacy statement is to limit and ensure the retention of personal data, i.e. to ensure compliance with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): personal data should only be retained for as long as necessary, and this should be done with due care. Guidance is available from the thesis supervisor and Centria´s Data Protection Officer (tietosuojavastaava@centria.fi). |
Forms: Data privacy (see this chapter) Handling personal data - Centria Guide for Thesis and Academic Writing 2022 |