Methods Clinic

Easy access methodological consultation for researchers in the fields of humanities and social sciences available every Friday.

Wel­come to the Methods Clinic by HSSH and CSDS!

Experts at the Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (HSSH) and the Centre for Social Data Science (CSDS) offer easy access methodological consultation at a Methods Clinic every Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Zoom. Use the e-form to book your consultation time by the preceding Monday. We only serve by appointment!

Exceptions: The Methods Clinic will take a break during the summer season. The final clinic of the spring 2025 was held on Friday 23.5.2025 and the first clinic of autumn will be on Friday 5.9.2025.

Also check our lists of methods courses, datafication courses, and methodological workshops!

Overview 

The Clinic offers easy access methodological consultation for researchers in the fields of humanities and social sciences for: 

  • planning research projects 
  • collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data  
  • use of laboratory equipment, cameras, other tools for data collection and analysis 
  • visualisation of data and results  
  • interpretation of the results 

The consultation takes place on Zoom and is personal or group-based depending on need. 

Please note that if your need for consultation has a tight schedule (for example, a funding application deadline), you should get in touch well in advance. Funding application deadlines (e.g. early autumn) can make the clinic crowded. The service is free of charge for the moment. Consultation is provided in Finnish and English. 

Please contact us in the early phase of your research to get the most out of our support service!

Target group 

The Methods Clinic is aimed at researchers and doctoral students at the City Centre Campus of University of Helsinki.

Operating principles 

The Methods Clinic offers support and consultation at a low threshold, but to a limited extent. The consultation does not always mean solving the problem directly, but often directing the researcher to sources that enable the researcher to solve the problem themselves and support the researcher's own methodological development.

The service is advisory in nature and the purpose is for researchers to analyze their own data. If an expert provides a significant contribution to a scientific publication, for example in the form of planning, analyses, interpretation of results or writing parts of the publication, it is advisory that they are included as a co-author of the publication.