Data Management Plans (DMPs)

Why research data management and plans?

A data management plan helps achieve optimal handling, organising, documenting and enhancing of research data. It is particularly important for facilitating data sharing, ensuring the sustainability and accessibility of data in the long-term and allowing data to be reused for future research.

For the effective management of data, planning must start when research is being designed and needs to consider both how data will be managed during the research and how they will be shared afterwards. This involves thinking critically about the sharing of research data, what might limit or prohibit data sharing, and whether any steps can be taken to remove such limitations.

Good practice is also to regularly update the data management plan as research progresses, for example during six-monthly project meetings. That way, the plan becomes important documentation and a quality assurance statement for your research data in the long term. Data Service

Plan, design & organise research processes

Researchers need to plan, design & organise their research process:

There are the core elements of Data Management Plans (DMPs) and as such, are to be initiated at the start of any research project/undertaking. Well-developed DMPs increases research efficiency.

Creating a DMP is considered good research practice. Decisions made early on in the research project helps researchers save time, consider the necessary resources and costs. These will be required for funding/grant applications


A good DMP takes into account the applicable regulations and data policies, and considers the whole research data lifecycle. Ghent University

Rhodes University DMP requirements

The usual checklist for institutional requirements at the start of a research project include:

Funder & publisher requirements

Increasingly, Funders & Publishers require grant-holders to submit a DMP both at the preparation/early stages, and after the project is concluded.

More and more research funders require a short data management statement or plan as part of the grant proposal process, and a full-blown DMP after funding has been approved. Ghent University

Planning helps to focus on the resources and funding needed to implement good data management practices. 

It also helps to clarify, at an early stage, individual and institutional roles and responsibilities.

Planning is also essential to facilitate compliance with ethical codes and data protection laws.

Many public research funders require a data management and sharing plan as part of research grant applications. They also expect data to be shared. UK Data Service

What to cover in your DMP may also depend on your funder. Many research funders provide their own DMP template.

MANTRA - John MacInnes - Importance of data management planning

4 May 2012

MANTRA - Richard Rodger - Advising PhD students on data management planning

30 May 2014

Where can researchers find assistance and support with writing a DMP?

Researchers are often unfamiliar with the support and services available to them


Listed below are some guides for researchers:


Training


UK Data Service - interactive RDM training hub



Rhodes University Research Support Units


Some Universities and Institutions have a mandate for all researchers to provide DMPs for each research project. Rhodes University does not have a DMP mandate.


However, it is strongly advocated that all Masters & PhD students, and researchers develop DMPS at the start of the research project


Online tools

DMP Tool. Create Data Management Plans that meet researchers' requirements and promotes research

DMPonline.be is an online planning tool to help you write an effective DMP based on an institutional or funder template.

Examples of DMPs to suit all academic disciplines

Sample data management plans can be viewed at:

University of Pittsburgh 

Not sure what to write in your DMP? Have a look at example DMPs from other research projects (but keep in mind that not all have been reviewed for quality!). 

You can find public DMPs via the following sources:


Some example DMPs from Ghent University researchers:

Ghent University

Examples of DMPs from GOFAIR

How do you write a DMP?

DMP Checklist

Data management plans (DMPs) are documents prepared by researchers as they are planning a project and writing a grant proposal. 

Use a checklist to develop a data management plan 


The DCC checklist was developed to guide researchers through the step-by-step process to managing data from the funding application, through the research process, publication and finally post-publication


The checklist helps researchers to think through the key issues relating to research data management and any costs involved. It provides a very comprehensive list of questions to be considered across ten headings. It also contains a series of guidance notes designed to assist in the completion of a DMP, often accompanied by hyperlinks to useful and authoritative resources


Keep in mind


It is good practice to review the DMP throughout the research process


The UK Data Service data management checklist can point you to key matters to consider in a data management and sharing plan.

For more insight into the questions you should ask and answer, check out Data Management Checklist (UK Data Archive). University of Pittsburgh 

Data Collection

What Data will be collected?


The collection of data is dependent on the type of research project.

How will the data/samples be collected and analysed?


What is the budget?


University of Pittsburgh

Data Tools

These are the general questions that could be asked when researchers are deciding what to  write about the data collection tools they plan to use

What instruments will be used?


What instruments will be used? University of Pittsburgh

What resources will be required for data collection?

Data Management

These are the general questions that could be asked when researchers are deciding what to  write about their data management plans

How will the data be organised?

DCC checklist

How will version control be handled?


How will the data be backed up, and how often?


Data Repository

A Data Repository is a data archiving centre.


Select a data repository that is most appropriate for the data you will generate and for the community that will make use of the data

Open Data repositories


Check with the repository about requirements for submission, including required data documentation, metadata standards, and any possible restrictions on reuse

Rhodes Digital Commons (Research Data)


Rhodes University subscribes to Figshare as the institutional research data repository


Institutionally generated research data is stored and archived in the repository

Data Documentation

In order for the research data to be easily discovered, it should be documented appropriately.


By getting into the practice of documenting data at the very start of the process, researchers will save a great deal of time and resources in the long run

Creating comprehensive data documentation is easiest when begun at the onset of a project and continued throughout the research. UK Data Service

How will the data be documented?


Check with the repository about requirements for submission, including required data documentation, metadata standards, and any possible restrictions on reuse

Metadata: descriptions and standards


Metadata is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including: Descriptive metadata – the descriptive information about a resource. It is used for discovery and identification.  Wikipedia

Data Sharing

Develop a plan for sharing data with the project team, with other collaborators, and with the broader research community


DCC checklist

Ghent University

University of Pittsburgh

Data release


Data sharing policy


Know your institution’s policies and services, such as storage and backup strategy, research integrity framework, Intellectual Property rights policy, and any data sharing facilities like an institutional repository. UK Data Service

Data Storage

Know your institution’s policies and services, such as storage and backup strategy, research integrity framework, Intellectual Property rights policy, and any data sharing facilities like an institutional repository. UK Data Service

How will you back up your data?


How will you manage copyright and intellectual property?


DCC checklist

Data preservation


Short or long term preservation? DCC checklist

Data Ethics

Human subjects


DCC checklist

Sensitive data


How will sensitive data be handled to ensure it is stored and transferred securely

DCC checklist

MANTRA course

Data Management Planning


The aim of this unit is to help you to think through how you will collect, store and share the wealth of research data you will collect during your research project

After completing this unit you will:


▪ Understand the basic principles of research data management and the key role that data management plays in the responsible conduct of research.

▪ Consider your research in terms of the research data lifecycle and be able to plan ahead to prepare for potential data management pitfalls.

▪ Know about the data management planning requirements of different research funders.

▪ Be aware of data management planning tools, support and guidance which are available to academic researchers.

▪ Be able to use the information in this unit to develop a data and software management plan, and to maintain it through the course of your research.