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What Is A Data Management Plan

A data management plan helps researchers manage and share project data by describing the data, how it will be organized and stored, who is responsible, and when activities will occur. A good DMP saves time and effort, satisfies advisors, facilitates sharing, and ensures future usability of the data.

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10 views3 pages

What Is A Data Management Plan

A data management plan helps researchers manage and share project data by describing the data, how it will be organized and stored, who is responsible, and when activities will occur. A good DMP saves time and effort, satisfies advisors, facilitates sharing, and ensures future usability of the data.

Uploaded by

ronynoor
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is a Data Management Plan?

A data management plan (DMP) helps researchers work with, manage, share and archive their data effectively. A
DMP typically describes:

 What data will be produced as a part of the project


 How each type of data will be organized, documented, standardized, stored, protected, shared and archived
 Who will take responsibility for carrying out the activities listed above, and
 When these activities will take place over the course of the project (and beyond)

Resources

 PURR - Data Management Planning

A guide to developing a DMP created by the Purdue Libraries. Resources include examples, worksheets,
and links to numerous resources.

 The DMP Tool

The DMP Tool is designed to help researchers develop a data management plan that meets the
requirements of a particular funding agency. Look here for ideas on what to include in your DMP.

 ICPSR - Data Management Plans

ICPSR is a data repository located at the University of Michigan. Their site offers examples, guidance and
other resources in developing a DMP.

Why Develop a Data Management Plan?


Developing a DMP can be helpful for multiple reasons. A good DMP can help you:

 Save you time and effort: A good DMP will help you work more efficiently and enable you to find specific
information with your data set quickly and easily.
 Make your advisor happy: A DMP can help you organize and document your data so that your faculty
advisor will be able to understand and make use of your work.
 Work more effectively with your peers: Deciding early on how you and others in the lab will describe and
manage your data and then writing these decisions down as a DMP will help you to be able to share your
data with those who need it and bring components of a data set together efficiently.
 Insure that your data are usable in the future: You may want to continue the work you are starting in
SURF or repurpose your data for another research project. Developing a DMP will help you to remember
what you have done to develop the data and help you in repurposing it for future research.
 Gain skills in a growing area of need: Funding agencies are increasingly requiring researchers to develop
DMPs as a part of applying for grants. Knowing how to create a good DMP may make the difference
between getting the grant or being rejected. Developing your skills in data management planning may make
you a stronger candidate to employers or to graduate schools.

What should be in a DMP?


Talk with your advisor about what should be in your data management plan. Some questions to ask are:

 What data will be generated in this project?


 What data will I be responsible for?
 How will the data that I am responsible for need to connect to other data sets?
 What formats will be used (Excel, MySQL, jpg, etc.)?
 How should the data be documented? What information about the data will need to be captured so that
others can understand it?
 Where should the data be stored and who should have access to it?
 How should the data be organized? Should a file naming convention be used?
 Will the data be published or archived at the end of the project?

Writing up the answers to these questions should form the basis of a solid data management plan. You may need to
ask additional or different questions based on your project and the work that you are doing. See the "resources" box
for examples and guides on putting together a DMP.

5 Things Every Data Management Plan Should Include


Basic questions to ask yourself before you start writing a data management
plan

1. Data Types
 What types of data will your project produce (samples,
specimens, records, etc.)?
 What file formats will you use?
 Are those formats sustainable for the long-term?
2. Metadata
 How will you label and describe your data?
 How will you name and organize your files?
 How will you ensure consistency across your team?
3. Access and Sharing
 Who will have access to your data during and after the
research process?
 What forms of your data can you publish?
 What security, confidentiality and intellectual property
requirements apply to your data?
4. Re-Use
 If you publish your data, which license will you use?
 Who can re-use your data and for what purpose?
 How should your data be cited?
5. Archiving
 How will you backup and preserve your data?
 What if software changes? Will you need to update your files
to a new format?
https://dmeg.cessda.eu/Data-Management-Expert-Guide/2.-Organise-Document/File-naming-and-
folder-structure

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