
Writing a data management plan: the data management plan
A data management plan is a formal document you develop at the start of your research project which outlines all aspects of your data (in other words, what you will do with your data during and after your research project).
Developing a data management plan may seem intimidating. However, it is a vital step in your research process that you cannot afford to skip. It helps you ensure your research data are accurate, complete, reliable, and secure both during and after you complete your research.
Your data management plan may describe:
- What research data you will be creating or collecting.
- Who will be responsible for each aspect of the management plan you are developing.
- What policies (funding, institutional, and legal) will apply to your data.
- How the data will be organised (folder structures, file naming conventions, file versioning).
- How the data will be documented during the collection and analysis phase of your research.
- What data management practices (backups, storage, access control, archiving) you will be using to store and secure your data.
- What facilities and equipment will be required (hard-disk space, backup server, repository).
- Who will have ownership and access rights to your data.
- How the data will be preserved and made available in the long term once your research is completed.
Important! Data management plans must be continuously maintained and kept up-to-date throughout the course of your research.