Data management plan (DMP)

The advantages of a DMP 

Filling in a DMP is a good way to think about the data collection process in a structured way. You answer questions such as (DCC, 2013): 

• What data are you going to collect or create? And with what method? 
• How will you document the data? 
• How will any ethical issues be addressed?
• How will you protect the privacy of any research participants? 
• How do you ensure that data is stored securely and cannot be lost?  
• What is the plan for the long-term storage of the dataset? Are you going to publish the data?  
• Who is responsible for data management?

Filling out a DMP - and then complying with and keeping the content alive - has a number of advantages. It increases the chance: 

• Of FAIR data;
• Of reproducible research;
• That you comply with relevant legislation such as the GDPR;
• Of research efficiency.   

In the video below, we'll give you a more detailed overview of what a DMP is, what its advantages are and you'll get to see an example of a format and a completed DMP. 

DMP policy of research funders

Research funders usually expect that awareness of data management is part of the project application. The underlying motive of research funders is to promote honest research and FAIR research data. They are of the opinion that research data, produced as part of a publicly funded research project, should at least be traceable and preferably be freely available for reuse and verification.

Below you will find some examples of research funders and their data management requirements. These institutions usually provide this information directly to researchers, but as a data supporter you can expect questions from researchers about it.