Data Management Planning

A research data management plan (RDMP) is a document that you create at the start of your research project. It is considered a living document, meaning that it should be updated regularly during the course of your research. It describes how your research data will be handled throughout the data lifecycle:

What type of data you will collect or produce, and how
What facilities do you need
How you will handle the data during and after the project

Funding bodies ask you to write a paragraph on data management in your proposal and deliver an RDMP once your project has been awarded.

What information should an RDMP contain?

In general, a Research Data Management Plan (RDMP) includes answers to the following questions:

What data are you going to collect? What is the size and type of the data and data files that will be generated?
Where and how will you store your data? Which backup methods and procedures will you use?
How will the data be shared and transferred between colleagues, both from and outside of the institution?
How are you going to organize and describe your data?
Who can access your data? Will the archived data become available to others?
If there is an embargo, how are you going to manage access?
What data will be archived when the project is finished? Where and for how long?
Who owns the data? Who is responsible for the management of your data?

How to write a Data Management Plan?

There are different templates available that can be used to create your Research Data Management Plan (RDMP). Your funder usually indicates which template you should use.
Additionally, various UG faculties and institutes have their own templates, with questions tailored to the type of data used in their discipline.

You can always contact the DCC about:

Preparing a data management paragraph or plan (RDMP) and/or receiving feedback from a DCC data steward
What costs for data management to include in your research proposal
Data storage and sharing solutions
Archiving and publishing your data
Any question about data management or necessary IT solutions

Check out Funder Requirements for RDMP's Use the RDMP webtool to generate a template Contact the DCC directly for support

The what, why and how of data management planning

Last modified:

07 November 2022 2.55 p.m.