Scholarly Communication @ UT

What is a data management plan?

Data management plans outline what a researcher is going to do with their data during their research and after the research is concluded. Data management plans should include:

• the types of data that will be collected or created
• where the data will be stored and the organization of the data
• the roles and responsibilities of research team members
• how the data will be accessed and shared
• policies for the reuse of the data
• plans for the long term storage and/or archiving of the data

Use the Data Management Planning Tool (DMP Tool) to create, review, and share data management plans that meet institutional and funder requirements.

DMPTool2 Promotional Video from California Digital Library on Vimeo.

A data management plan should outline how you will store the data, organize it, and share the data after research is concluded. Some questions that should be addressed by a data management plan include:

• What research data will be created?
• What policies (funding, institutional, and legal) apply to the data?
• What data management practices (version control, storage, backup, archiving) will be used?
• What equipment or services (hard drive, data repository) will be required for data management?
• Who will be responsible for managing the data?

There are a few great reasons to create a data management plan.

• Data management plans are now required by some funders, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Some funders may require you archive your research in a repository.
• Your grant proposal may be more competitive if you can demonstrate that you will manage, preserve, and share your data.
• You will be prepared for possible data loss ahead of time, because you crafted a data management plan with backups.

A stronger data management plan will create a stronger research project.