Planning
What is a Data Management Plan?
A data management plan (DMP) is a formal document required by many funders and the University as part of grant applications. Planning how to manage research data is becoming increasingly important as data volumes grow and funders place greater emphasis on data sharing. Funders may have slightly different requirements of a DMP but in general, a DMP outlines how data will be managed and shared during and upon completion of a project.
DMPs typically seek to address the following questions:
- What types and quantity of data will a project generate?
- Who is responsible for data security and quality assurance?
- How will data be securely stored and backed-up?
- How much data storage is likely to be required? Should additional storage be costed the application?
- How will data be structured e.g. folder/database structure? How will files be named?
- How and what metadata will be captured to support datasets?
- What measures are in place for storing and analysing personal and sensitive data?
- Who will control access to the data and how will collaborators access the data?
- Who owns the data? This is particularly important in industrial partnerships where data sharing and publication may be restricted to protect commercial interests.
- How will datasets with long-term value be preserved and shared?
- What file formats will be used to ensure data is reusable in the future?
- How will data be licensed for reuse?
A completed DMP should be accessible to all those working on a given research project. Periodic review and updates to the DMP may be required during the life of a project if significant changes occur.
The Working section of this website provides information and guidance to help you answer the questions in a DMP.
UoM DMPonline portal
To simplify process of writing a DMP use the DMPonline portal, which is pre-loaded with generic UoM and funder-specific templates (BBSRC, MRC, Wellcome, CRUK, UKRI, Horizon, ERC). DMPonline is managed by the Library’s Research Data Management team who have collaborated with Information Governance, Ethics and Research IT to make the process constructive and as straightforward as possible. The Research Data Management Service can also provide feedback on DMPs prior to submission. Guidance for using the DMPonline can be found online.
Example DMPs from FBMH
- Example DMPs written by FBMH academics can be found on the DMPonline landing page once logged in.
- External DMP examples, organised by funder, can also be found online.