Data Management Plans
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and you will be unsurprised by anything in between.”
― Maya Angelou
Globally, many funding agencies require or recommend that researchers create and submit Data Management Plans (DMPs). A DMP is a useful tool for optimizing research. DMPs contain your plan for how you will collect, organize, store, protect, and share your research data. Building a DMP helps ensure that you are prepared for any future problems that arise. DMPs are best thought of as living documents, that can change and be adjusted as you go through the research process.
A DMP is a guide that you develop for yourself, to articulate your plan for managing your data. A DMP can help you:
- Set out consistent strategies prior to starting your research for how data will be managed.
- Identify the strengths & weaknesses in your current practices and decide how to integrate effective data management practices into your research.
- Engage your partners and collaborators in ongoing conversation about how to best manage research data and set clear expectations for everyone.
- Meet your research funders grant requirements. Many funders now require grant applicants to submit a DMP – Most UK & EU funders, NSF, NIH, Wellcome Trust, Tri-Agency (starting 2022)