Research Data Management

Data management plan: Guidelines & best practices

Research data management (RDM) and research data management plans (DMPs) are closely connected.  RDM increases efficiency, and ultimately it maximizes your research output.  A DMP is a document that outlines how research data will be handled during and after a research project.  It helps researchers to think through all aspects of RDM, from data collection to preservation.  In this context, writing a DMP will help you identify and mitigate potential risks before collecting data.  It also saves you time in later phases of your research.

-> RDM is the overall process of managing research data effectively, while DMPs provide a roadmap for implementing RDM best practices.

A DMP is a living document!  In the course of your research sometimes it is required to change your original idea and revise the steps needed to succeed.  That is why it is advisable to complete your DMP early in the research project, to ensure a framework of documentation that aligns those involved to practices, expectations, and policies, as well as having enough time to adjust your pathway accordingly. 

As lifecycle management of data is becoming increasingly important, some funding agencies or projects might require submission of formal DMPs.  Thus, it would be highly beneficial - especially for complexed and collaborative projects - to have a DPM ready beforehand.  The Digital Curation Centre (DCC) has developed a synthesis of requirements for DMPs and best practice .

Remember! A data management plan (DMP) is not mandatory because it is a tool, not a requirement.  Like any tool, it is up to the researcher to decide whether or not to use it, depending on the needs and requirements.  DMPs are used for complete research projects and are not needed during individual tasks (i.e. when a researcher only wants to backup existing data).

Basic elements of a DMP

A thorough DMP usually includes some basic elements to consider and address:

• Type of data to collect / create

• Data collection / creation process

• Data standardization (use of metadata)

• Sensitive data and other ethical issues

• Copyright and intellectual property rights issues

• Data preservation during and after the research process (long-term preservation plan for the dataset)

• Data access issues

• Data dissemination: best practices and restrictions

• Team roles (responsibilities)

• Necessary resources to complete the research

Remember! If the data is not open for legal, confidentiality, or other related reasons (i.e. sensitive or personal data), this should be explained clearly. The metadata that makes the data findable shall be provided in all cases.  More details to follow in the section "Handling data ".

Don't forget to plan thinking long term, as it is important to act accordingly when it comes to data preservation.  Data you intent to publish should be preserved long-term and therefore require special curation.

• Are you full of questions? Here is a recommended resource you can consult:

Consortium of European Social Sciences Data Archives (CESSDA): Adapt your Data Management Plan: a list of Data management questions based on the Expert Tour Guide on Data management

Plan to make data work for you

To start planning, you can use the DMP Online that helps you create, review, and share data management plans that meet institutional and funder requirements and is provided by the Digital Curation Centre (DCC).  

Using DMPonline is free of charge and created plans can be exported in various file formats.

The new, very helpful feature is the the DOI integration which automates the completion of plan details, making it easier to add information of papers, data sets, and other research outputs:

• Open your DMP
• Select the Research outputs tab
• Click on "Add a research output" button
• Enter the DOI and click on "Get metadata" button.  This will automatically complete important information such us the title, the description, the release date.

Argos: a service for creating and publishing DMPs

ARGOS is the joint effort of OpenAIRE and EUDAT to deliver an open platform for Data Management Planning that addresses FAIR and Open best practices and assumes no barriers for its use and adoption.  DMPs in ARGOS are treated as research outputs that can be assigned DOIs, licenses and can be re-distributed in a FAIR manner.  The plans are produced as machine-actionable outputs (ma-DMPs), in the form of rich text documents, following Open and FAIR practices and are published in Zenodo . Argos supports RDM at the beginning of research for planning data activities to be performed, as well as throughout and at the end of research for documenting the steps and processes followed according to institutional or funder RDM requirements.

You can log in Argos by selecting one of the providers from the Login page - amongst others, your ORCID.  Argos does not require Sign Up.

Argos main functionalities

• You can view / consult publicly released DMPs and Datasets or Projects corresponding to DMPs.  Argos offers options for publishing DMPs in two modes, private or public. To view public DMPs and Datasets , there is no need for login to the platform.
• Most importantly, you can write and publish a DMP.  Practicing on writing DMPs and Dataset Descriptions.  Argos helps researchers comply with mandates that may be attached to their grant proposal/ project funding. They can therefore choose from the most suitable to their needs template from the Datasets collection and proceed with answering the corresponding questions. Once finalized, researchers can assign a DOI to their DMP, publish and eventually cite it.

Other than the previous, Argos may be also used for educational purposes. The process of Data Management Planning reflects the data management lifecycle, hence the tool can be used in response to global RDM training demands.

*Zenodo is a general-purpose open repository developed under the European OpenAIRE program and operated by CERN. It allows researchers to deposit research papers, data sets, research software, reports, and any other research related digital artefacts.