🔴DMP Guide Sheet
Data Management Plans: Guide Sheet
Data Management Planning
Understanding the Research Data Lifecycle
Effective research data management begins with thoughtful planning and continues throughout the entire research lifecycle. The Research Data Lifecycle is a framework that outlines the major stages involved in managing data, from initial planning to final sharing and reuse. It helps researchers organize, safeguard, and share data in a structured and sustainable way.
The Research Data Lifecycle
The lifecycle typically consists of the following key stages:
Plan and Design Define your data needs, documentation standards, storage solutions, and team responsibilities before data collection begins.
Collect and Create Generate or acquire data using agreed-upon protocols, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and proper documentation.
Store and Manage Ensure data integrity, version control, security, and accessibility throughout the active phase of the research project.
Analyze Process and analyze data while maintaining a structured organization and traceability.
Preserve and Archive Safeguard final datasets for long-term retention using appropriate formats and metadata standards.
Share and Publish Disseminate data through trusted repositories or platforms while considering licensing, access, and ethical obligations.
Access and Reuse Enable future discovery and reuse by ensuring that data is findable, well-described, and appropriately licensed.
Note: While these stages are often presented as a linear sequence, data management is rarely linear in practice. Researchers often move back and forth between stages as the project evolves.
What is a Data Management Plan (DMP)?
A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a formal document that outlines how data will be handled throughout a research project's lifecycle. It describes data collection, storage, documentation, sharing, security, and long-term preservation procedures.
DMPs are increasingly required by funding agencies and research institutions. They can vary in complexity, from internal team documents to formal submissions for external grants. A well-developed DMP is a living document that can be revised as a project progresses.
Why DMPs Matter
A well-crafted DMP:
Ensures clear communication and role allocation within the research team
Enhances the findability, quality, and long-term value of research data
Promotes data sharing and research transparency
Helps anticipate and address ethical, legal, and technical challenges
Conserves time, funding, and effort through proactive planning
Fulfills institutional and funder requirements (e.g., Horizon Europe, ERC)
By encouraging structured data management, a DMP contributes to research integrity and increases the potential impact of your research outcomes.
Key Questions to Consider When Writing a DMP
When developing a DMP, consider the following:
Will you need a Data Use Agreement to obtain or share data?
What metadata and documentation standards will you follow?
What are your institution’s and funder’s data management expectations?
Are you collecting new data or reusing existing data?
What kind of data will you generate, and in what formats?
What is the expected volume of data?
Will you need to track versions of your data?
What is your storage strategy for active data, and what is your backup policy?
How will you store and archive data after the project ends?
How will you organize, name, and describe your data files?
What are your plans for making the data accessible to others?
Are there any privacy, consent, security, or intellectual property considerations?
Who on your team is responsible for each data management task?
Have you allocated sufficient budget for data management activities?
Support Available
Support is available if you need guidance on writing your DMP or managing any aspect of your data. Contact Richard Dennis, Data Steward for reNEW—Copenhagen Node, for personalized assistance. In-person consultations are available every Wednesday from 14:00 to 15:00 or by appointment.
Data Management Plans Resources
Research Data Management Training Resources
The University of Copenhagen Guide for writing DMP
European Commission Guidance on DMP
Tools for writing DMP
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