A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a formal document that outlines how research data will be handled throughout the research lifecycle. The goal of a DMP is to consider and document the many aspects of data management, metadata generation, data storage and preservation, and analysis at critical points throughout a research project lifecycle. This ensures that data is well-managed in the present, and prepared for preservation in the future.
Data Management Plans can be created at any time throughout the research activity lifecycle.
• At start up for inclusion in research funding applications.
• During research to identify locations of data currently being captured, created or expanded.
• At conclusion to summarise the data created by the project and to support the decisions about what can or cannot be released in open access or restricted access.
• Following conclusion to provide a description of the data and its storage locations.
The Australian Code for Responsible Conduct of Research requires aspects of data management such as ownership, ethics, and retention and disposal to be well-documented by researchers.
Funding agencies and publishers expect researchers to have well-managed data that can be cited, validated and used by others for further creation of knowledge.
Effective research data management also plays a vital role in managing research risk. All research is subject to a range of data-related risks such as data loss or corruption, and privacy or copyright breaches. These risks come with significant, potentially catastrophic impacts. Effective research data management can assist in managing such risks.
The following are components of data management plans:
What data is produced and in what format
How data is stored (which can either be physical, e.g. Building X, Room A, Filing Cabinet 11; or electronic
e.g. http://sto.rage.edu.au/1212418-1/measurements.csv)
How data is backed up
How data is accessed & treated
Who owns the data and the intellectual property (IP)
The Data Management Planning System (DMPS) utilises existing information from corporate systems to automatically create Data Management Plans at any time. Research support staff can assist with enriching these plans with additional metadata about research projects.
To request a Data Management Plan please contact Ask the Library via phone, chat or email.
An easy-to-use self-service facility 'My Data Management Plans' (myDMP) allows researchers to generate their own data management plans, and allows researchers to self deposit metadata about a project that is not already in the University's research system (My Research Management (MyRM)). For further information or to access myDMP please refer to the My Data Management Plans webpage.
Please refer to the comprehensive Research Data Management Guide for further information.