Skip to Main Content

Research Data Management: Stage 1. Plan & Design

A guide to define and explore Research Data Management

Contents

Data Management Plans (DMPS)

Data Management Plans Software

Stage 1. Plan & Design

At the start of Research projects, many decisions have to be made regarding the management of research data generated throughout the project. This is the basis of data Management Plans.

First and foremost, researchers need to plan, design and organise their research process:

  • plan what data researchers need to collect, and how to collect it
  • decide what data will be used in the research project and how will it be represented
  • plan how and where the research data will be stored for preservation and reuse
  • decide how the data may be made discoverable, accessed, shared and terms of re-use

These are the core elements of Data Management Plans (DMPs) and as such, are to be initiated at the start of any research project/undertaking. Well-developed DMPs increases research efficiency.

Creating a DMP is considered good research practice. Decisions made early on in the research project helps researchers save time, consider the necessary resources and costs. These will be required for funding/grant applications

MANTRA course. Data Management Planning

Data Management Planning 

The aim of this  Data Management Planning unit is to help researchers to think through how they will collect, store and share the wealth of research data they will collect during the research project.

After completing this unit researchers will:

  • Understand the basic principles of research data management and the key role that data management plays in the responsible conduct of research.
  • Consider their research in terms of the research data lifecycle and be able to plan ahead to prepare for potential data management pitfalls.
  • Know about the data management planning requirements of different research funders.
  • Be aware of data management planning tools, support and guidance which are available to academic researchers.
  • Be able to use the information in this unit to develop a data and software management plan, and to maintain it through the course of the research project.