Getting Started with Data Management Planning
Planning for your data management needs is an essential part of any research project. Taking the time to consider what data you will be generating, where you will store it, and how you will organize it helps avoid issues in the future that can slow down or even halt research. Some common problems that arise from failure to plan include:
- Researchers generating gigabytes of data run out of storage because they did not think about how much data they would produce.
- Teams lose track of crucial files because they did not strategize on how to name files or where to store them.
- Authors cannot reproduce the analyses in their publications because they did not document the steps they took while analyzing data.
A data management plan is a guide created by a researcher or research team as part of a project that lays out information about the type(s) of data that will be collected, how the data will be stored, managed, and analyzed, and what will happen to the data when the project is completed. A plan may be a formal document submitted as part of a grant or research proposal, but it can be as simple as informal brainstorming.
Brainstorming Your Data Management Plan
A map of data management steps in the research process, from Data Management in Large Scale Education Research (2024) by Crystal Lewis: https://datamgmtinedresearch.com/
When you are first developing a data management plan, one helpful strategy can be to visually map out your research process. The diagram above, for example, begins with the pieces necessary to put together a research proposal, then lays out the many data management-related tasks that might be necessary in the research process. Each of those tasks may lead to a new set of questions. On what platform will data be stored? How many instruments will be needed for data collection? How will tracking be done across members of a team? Data management needs vary greatly from one project to another, so the benefit of mapping out your complete research process is to identify the areas most relevant to your work.
Another option is to review checklists of common data management activities to decide what is relevant to your current research. For any relevant items, make sure that you can articulate clearly how you plan to achieve it during research. The following checklists from Crystal Lewis are a good place to start:
UK Data Policies
Researchers at UK should bear in mind that they are subject to a number of policies governing the collection and management of research data. When developing a data management plan, it is a good idea to review these policies to determine if they apply to your work. Building policy compliance into your data management plan will make it easier to follow and avoid mistakes later in the process.
Creating a Data Management Plan
If you are creating a data management plan as part of a grant application, review the that agency's requirements for data management plans (see below for a list of common funders). Consider using DMPTool, which contains templates for plans for different funders and embeds agency guidance to help you respond to each question.
If you are not required to have a data management plan but would like to have one for personal or team use, the questions below, adapted from the NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan Guidance, can help you get started. ICPSR provides a similar framework and additional resources in its Guidelines for Effective Data Management Plans document.
- What types of data will you be collecting?
- What units will each data type be measured in, and how will they be formatted? For instance, will dates be written in YYYY-MM-DD format?
- What documentation will you provide so that others can correctly interpret your data? Examples include data dictionaries, metadata schema, and README files.
- What tools or software will you be using to collect and analyze your data?
- Where and how will you store your data while it is being collected and analyzed?
- What will happen to your data at the end of your research? How long will you retain it in line with UK policy? Will you share your data in a data repository so that others will be able to find it?
- Who on your team will be responsible for implementing each piece of your data management plan?
Data Management (and Sharing) Plan Requirements from Research Funders
Most research funders require investigators to submit a brief data management plan (or data management and sharing plan) detailing how their data will be managed while research is ongoing.
UK Libraries provides in-depth resources for developing plans for the following funders:
Additional guidance for common funders can be found on their websites:
- American Heart Association - Open Science Policy
- Department of Energy - Digital Research Data Management
- Institute for Educational Sciences - Public Access to Data Resulting from IES Funded Grants
- National Endowment for the Humanities - Data Management Plans for Digital Humanities
Data Management (and Sharing) Plan Support from UK Libraries
University of Kentucky Libraries offers a DMS Plan review service. Use the button below to email your draft or completed plan to Research Data Librarian Isaac Wink:
When emailing your plan, please include the following information:
- A draft project description for your grant. (You will not receive feedback on this document, but it is helpful context when reviewing your plan).
- The funder and specific office (if known) that will be receiving your grant.
- The date by which you need to receive feedback. Note: Please allow up to one week for your plan to be reviewed.
Implementing Your Data Management Plan
Developing a data management plan is an important first step in the research process, but you must be sure to put your plan into practice. Research Data Services at Oregon State University has developed a Data Management Plan Implementation Template for translating DMPs into sustainable practices. The template can be particularly helpful for research teams who need to communicate clearly about responsibilities and accountability.