On This Page
Writing a data management plan
UCD recognises that the management of research data is fundamental to both high quality research and academic integrity. A data management plan or DMP is a formal document that outlines how data is to be handled both during a research project and after the project is completed.
Writing a data management plan:
- Helps you make informed decisions for your data from the beginning of your research project
- Helps to create awareness and agreement on data procedures within a research group
- Helps ensure compliance with legal, statutory, ethical, contractual and intellectual property obligations, and the requirements of funding bodies and publishers
Pre-award Data Management Plan
If you are required to include a Data Management Plan as part of a funding application, you can use the paragraphs below as a starting point. Please adapt them to your research project and the requirements of your funding application.
Suggested text on managing data:
All data will be managed in compliance with the UCD Research Data Management Policy.
A data management plan will be developed within the first three months of the grant with support from UCD Library's Data Manager, using DMPOnline. The project team will also avail of training available through UCD Library in relation to Data Management, together with online training provided by UCD in relation to IT Security and Data Protection. The project team will ensure the FAIR principles are incorporated into the project from the beginning, for example data will be provided in suitable file formats for long term access and re-use and metadata will be provided following relevant disciplinary standards.
Data will be made available for replication and reuse before the end of the research project in line with the FAIR principles. A suitable repository will be identified with support from UCD Library's Data Manager and data will be archived together with rich metadata, all relevant documentation and a clear licence. When selecting a repository priority will be given to those that can provide a persistent identifier.
It would be useful to include in your application a brief description of the data you anticipate generating, where these data will be stored during the project and who will be responsible for data management within the project. Also include information on which formats and metadata standards are relevant and any other disciplinary standards that will be applied. If you know of a suitable repository, mention it here too.
Suggested text if you have NO data:
If your research project won’t generate any data you can use the paragraphs below as a starting point. Please adapt them to your research project and the requirements of your funding application.
As the proposed project involves desk-based research it is anticipated that no new standalone research data will be produced or collected. All research materials will be sourced from existing published sources, which will be cited, including DOIs where available, as per the usual standards. The [research materials, e.g. bibliography and reading notes] will be stored on Google Drive as recommended by the UCD File Storage & Sharing Guide, using a logical folder structure and file naming conventions.
It is anticipated that all the research data will be incorporated and published in the final research outputs. Additional support in relation to research data management is available from UCD Library’s Data Manager.
DMPonline at UCD
DMPonline at UCD helps you to create, review, and share data management plans (DMPs) that meet institutional and funder requirements. It provides relevant questions together with guidance and example answers.
If you would like feedback on your DMP from UCD Library’s Data Manager, simply complete the checklist available through DMPonline and select the ‘request feedback’ function.