Writing a data management plan (DMP) is increasingly seen as a crucial part of the academic research process and may be required by your funder's policies. Canadore College can guide you in locating and using appropriate tools and resources for preparing a comprehensive DMP.
A well-crafted DMP includes the following components:
- Understanding Your Data: Assess the nature of your data and anticipate the impacts of changes to your data and workflow over the course of your research project.
- Defining End Goals: Establish a desirable end state for your research data, ensuring it is well-documented, accessible, and preserved.
- Identifying Resources: Locate local resources and support systems that can guide you in managing your data effectively.
- Awareness of Policies: Familiarize yourself with relevant policies, research obligations, and laws that may impact your data management goals.
Why Create a Data Management Plan?
- Prevent Data Duplication: Preparatory work can identify unique contributions or possible data duplication related to your research project.
- Establish Procedures: DMPs set procedures for data management, helping project team members contribute consistently to the research process. This is especially useful when team members join or leave the project.
- Enhance Collaboration: A well-implemented DMP improves the ability of your research collaborators to find, understand, and use the data.
- Ensure Data Accessibility: Adhering to your DMP ensures that, at the end of the project, your data is findable and accessible to others.
- Maintain Data Integrity: Ensures data underlying publications are maintained, allowing for the validation of results.
Recommended Tool: DMP Assistant
The Digital Research Alliance of Canada, in collaboration with the University of Alberta, has developed the DMP Assistant. This free, online tool is designed to help Canadian academic researchers develop and implement research data management plans.
The DMP Assistant allows researchers to:
- Create DMPs: Develop data management plans using templates associated with an institution, a discipline, or a methodology.
- Access Guidance: Receive guidance based on the selected template scenario to ensure comprehensive data management.
- Collaborate: Work with multiple researchers on a single DMP, facilitating collaboration and consistency.
- Connect to Local Support: Access local guidance and support for research data management at their academic institution.
Funding Opportunities Requiring DMPs
For a list of funding opportunities that require DMPs, please see the Tri-Agency grants requiring DMPs.
By creating and adhering to a robust DMP, you can ensure your research data is well-managed, accessible, and preserved for future use, thus enhancing the impact and integrity of your research.
For more information and support in creating your Data Management Plan: https://dmp-pgd.ca/ or the Research Centre directly.
Getting started:
- Brief Guide – Data Management Plans
- Brief Guide – Create an Effective Data Management Plan
- Primer – Data Management Plan
- How to Manage Your Data
- Tutorial Videos:
- Introduction to Data Management Plans (DMPs)
- Introduction to DMP Assistant
- Managing DMPs with DMP Assistant
- Webinars:
For more resources and training materials spanning the entire research data life cycle, see the Portage Network Training Resources.