This document discusses the importance of data management and sharing plans for research projects. It recommends developing three types of plans at different stages: a minimal plan for grant applications, a core plan once funding is received, and a full plan addressing long-term data management. The Digital Curation Centre provides guidance on what to include in plans, such as administrative data, data collection, documentation, storage, and sharing. It also offers an online tool and examples to help researchers create effective data management and sharing plans.

1. Data Management and Sharing Plans
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Research Data Management
Workshop 1.5

2. Session 1.5 overview
• Why plan?
• When to plan?
• What to plan?
• Examples
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3. Why plan?
• Because you (and others) might want
to know where you’re going
• Because they make you: funders,
mandates and requirements
• Because it saves money in the long
run
• Because it leads to better quality
research and enables high quality
curation and reuse
(Donnelly, 2012)
• You can find and understand your
data when you need to use it
• There is continuity if project staff
leave or new researchers join
• You can avoid unnecessary
duplication e.g. re-collecting or re-
working data
• The data underlying publications are
maintained, allowing for validation of
results
• Data sharing leads to more
collaboration and advances research
• Your research is more visible and has
greater impact
• Other researchers can cite your data
so you gain credit
(Jones, 2011)
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4. When to plan?
• DCC recommends three versions:
– Minimal plan at the conceptualisation or grant
application stage
– Core plan once the funding is in place, covering
issues up to the point of long-term management
and preservation
– Full plan that adds issues of longer-term data
management
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5. What to plan?
• DCC checklist:
1. Administrative data
2. Data Collection
3. Documentation and metadata
4. Ethics and Legal Compliance
5. Storage and Backup
6. Selection and preservation
7. Data Sharing
8. Responsibilities and Resources
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6. DMP Online
• The DCC has used this checklist to create an online tool,
DMP Online, https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk
• It presents a list of questions based on:
– Research funder
– Institution
– Phase of the research project, typically Application and Funded
(cf. minimal versus core and full data management plans)
• An overview of funders’ requirements is maintained by the
DCC at http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/data-
management-plans/funders-requirements
• The DCC also publishes a how-to guide (Donnely, 2011)
available at http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-
guides/develop-data-plan
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Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

7. Activity 1: Examining a DMP checklist
• You have been called in by a researcher for a
meeting about a DMP. Go through DCC’s Data
Management Plan checklist (Donnelly & Jones,
2013, http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/data-
management-plans).
• What are the five things your researcher is going
to have most difficulty with? Explain why you
chose each item.
• For each of these five things, who or what could
you point them at for a reliable answer?
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8. Activity 2: DMP Online
• Go to http://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk
• Create an account
• Take no more than 10 minutes to explore the
templates for several funders
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9. Activity 3: Examining examples of
DMPs
• Work in small groups
• Read some of the examples of DMPs that are
provided by the DCC at
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/data-
management-plans/guidance-examples
• They cover several disciplines and research
funders:
– Humanities: AHRC technical plan
– Social Sciences: ESRC
– Rural Economy and Land Use: ESRC, BBSRC and NERC
– Health Sciences: The Health Foundation
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10. Activity 3: Examining examples of
DMPs
• Which parts did you not understand?
• Are these examples of a minimal, core or full
DMP?
• Could/Should the Library provide support on
these? If yes: how? If not: why not?
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11. REFERENCES
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12. References
• DCC (n.d.). DMPonline. The DCC Data Management Planning
Tool. Retrieved from https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk.
• Donnelly, M. (2012). Data management plans and planning. In G.
Pryor (Ed.). Managing Research Data (pp. 83-104). London:
Facet.
• Donnelly, M., & Jones, S. (2013). Checklist for a Data
Management Plan (Version 4.0). Edinburgh: Digital Curation
Centre. Retrieved from
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/data-
forum/documents/docs/DMP_Checklist_2013.pdf.
• Jones, S. (2011). How to Develop a Data Management and
Sharing Plan. DCC How-to Guides. Edinburgh: Digital Curation
Centre, http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-guides.
May-15
Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose