BU Research Blog

Data management plans are becoming increasingly important in the world of research.

Not only are funders increasingly making these plans a requirement when researchers submit their grant applications, they also add value to the wider scientific community as well-organised data provides a great starting point for other researchers to carry out further analysis.

What are they? Data management plans describe how data will be acquired, treated and preserved both during and after a research project.  Planning for the effective creation, management and sharing of your data enables you to get the most out of your research.

The Digital Curation Centre provides the following guide: How to Develop a Data Management and Sharing Plan.  This guide outlines the process of developing a data management and sharing plan. It also outlines UK funder expectations for data management and sharing plans and provides practical guidance on how to meet these. It should be of relevance to researchers and those supporting them within higher education.  The most popular items on the site are: DMPonline and DMPtool. These tools are available as open source. Templates are available for the questions that funders ask to be answered in a plan.

In addition, Elsevier published a ‘How to create a good data management plan’, which provides a practical guide to managing data.

If you need more information about data management then please contact the Library who should be able to assist you.