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Research Data Management

This guide is intended to assist researchers with data management and provide access to data management tools and services.

What is a data management plan and why should I create one?

A data management plan (or DMP) is a formal plan that describes how research data is managed throughout the lifecycle of a research project. Planning will save you time in the long run by integrating processes within and after the life of a project. A DMP also minimizes the need to reorganize, reformat, or attempt to remember details about data when disseminating and sharing with others. Many funding agencies and journals have data management policies and guidelines. 

Adapted from: The Portage Network. (n.d.). How to manage your data: Frequently asked questions under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. 

Create a Data Management Plan using the DMP Assistant

The Digital Research Alliance of Canada has developed a tool called the DMP Assistant to help researchers prepare data management plans. The DMP Assistant is a bilingual tool that can help you prepare a good data management plan (DMP). It will take you step-by-step through a number of key questions about data management. To get started:

  1. Create an account: dmp-pgd.ca
  2. Sign in and select a template. There are several templates available to use - the "Dalhousie University Generic Plan" template references Dal specific resources and is a good choice for most purposes.
  3. Answer the questions - examples and guidance are provided. You can share your plan so others can work on it too.
  4. Export or print your plan, or revise and revisit the plan throughout your research.

DMP Examples

The Digital Research Alliance of Canada has created Data Management Plan (DMP) Exemplars. Exemplars are available in English and French in the following areas: 

  • Digital Humanities
  • Digital Humanities and Secondary Data
  • Mixed Methods
  • Natural Sciences
  • Social Sciences

You can find more resources related to data management, including the exemplars, on the Alliance Training Resources page. More exemplars are being developed. 

Other sample DMPs can be found below:

      Practical guidance on writing DMPs is available in the DCC guide: How to develop a data management and sharing plan

Best Practices from around the world

Subjects: *Multidisciplinary