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Research data management

Here you will find an overview and further information about the FDZ Ruhr's support services for research data management.

Data Management Plan

A data management plan (DMP) describes the handling of research data produced or used in a project during the project term and beyond. The DMP contains binding regulations that are agreed upon and applied within the project team. It helps to systematically plan and transparently implement data management.

A DMP is a living document, meaning that it is updated regularly throughout the project. Based on their funding guidelines, some funding agencies require that a DMP be submitted with the project application. In other cases, however, an initial version is required at or shortly after the start of the project.

A data management plan (DMP) structures the handling of research data in a scientific project. It describes how to deal with the data used during and after the end of the project. Many third-party funding bodies (DFG, FWF, SNF, Horizon Europe, Volkswagen Foundation) expect information on the handling of research data as part of a funding application when awarding funds from certain funding lines. Even if a formal DMP is not explicitly required by the funding agency, it is useful for working on a research project. In particular, a DMP can be used to record the current project status and related specifics throughout the research data lifecycle. Thus, it is extremely helpful for project management and helps to keep overview of the research project. The FDZ Ruhr will be happy to support you in creating a DMP.

Contents of a data management plan

The data management plan documents the (planned) collection, retention, documentation, maintenance, processing, transfer, publication and storage of data, as well as the required resources, legal framework and responsible persons. Therefore, a DMP contributes to the quality, long-term usability and security of the data and supports, for example, the implementation of the FAIR principles.

In the DMP, for example, the following questions need to be addressed:

  • What data is used in the project and where does it come from?
  • What infrastructure, software and licenses are required?
  • Which data will be generated in the project (type, scope, etc.)?
  • Which data should be published and/or archived after the end of the project?
  • Where should the data be published and/or archived?
  • Who is responsible for the description with metadata?
  • Who is allowed to use the data after the end of the project? Under which licensing conditions?

When is a DMP to be prepared?

The obligation to prepare a DMP depends on the funding conditions of the respective funding institution. If you are planning or conducting an internal research project, you do not have to formally prepare a DMP, but it is nevertheless useful and important to document the handling of data and research results and to keep it up to date during the project phase. The DFG checklist can be used for this purpose, for example.

Tools

There are free tools available in both German and English that can be used to "assemble" a data management plan from existing modules and text modules. RDMO, the Research Data Management Organiser, goes one step further. This tool can be used to create a DMP as well as to manage the entire research project. Simple instructions can be found here. Forschungsdaten.info provides a free RDMO instance, which is currently in the pilot phase.

A listing of various DMP tools can be found at https://www.forschungsdaten.org/index.php/DMP-Tools.

Templates

Contact:

If you have any questions about research data management, please contact Philip Raatz:

Sources:

https://forschungsdaten.info/themen/informieren-und-planen/datenmanagementplan/

https://www.uni-muenster.de/Forschungsdaten/organisieren/datenmanagementplan/