Data management plan (DMP)

A data management plan (DMP) describes how research data before, during and after the research are being collected and managed. A DMP:

• provides insight in all aspects that you should take into account when collecting and processing research data,
• describes the different storage options for research data, and
• provides information about data archiving and about making the data available.

Many funding agencies require a data management plan when funding your project. The Dutch NWO, for example, is part of Coalition S, and wants to stimulate that research data is made available for reuse according to the international FAIR-principles. 

The merit of writing a data management plan for you as a researcher, is that it helps you to plan what you need to prepare in able to manage the data in a responsible way. This will prevent that you will encounter unnecessary surprises. 

Legal & ethical:

• Is there a formal agreement for the collaboration? How are ownership and responsibilities for the data divided?  
• Are secrecy or intellectual property at stake in the project? Is it necessary to sign a NDA?

IT & security:

• Wich applications are required to collect, store, and analyse the data? Does Hanze UAS has the required licenses and support? 
• Which risk level applies to the data? Do storage and other applications comply with the required security standards, or are additional safety measures needed? 

Sharing & publishing

• Do you aim to make the data available for re-use or for follow-up research? Is this option included in the informed consent from research respondents?
• How to document the data in order to make the research verifiable and replicable?

To support our researchers as good as possible in writing a data management plan, Hanze UAS has a DMPonline account. DMPonline is an online tool for writing, updating, sharing and storing data management plans. The tool has templates of several funding agencies, such as NWO and ZonMw, that you can use. 

Hanze UAS also has their own template, which includes relevant guidance applicable to the situation at Hanze. Using this template, you can easily ask for feedback from one of the Information Specialists, using the [Request Feedback] button. An automatic e-mail will be sent to the research support team, after which the Information Specialist of your research centre will get in contact with you. The template is available in Dutch and in English. 

Directly to DMPonline.

How do I get into DMPonline:

• Create an account with your Hanze mail address. After this you have direct access with your SURFconext link;
• Click on the tab Create plans;
• Choose the appropriate template;
• Click on the orange button Create plan;

Then just start writing your data management plan.