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How do I create a data management plan?

A data management plan documents the handling of research data from the planning to the completion of a research project. However, it is a “living document” that can and must be adapted to changes, new findings or problems.

The following tools will help you to create data management plans:

• RDMO
  The Research Data Management Organiser (RDMO) was developed by the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in Potsdam and the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. The DFG-funded project is currently in its second phase. RDMO not only enables the creation of a data management plan in accordance with the requirements of various research funding programmes, but also supports researchers in the planning, implementation and administration of all research data management tasks.

• DMPonline
  DMPonline is run by the UK Digital Curation Centre (DCC). The application is primarily tailored to the situation in the UK but can also be used for Horizon 2020 projects. For German-speaking countries, the Humboldt University of Berlin provides a handout on how to use DMPonline for Horizon 2020 (PDF).

• DMPTool
  DMPTool is operated by the California Digital Library. The website also offers examples of data management plans. The tool is oriented towards the funding landscape in the USA and is therefore of limited use for German or European projects.

• ARGOS
  ARGOS is a European online tool developed by OpenAIRE to create data management plans, based on the open-source software OpenDMP. The registration is designed to be open, as you can log in directly with your ORCiD ID, Google account or even Facebook or Twitter account. Data management plans created with ARGOS are also internationally connectable, as they are directly available in the DMP metadata standard of the Research Data Alliance (RDA).

• The following checklists, models, templates and wizards provide further assistance in creating data management plans:

  Checklists:

  • Checklist of the Digital Curation Centre of the University of Edinburgh (PDF)
  • Questionnaire “Twenty Questions for Research Data Management” (PDF) by Oxford zoologist David Shotton

• Patterns & Templates:

  • DMP Catalogue of the LIBER Research Data Management Working Group (PDF)
  • Sample DMP for a BMBF application (PDF)
  • Sample DMP for a DFG proposal (PDF)
  • Model DMP for Horizon 2020 Version 3.0 (PDF)
  • Search on Zenodo.org with the keyword “DMP”
  • Horizon 2020 template (PDF)
  • Presentation of a data management plan for RWTH Aachen University (PDF)

• Wizards:

  • Wizard from Clarin-D
  • Wizard of the KomFor project

• The following examples of data management plans are also helpful:
  
  • Examples of data management plans at DMPTool
  • Examples of data management plans of the DCC
  • Examples of data management plans from the University of Leeds
  • Examples of UC San Diego data management plans

• The short video tutorial from HU-Berlin also provides a good introduction to the topic of “data management plans.”