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Research Data Management (RDM): Data Management Plan

What is a Data Management Plan (DMP)?

The Data Management Plan (DMP) is a concise document that helps organize and anticipate all stages of the data lifecycle. It explains how data for each dataset will be managed in a project, from its creation or collection to its sharing and archiving.

A DMP can be established for data sharing purposes as well as for restricted or closed access data, whether in total or in part. (Doranum, 2018)

A DMP is an evolving document that can be modified to account for changes throughout a research project. It is filled out to the best of the knowledge of the principal investigator (PI)  at the beginning of the project.

A DMP is not:

  • Necessarily a lengthy or imposing document;
  • A document that replaces your grant application or risk mitigation plan;
  • A data sharing plan.

In addition to being part of the best research practices, DMPs are now among the new requirements of funding agencies in Canada and abroad.

Tri-agency DMP requirements

The Tri-Agency require DMPs to address the following questions:

  • How will the data be collected, documented, formatted, protected, and preserved?
  • How will existing datasets be used, and what new data will be created during the research project?
  • How will the data be communicated or shared, if applicable?
  • Where will the data be deposited/stored?

Writing a data management plan

Create a data management plan (DMP) to plan and organize your research and to meet the requirements of funding agencies.

Some guidelines for an effective DMP (Alliance, 2022):

  • Start by providing a description of your research project, its purpose, and its objectives.
  • Avoid discipline-specific jargon - your DMP should be clear and understood by everyone.
  • Define any acronyms you will use.
  • Do not leave empty sections or unanswered questions.
  • Justify your decisions - help others understand why you made them.
  • Your DMP is an evolving document - update it as needed!

The DMP Assistant is a data management tool. It is an online, bilingual, and nationally scoped tool developed by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, in collaboration with the University of Alberta, to guide researchers step-by-step in preparing their data management plans. All researchers can freely use this tool to design a DMP by answering a series of key questions and drawing on examples and advice related to best practices. (Adapted from the definition by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, 2022).

Additionally, the DMP Assistant provides access to examples of DMPs created using the platform and publicly shared by their owners. It also offers access to DMP templates provided by funding agencies or trusted organizations for anyone to refer to.

To facilitate the writing process, ÉTS has made available to its research community the ÉTS DMP Template, accessible through the DMP Assistant (see "ÉTS DMP Template" tab for more details).

From the DMP Assistant, it is possible to access a template containing sections and specific guidelines for École de technologie supérieure both in French and English.

While the DMP Assistant is a highly recommended tool for drafting your plan, it is by no means mandatory. You can anyhow use the Word version of the template below:

DMP templates (Canada and international)

References

Doranum. (2018). Plan de gestion de données: fiche synthétique. Retrieved from https://doranum.fr/plan-gestion-donnees-dmp/plan-de-gestion-des-donnees-fiche-synthetique_10_13143_cgv4-0k53/

Canada's Digital Research Infrastructure Alliance. DMP Assistant (2022). Retrieved from https://alliancecan.ca/en/services/research-data-management/dmp-assistant