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Data Management Plan - support for project planning
A data management plan (DMP) is a "living" document that should be created before the start of the project and continuously expanded and supplemented during the project duration.
A DMP records which types of research data are collected and documented, how this is done, where the collected data are stored, who can access them, and what should happen to the data after the project ends. Thus, a DMP can be used as a guideline for data responsibilities and cooperation between project partners, for data backup, and for estimating possible resource and cost expenditures.
Some third-party funders even require the creation of a DMP as part of the project application.
What information should a DMP contain?
Since different research disciplines sometimes also generate different types of research data, there are in turn different approaches to planning, managing, sharing or saving them. A DMP can thus be created individually in relation to one's own research project. Although third-party funders increasingly require the creation of a DMP as part of the project application, they sometimes do not specify specific content for such a plan. In these cases, the international guide from Science Europe can be used as an initial orientation aid.
To support the staff of the TU Chemnitz, the Open Science Team of the University Library has also created a DMP guide with minimum specifications. This is based in part on a German handout from the Leipzig University on the creation of data management plans, which is available via the Zenodo portal and can be used freely. The guide from the university library can also be freely used by anyone under a CC-BY license.
On the pages of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the staff of the Computer and Media Service Department provide sample plans for download for the research funders Horizon 2020, DFG, BMBF and Volkswagenstiftung.
When applying for DFG projects, it is expected that the handling of research data is described. The DFG provides a checklist for this purpose.
Tools for creating data management plans
In addition to guides with minimum specifications for DMPs, there are also some tools freely available on the web to support the creation of data management plans. These applications mostly consist of question and answer templates. After filling in the prefabricated modules, a DMP is output. The templates are based on the funding guidelines of third-party funders from a specific country or language area and, in some cases, specific research disciplines. This depends on the organization that developed the particular application.
The tool is primarily tailored to research applications from German-speaking countries (DFG, BMBF) and, in addition to the interview on the DMP, also offers other options for data management during the project period, although these functionalities are still being expanded.
The application is part of the European OpenAIRE program and enables the creation of DMPs according to FAIR principles.
Clarin-D's Wizard assists applicants, especially those in the humanities and social sciences working with language data, in creating a data management plan.
The application supports the creation of DMPs (BMBF, Horizon Europe, DFG) and the management of data, with a focus on psychological research data.