Data management planning

A Data Management Plan (DMP) helps achieve optimal handling, organisation, documentation and enhancement of research data. It is particularly important for ensuring ethical and legal requirements for handling data and for enabling data sharing.

For data to be managed effectively, planning must start when research is being designed and needs to consider both how data will be managed during the research project and how they will be shared afterwards. This includes thinking critically about the sharing of research data, what might limit or prohibit data sharing, and whether any steps can be taken to remove such limitations.

A living document

Good practice is also to review and update the Data Management Plan as research progresses, for example during regular monthly project meetings. This way, the DMP becomes a quality assurance statement for your research data in the long term.

Planning for costs, roles and compliance

Data management planning helps to identify the resources and funding needed to implement effective data management practices. It also helps to clarify, at an early stage, individual and institutional roles and responsibilities. Planning is also essential to supporting compliance with both ethical and legal responsibilities.

Many public research funders require a data management and sharing plan as part of research grant applications. They also expect data to be shared.

DMPonline, a free service created and provided by the Digital Curation Centre (DCC), helps with the creation and review of institutional and funder compliant data management plans.

Data Stewardship Wizard (DSW), a free open-source platform, helps with the creation and review of data management plans using interactive decision trees aligned with FAIR data principles.

DMP Assistant, a free bilingual service hosted by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, helps with the creation and review of institutional and funder-compliant data management plans.

Key data management planning considerations

When starting your data management planning, keep these essential points in mind:

• Design your data practices to fit the specific aims, methods, and needs of your project.
• Be clear on your legal, ethical, and institutional responsibilities toward research participants, colleagues, funders, and your organisation.
• Know your institution’s policies and services, such as storage and backup strategy, research integrity framework and Intellectual Property rights policy.
• Assign clear data management tasks to the appropriate team members.
• Regularly review and update your plan, keeping your DMP current as your research evolves, ensuring it remains accurate and effective.
• Make planning, implementing, and reviewing data management an ongoing part of your project workflow.
• Consider where, when, and how your data will be shared at the end of your project by identifying an appropriate and FAIR data sharing strategy.

UKRI data management planning requirements

Many UKRI funders currently require grant applicants to consider how research data will be managed and shared and, in many cases, to complete a data management and sharing plan as part of the funding application.

UKRI is reviewing its data management planning requirements as part of the implementation of the updated Research Data Policy. Please note the policy is currently in draft and is expected to be published by the end of 2026. Further guidance on the structure and expectations for UKRI data management plans will be provided once this process is complete.

This guidance will be updated when further information becomes available. In the meantime, researchers should continue to follow current funder and institutional requirements and ensure that data management and sharing are considered from the start of the project.