Research Data Management and Sharing

Use this checklist to identify the services and workflows you will need to address in your Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP). Download a PDF of this checklist for your records.

This checklist includes sections that proposal reviewers and your institution generally expect to see in your Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP or DMP). The information addresses how you will create, protect, and share project data. Is it based on a synthesis of funder requirements, institutional guidelines, and other good practices? Details and order will vary depending on the funding opportunity, and the approach and details you include should be appropriate to your research. Focus on the themes most relevant to you. A DMSP typically ranges from one to two pages in length. Please check formatting restrictions if you are responding to funder requirements, as they sometimes impose page limits. 

Administrative Data

Basic information to identify and contextualize your plan. Identifiers may help to link your DMSP with information held in other systems. You should include the following:

¤   Basic information, e.g., project title, your name, contact details, reference numbers / IDs

¤   A summary of the research to explain the purpose for which you are collecting the data

¤   Details of related policies and procedures, e.g., institutional data policy or departmental guidelines.

Data Collection - Types and Methods

Indicate what data you will collect and how:

¤.  Any existing data you can reuse?

¤.  What kinds of data - survey, interview, observation, machine or instrument collected, physical samples, models, etc. - are you collecting?

¤.  Describe how you will collect, and how often it will change.

¤.  List the formats (such as paper, digital, image, audio, and others) in which the data can be.

¤.  How much data and at what growth rate? Consider the number and size of files, as well as the total size of all files stored in one computer folder. 

¤.  Will it be reproducible? What standards and methodologies will you use? 

¤.  What would happen if it got lost or became unusable later?

Data Collection - Formats and Standards

¤.  Do you have data dictionaries, codebooks, or other documentation to explain terms, variable names, codes, and abbreviations used?

¤.  Do your chosen formats and software enable sharing and long-term access to the data?

¤.  Have you used standard collection methods, standard data formats, and standard file format choices (if these exist for your research field)?

Documentation and Metadata

Consider and briefly summarize what information is needed for the data to be read and interpreted in the future. Estimate how much time and effort will be required to create this supporting documentation and ensure that you allow for sufficient resources to cover this.

¤.  Have you provided documentation describing what users will need to find, access, and reuse your data?

Storage and backup - Archive and Preservation Plan

¤.  Identify a Digital Repository that will make your research data accessible to view and download.

¤.  Have you made arrangements for the long-term storage and preservation of your data (both physical and digital collection items)?

¤.  Do you have data security plans in place to ensure that copies of your data are stored and backed up regularly?

¤.  If there are costs associated with depositing your data in a digital repository or ensuring its long-term preservation, indicate funding sources to cover these costs

¤.  List the data formats and software that enable sharing and ensure the long-term validity of data, such as non-proprietary software and software based on open standards

¤.  When converting from one format to another, have you checked that no data is lost or changed in the process?

Data Sharing - Access Policies

¤.  Have you removed personal or sensitive information from your data to protect privacy?

¤.  If applicable, establish who owns the copyright to your data. Most data are facts and not copyrightable.

¤.  Describe how to acknowledge institutional and personal credit for your data.

¤.  Describe your data, records, and file labels, and your logical organization strategy.

¤.  Have you used consistent and easy-to-understand file names?

Data Sharing - Data Use and Distribution

¤.  How will your data be made available?

¤.  Do you plan to limit the reuse or re-distribution of your data? If so, indicate why and for how long.

¤.  Are you planning to enforce an embargo period restricting access to your research outside of your research team?

This checklist is based on the Digital Curation Centre Data Management Plan.

In the next module, check out the DMPTool for examples and templates.