The data management plan is a document that helps to plan for the proper handling of research data before, during, and after a project. It is a living plan that remains in effect until the final reporting, allowing for updates as needed.
The data management plan describes:
- Description of the data in the project
- Organization of the data
- Metadata and documentation
- Best storage solutions for the research data
- Ethical barriers, legal regulations, or other constraints that prevent the data from being completely openly shared after the project or publication
- License for the use of research data after they have been shared
- Information on archiving and making the data available
- Responsibility distribution for research data in a project
Research Council of Norway, the EU, ERC, and other funders require the submission of a data management plan.
The Research Council and the EU require the submission of a data management plan three times: at the beginning, midway, and in the final report of the research project.
UiO (University of Oslo) does not have specific requirements for a template to be used, but it is recommended to use the funder's templates if available.
Tips for evaluating a data management plan to be submitted to funders:
- Practical Guide to the International Alignment of Research Data Management - Extended Edition, Science Europe, 2021
- Rubric for assessment of NSF data management plans, National Science Foundation, 2017
- Data Management Plan Scorecard, Belmont Forum, 2019
A data management plan is not a form for reporting personal data in research or a data processing agreement. Separate forms are available for that purpose:
Templates and tools for data management plans:
There are several tools available for creating data management plans, and UiO does not have specific guidelines for tool use.
- UiO's template - a simple Word-based template for download.
- DMP-Online, which provides templates following ERC and Horizon Europe recommendations.
- Data Stewardship Wizard, customized for use with the infrastructure of ELIXIR NORWAY.
- Sikt - Data Management Plan.
- EUs data management plan template.