Data Management Plan

Benefits of a data management plan

An effective DMP will help you to:

• Comply with funder requirements, as well as the University’s RDM Policy.
• Estimate the resources required to manage, document, share and preserve your research data.
• Think critically about which data can be shared, what might limit or prohibit data sharing, and whether any steps can be taken to remove such limitations.

How to write a data management plan

We have developed detailed guidance to support researchers at the University with each section of their data management plan: 

• Data collection
• Documentation and metadata
• Ethics and legal compliance 
• Storage and backup
• Selection and retention 
• Data sharing
• Responsibilities and resources

DMP writing tool

The Digital Curation Centre (DCC) provide a free tool, DMPonline, to help researchers create a Data Management Plan. DMPonline offers templates and guidance to help you meet funder requirements and write detailed answers for each component of your data management plan. Plans are customisable, can be exported in a variety of formats, drafts can be saved and can also be shared with others.

Please see the DMPonline guide for more detailed information on how to use the tool.

The DCC have also created a helpful Data Management Plan checklist and a guide to data management and sharing.

Example data management plans

You can refer to existing data management plans to help you consider the key RDM questions in your own research project.

There are several resources available which you can refer to:

• Data Curation Centre: Example DMPs and guidance
• RIO Journal: peer reviewed DMPs
• DMPonline: DMPs shared by authors

Funding applications

Template data management plans

Many research funders have specific templates and guidelines which you should follow when drafting your data management plan. These requirements will vary depending on the research area and funding organisation.

DMPonline has a useful database of DMP templates based on the specific requirements listed in funder policy documents. The Digital Curation Centre maintains these templates, however you should always consult the funder guidelines directly for authoritative information. 

Data management costs

Some research funders allow for the inclusion of data management costs in funding applications, provided they are reasonable and incurred before the end of your project. Example costs associated with research data management might include expenses for data storage, software, transcription, anonymisation, or personnel.

Calculating data management costs can be difficult, however these tools are available to help you arrive at a reasonable estimate:

• The UK Data Service Costing Tool and Checklist
• OpenAIRE RDM Costing Tool
• LCRDM guide on research data management costs

University of Salford ethics application process

Your ethics application must be supported by a comprehensive data management plan. Particular attention should be paid to how you will handle sensitive data concerning human subjects. Legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which govern the processing of personal data, should also be considered when drafting your DMP. More information is available in the Ethics and Legal Compliance guidance.

The Research Governance & Ethics team have put together some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the application process.