Skip to Main Content

Research Data Management: Planning a Research Project

Research Data Management - Start of a project

Good data management is fundamental to all stages of the research process & should be established from the outset.

Before a project you should:

  • Understand your funders data management and sharing policies (See FAQs)
  • Create a Data Management Plan (DMP)

Data Management Plans (DMPs)

Data management plans (DMPs) are simply proposals for how a researcher intends to manage their data both over the course of their project and beyond.

A DMP should outline how data is going to be collected, described, stored, secured, shared & preserved.

By planning data management at the start of a project the researcher can work more efficiently as they have already thought about many of the common problems they might encounter.

The DMP is a living document which should be revisited throughout the projects lifecycle.  

A Quick Guide to Data Management Plans

How do I complete a DMP?

At Queen's we recommend that researchers use the DMPonline tool to develop DMPs.

This tool, developed by the Digital Curation Centreprovides a web-based interface for completing DMPs, including bespoke templates for most research funders and accompanying guidance relating to each funder's data policies and requirements.

You can sign in to DMPonline using your Institutional Credentials.

Once you have completed a first draft of your DMP, you can contact the RDM Team for further support in enhancing the plan. Our email address is: rdm@qub.ac.uk