A data management plan (DMP) is a formal document you create that describes how you plan to collect, document, store and share your data throughout the lifecycle of a research project. A DMP is a living document that requires regular review and revision over the span of a research project.
Creating a DMP is considered a best practice in data stewardship and can help researchers to organize their research process, determine resource requirements, implement appropriate documentation and file formats for data storage and accessibility, and mitigate potential challenges in security and privacy and long-term preservation of their data.
For guidance in creating a Data Management Plan, we recommend the following online tools:
Examples of data management plans:
Learn more about research data management: