Presentation given to creative arts PhD students at the 'Processes and Outcomes, Paths and Products' conference on 21st November at the CCA, Glasgow

1. Data Management Planning
Sarah Jones & Joy Davidson
HATII, University of Glasgow
sarah.jones@glasgow.ac.uk
joy.davidson@glasgow.ac.uk
Funded by:
•POPP conference, CCA, Glasgow

2. What is research data?
All manner of things that you produce
in the course of your research

3. Defining research data
Research data are collected, observed or created, for
the purposes of analysis to produce and validate
original research results
Both analogue and digital materials are 'data'
Digital data can be:
created in a digital form ("born digital")
converted to a digital form (digitised)

4. What is research data management?
•5.
•1.
“the active management and
•Preservation
•& Re-Use
•Create appraisal of data over the
lifecycle of scholarly and
scientific interest”
•4.
•2.
•Publication
•Active Use
•& Deposit
Data management is part of
•3.
•Documentation good research practice

5. What is a data management plan?
A brief plan written at the start of your project to define:
• how your data will be created?
• how it will be documented?
• who will access it?
• where it will be stored?
• who will back it up?
• whether (and how) it will be shared & preserved?
DMPs are often submitted as part of grant applications,
but are useful whenever you’re creating data.

6. Why develop a DMP?
• to help you manage your data
• to make informed decisions so you don’t have to
figure out things as you go
• to anticipate and avoid problems e.g. data loss
• to make your life easier!

7. What should a DMP cover?
1. What data will you produce?
2. How will you organise / look after the data?
3. Can you / others understand the data?
4. What data will be deposited and where?
5. Who will be interested in re-using the data?

8. •1. What data will you produce?
• What type of data will
•5.
•Preservation
•1. you produce?
•Create
•& Re-Use
• What types of file
format?
•4.
•Publication
•2.
•Active Use
• How easy is it to create
•& Deposit
or reproduce?
•3.
•Documentation
• Who owns and is
responsible for it?

9. •2. How will you look after the data?
•5.
•Preservation
•1. • Is your data safe?
•Create
•& Re-Use
• Is your data
organised?
•4.
•Publication
•2.
•Active Use
• Can you find your
•& Deposit
data?
•3.
•Documentation

10. •3. How will you document the data?
• Do you still understand
•5.
•Preservation
•1. your older work?
•Create
•& Re-Use
• Is the file structure /
naming understandable
•4.
•2.
to others?
•Publication
•Active Use
•& Deposit
• Which data will be kept?
• Which data can be
•3.
•Documentation
discarded?

11. •4. What data will be deposited and where?
• Are you expected to
•5.
•1.
share your data?
•Preservation
•Create
•& Re-Use
• Are you allowed to
share your data?
•4.
•Publication
•2. • Define the core data set
•& Deposit
•Active Use
of the project
•3. • Which data will be
•Documentation
included in your
publication / thesis?

12. •5. Preservation and Re-use
• How long will your data
•5.
•Preservation
•1.
•Create
be reusable for?
•& Re-Use
• Do you need to prepare
your data for long term
•4.
•Publication
•2.
•Active Use
archive?
•& Deposit
•3.
• Which data do you need
•Documentation
to keep?

13. A useful framework to get you started
•Think about why
the questions are
being asked – why
is it useful to
consider that?
•Look at examples to
help you understand
what to write
•www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/content/datamanagement/dmp/framework.html

14. Help from the DCC
•https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk
•www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-guides/develop-data-plan

15. Tips for writing DMPs
• Seek advice - consult and collaborate
• Consider good practice for your field
• Base plans on available skills & support
• Make sure implementation is feasible

16. Sources of guidance
• ICPSR framework for a data management plan
www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/content/datamanagement/dmp/
framework.html
• How to develop a data management and sharing plan
www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-guides/develop-data-plan
• UKDA’s manage and share your data guide
• http://data-archive.ac.uk/media/2894/managingsharing.pdf

17. Acknowledgement
Content for this sessions has been taken from two projects
which have developed DMP resources for PhD students:
• DataTrain
http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/preservation/datatrain
• Research360
• http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/research360/category/training

18. Thanks - any questions?
For DCC guidance, tools and case studies see:
www.dcc.ac.uk/resources
Follow us on twitter @digitalcuration and #ukdcc

19. Exercise: writing a DMP
• Fill in one of the templates based on your PhD
• Discuss your plan
– Did you know what to write?
– Were the questions clear / understandable?
– Was it useful to think about these issues?