The Data Management Plan (DMP)
biul |
Whether quantitative or qualitative in nature, data goes through various phases in the course of a research project : production or collection, processing and analysis, publication and sharing, long-term preservation, etc. These stages always constitute a cycle, since once published and shared, the data can be re-used by others as part of a new research project, thus starting a new life cycle.
These different phases are accompanied by a set of "good" data management practices that make research data ‘FAIR’, i.e. easily findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.
The Data Management Plan will enable you to plan all the stages in the life cycle of your research data. It will prepare your data for sharing, re-use and long-term preservation. It explains how your data will be made "FAIR". The DMP is a living document that is updated as your research progresses.
Although some Funders (Horizon Europe, FNRS, etc.) make it compulsory to draw up a DMP, it will above all enable you to plan your research, save time later on and avoid any potential difficulties !
(Illustration : The Turing Way Community, & Scriberia. (2021). CC BY 4.0. Zenodo. https://doi.org10.5281zenodo.4906004)