1. Data Management and Sharing Plans
May-15
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Research Data Management
Workshop 1.5

2. Session 1.5 overview
• Why plan?
• When to plan?
• What to plan?
• Examples
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http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

3. Why plan?
• Because you (and others) might want
to know where you’re going
• Because they make you: funders,
mandates and requirements
• Because it saves money in the long
run
• Because it leads to better quality
research and enables high quality
curation and reuse
(Donnelly, 2012)
• You can find and understand your
data when you need to use it
• There is continuity if project staff
leave or new researchers join
• You can avoid unnecessary
duplication e.g. re-collecting or re-
working data
• The data underlying publications are
maintained, allowing for validation of
results
• Data sharing leads to more
collaboration and advances research
• Your research is more visible and has
greater impact
• Other researchers can cite your data
so you gain credit
(Jones, 2011)
May-15
Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

4. When to plan?
• DCC recommends three versions:
– Minimal plan at the conceptualisation or grant
application stage
– Core plan once the funding is in place, covering
issues up to the point of long-term management
and preservation
– Full plan that adds issues of longer-term data
management
May-15
Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

5. What to plan?
• DCC checklist:
1. Administrative data
2. Data Collection
3. Documentation and metadata
4. Ethics and Legal Compliance
5. Storage and Backup
6. Selection and preservation
7. Data Sharing
8. Responsibilities and Resources
May-15
Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

6. DMP Online
• The DCC has used this checklist to create an online tool,
DMP Online, https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk
• It presents a list of questions based on:
– Research funder
– Institution
– Phase of the research project, typically Application and Funded
(cf. minimal versus core and full data management plans)
• An overview of funders’ requirements is maintained by the
DCC at http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/data-
management-plans/funders-requirements
• The DCC also publishes a how-to guide (Donnely, 2011)
available at http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-
guides/develop-data-plan
May-15
Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

7. Activity 1: Examining a DMP checklist
• You have been called in by a researcher for a
meeting about a DMP. Go through DCC’s Data
Management Plan checklist (Donnelly & Jones,
2013, http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/data-
management-plans).
• What are the five things your researcher is going
to have most difficulty with? Explain why you
chose each item.
• For each of these five things, who or what could
you point them at for a reliable answer?
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Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

8. Activity 2: DMP Online
• Go to http://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk
• Create an account
• Take no more than 10 minutes to explore the
templates for several funders
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Learning material produced by RDMRose
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9. Activity 3: Examining examples of
DMPs
• Work in small groups
• Read some of the examples of DMPs that are
provided by the DCC at
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/data-
management-plans/guidance-examples
• They cover several disciplines and research
funders:
– Humanities: AHRC technical plan
– Social Sciences: ESRC
– Rural Economy and Land Use: ESRC, BBSRC and NERC
– Health Sciences: The Health Foundation
May-15
Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

10. Activity 3: Examining examples of
DMPs
• Which parts did you not understand?
• Are these examples of a minimal, core or full
DMP?
• Could/Should the Library provide support on
these? If yes: how? If not: why not?
May-15
Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

11. REFERENCES
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http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

12. References
• DCC (n.d.). DMPonline. The DCC Data Management Planning
Tool. Retrieved from https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk.
• Donnelly, M. (2012). Data management plans and planning. In G.
Pryor (Ed.). Managing Research Data (pp. 83-104). London:
Facet.
• Donnelly, M., & Jones, S. (2013). Checklist for a Data
Management Plan (Version 4.0). Edinburgh: Digital Curation
Centre. Retrieved from
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/data-
forum/documents/docs/DMP_Checklist_2013.pdf.
• Jones, S. (2011). How to Develop a Data Management and
Sharing Plan. DCC How-to Guides. Edinburgh: Digital Curation
Centre, http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-guides.
May-15
Learning material produced by RDMRose
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose