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Research Data Management Self-Assessment

A self-assessment and introductory guide to research data management for researchers

Planning for Data

Planning for Data

A plan detailing how you’ll manage your data, code, and other research materials (including documentation, code, and physical samples) over the course of a project will help your research proceed efficiently. Creating a comprehensive, specific, and instructive plan for your data is an important step in developing a new research project, but the best plans also evolve as a project proceeds.

What does it mean to plan for data?

Planning for data means thinking through and documenting how data and other materials will be organized, saved, prepared, analyzed, and shared over the course of your research project.

Requirements and How to Meet Them

Many funding agencies and institutions now require that researchers compose a short document called a Data Management Plan (DMP) that provides details about the type of data to be collected and managed within a research project as well as the individuals responsible for managing the data, how and where data will be archived and shared, and how the financial cost of managing data will be met. The library keeps track of these requirements in the Open Access and Data Sharing Mandates guide.

The DMPTool (https://dmptool.org/) is a free tool that provides guidance for creating a data management plan. The Library Research Data Services team at Chapman also provides DMP-related consultation and assistance. Contact the LRDS team at LRDS@chapman.edu for help with DMPs or DMPTool.

Things to Think About

  • Planning for data is not a one time activity. You should create a plan as you develop a project, but you should also revisit and revise your plan as your project proceeds.
  • Plans should identify the data you intend to collect, as well as how you plan to transform, analyze, and share it. Be as specific as possible.
  • A plan is really only useful if people know about it and can follow it. Be sure your plans are communicated to your collaborators.
  • Even if you do not have a Data Management Plan (DMP), you may have a document that describes how you plan to handle your data. For example, this information could be included in a lab protocol or an an IRB proposal.
  • While planning for data you may encounter unfamiliar terms or familiar terms used in unfamiliar ways. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to the LRDS team.