As part of the NI4OS-Europe project, in which SRCE participates as one of the partners, a webinar about the development of a Data Management Plan (DMP) and a Domain Data Protocol (DDP) was held. During the webinar, it was stated that there are many different types of DMPs and it is necessary to choose the appropriate one regarding a specific scientific field. For example, the DDP for Archeology contains special sections that are related to the use of vocabularies, while the DDP for the Social Sciences pays special attention to proper management of personal and sensitive data. An important feature of any DMP, regardless of a scientific field, is that it is a "living" document that needs to be continuously updated throughout the research life cycle.
Many websites offer the ability to create and generate DMPs, but three online tools were highlighted: DMP Online, Argos, and Data Stewardship Wizard.
During the webinar, a comparison of a traditional DMP template with a new DMP template developed by the European Research Council (ERC) following FAIR principles was presented. A new template is more directed towards “return of investment”, machine readability, and the development of DMP concerning the specific scientific domain.
Filling in the DMP is a good way to think about the data collection process in a structured way. The facts that should be taken into account when creating a DMP are related to the type of data which will be collected and analyzed, the methodology which will be used, the process of documenting data. Also it should be taken into account how ethical issues will be addressed, how will the privacy of research participants be protected, how will the data be stored securely and protected from the lost, what is a plan for the long-term storage of the dataset, and who will be responsible for data management.
The data management plan is important because it covers all stages of the research data lifecycle that include data creation, processing, analysis, preservation, access, and reuse. Furthermore, DMP is a part of research outputs, contributes to open science practices, and is a key to FAIR data management.
You can find more information about the NI4OS-Europe project on the SRCE website.
