Plan and Design
| What? |
Good management starts with a plan. Just as a research proposal outlines the scope, aims and objectives of a research project, a data management plan (DMP) is a formal document that outlines how research data will be managed during a research project as well as after the project is completed. A DMP outlines how data will be collected, managed, stored, preserved and published across the life cycle of a research project. |
| Why? |
If you know at the planning stage of your research what your data needs are going to be, then you can be sure to be prepared for them as you move through the research lifecycle.
Such questions are posed at the planning stage to help you think through your future needs and ensure that your data moves efficiently through to the completion of your research project. Together with eResearch, we work with researchers at the planning and grant-writing stage to suggest best practices around managing your data and documenting them in a DMP. Completing DMPs (to specification) at the planning and grant-writing stage helps to prepare for technical needs during the active research phase, as well as for open sharing of research data outputs afterward. It also helps identify budget needs for the data challenges ahead. The submission of a data management plan is increasingly becoming a requirement of funding agencies. As of 2019, it has also become a UCT policy requirement for most UCT researchers and postgraduate students to submit a data management plan. |
| How? |
Digital Library Services provides the UCT community with a data management plan (DMP) creation tool called UCT DMP. This tool assists you by providing questions related to your data and the research life cycle and gives you tips for answering them. We make a number of DMP templates available in UCT DMP, to help you with the requirements of specific funders, departments or projects, depending on your discipline. To determine whether your funder has a specific template they require you to use, you may want to view the DLS funder guidelines or the Digital Curation centre’s overview of funder's data policies. For further assistance with writing your DMP, or if you would like a template custom-tailored to the needs of your department or research group, please contact us |
You will need to create an account in order to use UCT DMP. This can be done by clicking on the SIGN UP button on the home page.
If you require further help with your own DMP, please contact your Subject Librarian, departmental data manager, or Digital Library Services.
Institution/Department Specific:
Certain UCT departments and research units have customised DMP templates for their researchers and students. Currently, the following units have customised templates:
These templates contain specific guidance for their units, drawn from existing departmental and faculty documentation and curatorial practices. If you would are interested in creating a DMP template for your department or unit, please contact DLS.
