Data Management Plans (DMP)

A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a living document created at the beginning of the research process to articulate the strategies and tools used for the management of the research data collected. The Tri-Agency and other granting agencies require data management plans. A DMP reflects best practice in data stewardship and is an integral part of the research process. All digital and nondigital content have the potential to become research data. Research data may be experimental, observational, operational, third-party, public sector, monitoring, processed or repurposed data. Determining what counts as relevant research data, and which data should be preserved, is often highly contextual and should be guided by disciplinary norms. 

Research data can be:

• primary sources to support technical or scientific enquiry, research, scholarship or artistic activity;
• evidence in the research process; and/or
• evidence commonly accepted in the research community as necessary to validate research findings and results.

All DMPs should describe:

• how data will be collected, documented, formatted, protected and preserved, including an explanation of how you will name and format files and a description of software or platforms that will be used for data storage and collection;
• how existing datasets will be used and what new data will be created over the course of the research project;
• whether and how data will be shared (methodological considerations that support or preclude data sharing); 
• outline ethical, legal and commercial constraints the data are subject to;
• who is responsible for managing the project’s data, describe the succession plans in place should that person leave the research team, and identify the data-related roles and responsibilities of other team members where appropriate; and
• where data will be deposited, as appropriate digital repositories can be subject specific and the cost should be included in your research request.

(Tri-Agency)

• Primer- DMP an overview of DMP Assistant 
• DMP Assistant an online tool for developing DMPs and meeting requirements for funding 
• DMP Tool provides templates for DMPs acceptable for a variety of international funders 
• DMP Training Resources a collection of training modules, videos, and examples 
• Framework for Creating A DMP an outline, with examples, from Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research 
• University of Toronto DMP Planning Checklist outlines important considerations for the start of a DMP creation
• University of Toronto DMP Question Guide a detailed set of questions and guidance on DMP creation
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council: Guide to Creating A DMP an overview of what to include in a DMP 

Exemplars recommended by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada and Syracuse University's Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry include:

• Social Sciences: Data Management Plan for Peoples, Places, Prospects: Affordable Rental Housing for Those in Greatest Need
• Natural Sciences: Data Management for Ecohydrology Research Group
• Digital Humanities: Women's Print History Project (1750-1830)
• Qualitative Data Repository: DMP Competition Winners