Research Administration Insights
How to Write a Research Data Management Plan
A research data management plan describes how data will be created or collected, organized, documented, protected, accessed, shared, preserved, and eventually disposed of. The strongest plan is specific enough to guide the team and flexible enough to be updated when the project changes.
research data management plan
Describe the data and its context
Identify expected data types, sources, scale, formats, software, collection methods, and whether existing data will be reused. Explain which data support publications or other outputs.
Note sensitivity, consent, contractual limits, intellectual property, security classification, and any legal or community expectations.
Assign storage, access, and quality practices
Name approved storage locations, backup expectations, access roles, authentication, transfer methods, and recovery responsibilities. Avoid vague statements such as ‘secure server’ without identifying the institutional control.
Describe file naming, versioning, metadata, validation, quality review, and documentation of transformations.
Plan sharing with limits in view
State what will be shared, where, in what format, under which license or access process, and on what timeline. Explain justified restrictions and whether controlled access, de-identification, data-use agreements, or delayed release is required.
Choose repositories based on discipline, sponsor expectations, preservation, access controls, identifiers, and sustainability.
Budget and maintain the plan
Data stewardship requires people, storage, curation, documentation, security, repository fees, and preservation. Include these costs where allowable and assign responsibility.
Review the plan after protocol, method, collaborator, system, consent, or sponsor changes.
Practical Review Checklist
Use this checklist to prepare the conversation, record, or workflow before a deadline or formal review.
- Name the data, format, scale, and source.
- Assign storage, backup, access, and quality responsibilities.
- Document metadata and version practices.
- Choose a realistic sharing and preservation route.
- Revisit the plan when the project changes.
Common questions
Questions Readers and Contributors Ask
Is a template alone enough?
No. A template is a prompt. The plan must reflect the actual project, institution, data, agreements, and sponsor.
Should sensitive data be shared openly?
Not when doing so would conflict with consent, law, agreements, ethics, security, or legitimate community expectations. Controlled access may be appropriate.
Who maintains the plan?
Responsibility should be named, with input from investigators, data stewards, IT, compliance, repositories, and collaborators as needed.
Sources
Sources and Authoritative Guidance
These external resources provide additional policy or practice context. The journal’s own published policies govern its workflow.
Related reading
Continue With Connected Resources
Use these internal routes for a broader topic view or a closely related workflow.
Research Data Management
Continue into the connected resource for definitions, context, and practical detail.
Open Science and Research Administration
Continue into the connected resource for definitions, context, and practical detail.
Research Security
Continue into the connected resource for definitions, context, and practical detail.
Apply the Guidance With the Governing Record in View
Confirm current sponsor terms, institutional policy, and responsible-office authority before acting on a real project.