How to write a data management plan
A data management plan (DMP) describes how you’ll collect, store, organise, document, protect, and share your data — and it’s written before the first data point, not after. A DMP written afterwards is a description, not a plan: it can’t guide a single decision because every decision is already made, and it often documents practices you never actually followed. Many funders and institutions now require one at the proposal stage.
What a DMP covers
- Data & formats — what you’ll collect, and in which file formats (prefer open, durable ones).
- Organisation — file-naming and version conventions, so “final_FINAL_v3” never happens.
- Storage & backup — where it lives and the backup rule (a common one: 3 copies, 2 media, 1 offsite).
- Documentation & metadata — a data dictionary and README so the data is intelligible without you in the room.
- Ethics & protection — how sensitive data is secured, anonymised, and consented for its uses.
- Sharing & archiving — how and where the data is preserved and made available after the project.
The FAIR principles
Good data management aims to make data FAIR — Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable — so that others, and your future self, can locate it, obtain it, combine it, and reuse it. Many funders now expect FAIR-aligned management where the data’s sensitivity allows. FAIR doesn’t mean “open to everyone” — sensitive data can be FAIR while access is controlled.
Why write it first
The whole value of a DMP is that it shapes decisions while they’re still open: your file-naming, your storage, your consent wording, your metadata. Decide them up front and the data stays clean, safe, and shareable from day one — which is also why the DMP belongs in your research proposal, alongside the methods it supports.
Get the free Research Data Management Plan Starter
A fill-in data management plan — data description, formats and documentation, file naming and version control, storage and backup, ethics and consent, retention and sharing — with two worked examples, from the Mastering Research series. We’ll email you the download link.
Frequently asked questions
What is a data management plan?
A short document describing how you’ll collect, store, organise, document, protect, and share your data — written before collection.
What should it include?
Data & formats, file organisation, storage & backup, documentation/metadata, ethics & protection, and sharing/archiving.
What are the FAIR principles?
Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable — guidance for managing data so it can be located, obtained, combined, and reused.
When should I write it?
Before collecting data, usually at the proposal stage — so it can actually shape your decisions.
The Research Data Collection and Management Workbook
Data collection is the most vulnerable phase of any research project. One missing variable, one misunderstood SOP, or one storage failure can invalidate months of fieldwork.
50 fill-in templates. Paperback $37.99 on Amazon
See inside the workbookJust want the templates? The Research Data Collection & Management Kit: every template as a fillable PDF, $19.