Data Management Plan

A data management plan (DMP) is a document that describes the data that you use in your project or research. It can be helpful in managing the data throughout your project or research

Plan to make data work for you

Data management plan chart source: DMP Online

Data Management Plan

The HKUST Library has been promoting the importance of having a data management plan (DMP) when doing research projects. Below is a chart from their website that is helpful to understand a DMP:


File naming convention and structure	Have a well-organized filing system that facilitates file retrieval and version tracking
Data storage and backup	Prevent data loss
Data description and documentation	Resulting datasets are discoverable, understandable and reusable
Sensitive and personal data handling	Prevent disputes caused by data leakage
Intellectual property and copyright	Avoid allegations of rights infringement
Data archiving and sharing	Archiving and sharing datasets in an open repository can increase their visibility and impact
Long-term preservation	Data maintained regularly can be used repeatedly for future research

For more information, see the Sample Data Management Plan from the UC San Diego Library.