Data management planning

A data management plan (DMP) is a document, usually created at the onset of a research project, to describe how data will be collected, documented, stored, and shared. A DMP is a living document that requires regular review, and therefore should be updated throughout the lifecycle of a research project. Creating a DMP is a best practice and can help researchers organize their research process, determine resource and infrastructure requirements, implement appropriate documentation and file formats for data storage and accessibility, and mitigate potential security and privacy concerns.

Does your funding application require a DMP?

Are you looking for DMP templates and examples?

The DRS team can help McGill researchers prepare their DMPs and identify the best solutions in terms of storage, security, or data standards. drs [at] mcgill.ca (Contact us) to request support.

The Digital Research Alliance of Canada (the Alliance) hosts a general template (Alliance Simplified Template) and many discipline-specific templates for Data Management Plans. These templates can be used directly in the browser via the DMP Assistant tool. For Tri-Agency funding opportunities, filling out the Alliance Simplified Template will meet their DMP requirement. The Alliance also lists examples and exemplars on their RDM training resources page.

Did you know?

McGill Libraries and the pre-awards office of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
(RI-MUHC) have developed a McGill-specific DMP template for medicine and health sciences.

To access the template and accompanying guidance, visit the McGill Libraries RDM Guide.