Inventory the Research Outputs
List the data, code, images, recordings, samples or documents the project is expected to create or reuse. Estimate formats and volumes, identify software dependencies and record where source data came from. Separate raw, processed and analysis-ready material so later users can understand what changed.
Design Naming, Versioning and Metadata
Choose file and folder conventions before collection begins. Record versions of code, instruments, protocols and data dictionaries, and include a README that explains structure and abbreviations. Use the metadata standard or repository guidance expected in the discipline where one exists.
Plan Storage, Access and Responsibilities
Use storage approved by the university and define backup, recovery and access arrangements. State who can read or change each class of material and who is responsible for checks. Sensitive personal, confidential, commercial or export-controlled material may need tighter controls than ordinary research files; take those questions to the relevant institutional service.
Connect Consent, Retention and Sharing
Plan sharing and preservation alongside ethics, consent, intellectual property and legal duties. Describe the repository, embargo or access restriction that may apply and who will decide at project end. UKRI encourages responsible openness but recognises justified restrictions; document the reason rather than promising that every dataset will be public.
Cost and Review the Plan
Budget storage, transcription, specialist software, anonymisation and repository charges where applicable. Assign an owner and review the plan at method changes, ethics amendments, major data transfers and before submission. A data management plan is a living project control, not a one-off form, and not every application requires the same template.
Your Next-Step Checklist
- List expected data, code, samples and reused sources.
- Choose formats, naming, version control, metadata and README conventions.
- Confirm approved storage, backups, access roles and recovery.
- Align consent and ethics wording with planned reuse or sharing.
- Record IP, confidentiality, export-control and commercial restrictions.
- Choose preservation or repository arrangements and retention periods.
- Budget data-management costs and set review dates.
Official Reading
Read the official school, university, funder or government sources below.
University of Oxford: Data Management PlansUniversity of Cambridge: Data Management PlansUCL: Research Data Management tutorialUKRI: Making research data open