Good Practice: DMP Checklist

A data management plan (DMP) is a living document that outlines how data will be managed during a research project, as well as after the project is completed. It is a requirement for all UCT postgraduate students. 

In order to assist students with completing a DMP, DLS manages the UCT DMP platform. This UCT-hosted platform allows users to create data management plans based on our custom-created templates, containing guidance, examples and suggested answers.

As a student, you can log in to the platform using your Single-Sign-On (SSO). When creating a new plan, we recommend that you use the following settings to generate the UCT Student Generic DMP:

Create your DMP today 

The checklist below is a guideline to help researchers plan for their data using best practices.
It covers the most common sections needed for completing a DMP.

View the RDM libguide  for more assistance or download printable copy of the checklist  .

• Create an outline of your research project and identify all involved parties by including basic details:

  • Project title
  • Project summary
  • Researcher ID
  • Funding agency

• Consider these questions for data collection

  • Qualitative or Quantitative?
  • What methods will I be using?
  • Are there community data standards I should use?

• What about the future of your data? Ask yourself:

  • How will I store and back up my data?
  • What are my plans for long-term archiving?
  • What metadata standards will I use to describe my data?

• Are there are legal issues pertaining to my data?

  • Is my data sensitive or at risk?
  • Do I need restrictions on my data?
  • Do I need encryption or password controlled access?
  • Do I need ethical clearance?

• How will the rest of the world access it? Think about:

  • Who owns the data?
  • Can the data produced be re-used and shared?
  • How will my data be shared and under which license?
  • Which repositories will I store my data in for others to access?