Data Management Plan Standards

The Data Management Planning Standard provides detailed steps to support the principles outlined in the Research Data Management (RDM) Policy. While the RDM Policy defines the overall expectations for managing research data, the standard explains how to create and implement Data Management Plans (DMPs) that meet institutional and regulatory requirements. Together, the policy sets "what" must be done, and the standard outlines "how" to achieve it.

Data Management Plans 

Data Management Plans should contain an accurate and comprehensive record of the research including:

1. Documenting clear procedures for the collection, storage, use, reuse, access and retention or deletion of the research data associated with the records. Where appropriate, this should include defining and documenting protocols and responsibilities in collaborative research projects.
2. Collaborations with external parties have agreements in place that are executed by the appropriate UC delegate and specify ownership and custodianship rights and responsibilities for research data.
3. Management of data in a way that supports and protects intellectual property arising from research activities and manage that intellectual property according to any funder requirements, indigenous IP rights, contractual obligations, and in accordance with UC’s Intellectual Property Policy on commercial development.
4. Preservation and provision of appropriate access to the research data supporting outputs after the end of the project for as long as it has continuing value, in accordance with legal, ethical and funder requirements and paying due regard to discipline norms and cost. Notwithstanding, the minimum retention period for research data and records is six years after publication or public release of the work of the research.
5. Ensuring that digital forms of research data are stored on an appropriate University-managed research storage service or other trusted storage service that complies with the applicable policies.
6. Specifying how research data will be returned, retained, disposed, deleted and/or destroyed in accordance with legal, ethical, data sovereignty, data sensitivity and commercial constraints.
7. Specifying how research data will be openly available whenever they are not precluded by legal, ethical, data sovereignty, Trusted Research or commercial constraints. Research data should be published in an appropriate data repository along with sufficient descriptive metadata (a data record) to ensure that it can be found and understood. Where data is deposited somewhere other than UC's institutional research data repository, a data record should also be created which describes and points to the data.
8. Where the research data should be stored and who will have access to this after the Researcher leaves (or retires) from UC. Where there are legal or regulatory responsibilities, research grant or contractual requirements to comply with, the Data Management Plan should contain retention requirements and delegated responsibility for the research data in the event that the Researcher leaves the institution. 
9. Including a data availability statement in all accepted manuscripts and final accepted theses describing how and on what terms any supporting research data may be accessed.