What is Data Management?
In the course of a project, research data pass through various stages. With proper research data management, you process your data securely and efficiently at each stage and make it usable beyond your publication.
Good data management starts in the planning phase.
Data management planning
A Data Management Plan (DMP) is created at the beginning of a project and describes how data is created, processed, secured and finally archived and shared in a project. Basically, anyone and everyone can set up an individual DMP.
What goes into a data management plan?
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provides guiding questions to complete a DMP. To write a DMP, you can also consider the data life cycle and note down important aspects for each step.
What are the requirements of the SNSF?
The SNSF requires grantees to submit a DMP after their project has been approved.
What Are the Benefits of a DMP?
A DMP helps you to structure, describe and store your research data in a meaningful way and to make the data usable for others. If you have written a DMP, you can manage your data and often the entire research project more efficiently, keep track of your own data output, guarantee the continuity of data management if project staff leave or new researchers join, and are safe(er) in dealing with sensitive or personal data, as well as copyright issues.
We review your DMP for you
Are you unsure whether your DMP is good enough (for the SNF)? The Open Science Services can give you feedback. Get in touch and send us your DMP-draft:data@ub.uzh.ch.
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Do You Have Technical Questions?
Science IT supports UZH researchers in technical matters for software solutions, data storage, data management and data visualization.
Do You Have Domain-Specific Questions?
Get in touch with a data steward: Data Stewards Network