A Research Data Management Plan (RDMP) is a document which formally records all of your data management decisions.
At UTS, the tool used for creating and storing an RDMP is called Stash. Your RDMP is a 'living document' and should be updated whenever plans change or new details need to be recorded. Once you have recreated your RDMP in Stash you can login at any point during your research project to update it.
The video below shows you how to create an RDMP and explains the different sections of the form.
Using Stash to create your RDMP, you be will prompted to think through a range of issues to do with the data you are proposing to collect or use for your research.
Are you collecting your own data? Are you using someone else's data? What data are you generating or using? How do you plan to structure and manage your data files? Does the data need to be secured or destroyed once your research has concluded? Will you be able to share a version of your data once you're done? Who can make that decision?
All of these questions are standard and will be addressed in your RDMP. However, there are some types of data which require additional consideration in managing it.
The tool linked below highlights some of the issues that may come up depending on the data you are working with.
Different units at UTS can assist with advice around appropriate ways to work with your research data.
Research involving humans or animals
Projects involving humans or animals require ethics approval and further consideration in how you manage your data.
e.g. during the process of gaining informed consent from participants, you will need to outline what you will do with the data - how you will use it, whether you will notify participants if you want to use the data for any other uses that haven't been outlined yet, consent to publish the data.
Research involving sensitive data
This data needs to be protected from accidental disclosure so you will often need to outline how you will manage this in your RDMP.
e.g. deciding the minimum necessary questions to ask participants, how the data will be collected, where it will be stored, who has access to it and strategies for de-identifying the data to further reduce risk of disclosure.
Research involving Indigenous perspectives and knowledge
If you are working with Indigenous People and their knowledge, you will need to consider additional issues around ownership, collection and management of research data.
e.g. setting up a data governance agreement which respects Indigenous ownership over the data, approved uses, data preservation and archiving
Research that is publicly funded
If your research is publically funded, funding bodies will often want to know about how you will manage your research data.
e.g. you often need to explain how you are complying with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. If you follow the UTS procedures for managing data and use Stash - you will be complying with requirements.