The research data lifecycle
- Planning (data management plan).
- Collection and creation.
- Processing and analysis.
- Preservation and documentation.
- Sharing and publication.
- Reuse.
FAIR principles
Data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. FAIR does not mean “open to everyone”: sensitive data may stay restricted, provided access conditions are clearly described.
Data Management Plans (DMPs)
A living document describing data types, volume, formats, documentation, preservation, sharing, responsibilities and ethics. Several funders require one.
Research Data Management Plan (DMP) Template
A practical downloadable template to prepare a research data management plan.
Metadata
Use metadata standards common in your discipline, and document variables, units and a README file to make the data understandable and reusable.
Data repositories
Choose a trustworthy repository that issues a persistent identifier (DOI) and states its preservation policy. Search discipline-specific repositories with re3data; Zenodo is a general-purpose option.
Preservation and sharing
Prefer stable open file formats, keep several backups and schedule data reviews. State the reuse licence (e.g. CC BY or CC0 where appropriate).
Data ethics and privacy
Obtain informed consent for human participants, anonymise or pseudonymise where needed, and never share personal data without a legal basis. Check the applicable personal-data protection law and your institution’s ethics committee instructions.
DMP templates
Downloadable templates are in the resource centre under the “Template” type.