GFBio aims to support individual researchers, research groups, and large projects in developing and implementing effective data management strategies for FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data, as as part of good scientific practice (learn more about the FAIR principles and applicability here).
A well-structured Data Management Plan (DMP) clarifies how and what data will be created, processed, and documented. Its name means data archiving and publication regarding costs as well as access conditions for the scientific community and the public. In short, a DMP helps you to ask all the right questions concerning data management.
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In this How-to, you learn about preparing a DMP with the GFBio Data Management Plan Tool (DMPT) and about the services GFBio offers to support you.
Step by step towards your DMP creation
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Step 1 - Get involved with data management planning and data management plans (DMPs)
You have just heard about DMPs and now want to write your own? If you have never considered data management planning before, it might be good to get some general information.
Data management planning is the starting point in the data life cycle (DLC). Data management plans (DMPs) are ideally established at this point. But a DMP is not only created at the beginning of a project, but it is also a living document, and you should return to it at each step of the data life cycle. Ideally, the DMP should be revisited often throughout the lifetime of a project to ensure proper data documentation and management. You can think of a DMP as an addition to the data policy of a larger umbrella project.
Have a look at our training materials, in which you can find fact sheets and education modules: GFBio_Emodule_Propose_151123 (as .ppt file) on data management planning and other aspects of the data life cycle. Also, have a look at the best-practices linked in our training materials.
In the following steps, you will learn about the most important aspects of data management planning and get in touch with the GFBio Data Management Plan Tool (DMPT). You can continue reading the How-To with or without using the DMPT in parallel.
The GFBio DMPT contains the most important questions
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that you should ask when starting with data management planning and is based on the DFG Guidelines on the Handling of Research Data in Biodiversity Research. It does not provide a ready-to-use DMP which you can just attach to your project proposal. Please use our personal DMP support (you will find a button at the end of the tool) to contact our experts.
It is all about the planing planning!
Step 2 - Collect general information about your project
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Working in environmental sciences often implies the collection of physical objects, which in some cases have to be archived as well. With GFBio, you have the possibility to can submit and archive several kinds of objects related to your research data. By means of some basic questions on them (integrated in the DMPT), we can estimate if your physical objects can be archived in GFBio if you would like it so in the future. Your DMP should also contain a notice if you are working with sequence data, as it requires special expertise and has to follow certain standards.
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