Research Data Management: UCD Library DMP for Student Research Projects

UCD Library's DMP template for student research projects is a simplified version of our Data Management Checklist, ideal for use during Undergraduate and Post Graduate research projects.

• Project Description
• Data Description
• Data Organisation & Documentation
• Storage, Backup & Security
• Legal & Ethical Requirements
• Data Sharing & Long-term Preservation

Why Manage your Research Data?

• Efficiency: makes your own research easier
• Safety: protects valuable data
• Quality: better research data = better research
• Compliance: with ethical codes & data protection laws

Provide information such as name of the student, name of the supervisor, project title and the aim/ purpose of the research.

What data will be collected or produced?

• Give details on the kind of data: for example numeric (databases, spreadsheets), textual (documents), image, audio, video, and/or mixed media.
• What data formats will be used (for example pdf, csv or txt)?
• Give preference to open and standard formats as they facilitate sharing and long-term re-use of data.

• Will existing data be used? For example from a data archive or repository.

How will the data be organised during the project?

• Consider file naming conventions, folder structures & version control.

What documentation will you generate?

• For example information on the methodology used to collect the data, analytical and procedural information, definitions of variables & units of measurement.
• Documentation can also include questionnaires, interview protocols, lab notebooks, code or scripts, consent forms, samples weights, methods or readme files.
• Document your data so that someone else could understand it.

How will data be stored and backed up during the project?

• Your UCD account gives you access to a number of different file storage and file sharing options, including Google Drive and OneDrive. You can use these services to save your files, keep a backup of your files and share files with other people.
• Back up your project, with three copies of your data, on two different media (physical and in the cloud), with one backup in a different location.

How will data security and protection of sensitive data be taken care of during the project?

• Comply with the UCD Password Protection Policy.
• File encryption can be used whether you want to store sensitive data, securely email it, or just add an additional layer of security.
  • Note: Please remember that if you email an encrypted file, then do not email the password. Please phone or SMS the password to the person.

If personal data are collected, how will compliance with legislation on personal data and on security be ensured?

• Gain informed consent for preservation and/or sharing of personal data.
• If possible, collect the necessary data without direct identifiers.
• Do not store or share sensitive data on unencrypted devices.                  

How and when will data be shared?

• If you feel your data would be valuable to another researcher consider depositing them in a trustworthy data repository. Choose a discipline specific repository if one is available, otherwise choose a multidisciplinary repository.
• Indicate whether potential users need specific tools to access and (re-)use the data. Consider the sustainability of software needed for accessing the data. 
• Persistent identifiers should be applied so that data can be reliably and efficiently located and referred to. Persistent identifiers also help to track citations and re-use. Typically, a trustworthy, long-term repository will provide a persistent identifier.