We are transitioning to a new platform for managing all Research Data Management Plans (RDMPs). The existing Qualtrics form has been decommissioned in December 2024. Please see the December R&I newsletter for further information.
The Research Data Management Procedure includes minimum items for Murdoch RDMPs to address:
Why is data management planning important?
It is good research practice to manage your research data and this begins with planning. Data that you create, compile or collect during your research is a valuable asset that needs to be cared for over long periods of time. Planning at the start of a new research project will save time and resources. Funding bodies, government and research institutions, and publishers may require researchers to provide details of their data management plan or to share their data, and this may be mandated in the future.
Creating a data management plan will also:
What is a research data management plan (RDMP)?
A RDMP is a document that describes the data that will be created, the policies that will apply to the data, who will own and have access to the data, the data management practices that will be used, the facilities and equipment that will be required, and who will be responsible for each of these activities.
A RDMP will maximise the efficiency and quality of your research and its data and will:
What should be included in a data management plan?
A data management plan should consider the following:
| Project information | The data to be generated or collected during the research project and who is responsible for the collection and management of the data, as well as documentation and metadata. |
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Intellectual property |
Ownership, copyright and intellectual property in relation to the data. |
| File formats and standards | The volume of data may need to be considered. |
| Storage and backup | The storage of both digital and physical data during the project. |
| Sharing and reuse | Confidentiality and privacy requirements in relation to the data and any ethical requirements. |
| Retention, archiving and disposal | The retention period for the data, post-project storage, and access to and re-use of the data including potential repository and archival storage. |
| Repurposed data | Sourcing and managing data used but not created by the project. |
| RDM plan and your discipline | How can your RDM plan be adapted, where necessary, to the requirements of a specific discipline? |
When creating a research data plan, it is always important to remember the FAIR data principles.
The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) website has further information on data management plans, as well as links to examples of plans from other research institutions.
If you plan to carry out research with people, then you need to have human ethics approval before you start to collect data or recruit participants.
The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) provides advice on issues to consider when working with sensitive data. Relevant issues include:
Informed consent for research participants requires the explanation of all processes used to protect research participants, including:
For researchers conducting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research projects, the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research should be read in conjunction with the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research (2020) and Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities: Guidelines for researchers and stakeholders (2018).
Ownership of research data generated by your project should be determined prior to the commencement of the project, as future preservation, deposit and reuse will be directly affected by the intellectual property (IP) rights of your research data.
Data ownership should be documented in your research data management plan
Ownership can be difficult to determine when the research involves multiple researchers, externally sourced data, and funding or contractual agreements. Ownership is also affected by:
To ascertain ownership of the data generated by your research project, you may need to check with your supervisor, primary investigator or the University.
If you have ownership and you do not license your research data, no-one else can legally use it. The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) has the following useful resources regarding licensing of research data:
For more in-depth information on licencing and permission, see the ARDC Research Data Rights Management Guide.
If you are working with Indigenous peoples and communities, you must consider Indigenous intellectual and cultural property rights, in addition to other copyright and intellectual property requirements.