Research Data Management

This section is primarily concerned with data quality. In a data management plan you will need to mention what standards or methodologies you are using to collect the data. By this we mean any protocols or standard methods you are using when collecting/handling the data.

This might include your protocols for:

• data quality assurance
• anonymisation and cleaning of data
• data transcription standards
• disciplinary standards
• confidentiality agreements for data handlers

You might also mention any specific software that has relevance as to how you will be collecting or handling the data.

Some disciplines may make more use of standards than others. For example, medicine uses MeSH taxonomy, or your discipline may adhere to specific ISO standards. 

If you are unaware of any specific standards at the beginning of a project, you can always add these in later in the research process. It is more important to consider your protocols to ensure the integrity of the data.

More information can be found on the UK Data Service's pages, where they give a good explanation of some quality assurance methods that might be useful in this section of a DMP.