Data Management Plans A Review

Keywords: Data management plans (DMPs), Research data management, Data stewardship, Scholarly communication, DART framework, Review (Methodology)

Abstract

With increasing world-wide emphasis on providing access to research data, data management plans (DMPs) have emerged as the expected way for researchers to formalise and communicate their intentions to stakeholders, including to their funders. This review paper focuses on a thematic analysis and presentation of empirical research on DMPs, a literature that is surprisingly limited, likely due to the young age of the field. Research shows that, despite the benefits associated with data sharing, DMPs have potential that is not being realised to the fullest. Researchers in scholarly communication and information science primarily have evaluated DMPs using text analysis methodologies, often supplementing them with surveys or interviews. Future study, especially in areas of machine-actionable DMPs is promising; such research is needed to further explore how DMPs can best be utilised to support data sharing.

Author Biographies

Cynthia Hudson Vitale, Pennsylvania State University Libraries, University Park - 16801, U.S.A.
Ms Cynthia Hudson-Vitale is Head of the Department of Research Informatics and Publishing at the Pennsylvania State University Libraries where her unit oversees a number of services and centers, including Research Data Services (RDS) and Open Publishing Services. Ms. Hudson-Vitale has been awarded numerous grants supporting scholarly communication and has published widely in the area.
Heather Moulaison Sandy, School of Information Science and Learning Technologies, University of Missouri, Columbia - 65211, U.S.A
Dr Heather Moulaison Sandy is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at the iSchool at the University of Missouri. Dr. Moulaison Sandy works extensively in areas relating to the organisation of information in the scholarly communication ecosystem, seeking ways to improve and support access.
Published
2019-12-16
How to Cite
Vitale, C., & Moulaison Sandy, H. (2019). Data Management Plans A Review. DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 39(06), 322-328. https://doi.org/10.14429/djlit.39.06.15086