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James Doiron

RDM Strategies Director, UAlberta Library

Academic Director, UAlberta Research Data Centre

Co-Chair, Portage DMP Expert Group

True North Science Bootcamp 2022

Research Data Management Planning in Canada

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What is a data management plan (DMP)?

A DMP:

Is a formal document which clearly articulates the strategies and tools you will implement to effectively manage your data

Speaks to the management of data both during the active phases of your research and after the completion of the research project.

The objective of a DMP is to address issues related to data management prior to starting your research project!

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Data Collection

Documentation

&

Metadata

Storage & Backup

Preservation

Responsibilities

&

Resources

Ethics & Legal Compliance

Sharing & Reuse

DMP

A DMP provides information across key research lifecycle categories:

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Why are DMPs important?

A data management plan is an important part of the research process as it can help you to:

set out consistent strategies prior to starting your research for how data will be managed

identify strengths & weaknesses in your current practices and help to integrate effective data management practices into your process

prepare data for future reuse, preservation and sharing

reduce the overall cost of research by increasing project efficiencies

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Tri-Agency RDM Policy

In March 2021, the Tri-Agency released their

Research Data Management Policy

The policy includes general requirements and implementation dates across three main pillars:

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Tri-Agency RDM Policy

In March 2021, the Tri-Agency released their

Research Data Management Policy

The policy includes general requirements and implementation dates across three main pillars:

Data Management Plans:

“...specific funding opportunities may require DMPs to be submitted to the appropriate agency at time of application

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When should I start creating my DMP?

A DMP should be developed as early in the research process as possible!

Every research project should ideally begin with the creation of a DMP, as it can be used to guide the research process.

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https://alliancecan.ca/en

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https://alliancecan.ca/en

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https://alliancecan.ca/en

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https://alliancecan.ca/en

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The DMP Expert Group works to:

Promote & nurture a strong data culture in Canada
Support researchers & institutions in their data management planning needs.
Develop & make available guidelines, best practices and training resources in support of data management planning
Develop guidance materials for the national DMP platform, DMP Assistant

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Existing resources developed by the DMPEG include:

Brief Guides & Primer

Tutorial videos

Introduction to DMPs
Introduction to DMP Assistant
Managing DMPs with DMP Assistant

DMP Exemplars
And More!

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https://alliancecan.ca/en/services/research-data-management/network-experts

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DMP 101+ training video
Updated Institutional Administrator Guide
DMP Exemplars

10+ new exemplars
Spanning a range of research disciplines and methodologies

Upcoming DMPEG developed resources include:

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https://portagenetwork.ca/network-of-experts/dmp-expert-group/

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https://alliancecan.ca/en

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DMP Assistant

Hosted by the University of Alberta Library and supported by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada
National, freely available, bilingual DMP tool to help researchers manage their data
Develops a DMP by prompting researchers to consider and answer key data management questions, supported by best-practice guidance and examples.

https://alliancecan.ca/en/services/research-data-management/dmp-assistant

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DMP Assistant

Researchers can:

Create project plans, using a generic or an institution-, discipline-, or methodology-specific template;
See guidance appropriate to the particular template they are using;
Collaborate with multiple researchers on a plan;
Connect to local guidance and support for data management at their academic institutions.

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DMP Assistant

Institutions can:

Customize the default Portage template for their institution;
Create institution-specific templates and guidance;
View information about DMP Assistant usage at their institution.

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A DMP Assistant Steering Committee provides essential guidance, support and direction including on the development of new proposed features such as:

API Integration with other systems (e.g., grants, ethics)
Reviewing & Evaluating DMPs
Building a DMP Repository with DMP Assistant integration
DMP Versioning
Leveraging the power & potential of PIDs
Improving machine-actionability > maDMPs

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https://portagenetwork.ca/network-of-experts/dmp-expert-group/

In addition to the Data Management Planning Expert Group, a DMP Assistant Steering Committee has also been established to provide essential guidance, support, and direction, for the overall development, delivery, capacity and sustainability of the DMP Assistant. Members bring unique stakeholder perspectives and voices to the table, including not only Portage and our host institution the University of Alberta, but also researchers, librarians, information managers, data stewards and the Tri-Agencies).

Internally, we keep a “features wishlist” where we have track all the user requests that come in for new functions and upgrades to the DMP Assistant platform - even if these changes can’t all happen overnight, we are certainly always listening to our users, and these kinds of requests can be presented to our Steering Committee for consideration and prioritization into our development workflow in the coming months and years! Feel free to reach out if you have any new ideas for the tool!

Some of the new features we’re thinking about for the future include:

API integration with other systems, such as granting bodies, research ethics boards, and other use cases
Reviewing and evaluating DMPs
Building a DMP Repository that would be integrated with the DMP Assistant
DMP Versioning, which is a big one
Leveraging the power and potential of PIDs or persistent identifiers,

The DMP Assistant already allows users to add their ORCID iDs to their profiles, but this use of identifiers could be expanded to include RORs or Research Organisation identifiers, funder IDs, grant IDs, and even minted DOIs for the DMPs themselves - a lot to discuss here.

We are also discussing more and more the improvement of machine-actionability of DMPs, or maDMPs for short. maDMPs are a hot topic and also a complex one, but something we’re definitely working toward for the future!

More information about the DMP Assistant Steering Committee can be found on the same webpage as the Data Management Planning Expert Group on the Portage website, once again a link will be added to the chat: DMPEG & DMP Assistant Steering Committee: https://portagenetwork.ca/network-of-experts/dmp-expert-group/

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DMP Assistant Key Features

Web-based, bilingual tool

Guidance & Examples

Can have multiple DMPs

Exportable (e.g., pdf, text, MS Word)

Freely available to end users

Shared access - co-owner, editor, or read-only

Supports cross institutional research collaboration

Living document - modifiable when needed

Endorsed by the Tri-Agency

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DMP Assistant

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Upon signing in, you can either access an existing DMP

Or create a new one

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You can ‘copy’ or ‘clone’ an existing DMP for similar projects or funder requirements

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Select a template to use when creating a new plan:

Once you have your title and primary research organisation selected, you will then be able to select a template to use. The Portage template is the default template, can be regarded as a generic DMP template that can be used “out of the box” by any researcher.

If you select the dropdown menu here, however, you will also have access to a suite of 13 brand new discipline- and methodology-specific templates covering a broad range of areas of study that may be of relevance to your research project - we’ll take a closer look at these on the next slide.

Finally, depending on the primary research organisation you chose, you may have institution-specific template options - as you can see here, the University of Alberta offers its own template featuring local guidance and resources. Institutions also have the option to customise the Portage templates to add localized information. Not all institutions have their own templates or customized templates, but not to fear - the Portage templates you see here are available to all DMP Assistant users regardless of institutional affiliation.

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DMP Templates

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Advanced Research Computing
Arts-Based Research
Interdisciplinary Health Software/Technology Development
Mixed Methods (Surveys & Qualitative Research)
Qualitative Health Sciences Research
CRDCN: Accessing Data from Research Data Centres

There are 13 discipline and methodology-specific templates...so far!

CRDCN: Research Data Centres and External Analysis
History and the Humanities
Neuroimaging in the Neurosciences
Open Science Workflows
Studying Molecular Interactions
Systematic Reviews
Water Quality Research

https://assistant.portagenetwork.ca/public_templates

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Each DMP has study level information associated with it

You can choose from a range of visibility settings -

from public to private

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You can choose to answer questions within any given section at any time...

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Dedicated space as well as guidance customized guidance is provided for each question...

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You can easily add collaborators to your DMP, with different permissions settings...

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A range of options are available both for formatting and downloading your DMP...

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DMP guidance resources

Creating an effective DMP (English/French)

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DMP exemplars

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Discipline and/or methodology focus	Title & Link
Digital Humanities	Belgians and French in the Prairies
	Soundscape Study
	Women’s Print History Project (1750-1830)
	Historical Canadian Census Data
Mixed Methods (surveys & qualitative interviews)	Mixed Methods Fictional Exemplar
Natural Sciences	Ecohydrology Research Group
Natural Sciences	Computational Reproducibility in High-Performance Computing
Social Sciences	People, Places, Policies & Prospects: Affordable Rental Housing for Those in Greatest Need
Social Sciences	Usage of Academic Profile Websites

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DMP exemplars

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Discipline and/or methodology focus	Title & Link
Digital Humanities	Belgians and French in the Prairies
	Soundscape Study
	Women’s Print History Project (1750-1830)
	Historical Canadian Census Data
Mixed Methods (surveys & qualitative interviews)	Mixed Methods Fictional Exemplar
Natural Sciences	Ecohydrology Research Group
Natural Sciences	Computational Reproducibility in High-Performance Computing
Social Sciences	People, Places, Policies & Prospects: Affordable Rental Housing for Those in Greatest Need
Social Sciences	Usage of Academic Profile Websites

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If you are interested in learning more about using the DMP Assistant, you can access and view the below webinar!

Support Your Research with

DMP Assistant 2.0!

Presenter:

Robyn Nicholson,

DMP Coordinator, Digital Research Alliance of Canada

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Questions & Discussion

James Doiron

RDM Strategies Director, UofA Library

Academic Director, UofA Research Data Centre

Co-Chair, Portage DMP Expert Group

jdoiron@ualberta.ca