Importance of a data management plan

Once funding is received and the research project has started, the researcher will want to continue to think about and plan for the final form of the collection, including metadata, which will ultimately be deposited in the DANS data archive or any other data repository. Planning for the management and archiving of a data collection at the outset is critical to the project's success. The cost of a project can be significantly reduced if careful planning takes place early in the project.

Initial questions to consider

At a minimum, a project plan should involve decisions on the following data and documentation topics. Documentation should be as much a part of project planning as data-related considerations, such as questionnaire construction or analysis plans.

Data and file structure

What is the data file going to look like and how will it be organized? What is the unit of analysis? Will there be one large data record or several shorter ones?

Naming conventions

How will files and variables be named? What naming conventions will be used to achieve consistency?

Data integrity

With regard to the input of data, will the variable formats be numeric or character? What checks will be used to find invalid values, inconsistent responses, incomplete records, etc.? What checks will be used to manage the data versions?

Preparing dataset documentation

What will the dataset documentation or metadata look like and how will it be produced? How much is necessary for future retrieval and archival processing?

Variable construction

What variables will be constructed following the collection of the original data? How will these be documented?

Project documentation

What steps will be taken to document decisions that are made as the project unfolds? How will information be recorded on field procedures, coding decisions, variable construction, and the like?

Software

To what extent can the various tasks mentioned above be integrated into a single process? Using a single computer program or an integrated set of programs to carry out these tasks simplifies data management, reduces costs, and is more reliable. It is advisable to determine which program or programs will handle data management and documentation tasks at the outset of the project.