Research Data Management Policy: Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need to write a Data Management Plan?

Writing a Data Management Plan (DMP) is mandatory for all researchers in all disciplines, including Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs). Please ensure you have a plan in place before commencing your project/data collection and that you upload a copy of it to ORDO (or The Scholarship Exchange, for scholarship projects). Follow templates and guidance on how to create a Data Management Plan. The Library Research Support team can provide advice and guidance, and review DMPs.

2. I don’t collect any data; do I still need to write a Data Management Plan?

Part of the Data Management Planning process is to identify what sort of data/materials you are working with, whether this is through primary data collection or use of secondary sources. It’s possible that you are in fact collecting data though you may not consider it ‘data’, and there may also be implications associated with using secondary data/sources (such as images, maps, literary sources) that need consideration. Generally speaking, there are only a handful of disciplines (e.g. theoretical maths and physics) where there are no primary or secondary data being generated or reused. In these instances, a DMP is not required. Contact the Library Research Support Team if you need advice.

3. I’ve already started/completed data collection, do I still need to write a Data Management Plan?

Researchers who already commenced/completed data collection before the new policy requirement to write a Data Management Plan came into effect (1st December 2024) should still put in place a DMP for their project which details how the data is/was being collected/stored/handled and what your plans are for future data preservation and sharing at the end. There is no requirement for scholarship projects which received approval prior to 1st December 2024 to put in place a DMP.

4. Do I need to write a Data Manament Plan before I apply for approval from other relevant Open University teams (e.g. HREC/Data Protection)?

The order in which you complete the necessary documents/approvals is not important, provided a Data Management Plan is in place before you commence data collection (or secondary data analysis). That being said, you may find it helpful to work through a Data Management Plan before submitting your HREC application or Data Protection Questionnaire, because the answers you provide in your DMP will help to inform both of these applications.

5. I am creating a staff/student survey, do I need to write a Data Management Plan?

If you are creating a staff or student survey and require consent from the Staff Survey Project Panel (SSPP) or the Student Research Project Panel (SRPP), then generally speaking you will not need to write a Data Management Plan, unless the survey forms part of a scholarship or research project, or you are planning on publishing your results. Get in touch with the Library Research Support Team if you need guidance on whether a DMP is required for your project.

6. Does my Data Management Plan need review/sign off, and how long does this take?

If your project meets any of the criteria listed under the 'Assistance' section of our Data Management Plans webpage, then it must be sent to the Library Research Support Team for review/sign-off (this is because they represent higher risk projects). For any other project this is entirely optional, but you may feel that you would benefit from some input. We ask for at least 7 working days' notice of any deadline for review.

7. What training or support is there to help me comply with the policy?

The Library Research Support team will be running two training sessions specifically addressing the change to the policy and how you can ensure you are complying with it. You can register to attend a session on Monday 24^th March at 11:00 – 11:45. We also run ongoing training sessions throughout the year on all aspects of data management, including how to write a Data Management Plan. The research data management pages of the Library Research Support Team’s website are also a useful source of guidance. You can contact the team with specific data management/policy queries on library-research-support@open.ac.uk.

8. I’m a Postgraduate Researcher. Will this affect my upgrade?

All researchers, including PGRs, are required to comply with the Research Data Management Policy. This means that you must complete a Data Management Plan and submit it to ORDO before data collection commences. This will not affect the upgrade process, but it is important that you comply with Open University Policies. Failure to do so can have significant impacts such as data loss, privacy breaches, ethical breaches, failing to meet funder mandates, or being unable to share your data. Effective data management and being able to write a DMP are also key research skills which funders will look at when submitting research funding bids.

9. I conduct scholarship, does this policy apply to me?

Yes, but you should follow the specific guidance and Data Management Plan template which is being developed for scholarship. Please ask your local Scholarship Centre team for a copy of the guidance and template, or if your project sits outside of the centres, please email the Scholarship mailbox. Data Management Plans and data for scholarship projects will be uploaded to The Scholarship Exchange, rather than ORDO, following the processes outlined in that guidance.

10. Do I need to publish my software?

If you have software that supports published research findings, is needed to reproduce or replicate research results, or has potential for use in future research, you are required to archive and share it (where ethical, legal or commercial restrictions permit). Code hosting services such as GitHub, BitBucket or GitLab are not suitable for archiving software as they don’t guarantee preservation. Please follow the guidance provided on our Sharing Research Software page.

11. What is an ORCID, and how to I add it to ORDO?

ORCID is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals which helps you to claim credit for your work and disambiguate authors. If you don’t already have one, you can sign up for an ORCID free online. When publishing your research data/software in ORDO, you will be now required to include your ORCID. Please consult our guidance on how to link your ORCID with your ORDO account.

12. Do I need to add metadata to ORDO for data published outside of The Open University?

We have automated the creation of metadata records in ORDO for any data shared in Zenodo or any Figshare repository (Figshare or Figshare Plus) so you should not need to take any action to fulfil this requirement for datasets shared in these repositories. For data shared in any other repository, you will need to create a metadata record on ORDO for it. Please follow the instructions for how to create a metadata-only record on ORDO for data archived elsewhere.