Template

Data management plan (DMP) & FAIR checklist — Interactive template

An actionable, interactive DMP template that guides teams through data description, metadata, storage, access, provenance, archiving and an embedded FAIR alignment checklist. Saveable responses support reproducibility, clearer responsibilities, and easier handoff to repositories or compliance reviewers.

Interactive Tool

Data management plan (DMP) & FAIR checklist

Use this interactive template to capture the essential elements of your data management plan. Answer each prompt with enough detail that a colleague or repository manager can understand what the data are, how they will be stored and preserved, who is responsible, and how they meet FAIR principles. Fields marked required must be completed.

Short, descriptive project title (used for repository records and linking).
Name of the person with primary responsibility for the project and its data.
Email for data enquiries and repository contact.
Provide expected start and end dates (YYYY-MM-DD or month/year).
Describe data types (e.g. raw instrument files, processed tables, images), typical file types, estimated number of files, and expected total volume (GB/TB).
Select all that apply. If you choose 'Other', describe it in the next field.
Spell out custom or proprietary formats and note any special readers or software required.
Approximate total size of data to be preserved. Use GB; for TB, convert to GB.
Choose a standard if available for your domain or indicate custom metadata. Repositories often prefer specific schemas.
List the key metadata elements you will record (e.g., title, creator, date, methodology, instrument settings, sample IDs). Include controlled vocabularies where possible.
Persistent identifiers help make data findable and citable. Note whether your repository can mint DOIs.
Where data will be stored during the project (institutional server, cloud bucket, lab NAS). Include path, project folder, or bucket name if available.
Describe backup frequency, offsite replication, versioning strategy, and who monitors backups.
Specify how long data will be retained and any triggers for deletion. If 'Other', document details below.
Provide specific retention conditions, review dates, or legal/contractual constraints.
Who can access the data, when it will be shared publicly (if at all), embargo periods, and how requests will be handled.
Choose a license that matches reuse goals and funder/publisher requirements.
Note any human-subjects data, personal data, export controls, or contractual restrictions that limit sharing. Include IRB or data-use agreement references.
How will you record processing steps, transformations, derived datasets, and software versions? Mention workflow managers, scripts, and provenance metadata.
List people/roles and their responsibilities (e.g., PI: oversight, Data Manager: curation, IT: backups, Repository contact: archiving).
Name of the repository, archive, or institutional service you will use for long-term preservation. Include accession or planned DOI process if known.
Repository URL, submission requirements, metadata mapping notes, and expected timeline for archiving and DOI minting.
Planned papers, reports or outputs that will cite or include the dataset.
Provide URLs for code, protocols.io pages, or other resources that help reproduce data.
Answer based on the FAIR checklist below; supply notes in the following field.
Explain any gaps, planned fixes, or dependencies (e.g., need to assign DOIs, map metadata to a standard).
Person completing this DMP entry.
Date (YYYY-MM-DD) when this DMP was completed or reviewed.
Track updates to the DMP over time: who changed what and when.
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