Research data management

Researchers at the University of Plymouth are required to adhere to our Research Data policy . In the context of the research lifecycle, the policy defines the roles, responsibilities, and support infrastructure – outlining the necessary actions for researchers to follow.

The policy outlines the following principles:

Data management planning is embedded in research activities throughout the lifecycle of every project.
Research data management practices are compliant with legal, ethical, contractual and funding requirements.
Data is well organised and documented from the outset to ensure its integrity, discovery and reusability.
Data is stored securely and protected against unauthorised modification or destruction.
Data of long-term value is selected for preservation.
Researchers recognise the value of research data to the wider community and are committed to making their data open access and usable, wherever possible and within an appropriate and defined period.

Research data management support is provided by several university departments, depending on the nature of the query:

Research & Innovation

Advice on funding & costing for RDM within grant bids ; research governance and ethics ; patents & intellectual property .

Legal and Compliance

Advice on contracts or data sharing agreements (email legalservices@plymouth.ac.uk) or data protection considerations.

TIS (IT Services)

Technical solutions for data management e.g. costing for bespoke storage; device encryption; data destruction and information security. Raise a self-service request to access any of the IT help and services.

Library & Digital Support

Your Information Specialists can advise on issues relating to writing data management plans; metadata and documentation; data discovery and citation; publication, data deposit and licensing. Click on the link above to find out who your Information Specialist is, or contact via the generic email: informationspecialists@plymouth.ac.uk.