These days, it's all about sustainability and maximising resources. From the earliest stages of projects, more and more researchers are thinking about the kinds of research data they will create and how these data could potentially be reused by others. This inevitably leads to considerations around what form(s) the data might take, how the resulting dataset may be shared and where it could be stored. In sketching out these ideas, a Data Management Plan (DMP) is invaluable from the outset. But a DMP is of enormous practical value throughout the lifetime of the project and beyond. As data pile up and file versions multiply, having this 'living document' to fall back on keeps your team members on track and allows you to reach for what you need when you need it. In addition to the organisational benefits, a DMP fosters a culture of diligence when it comes to quality and security of data.
(Source: DataONE)
While the possibilities for data sharing and storage these days are amazing, nevertheless digital documents need more care and maintenance in the long term than their physical counterparts.
It's never too early to start thinking about which file types would be most appropriate for your data. Think especially in terms of using Open Formats (CSV, PDF, GIF, JPEG, MP3, Office Open, PlainText): easier to open, more findable, and required by many repositories. Speaking of the latter, it's worth taking a look around to see which would be best placed to look after your data beyond the lifetime of the project.
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
