• Is the data management plan possible to follow through? If not, see if adjustments can be made so that it works as a support tool throughout the project.

Your data management plan

• During the project, personal information needs to be managed according to current regulations. For example, this can involve requirements to keep data safe or to encrypt information.

How to keep personal information safe

• Which software is currently used? How persistent is the file format? Depending on the program and technique used, you need to take into account the potential usability of the material in the future.

Future usability of your file format

• As datasets are generated, organising them in a well-structured way is vital to make them comprehensible to yourself and to others.

How to organise your datasets

• Publication strategies may change during the course of the project. For instance, you may find that you want to build a database or publish data open access. In such a case, the original cost calculations may need adjusting.

Your cost calculations

• Regardless of what should be archived when the project is finished, it might be beneficial to make data openly accessible during the project, in order to get feedback. Opting to share data in this way, provides an opportunity to share living data with other researchers, before it is finished, or is in the form of a publication.

How to share your data during the project

• To make your data reusable, it is important to describe it thoroughly in a structured manner, where the metadata to the greatest extent is based on recognized standards.

Reusing your data

Metadata and current standards