Use case: How a data management plan created clarity and confidence in a PhD project
Use case: How a data management plan created clarity and confidence in a PhD project
Melike Kaplan is a PhD Fellow at the Department of Sustainability and Planning at Aalborg University. As part of her PhD project, The Future Jobs Lab, she has developed a data management plan (DMP).
A DMP describes how research data is handled throughout the entire research project — from data generation and processing to storage, documentation, and sharing. In Melike’s case, developing a DMP became an important part of creating structure around her project and building confidence in how her data should be managed.
The Future Jobs Lab project explores the conditions necessary for the emergence and thriving of democratic and sustainable businesses that can provide secure and meaningful work to those who struggle with precarious employment in Copenhagen. At the same time, the project examines how technology can be designed to support such businesses.
As Melike’s research project is EU-funded, preparing a DMP was a requirement. Although it initially felt like a formality, the process turned out to be highly valuable and gave her both clarity and confidence in handling her research data:
Initially a DMP felt like a formality that I had to do because my project has EU funding, but when I reached out for help with CLAAUDIA, I was pleasantly surprised that our session was super informative and it gave me clarity on how to do my research and what to do with my data, as well as confidence when speaking to research participants in telling them that they can rest assured that their data is safe. I feel more competent as a researcher because I understand better the confusing technical language surrounding data management, and I’ve learned about helpful tools to use throughout my research.
Melike’s experience shows how a DMP can be a valuable tool in a research project, helping to support the research and create a clear framework for managing the data involved.
Get support with your data management plan
At CLAAUDIA, we support researchers at Aalborg University with both practical guidance and feedback throughout the data management planning (DMP) process.
For all questions and requests, please contact us through the service portal here.