All postgraduate researchers whose registration with the University commenced in or after September 2025 must:
Research data management and sharing is an essential part of good research practice. Effective data management supports research efficiency and quality; provides transparency about the research process and its evidential basis; enables verification and reproducibility of research findings; and facilitates re-use of valuable research outputs.
Sharing of data collected or created in research when findings are placed on public record is a requirement of the University’s Research Data Management Policy. Under this policy research students are required to preserve and share primary data collected or created in support of the PhD thesis and any publications by depositing them in an appropriate repository.
A DMP is a practical tool that will help you manage data effectively throughout the research project and prepare for data sharing towards the end of the programme. It covers the practicalities of data management and sharing, including issues relating to contractual obligations, compliance with data protection law and ethical requirements, and handling of intellectual property rights. The DMP can be used to document management of both primary and secondary data.
Being able to write an effective DMP is a core research skill. It will enable you to be an efficient researcher, to identify requirements, manage risks, and apply appropriate solutions. It is also a necessary professional competence for the career researcher, as many funders of research require academics to create DMPs for their projects.
When you complete your Learning Needs Analysis at the start of your programme, you must include an objective to complete the e-learning course, Data management requirements for PGRs. This is available in the DaRC compliance training for PGRs Blackboard course area, and a link to it is provided on this page.
The course must be completed within the first four months of registration. You should confirm to your supervisor that you have completed the course at your first annual review by providing a copy or screenshot of the course completion badge/certificate.
When you submit your DMP as part of confirmation of registration, you will also be required to provide the copy or screenshot of the course completion badge/certificate to confirm that this requirement has been met.
You are encouraged to attend or review at least one of the more in-depth data management training courses offered through the RRDP in the first year of your programme.
You should create your DMP using the DMP template and PGR data management guide provided on this page. The template provided here must be used to submit your DMP at confirmation of registration and subsequent annual review.
Your DMP should be treated as a living document, to be referred to and updated as your research progresses. You should start to develop a DMP in your first year, before you begin collecting data, or, if relevant, before you apply for ethical approval to conduct the research. Keeping an up-to-date DMP will make it easier for you to meet the University’s requirements, and should have practical benefits in supporting efficient and high-quality research.
Your supervisor will review your DMP as part of the confirmation submission process, but you may share and discuss the DMP with your supervisor at any stage if their input would be helpful. Support from the Research Data Service can be requested at any time.
If your research involves the collection or creation of primary data, you will need to produce a more detailed DMP than if your research involves the use of secondary data only. In the latter case, you will not need to document methods for collecting data or plan for data sharing. But you can use the DMP to discuss how secondary data and working materials will be managed, and how considerations related to intellectual property rights and confidentiality will be handled.
You can refer to the Research data handbook for definitions of primary data, secondary data and working materials.
All students must submit a DMP that has been reviewed and approved by their supervisor as part of the confirmation of registration submission, using the template and guidance provided here. It is not permitted to submit the DMP using any other template.
The confirmation process is as follows:
Complete the DMP and cover sheet using the template and share it with your supervisor for review and approval in good time before the confirmation submission deadline.
Your supervisor will review the DMP and discuss it with you. They may ask you to update it if there are areas that require further development. When they are ready to approve the DMP, they will sign the cover sheet and return it to you. They will confirm that they have reviewed the DMP in their report to the School monitoring committee.
Include with your confirmation submission: the DMP and a screenshot of the course completion badge/certificate for the Blackboard course, Data management requirements for PGRs.
The School will record receipt of the DMP and evidence of completion of training as part of your confirmation submission and make this information available to the Doctoral and Researcher College, so that compliance with the requirements can be monitored.
The monitoring committee may review the DMP as part of assessing the confirmation submission. Any feedback and actions required regarding the DMP will be included in the record of the committee’s review which is provided to you.
The relevant parts of the cover sheet must be completed. Note in particular:
You should share an updated version of the DMP with your supervisor ahead of annual review for review and discussion as necessary. Your supervisor will confirm that they have reviewed the DMP in their report to the School monitoring committee. You do not need to submit the DMP to the School monitoring committee.
The University’s Research Ethics Committee and some School Research Ethics Committees require applicants for ethical approval to submit a DMP. This is a separate process which uses a different DMP template, available in the Research ethics section of this guide. This template must be used only for applications for ethical review. The DMP submitted for confirmation of registration and annual review must use the PGR DMP template.
The DMP template used for the ethical review process is narrower in focus, being concerned with the safe management and sharing of data in compliance with ethical and legal requirements. This DMP is submitted only once as part of the ethical review process.
The PGR DMP template has a wider scope, covering all aspects of data management, and is designed to be a living document, which can be updated as the research proceeds.
While there will be some duplication if both DMPs have to be completed, relevant information can easily be copied and pasted from whichever DMP is developed first.
In accordance with the University’s Research Data Management Policy you are required wherever possible to share primary data collected or created in support of your PhD thesis and any publications by depositing them in an appropriate repository. When you deposit an electronic copy of the awarded thesis with the University at the end of your programme, you will be asked to supply a reference for any supporting primary data that have been deposited in a repository.
The University’s Research Data Archive or any other suitable repository can be used for this purpose. The Research data handbook provides guidance on choosing a data repository.
Data supporting the PhD thesis should be deposited in a repository prior to submitting the thesis for examination, and should be cited in the thesis by means of a data availability statement.
Data supporting any articles should be deposited prior to submission of the article for publication and should be cited in the article by means of a data availability statement.
We provide support to help supervisors give their students appropriate direction and review DMPs that must be approved by them as part of the confirmation of registration and annual review process. Support includes:
The following data management training is provided:
Some free online training resources are listed in the Support and training section.
Contact us or book an appointment if you have an enquiry or support request.
0118 378 4141
