Data Management Planning
NERC funding applicants
Version 1.0 July 2015
University of Bristol
Research Data Service
Image: ammonit-591874 1280.png, Pixabay, Public Domain
applicants to submit a very short Outline Data
SUMMARY

Management Plan (ODMP) and, if successful, a fuller
A one-page (or less) Outline Data Management
Data Management Plan; in partnership with one of the
Plan (ODMP) is required at the application stage.

NERC Data Centres (see Appendix 1 – NERC Data
A fuller Data Management Plan (DMP) must be
Centres).
provided to NERC within three months of the



project’s starting date.
The NERC Data Policy2 applies to all environmental
NERC provides a Data Value Checklist1 to help
data acquired, assembled or created through activities
researchers decide which datasets have long-
that are either fully or partially funded by NERC. The
term value.
Policy also applies to environmental data managed by
At the end of a research project NERC requires
NERC, but for which NERC was not the original funder.
that all datasets with long-term value should be
NERC defines environmental data as items or records
made available for others to use with as few
that are usually obtained by measurement,
restrictions as possible, and in a timely manner,
observation or modelling of the natural world and the
usually via one of the NERC Data Centres.
impact of humans upon it. This includes data
Researchers are entitled to 'right of first use' (i.e.
generated through complex systems, such as
exclusive access) to the data they generate, but
information retrieval algorithms, data assimilation
this period must not be longer than two years
techniques and the application of numerical models.
from the end of data collection/creation.

NERC is committed to safeguarding the availability of
All research publications arising from NERC
research data which has long-term value for research,
funding must include a statement on how
teaching and wider uses, in order to:
underpinning research datasets can be accessed.

INTRODUCTION
support the integrity, transparency and openness
of research;

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
assist in the formal publication of datasets and
Data Policy, as part of Research Councils UK,
enable the tracking of their usage through
emphasises the need for openness and access to the
citation and data licences;

data that underpin research publications. Research
abide by relevant legislation and government
data produced by activities funded by the NERC is
guidance on the management and distribution of
considered to be a public good which should be made
environmental information;

openly available for anyone to use. The same policy
ensure the long-term availability of
environmental data by supporting several Data
includes a formal requirement for all funding
1
2
NERC Data Value Checklist,
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/policy/datavalue-checklist/
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/policy/datapolicy.pdf
2
Centres (see Appendix 1 – NERC Data Centres)
payments withheld or become ineligible for future
and by stipulating several conditions relating to
NERC funding.
data sharing, which all recipients of NERC funding
Outline Data Management Plan (ODMP)
must observe.
NERC provide a template ODMP.4 You are required to
The NERC stance on the management and sharing of
state whether or not you intend to create any data,
research data is shared by most major research
which of the NERC Data Centres you intend to use, and
funders, the National Science Foundation and the
to provide a brief list of any datasets you know you will
European Commission.
create.
For more general information concerning research
data management issues, please refer to our Brief
Data Management Plan (DMP)
3
Guide to Managing Research Data.
Once you have successfully acquired research funding,
your ODMP will be used (in conjunction with the most
Researcher responsibilities
appropriate NERC data centre) to help produce a fuller
At the end of a research project NERC requires that all
and more detailed DMP. The main purpose of the full
datasets with long-term value should be made
DMP is to ensure that datasets of long-term value are
available for others to use with as few restrictions as
deposited with the Data Centre in an appropriate
possible, and in a timely manner.
format and along with the necessary metadata. The
full DMP must be produced within three months of the
Researchers are entitled to 'right of first use' (i.e.
project’s starting date.
exclusive access) to the data they generate, but this
period must not be longer than two years from the
Your full DMP will expand on the following areas:
end of data collection/creation.
backup and security, metadata and documentation,
data management responsibilities (for example, who is
All research publications arising from NERC funding
responsible for capturing data in the field, producing
must include a statement on how underpinning
metadata, transferring metadata and data), expected
research datasets can be accessed. Such supporting
sizes and formats of datasets, potential challenges
research data will usually be made available through
relating to data transfer or re-usability (such as
one of the NERC Data Centres.
exceptional size or complexity), plans for data
These stipulations apply to all applications for funding,
preservation, and details of any existing datasets to be
including fellowships and research activities only part-
used during the project.
funded by NERC. Researchers funded by NERC who do
not meet these requirements may have award
3
4
http://data.bris.ac.uk/files/2015/10/RDMleaflet.pdf
3
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/dmp/
application is finalised. The back-up procedures,
Metadata
policies and controlled access arrangements used by
Metadata is ‘data about data’ and is information (or
the RDSF are of a very high standard. If you do not
cataloguing information) that enables data users to
intend to make use of RDSF, your storage provider’s
find and/or use a dataset. In your DMP you should
back up procedures should be briefly described
outline plans for documenting your research data, to
instead.
meet both your own needs and those of later users.
Your DMP should briefly indicate how you’ll keep your
In attempting to organise and document your data it
data safe before it’s deposited in a storage facility such
may help to imagine a secondary data user trying to
as the RDSF. This is particularly important if you’re
make sense of your data in your absence, after the end
conducting field research. As a minimum requirement,
of your project. If presented with only the data itself, a
try to ensure that at all times at least two copies of the
secondary user may be faced with the difficult task of
data exist, and that every copy can easily be accounted
‘unpicking’ it. How will they make sense of your file
for and located if required.
and folder naming conventions? Has any special
software been used to create your data? What extra
If you expect to need any specialised help with
information would they need to make maximum use of
creating or managing your data, such as help with
it?
database design, you should also mention this in the
DMP.
A specific metadata standard, the NERC Discovery
Metadata Standard,5 has been created by NERC for
Data quality
this purpose, and it may be advisable to adopt this as
Your DMP should describe how you will ensure the
early as possible during the life of your project.
quality of your research data. Quality should be
considered whenever data is created or altered, for
Data storage
instance at the time of data collection, data entry or
It is recommended that, as you create data, you store
digitisation. It may be appropriate to nominate a
it in the University’s own Research Data Storage
research data manager within the team and outline
Facility (RDSF), managed by the Advanced Computing
the procedures they will use to ensure data quality,
Research Centre (ACRC).6 Each research staff member
such as dedicated time to check data, entering values
is entitled to 5TB of storage without charge. If your
into pre-prepared databases, or using templates.
storage quota is used up, or your project requires
more storage space, there will be a cost and ACRC
If you plan to integrate student data in to your
should be contacted for guidance before your
datasets, you should mention this within the DMP.
5
6
NERC Discovery Metadata Standard, http://datasearch.nerc.ac.uk/documents/nerc_metadatastandard.p
df
Advanced Computing Research Centre,
http://www.acrc.bris.ac.uk
4
Ethics, IPR and data protection issues
Table of datasets
NERC expects funding applicants to investigate any
It may be difficult for you to predict accurately the
likely ethical or Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) issues
nature and extent of the datasets your project will
that are likely to affect your ability to share your data,
generate, therefore NERC only requires you to make
and these should be mentioned in the DMP. If you are
an estimate at the funding application stage. You
planning to use existing data as part of your research,
won’t necessarily need to mention everything, only the
the data may be subject to certain copyright or other
most significant datasets that are likely to have long-
restrictions that could prevent you from sharing any
term value. If you are uncertain whether or not a
new data you derive from them. You should give full
dataset is likely to have long-term value, it may help to
and appropriate acknowledgement, via citation, for
look at the NERC Data Value Checklist9 (see below).
any existing data you expect to use.
Although this tool is primarily intended to be used
when preparing a more detailed data management
Unless stated otherwise, the ownership of intellectual
plan (more about this below) you may also find it
property lies with the organisation carrying out the
useful during the process of creating a DMP.
research. However, if you plan to work collaboratively
with an external partner, copyright and IPR issues may
For each dataset which you intend to generate and
need to be clarified in a formal agreement. While this
which you believe may have long-term value, you
isn’t required as part of your application, it should be
should provide the following information in a table:
mentioned that, if the application is successful, such

an agreement will be created. The University’s
Data Centre - the name of the most appropriate
NERC Data Centre. If you’re unsure which Data
Research Enterprise and Development (RED)7 can
Centre is the most appropriate for deposition of
advise further on collaborative research agreements
your data, visit the Data Centre’s own website
and other IPR issues.
and read its collections policy. If you’re still in
All recipients of research grants must abide by the
doubt, it might help to send the Data Centre/s
Data Protection Act 1998. If you plan to handle
concerned a brief description of your dataset and
sensitive and/or personal data, extra security
ask their opinion on its suitability for deposition.
measures must be considered. The Office of the
Individual projects can contribute to more than
University Secretary8 can provide advice on observing
one Data Centre. (See Appendix 1 for a list of
data protection legislation.
NERC Data Centres)

Dataset description - a brief (one or two
sentence) description of the data. Examples
7
9
Research Enterprise and Development,
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/red/contracts
8 Office of the University Secretary,
http://www.bris.ac.uk/secretary/dataprotection
NERC Data Value Checklist,
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/policy/datavalue-checklist/
5

might be ‘photographs of field area’ or ‘raw
Important criteria (criteria which strongly suggest the
broadband magnetotelluric data’.
retention of data) are:
Release date for giving data to Data Centre - if
you don’t have a specific date, you can specify a
period such as ‘by the end of the project’ or

data that is new and unique;

data that is irreplaceable (for example, data that
arises from observations and sampling rather
‘during year two’. It is expected that data should
than repeatable simulations or experiments);
be delivered to a NERC Data Centre within two

years of end of data collection.

data that has a broad extent and so is widely reusable;
Re-use scenarios - if you have an idea of the type

of secondary user who might make use of your
data that is of special scientific or communal
importance;
dataset, describe them here in one or two
sentences. Examples might be ‘oceanographic
researchers’ or ‘commercial researchers’.

data which sets an important precedent;

data that is part of a wider, current trend in
science;
Assessing data value
The NERC Data Value Checklist is a tool to help you
assess the long-term value of a dataset when
preparing a full data management plan.

data that is likely to meet future needs;

data which adds value to an existing dataset;

data that has clear potential for reuse;

data that is likely to be cited within a publication.
Supporting criteria (criteria which suggest the
The Checklist informs all decisions that NERC Data
retention of data) are:
Centres make on the acquisition, preservation and
eventual disposal of environmental data. The criteria

data that is ‘raw’ and unprocessed;
described in the Checklist do not directly indicate

data that would be expensive to reproduce;
whether or not the data should be considered

if the deposited version is likely to be the
‘valuable’, but instead offer guidance on assessing
reference version of the dataset;
long-term value.

accurate and detailed metadata accompany the
data, to support any future re-use;
Mandatory criteria (criteria which require the

retention of data) are:
more high value data than low value data in the
dataset;


legal or legislative reasons for data retention (for
example, compliance with the Environmental

data in a format which supports deposit in a data
centre and subsequent storage and preservation;
Information Regulations or contractual

permissions are in place to permit data re-use;
obligations);

no special software is required to use the data so
data that is likely to be the subject of legal
the data could easily be converted into a more
challenge or of litigation.
widely used format.
6
(DOI) by a Data Centre. A DOI is a unique identifier that
Data submission and access
does not change over time and will serve as the
The appropriate NERC Data Centre should be provided
‘permanent online address’ of a specific dataset. A DOI
with a copy of your finalised data as soon as possible
will also help to support the tracking of data usage
after the end of data collection. This will allow the data
through the publication and citation of data sets. In
centre to check that all the necessary information for
order for the receiving Data Centre to issue a DOI, data
readily allowing others to re‐use the data is included
must be deposited in good condition, with appropriate
in the documentation. NERC will, however, allow
metadata and of a suitable level of technical quality.
funded researchers a reasonable amount of time to
The submitter is responsible for ensuring data meets
finalise their datasets and publish their findings, during
the required level of quality.
what is known as an ‘embargo period’. NERC considers
that in most cases a reasonable embargo period is a
Metadata pertaining to all datasets held within the
maximum of two years from the end of data collection.
Data Centres will be made available through the NERC
Data submitted to a data centre during an agreed
Data Catalogue Service.10 This service provides an
embargo period will remain restricted for the period
integrated, searchable catalogue of the data holdings
defined, though many researchers choose not to apply
of NERC's Data Centres, and can be used to find
an embargo period and are happy for their data to be
information on what data the NERC data centres hold
made available to others once they have been
and how to access these data.
finalised.
______________________________________________
Once your data has been deposited with a NERC Data
Centre and made accessible, it will be accompanied by
the NERC Data Centres can be accessed by anyone.
CITING RESEARCH DATA IN
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
However, in the case of some third-party datasets,
From 1st April 2013 all the UK’s research funding
there may be restrictions on who can access the data
councils, as part of RCUK, require research outputs (i.e.
or what can be done with them, and any such
journal articles) to provide a means by which third
restrictions will be made clear when the data are
parties can access any underpinning research datasets.
requested. The data licence will also specify that users
This may be a reference (such as a unique URL or DOI)
of the data must acknowledge the originator of the
printed in a paper which will lead an enquirer to a
data in any publication or other derived work.
specific web page where the data is available. Or the
a data licence. In general, all data made available by
enquirer might be directed to a page which displays
In order to cite datasets that underpin research
the contact details of a custodian of the data and
publications (see Researcher responsibilities, listed
above) data may be assigned a Digital Object Identifier
10
NERC Data Catalogue Service, data-search.nerc.ac.uk
7
asked to email them in order to gain access to the
data.
Given the extended timescales involved in publication,
it is strongly recommended that the authors of
published academic outputs do not provide their
current contact details as a means of accessing
underpinning research data, as these will change over
time. The NERC Data Centres can provide unique
reference identifiers for deposited datasets which can
be included in publications instead.
8
APPENDIX 1: NERC DATA CENTRES
Data Centre
Area of Interest
Website
Contact
British Atmospheric Data
Atmospheric science
badc.nerc.ac.uk
support@ceda.ac.uk
Earth observation
www.neodc.rl.ac.uk
support@ceda.ac.uk
Solar terrestrial
www.ukssdc.ac.uk
support@ceda.ac.uk
Marine science
www.bodc.ac.uk
enquiries@bodc.ac.uk
Environmental Information
Terrestrial & freshwater
www.ceh.ac.uk/data/index.html
gateway@ceh.ac.uk
Data Centre (EIDC)
science, hydrology and
Earth sciences
www.bgs.ac.uk/services/NGDC
enquiries@bgs.ac.uk
Polar science
www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_bas/
polardatacentre@bas.ac.
our_organisation/eid/pdc/index.p
uk
Centre (BADC)
NERC Earth Observation
Data Centre (NEODC)
UK Solar System Data
Centre (UKSSDC)
British Oceanographic Data
Centre (BODC)
bioinformatics
National Geoscience Data
Centre (NGDC)
Polar Data Centre (PDC)
hp