Skip to main content
  1. Library
  2. Study and research support
  3. Researcher support
  4. Research data management
  5. Data management planning

Data management planning

DMPonline guidance

DMPonline is a web-based platform designed to help you write DMPs for your research projects. It allows you to structure your plan, share it with others and export the finished document in several formats. 

DMPonline offers DMP templates designed by the University and many major research funders. It also hosts a range of funder requirements and sample plans that you can consult. 

This introductory video shows you how to use the University of Leeds version of DMPonline: 

Access the platform 

Open DMPonline where you will be prompted to sign in to the platform to access its full functionality. 

If you do not have a DMPonline account, create one by following these steps: 

  • select the ‘Sign in with your institutional credentials’ option 
  • type “University of Leeds” in the ‘Discovery Service’ search box 
  • choose ‘University of Leeds’ from the dropdown 
  • sign in with your usual University credentials 
  • enter your details in the starred fields to create an account. 

If you have used DMPonline before, sign in using your existing login details. You can link your DMPonline account with your University credentials through your account profile to allow you to log in directly from the homepage. 

When you sign in to DMPonline, you will see a central user dashboard that displays any plans you have created or have been shared with you. 

Create a plan 

You can generate new DMPs from your user dashboard by selecting ‘Create plan’ in the top right of the page. 

You will first be asked to enter a project title and select a template for your DMP. If your plan is associated with a grant application, you should choose the funder’s template if one is available. Otherwise, we recommend you use the University of Leeds: Data Management Plan template. 

Populate the DMP 

You will then be able to populate your new DMP by navigating between the following tabs:

  • At the ‘Project details’ tab, you will be prompted to enter basic details about your research project. You can also choose to view guidance on data management planning produced by a range of research organisations, which includes the University of Leeds by default. 
  • You can document your research colleagues on the ‘Contributors’ tab. Outlining their project roles can help you to assign responsibility for specific data management tasks, especially on more complex projects. 
  • The ‘Plan overview’ tab summarises the content of your chosen template. You can view its general description, version information and a full question list from this page. 
  • Open the ‘Write Plan’ tab to supply detailed information about your proposed data management strategies. In the sidebar, you can consult guidance tailored to the individual questions and review any comments provided by your research collaborators. 
  • When it is time to disseminate your research findings, you can record the resulting works in the ‘Research outputs’ tab. You can add details about a range of output types, including datasets, publications and digital media. 
  • The ‘Share’ tab determines the wider visibility of your DMP. You can manage plan permissions and grant various levels of access to your research partners. 
  • Once you have finished working on your DMP, you can save local copies from the ‘Download’ tab. You can customise the file type and document format to suit your needs.