Domain Data Protocols for simplified data management
Science Europe has proposed a pragmatic approach to writing and assessing data management plans (DMPs) by introducing Domain Data Protocols (DDPs). As a member of Science Europe, the SNSF supports this initiative.
Many funding organisations, among them the SNSF, have started to request data management plans (DMPs) as part of their Open Research Data (ORD) policies. The Science Europe Working Group on Research Data is now proposing a new frame of reference based on Domain Data Protocols (DDPs).
DDPs provide a protocol for the collection and management of data within specified disciplinary domains; researchers can then complete the protocol based on the particularities of their project. The introduction of DDPs should simplify the process of writing and checking DMPs and of developing standards for individual research fields. Research communities are encouraged and empowered to establish protocols that meet their specific needs.
The guidance document proposed by Science Europe sets out minimum standards, such as the adoption of the FAIR data principles, which are also a feature of the ORD policy of the SNSF.