Towards a Risk Catalogue for Data Management Plans

Abstract

Although data management and its careful planning are no new topics, there is only little literature on risk mitigation in data management plans (DMPs). We consider it a problem that DMPs do not include a structured approach for the identification or mitigation of risks, because it would instil confidence and trust in the data and its stewards, and foster the successful conduction of data-generating projects, which often are funded research projects. In this paper, we present a lightweight approach for identifying general risks in DMPs. We introduce an initial version of a generic risk catalogue for funded research and similar projects. By analysing a selection of 13 DMPs for projects from multiple disciplines published by the Research Ideas and Outcomes (RIO) journal, we demonstrate that our approach is applicable to DMPs and transferable to multiple institutional constellations. As a result, the effort for integrating risk management in data management planning can be reduced.