Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A DMP whose dataset records are auto-synchronised with the institutional repository nightly.
- Is an instance
A DMP that emails the data steward when storage use exceeds the planned 80% threshold.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A Static DMP filed once.
- Not an instance
A DMP PDF stored in a shared drive with no integration.
Editorial commentary
An active DMP is a Data Management Plan (DMP) that is kept in use during project execution rather than filed once and forgotten. In its fullest form it draws on live data from connected systems — repository deposit records, storage-quota reports, ethics-board amendment decisions — and can flag when a commitment made in the plan has drifted from what is actually happening on the project. The concept sits between the two ends of the DMP lifecycle: it is what a plan should be doing during the active phase, as opposed to sitting idle between the creation phase and the closeout phase.
In practice, “active” is a spectrum rather than a binary. A fully active, system-integrated DMP is still rare outside a handful of machine-actionable DMP (maDMP)-native institutional deployments; more commonly, an office keeps a DMP “active” by manually revisiting it at defined checkpoints (ethics amendment, mid-term report, a new collaborator joining) rather than through automated system feeds. Either version is a real improvement on a plan that is never reopened after submission.
How it differs from adjacent DMP concepts
- vs. Static DMP — the direct opposite: a static DMP is produced once and never revisited regardless of how the project’s data reality evolves.
- vs. Living DMP — closely related but not identical: a living DMP additionally requires that each significant change be captured as a separate, citable version. An active DMP can be actively maintained without every update being formally versioned.
References
- Simms, Jones, Mietchen & Miksa, “Ten principles for machine-actionable data management plans,” PLOS Computational Biology (2019).
Also known as
live DMP
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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