This initial stage involves defining the research question, project goals and data management strategies. The followings some considerations pertaining data management:
- Funders' policies and expectations
- Copyright, intellectual property, and privacy issues
- Data format
- Data quantity
- Data storage (hardware and supporting software)
- File naming and directory structure conventions
- Version control, if necessary
- Access and sharing permissions
- Budget
A Data Management Plan (DMP) is the first step.