DMP component

A DMP component is a discrete, reusable section of a Data Management Plan (DMP) corresponding to one of the logical entities modelled in the RDA DMP Common Standard — project, dataset, contributor, host, cost, or security_and_privacy, among others. Treating a plan as composed of typed components, rather than one monolithic document, is what makes fine-grained reuse possible: an institution’s standard description of its own repository can be written once as a “host” component and inserted into every plan that deposits there, and a “security_and_privacy” component built for one human-subjects study can be adapted for the next one rather than redrafted from scratch.

A research office is most likely to encounter components indirectly, through a machine-actionable DMP (maDMP) tool’s interface — most DMP-authoring platforms structure their forms around exactly these entity types even when the underlying JSON is invisible to the user. Recognising a plan’s content as components (rather than as free-standing prose) is what makes automated compliance checks possible, since a checker can validate one component type at a time.

How it differs from adjacent DMP concepts

• vs. Cost element (in DMP) — a cost element is one specific type of component (the “cost” entity); “component” is the general term covering all entity types.
• vs. RDA DMP Common Standard — the standard defines which component types exist and their required properties; a component is a populated instance inside a real plan.

References

• RDA DMP Common Standards Working Group outputs.

Checking this against the current guidance

Which DMP component funders most often flag as missing or inadequate differs across NSF, NIH, and UKRI. The answer depends on which funder you are working to,
and the page above states the general rule.

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CASRAI: Which DMP component do funders most often flag as missing or inadequate during review, and is it the same component across NSF, NIH and UKRI?

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Frequently asked questions

Are DMP components the same across all funders?

The broad categories (data types, standards, access, preservation, roles) recur across most funders, but the specific required components and their names differ — NIH’s DMS Plan elements are not identically worded to NSF’s or UKRI’s.

Can a component be marked ‘not applicable’ in a DMP?

Usually yes, if genuinely justified — for example, a project generating no human-subjects data can state that a privacy/de-identification component doesn’t apply — but funders expect a brief justification rather than a blank field.

Does missing one component sink an otherwise strong DMP?

It depends on the funder and the component; some (like a repository choice) are treated as must-haves, while others are weighted more lightly in review.