Research Data Collection Plan Template: Pilot, Fieldwork, Quality Checks, and Owners

A research data collection plan turns an approved study's requirements into work that can be scheduled, assigned, and checked. It shows what must be ready before collection begins, who runs each step, where the approved records belong, and how the team will handle problems.

Use the template below as an operational companion to your protocol, institutional requirements, and data management plan. Those documents determine the methods, permissions, storage, and handling rules your project must follow.

UKRI's research data policy treats data management as work across the research lifecycle, including planning, documentation, storage, preservation, and supporting metadata. The practical task plan should point to the applicable requirements rather than leave them implicit. UKRI research data policy.

Record the inputs before assigning collection work

Copy this project header:

Study and collection phase:
Research lead:
Approved protocol or method reference and version:
Required permissions or approvals and their current status:
Data management plan reference:
Approved collection instruments and versions:
Approved storage location and access process:
Quality checks to apply:
Person who decides whether collection can start or pause:
Collection window and next review date:

Keep sensitive research records in the approved research environment. The planning record can hold task status and a reference to that environment without duplicating participant details, restricted raw data, or credentials.

If a required condition is unresolved, give it an owner and a next action. A planned start date should not silently imply that approval, training, or access is complete.

Copy the operational task table

Phase	Task or output	Owner	Ready by	Evidence or check	Depends on
Preparation	Confirm the applicable protocol and permissions	[Name]	[Date]	Current references checked	[Requirement]
Preparation	Prepare the collection instrument and instructions	[Name]	[Date]	Version identified and reviewed	[Protocol]
Preparation	Confirm approved storage and access	[Name]	[Date]	Authorized users can use the required location	[Institutional process]
Pilot	Run the permitted pilot or rehearsal	[Name]	[Date]	Results and issues recorded in the approved place	[Required conditions]
Pilot	Resolve issues and authorize the next step	[Name]	[Date]	Decision and instrument version recorded	[Pilot review]
Collection	Complete the planned collection session or batch	[Name]	[Date]	Session or batch status checked	[Start decision]
Quality	Apply the study's specified checks	[Name]	[Date]	Exceptions recorded and assigned	[Collection output]
Handoff	Prepare documented material for the next research phase	[Name]	[Date]	Recipient confirms what is ready and what remains open	[Quality review]

Adapt the phases to your discipline. A laboratory run, archival visit, field observation, and approved interview study need different methods and controls. The table makes responsibilities visible without choosing those methods for you.

Make the pilot a decision point

A pilot or rehearsal is useful when it reveals whether the planned process can be run as intended. Specify what you will check using the study's requirements: instrument behavior, instructions, equipment, record naming, or the transfer into approved storage.

Record the outcome as a decision: proceed with the identified version, revise and repeat a permitted check, or ask the appropriate person for guidance. Keep an unresolved issue visible instead of marking the pilot complete because the calendar event ended.

If the pilot changes an approved method, follow the relevant change process before collecting further material. A task comment documents the question; it does not authorize a change by itself.

A fictional example: an archival collection visit

A researcher plans to collect references from an archive, subject to the archive's access and reproduction rules. The operational plan might contain:

Confirm the visit and the materials available to consult.
Check the permitted recording and reproduction process.
Prepare a consistent reference and file-naming sheet.
Rehearse recording one non-restricted example.
Conduct the visit and record which items were covered.
Check that source references and permitted files can be matched.
List missing items and decide whether another visit is needed.

The example is fictional. The archive's actual rules and the project's requirements control the work. The planning benefit is knowing what “visit completed” means beyond having attended.

Track issues without rewriting the history

Use a short issue record for anything that affects the collection output:

Date and affected session or batch reference:
Issue observed:
Potential effect on the next step:
Action taken within existing authority:
Decision or advice still needed:
Owner and target date:
Resolution reference:

Keep the original observation and the later resolution distinct. If an instrument changes, record the version and which subsequent work uses it. That helps the team understand the collection history when preparing the next phase.

The operational plan should remain proportionate. UKRI's STFC guidance similarly describes data management plans as clear, concise, and proportionate to the data and project. Check the guidance that applies to your own funder and institution. STFC data management guidance.

Run the task plan in SelfManager

Use a dated table in SelfManager Individual for solo work or a shared table under the Team plan for a research team. Put the operational references in notes and assign tasks or subtasks to eligible table participants. Keep confidential research material in its approved location.

Use task deadlines for preparation and review points. At a check-in, review completed outputs, blocked work, and the next decision. This creates a record of the work without implying automated research compliance or data-quality validation.

Keep your supervisor meeting agenda focused on the decisions to discuss and your dissertation tracker focused on chapters. The collection plan answers a different question: what must happen for the next collection phase to be ready and properly handed forward?