LibGuides: Research Data Management: Data Management Plans

What's Included in a Data Management Plan?

Some funders (such as the NIH) and publishers (such as Nature) have data sharing policies that require researchers to write a data management plan (DMP), that explains how the data will be organized, maintained, secured, and accessible. Even if you're not required to write a DMP, it can still be helpful to write one for your own benefit.

If you don't have any specific guidelines from your funder about what should be included in a DMP, here are some questions that you should address:

What kind of data will be created in your research?
How will you be describing your data? (i.e., metadata schemas and standards)
How will you share your data? If you cannot because of ethical or legal issues, explain why.
If using existing data, are there any copyright protections?
How will you be storing and backing up your data?
Who will be responsible for what roles in managing the data?

RDM Plan Resources

NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan Checklist
The NIH's Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan is effective January 25, 2023 for all new grant proposals. DMS Plans are recommended to be two pages or less in length. This checklist addresses the 6 required elements of the new DMS Policy, numbered 1-6 on this worksheet.
DMPTool
"The DMPTool is a free, open-source, online application that helps researchers create data management plans. These plans, or DMPs, are now required by many funding agencies as part of the grant proposal submission process. The DMPTool provides a click-through wizard for creating a DMP that complies with funder requirements. It also has direct links to funder websites, help text for answering questions, and resources for best practices surrounding data management." - DMPTool
REDCap
REDCap is a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases.

John Hopkins' RDM Plan Checklist & Worksheet

Example Plans

Example plan, created using DMPTool
A Data Management Plan created using DMPTool
Title: Coastal Ocean Processes of North Greenland
Guidelines for Effective Data Management Plans
This ICPSR link provides guidance for creating grant data management plans for projects involving data collection.
Sample NSF Data Management Plans
"These examples from UC San Diego proposals are intended to provide a starting point for the development of other proposal-specific Data Management Plans." - Research Data Curation Program, UCSD

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Research Data Management: Data Management Plans