Your Data Management Plan

This week, Karen Markin had an excellent article on Data Management Plans (DMPs) in the Chronicle of Higher education. As many federal agencies are requiring data management plans for large grant projects, and policies are being developed, it's not surprising to find that these DMPs are often times a core part of the criteria on which grants are judged.

Part of the push behind DMPs is the call for data that has been collected using the taxpayer money to be accessible and usable for further analysis. This, of course, excludes data that is classified to protect personal information or data where there is a justifiable reason for its confidentiality. Unfortunately, trying to maintain your edge as the PI who has collected the data is not seen as a justifiable reason by most agencies.

Agencies will often offer templates or checklists that spell out exactly what they're looking for and the criteria for which they will judge a DMP in review. These resources should serve as your guiding document. However, good DMP's tend to include the following, as recommended by the NIH:

• Description of data
• Schedule for data sharing
• Format for DMP
• Documentation that will be provided
• Details on any analytic tools
• Details on any data sharing agreements
• Mode of data sharing

As you put together a DMP, below are some resources to help you...

• Check for templates or checklists from agencies or other PIs 
• Consult with your library
• The NIH maintains a list of data-sharing repositories
• Try the University of California DMP tool

Resources
Where Should You Keep Your Data - Karen Markin
Data Management Planning Tool - University of California