Data for Research

A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a plan for describing, storing, and sharing research data.  Librarians at the Capozzi Library can help you create a plan to manage and store your data.  Set up an appointment to go over your data management planning needs.

Creating a DMP fulfills many funding requirements and ensures that your data is well-documented and organized for future reference. Establishing policies for reuse and sharing makes it clear how your data can or can not be used in the future.  

Based on the National Science Foundation requirements for a data management plan, some things your plan should include are:

1. Types of data
   -What types of data will you be creating or capturing? (experimental measures, observational or qualitative, model simulation, existing)
   -How will you capture, create, and/or process the data? (Identify instruments, software, imaging, etc. used)
   
   
2. Metadata - Contextual details needed to make data meaningful to others
   -What file formats and naming conventions will you use?
   
   
3. Storage, Backup, & Security
   -Where and on what media will you store the data?
   -What is your backup plan for the data?
   -How will you manage data security?
   
   
4. Provisions for Protection & Privacy
   -How are you addressing any ethical or privacy issues? (IRB, anonymization of data)
   -Who will own any copyright or intellectual property rights to the data?
   
   
5. Policies for Re-Use
   -What restrictions need to be placed on re-use of your data?
   
   
6. Policies for Access & Sharing
   -What is the process for gaining access to your data?
   
   
7. Plan for archiving and preservation of access
   -What is your long-term plan for preservation and maintenance of the data?

Use the DMP Tool to follow a template and easily build your own data management plan:

1. Sign in to the DMPTool here. 
2. You will be prompted to complete your profile if this is your first time.
3. Select Create New DMP from the menu. You will be presented with a number of templates to choose from.
4. The tool will walk you through each section of the template, allowing you to edit, format, share, and preview your content online. Once your content is complete, you can Export the final version as a PDF, as a .docx, or print a hard copy.