Data Management Planning

A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a plan for describing, storing, and sharing research data.  Librarians at the Health Sciences Library are able to help you create a plan to manage and store your data.  Contact Caroline McKinley to set up an appointment to go over your data management planning needs.

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

UK Data Archive research data lifecycle diagram (adapted from the original). ©University of Essex

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?