Creating a Data Management plan

Data management starts even before data collection when you write a data management plan (DMP). Planning for the care of your data increases the chances that your data will be usable by you and you colleagues in the long run. Additionally, most funding agencies also require DMPs for grant submission.

Generally, DMP’s include:

• Types of data produced (data products)
• Standards used to describe these data (metadata)
• How these data will be accessed in the future (sharing)
• Policies pertaining to the data’s reuse (licensing)
• How you plan to preserve the data (archiving)

For more help writing your DMP or to ensure it complies with your funding agency’s requirements, contact Mara Sedlins.

Other DMP resources:

• DMP templates for putting your data in Mountain Scholar.
  • National Science Foundation
• DMPTool – includes templates and example DMPs for many funding agencies
  • Generic DMP template based on DMPTool guidelines
• DMPonline – includes templates for NSF and UK funding agencies