LibGuides: Research Data Management: Data management plans

What is a data management plan?

A data management plan (DMP) is a document that describes the data a research project will collect and the steps that project investigators will take to ensure that the data is secure, standardized, documented, and (optionally) shareable.

Some funding agencies require a DMP to be submitted with project proposals.

Creating a DMP: the basics

Developing a DMP might be daunting the first time you do it. First, you should identify your funder's requirements, if any. (See list of funder requirements.)

Most DMPs ask for information like the following:

Summarize your project
Who is responsible for the data?
List the kind(s) of data your project will create and which format(s) you'll be using
Identify the standards to which your data must adhere

disciplinary standards
metadata standards
naming conventions you will use

Define your plans for

data storage and security
sharing the data and policies of reuse
how you will archive and preserve the data (likely a repository)

DMPtool

DMPtool »

Highly recommended step-by-step DMP guide from the California Digital Library. Create and store your DMP right on the site with guidance at every step. View funder requirements and examples of successful DMPs. Useful for all disciplines.

Preview (click for larger):

Examples of DMPs

NSF: Generic (PDF, 2014)
Example from DMPtool team: Arthropod responses to grassland nutrient limitation (archived copy, 2016)
NSF: Biological sciences (PDF, 2014)
Example by DMPtool team: "Biosignature Suites: Using Connections between Microbes and Minerals to understand Biogenic Carbonates" (archived copy, 2016)
NSF: Social, Behavioral, Economic Sciences (PDF, 2014)
Example by Kenan Li, publicly available through DMPtool: Doctoral Dissertation Research: An Agent-Based Model of Population Changes in a Vulnerable Coastal Environment (archived copy, 2015)
ICPSR: social science
Example of DMP submitted to ICPSR.
NEH: Sample DMPs (.zip file)
The NEH has made 108 DMPs from successfully funded projects from 2011–14 publicly available. This is a 15MB .zip file.

DMP templates

NSF templates by directorates
Directorate-specific DMP templates from the University of Virginia (NSF BIO, EHR ENG, etc.)
DMP questionnaire
Asks detailed questions about your data so you can create a comprehensive DMP for NSF and other funders.
NEH DMP components (PDF)
Explanation and list of contents required of a DMP submitted to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Office of Digital Humanities. 2019.

Other DMP resources

Guide to Social Science Data Preparation and Archiving
(Fifth edition) From the ICPSR, detailed information about social science data management. Pages 10-19 describe proposal development and DMPs.
Data Planning Checklist
From MIT, a list of questions to consider when planning a project. This archived webpage is still a useful & relevant list of questions. (Archived copy, 2014)
Humanities data: policy, practice, and law (checklist)
Great guide to legal issues to consider when planning a digital humanities project. Copyright, privacy, agreements, open access, and more. (Archived copy, 2016)