Data Management: Data Management Plan

Source: How to avoid a data management nightmare, by Karen Hanson, Kevin Read & Alisa Surkis, New York University Health Sciences Library under a CC-BY license. 

Data Management Plan

Funding agencies (NIH, NSF, etc.) are requiring Data Management Plans. Even if it is not required, having a data management plan helps you to organize your thoughts around the data storage and sharing needs. 

Basic features of a Data Management Plan:

• Project Description - optional, may be in the main project proposal)
• Roles & Responsibilities - of staff collecting data
• Expected Data to be collected - nature and format of data, any secondary data
• Legal and ethical issues - is there any patient, proprietary or sensitive data involved, are permissions and proper institutional systems involved 
• Data Format & Dissemination - how will data be stored and what mechanisms will be in place for access
• Data storage & Preservation  -  how will long-term archival storage and access be maintained
• Period of Data Retention - how  long will data be stored, will data format be readable after a period of time
• Additional Possible Data Management Requirements 

DMPTool - a free and open source site to create a data management plan. Choose from templates for NIH and NSF that guide you through the process. You can sign in as an individual for free.

Examples of Data Management Plans - from the DMPTool.

General Guidance for Data Management - a guide outlining all the areas to consider for managing your data.

Caltech Data Management Plan Template (Word)

Templates and examples from University of Michigan.