Data Management Resources

Data Management

Data Management Basics LibGuide

Funder Mandates

Contact Us

 

Services » Services for Faculty » Data Management » Data Management Plan Guidance

Data Management Plan Guidance

A data management plan describes data generated or used for a given project and states how that data will be created, managed, stored, accessed, and shared during and after a research project. The details of a data management plan will vary depending on the circumstances of the project, but each data management plan should strive to accurately describe the characteristics and context of the data and to outline the parameters for its preservation, access, and dissemination. There are a number of University Libraries' resources and national resources to support data management plan development. 

Consultation and Review

The Libraries' Data Working Group will provide free consultation on the preparation of Data Management Plans for University faculty and researchers. To have the DWG review your plan, please email datamanagement@library.umass.edu.

Workshops

The University Libraries host data management workshops for faculty and graduate students. Past topics have included: preparing competitive data management plans, challenges and opportunities for data sharing, and data management basics for graduate students. Contact the Data Working Group for information about upcoming workshops at datamanagement@library.umass.edu.

Data Management Plan Template

This is a general template designed to inform the development of a data management plan. The elements below respond to the requirements of the National Science Foundation mandate for Data Management Plans and are based on several similar guidance documents.  A given data management plan may not need to include each element listed below; however, it is helpful to think about each element when crafting a plan.

Download Template (PDF)

Data Management Plan Tool

The University of California Curation Center and the California Digital Library have created a DMP Tool, which generates data management plans based on the requirements of specific funding agencies. Users will receive step-by-step instructions and guidance for their data management plans.

Use the DMP Tool

Additional Resources

Checklists

1. MIT Data Planning Checklist
2. Stanford University Questions to Ask as You Prepare a Grant Proposal
3. California Digital Library Data Planning Checklist
4. ICPSR Elements of a Data Management Plan
5. Digital Curation Centre Checklist for a Data Management Plan
6. University of Oxford Data Management Planning Checklist

Additional Templates

1. DataOne (https://www.dataone.org/content/data-management-plan-example)
2. Data Conservancy (http://www.dataconservancy.org/dataManagementPlans)
3. Rutgers (http://data.rutgers.edu/)
4. Virginia (http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/brown/data/plan.html)
5. Minnesota (http://www.lib.umn.edu/datamanagement/DMP/example)

Planning Tools

1. MIT Libraries, Data Management and Publishing Subject Guide
2. University of Minnesota University Libraries, Managing Your Data
3. Digital Curation Centre DMP Online
4. ICPSR Data Management Plan Examples
5. Yale University Data Management and Access Plan 
   [Leiserowitz, Anthony (Yale University), Broadbent, Jeffrey (University of Minnesota) Maibach, Edward (George Mason University). The Social Dynamics of Climate Risk, Uncertainty, and Decision Making.]

Data Repositories

1. Purdue D2C2 List (by repository name)
2. Open Access Directory List (by repository subject)

 

Last Edited: 27 March 2012