Research Data Management and Sharing

Funders aren’t expecting something carved in stone. They expect your Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) will be updated as the project progresses. They want you to provide evidence that you have thought about the data you will generate and how they will be managed and shared responsibly.

What do funding bodies expect with regards to data management planning and sharing? Managing and Sharing Research Data course

A well-written Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) will help you win your award 

Data Management and Sharing Plans (DMSPs or DMPs) are easy to create, and most are only a couple of pages long and easy to write. Describe the data you will create or acquire; how you will manage, describe, analyze, and store those data; and your sharing and preservation mechanisms at the end of your project. 

As you prepare your proposal for submission, you should consider all the technology you may need to support your research. The ASU Library, in partnership with the Office of Research Data Management and other ASU units, can provide a single point of contact for research data support, including:

• Technology Needs Assessments (TNA) – helping you understand what technology, tools, and support the university can provide to assist you with your proposed research
• Research information management tools and consulting services
• Resilient project storage – secure storage that you can dedicate to storing your research data.
• Statistical data analysis services
• Geospatial data services
• Scientific programming services

Do not wait until your project has been funded to prepare. Being prepared will help you convince (via your DMP) that you know what you are doing and have the institutional support to do it. Visit ASU Research Data Management to learn more about data management plans and request support.

Why are DMSPs important?

Most major grant funding agencies now require that a data management and sharing plan accompany all grant proposals, including the National Institute of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) Office of Digital Humanities. An emerging number of academic journals also require openly accessible data for submitted articles. Even if not required, it is still a critical practice to follow to ensure your research data is preserved, accessible, and discoverable.

Browse data sharing requirements by Federal Agency:

Use this SPARC link to browse various federal funding agencies' data sharing, management and preservation requirements.

The following sections of this guide provide:

• Information on data requirements
• An essential checklist to help you get started
• Guidance on best practices for citing data sets, data management, and sharing and storage of data
• A link to Discipline-specific digital repositories

Items that are typically included in a Data Management and Sharing Plan:

1. the types of data, samples, physical collections, software, curriculum materials, and other materials to be produced in the course of the project;
2. the standards to be used for data and metadata format and content (where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with any proposed solutions or remedies);
3. policies for access and sharing including provisions for appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights or requirements;
4. policies and provisions for re-use, re-distribution, and the production of derivatives; and
5. plans for archiving data, samples, and other research products, and for preservation of access to them.

Get started with your plan. 

The next modules walk you through a Data Management Plan Checklist and the DMPTool: a website providing both examples and templates to easily build and save your own data management plans.

Below are links to training opportunities and tools to author a data management and sharing plan.