Data Management Plans: DMP Best Practices

The DMPTool is a free tool from the California Digital Library that provides step-by-step instructions for DMPs for a number of agencies.

Like the DMPTool, ezDMP helps you create machine-readable DMPs. Its focus is on NSF DMPs.

Include your ORCID identifier on your dataset to ensure you get credit for your work.

And be sure to give credit where credit is due...

Citing Data

Your Data Management Plan (DMP) describes what you will do with your data during and after your research project. As you begin laying out your DMP, think about:

1. What types of data are being produced? Do you have the IT resources you need to collect the data?
2. What file formats will be used? Is there special software needed to read the data?
3. What directory and file naming conventions will be used?
4. How much data are being produced, and at what growth rate? Will the data change?
5. How long should the data be retained?
6. Who controls the data?
7. Who will be responsible for data management?
8. How will you store and backup the data?
9. Are there privacy, legal, ethical, or security requirements? Do you need to de-identify your data prior to archiving?
10. Can your data be shared? Why or why not?
11. Are the data properly described and the overall project documented? What metadata standards will be used?
12. Will you be publishing in a journal that requires your underlying data?
13. How should your data be cited?

More things to think about from MIT's Guide to Writing a DMP

TIP: Contact your IT Pro sooner rather than later to discuss needed resources. More info on Research Computing

TIP: Read (and re-read) the DMP requirements of your funding agency.

TIP: Contact your program officer with any questions.

TIP: Running out of room in your DMP? Refer to specific methods for data collection in the body of the grant. Be sure to reference the exact section or page number.

TIP: In your naming conventions, use ISO 8601 for date information: YYYY-MM-DD