What is a Data Management Plan?
National Science Foundation (NSF) proposals submitted or due after January 18, 2011, must include a data management plan as a supplementary document. This data management plan cannot be more than two (2) pages in length and be labeled “Data Management Plan”. The plan describes how the researcher will disseminate, share and store data, reports and information acquired within the grant period. For more information and requirements about this initiative and directorate initiatives see: http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/dmp.jsp
Need help writing your data management plan?
This researcher populated template serves as an aid in fulfilling the data management plan (DMP) requirement mandated by funding bodies. Examples, guidance and suggestions for each question are included in the FAQ to assist you in decision making and DMP writing. The result will be a working, customizable data management plan emailed to you.
To start creating your data management plan, answer as many of the questions on the following pages as apply to your circumstances. We strongly suggest that you print the questions before filling out the form. This will allow you the opportunity to formulate your answers, look up directorate requirements, and familiarize yourself with unfamiliar terms. You will not be able to save your work in progress while completing the form, so please ensure that you have your answers at hand.
Remember your DMP can be no more than 2 pages so please keep your answers concise. If you stick to answers of 1 or 2 complete sentences per question, the DMP that is produced by this form should be no more than 2 pages, after you take out the email adresses and the introduction at the top.
Upon clicking submit, an email will be sent to the address you provide that contains your answers with the question text removed. Cut and paste the text starting with Data Management Plan into a text document to finalize your plan. You will want to modify your answers to form a narrative and to reduce it to 2 pages if necessary. Providing answers in narrative form originally should help in keeping the rewriting to a minimum. Your completed DMP will have section headers followed by narrative paragraphs. We suggest you leave the numbered header at the beginning of each section. See an example of a numerically formatted DMP.
If you need further assistance please contact Michele Reilly (713-743-8995) at the UH Libraries.
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