Data Management Toolkit @ UNH

Most funding agencies require a data management plan (DMP) or data management and sharing plan (DMSP) as part of the funding application. 

To get started on a DMP/DMSP for a grant application, always check the solicitation for specific guidance and check the agency's webpage for general guidance. For example, NIH and NSF have general resources available for grant seekers.

We can help!

• Get help drafting a DMP
• Have your DMP reviewed
• Ask questions about funder requirements
• Ask questions about data management best practices
• Use DMPTool to find templates for most US funding agencies

Contact the Research Data Services Librarian to discuss your data management plan.

DMPTool is a free web-based platform for finding data management plan templates for most funding agencies. By signing in with your UNH login, you can also get UNH-specific guidance. Learn more about DMPTool.

For requirements and templates for European funders, visit DMPOnline.

Preparing for research involves planning - including how you will responsibly document, store, and share your data so that it is accessible and reusable into the future.

A DMP is a

• formalized record that describes the data you intend to collect, and how you plan to describe, share, and store it
• roadmap for how data will be managed and shared through out research/data lifecycle
• description of how you will implement foundational data management practices into your research process
• living document that you can update if there are changes in your research project
• tool for collaboration that establishes data management norms and identifies resources or skills needed to implement the plan

Most funding agencies require a 2-page data management plan (DMP) as part of your funding application. Always check with your funding agencies for specific requirements for plan content. You can also browse Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition's (SPARC) data sharing policy tool for a summary of requirements by some federal agencies or the FAIRsharing.org Policies registry.

Generally, a DMP may contain the following:

• Brief description of the project: e.g., rationale, purpose of the research;
• Description of the data to be collected: e.g., the types of data, the nature and format of the data, how it will be collected, and overview of secondary data available
• Standards to be applied for file formats, metadata, etc.
• Plans for short-term storage: e.g., local storage, back up procedures, and security
• Description of legal and ethical issues: e.g., intellectual property, confidentiality of study participants
• Access and sharing policies and provisions: i.e., how will you make data available to others, methods for sharing and dissemination, any restrictions to data reuse, etc.
• Provisions for long-term archiving and preservation: e.g., in a data archive
• Assigned data management roles and responsibilities: i.e., which persons will actually be responsible for ensuring data management; how will compliance with this plan be monitored and ensured over time?