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Research Data Management & Sharing: Home

This guide provides resources on research data management and sharing.

Data Management and Sharing Help at UR

The Data Management and Sharing Service can help you with all aspects of Data Management & Sharing - from creating Data Management & Sharing Plans, to sharing your data in a repository, and to using tools provided by the University. To  learn more, please go to our Data Management and Sharing Service Webpage. 

Data Librarian

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Heather Owen
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Subjects: Data & Statistics

Data Management Lifecycle

Data Management Lifecycle

Data Management Life Cycle from US Fish and Wildlife Service

DMPTool


Use the DMPTool to create your data management plans. The DMPTool walks you through the process of generating a comprehensive plan tailored to a funder's specific DMP requirements.

SPARC*

SPARC*

Visit SPARC* to see an up-to-date list on current data sharing policies of funding organizations. 

FAIRsharing.org

FAIRsharing.org, standards, databases, policies

FAIRsharing.org is a curated, informative and educational resource on data and metadata standards, inter-related to databases and data policies. FAIRsharing.org has information on more than 1600 standards, 1900 databases, and 150 policies. 

What is a Research Data Management and Sharing Plan?

Research Data Management & Sharing Plans (DMSPs), sometimes referred to as Data Management Plans (DMPs) are becoming a required part of grants proposals for most funding agencies. DMSPs describe how you will collect, document, analyze, store, preserve, and share your data. 

ICPSR Framework for Creating a Data Management Plan

The ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) Framework for Creating a Data Management Plan is meant to provide guidance for people creating data management plans for grant applications. It is important to read the expectations and page limitations of the exact grant you are applying for. The framework is summarized below and can be found in full here: https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/pages/datamanagement/dmp/framework.html  

Data Description Provide a brief description of the information to be gathered -- the nature, scope, and scale of the data that will be generated or collected.
Access and Sharing Indicate how you intend to archive and share your data and why you have chosen that particular option.
Metadata What types of metadata will you produce to support the data? Will a metadata standard be used?
Intellectual Property Rights Who will hold intellectual property rights for the data and other information created by the project?
Ethics and Privacy If applicable, how you will handle informed consent with respect to communicating to respondents that the information they provide will remain confidential when data are shared or made available for secondary analysis? 
Format Specify the anticipated submission, distribution, and preservation formats for the data and related files (note that these formats may be the same). 
Archiving and Preservation How will you ensure that data are preserved for the long term?
Storage and Backup How and where will you store copies of your research files to ensure their safety? How many copies will you maintain and how will you keep them synchronized? 
Security How will you ensure that the data are secure?
Responsibility Who will act as the responsible steward for the data through the data life cycle?
Existing Data Are there existing data with a focus similar to the data that will be produced? If so, list what they are and explain why it is important to collect new data. 
Selection and Retention Periods Indicate how data will be selected for archiving, how long the data will be held, and what your plans are for eventual transition or termination of the data collection in the future. 
Audience Describe the audience for the data you will produce.
Data Organization Indicate how the data will be managed during the project, with information about version control, naming conventions, etc.
Quality Assurance Specify how you will ensure that the data meet quality assurance standards. 
Budget How will the costs for creating data and documentation suitable for archiving be paid?
Legal Requirements Indicate whether any legal requirements apply to archiving and sharing your data.

Research Data Management & Sharing Plans as Described by NIH

Starting January 25, 2023, NIH will expect researchers to submit a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMS) in order to apply for grants. A summarized version can be seen below, while the full requirements can be found here: https://sharing.nih.gov/data-management-and-sharing-policy/planning-and-budgeting-DMS/writing-a-data-management-and-sharing-plan

Data Type Describe the scientific data to be managed and shared. Also, describe which scientific data will be preserved and shared, considering ethical, legal, and technical factors. Include a list of metadata, other relevant data, and other associated documentation (such as study protocols or data collection instruments).
Related Tools, Software and/or Code List the specialized tools and/or software need to access or manipulate shared scientific data to support replication or reuse.
Standards List the standards applied to the scientific data and associated metadata. This can include data formats, data dictionaries, data identifiers, definitions, unique identifiers, and other data documentation.
Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines Give plans and timelines for data preservation and access. This can include the names of the repositories where the data will be archived, how the data will be findable and identifiable (i.e., using a persistent unique identifier), and when and how long the scientific data will be made available.
Access, Distribution, or Reuse Consideration Describe any applicable factors affecting subsequent access, distribution, or reuse of scientific data. This includes informed consent, and privacy and confidentiality protections consistent with applicable federal, Tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies.

Further information about the NIH Data Management & Sharing Policy can be found on the Data Management & Sharing LibGuide created by Miner Library.