Data Management Plans: Home

Most government agencies that fund research require those who receive grants to create a data management plan as part of the grant request process. 

A complete data management plan addresses the following:

• Data Collection - collecting data that is reliable and valid.
• Data Storage - collecting and storing the appropriate amount of data such that your research can be reconstructed.
• Data Analysis - the interpretation of your data, how conclusiongs are derived from data.
• Data Protection - insuring that sensitive data is not tampered with or stolen.
• Data Ownership - the legal rights pertaining to your data.
• Data Retention - determining how long data must be kept and how to properly destroy sensitive data.
• Data Reporting - publication of data.
• Data Sharing - sharing data with other researchers and the general public; when you should not share data.

Adapted from: Office of Research Integrity.  Guidelines for Responsible Data Management in Scientific Research.  Retrieved from http://ori.hhs.gov/images/ddblock/data.pdf