Research Data Management Basics

Need help writing a data management plan to submit with a grant proposal?

The Digital Scholarship Center (DiSC) helps George Mason faculty, staff, and students manage and publish data they produce. We can answer questions about and guide you through the process of writing your data management plan.

• The DMPTool helps you to create ready-to-use data management plans to meet funder and institutional requirements. 
  • When you connect to the DMPTool, you can login using your Mason username and password.

• Remember to check the funder and grant solicitation for any additional requirements.​
• Use the DMPTool Quick Start Guide to get started.

Additional Information

• Data Sharing Requirements by Federal Agency (SPARC)
• Funding agency Data Management Plan Requirements. This list links to detailed guidelines from each funder and includes US Federal Agency requirements as well as other funding organizations.
• Data management handbooks, guides, and information on managing lab notebooks.
• Information about archiving your final research results (data, publications, etc.) through the Mason Archival Repository Service.

Questions? Contact us for help.

Examples of Data Management Plans

• DMPTool Public DMPs includes sample and shared DMPs for NSF, IMLS, Department of Education, and more.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Examples of Data Sharing Plans
• UC San Diego Research Cyberinfrastructure shared National Science Foundation (NSF) Data Management Plans

Data management planning is an important part of a research project. The plans required by funders are the first step in addressing how you will manage your research data. Once you get funding for your project, the second phase is building from your initial data management plan and devising a more detailed plan. Of course, writing a data management plan need not be tied to a grant proposal.

Video is 13:48 minutes in length. The first section is introductory and background material. Starting at the 7:00 minute mark, what to include in a DMP is addressed. Go to ICPSR's Guidelines for effective data management plans web page for more background or download as a PDF.