Common use of DATA MANAGEMENT PLAN Clause in Contracts

DATA MANAGEMENT PLAN. Planning for data management at the outset is critical to a project’s success (ICPSR, 2009). This practice can maximize funding, time, and resources; it builds relationships and meets funding agencies’ requirements. In some cases, a data management plan will be directed by funder requirements. It is important to review the stipulations of the funding stream to assure that all requirements are met. If those stipulations are not clearly delineated, the research collaboration will need to set aside ample time to make important decisions about the collection, use, re-use and protection of the data. The Annotated Bibliography included with this document contains a list of helpful resources, including a fillable Data Management Plan template. In cases where a data management plan is not required by the funder, but the partnership wants to continue with an agreement, reviewing the elements in a data management plan will help formulate a framework upon which to build a data sharing agreement. Taking good notes to capture decisions made about data management will expedite the creation of a data management plan. Following this process also begins to diminish the power differentials by further developing trust and communication pathways within a partnership. Engaging in conversations about each of the elements in Table 2 will help facilitate this process. Project description A few paragraphs about the research project. Introduce any terminology Data description A description of the information to be gathered or re-used; the nature and scale of the data that will be generated or collected, or re-used. Existing data A survey of existing data relevant to the project and a discussion of whether and how these data will be integrated. Search web and data archives for similar datasets. Answer: Why is there a need to create a new dataset? Format List data formats, standards, and conventions and apply to each data item. Justify the use of particular formats in terms of usability, longevity, and suitability for archiving.