DMP Tool Quick Guide
- Quick Guide: DMPTool at Michigan Technological UniversityLearn how to begin using the DMPTool, a free online tool that supports the drafting of compliant, functional data management plans.
Office of Research
Research Development staff in the Vice President for Research Office can help you write a data management plan that complies with your grant proposal requirements. Learn more from their Proposal Development page.
For more information or to schedule a proposal consultation, please contact the Research Development staff at 906-487-3126 or email rd-l@mtu.edu.
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What is a Data Management Plan and Do I Need One?
A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a formal document that explains how you will organize your data throughout your project, from the beginning of your research until after it has been completed. Many funding agencies require a data management plan as part of the proposal process. We have many tools and resources to help you create your DMP.
Before you start:
Consult with your advisor or department chair at the very beginning of your proposal process. There may be department-specific examples, workflows, or boilerplate statements already in place that will help you define the scope of your DMP.
Ultimately, your DMP will address essential topics such as:
- Roles and responsibilities
Who will monitor the DMP and how will adherence to the plan be verified?
- Expected data
What data types will you create or capture?
- Period of data retention
How long will the data be kept after the completion of your research?
- Data formats and metadata
Which file formats will you use for your data and why?
- Data dissemination and policies for public access, sharing, and publication delays
Are there any ethical or privacy issues to consider?
- Data storage and preservation of access
What is the long-term strategy for maintaining, curating, and archiving the data?
DMP Writing Resources
- DMP ToolMichigan Tech is a member institution of the DMP Tool. Use your Michigan Tech username and password to create a free individual account and access DMP guidance specific to the Michigan Tech research community. Users are able to download templates for many funding agency data management plans and use the plan writing wizard. The templates prompt users with relevant questions, will automatically format your DMP, and create a PDF of your plan for easy submission with your funding application.
- DMPTool Tutorial from ASUThis tutorial for the DMPTool was created by Arizona State University and is a great resource for getting started, regardless of your institutional affiliation.
- ICPSR - Framework for Creating a Data Management PlanThis framework can be used as an outline in assembling data management plans to accompany funding applications. ICPSR is an international consortium of more than 700 academic institutions and research organizations that provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for the social science research community.
- ICPSR - Guidelines for Effective Data Management PlansICPSR's detailed guidelines for creating DMPs.
Data Management Plan Examples
- DMP Competition Winners: DMPs so good they go to 11In December 2020, the inaugural Qualitative Data Management Plan (DMP) Competition was sponsored jointly by The Qualitative Data Repository, Princeton Research Data Service, and the DMPTool. The winners are listed here.
- Public Plans from the DMPToolSearchable database of DMPs created using the DMPTool that creators shared publicly. Those with a DMP ID include information on funding status. For those without a DMP ID, quality will vary, and there is no associated information related to whether a grant was awarded based on the proposal it was included in.