Data Management and Sharing Plans: Intro

This guide will provide general information about data management, including

• data management plans (DMPs)
• data sharing plans
• file naming conventions
• documentation
• security and backup
• publication and preservation

Explore the tabs across the top of this page to learn more.

Wherever research is carried out, data of some kind is created. And where digital or web-based tools and approaches are used, it is likely that the data will be of greater amount and variety than in the past. 

There has been a big push since 2008 or so to make research outputs and data more readily available, in part because federal agencies and funders have placed an emphasis on transparency, and partly because computers and the internet can make it easy to do so-- i.e., managing research data with the intention of sharing it. This is already a common practice among some research communities, and principles of Good Lab Practice and Responsible Conduct of Research apply to the practice of sharing data. 

• Data Management addresses the lifecycle of research, including its creation, organization, analysis and dissemination.
• Data Sharing addresses how research outputs can be made accessible, especially beyond the life of a research project. 
• Both involve activities that can be instituted at various points along the research lifecycle to facilitate access to data after the life of a project.

These resources can provide you with more data management information, training, and tools.

Note: Much of the content of this LibGuide was originally compiled by Lisa Zilinski under Data Management for Undergraduate Researchers