NSF Data Management Plan

Requirement

Effective January 18, 2011, all proposals to the National Science Foundation must include a Data Management Plan in the form of a supplementary document of up to two pages that describes how a proposal will conform to NSF's data sharing policy. See the NSF FAQ.

A Data Management Plan may include:

  1. the types of data, samples, physical collections, software, curriculum materials, and other materials to be produced in the course of a project;
  2. the standards to be used for data and metadata format and content (where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with any proposed solutions or remedies);
  3. policies for access and sharing including provisions for appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights requirements;
  4. policies and provisions for reuse, redistribution, and the production of derivatives; and
  5. plans for archiving data, samples, and other research products, and for preservation of access to them.

Additional important facts:

  1. Directorates, Offices, Divisions, Programs, or other NSF units may have specific guidelines relevant to a proposal.
  2. FastLane will not permit submission of a proposal that is missing a Data Management Plan.
  3. Data Management Plans will be reviewed as an integral part of the proposal, coming under Intellectual Merit, Broader Impacts, or both, as appropriate for the scientific community of relevance.
  4. A valid Data Management Plan may include only the statement that no detailed plan is needed, as long as the statement is accompanied by clear justification.

Rationale

The change in policy is designed to promote more open sharing of research data. The change also reflects a shift to more data-intensive science. Open access to research data should make it easier for researchers to collaborate more effectively and should lead to new approaches analyzing and mining large data sets.

The issues of data management and data sharing are central to NSF's Sustainable Digital Data Preservation and Access Network Partners (DataNet) program and are part of a more comprehensive approach to data policy that is aligned with principles put forth by the National Academy of Sciences and the Interagency Working Group on Digital Data.

Additional Resources

Sample Program Solicitation Guidelines