Data Management Planning

The National Agricultural Library provides guidance on data management for Agricultural Research Service employees as well as the broader agricultural research community. Across the research lifecycle, there are actions which can be taken by scientists, data managers, library staff, and data users which contribute to effective and sustainable data management.

The National Agricultural Library (NAL) offers consultations on Data Management Plans, now required for many research funding proposals. You may prepare a draft Data Management Plan before contacting NAL for assistance at agref@usda.gov. You are responsible for ensuring that your plan meets the requirements of your funding agency before submitting it to them. Researchers should determine if a DMP specific to their organization or previous projects already exists before creating a new one. While not all funding programs require DMPs, they are always a useful tool for research planning.

Here is a general list of resources from USDA, land grant universities, and scientific communities which provide guidance on various aspects of Data Management:

• NAL Data Management Planning Guide
• Implementation Plan to Increase Public Access to Results of USDA-funded Scientific Research
• DataONE Primer on Data Management
• Data Management Plan for NIFA-Funded Research, Education, and Extension Projects
• Univ. Illinois Urbana-Champaign Life Sciences Data Management Plans
• https://www.dataone.org/data-management-planning  - DataONE DMP resources
• https://dmptool.org/  Data Management Planning Tool
• Checklist for USDA Data Management Plan peer review