NSF Data Management Plan Requirements

The NSF now requires that all requests for funding contain a data management plan (DMP) addressing how the proposed project will comply with the agency's data sharing policy.

As part of your NSF grant proposal, you must include a DMP of no more than two pages outlining the plan for data management or a justification as to why there is no need for such a plan.

Read the NSF Data Management and Sharing Frequently Asked Questions.

See the NSF guidelines on data management plans.

Columbia researchers may find the resources detailed on this page helpful for creating a data management plan.

Below you will find:

Columbia Data Management Plan Template

In order to assist Columbia researchers to meet the data management plan requirements, we have provided a DMP template, adapted (with permission) from a template created by the UVa Library which was in turn based on the U.K. Digital Curation Centre's Checklist for a Data Management Plan (v2.2). This is only a suggested list of items to consider; not all questions will be appropriate or relevant to all proposals.

Columbia Data Management Plan Template (doc)

Step 1 – Review All Appropriate Guidelines

Each directorate may have specific guidelines that address unique data management issues within the respective community.  Please note that if a specific program solicitation provides guidance on preparation of data management plans, such guidance must be followed. Be sure to look at the "Proposal Preparation Instructions" section of the solicitation for your proposal, and at the main NSF directorate and/or division website for additional guidelines. If guidance specific to the program is not provided, then the requirements established in Grant Proposal Guide, Chapter II.C.2.j apply.

Find data management plan guidelines from specific NSF directorates at the links below:

Biological Sciences Directorate (BIO)

Computer & Information Sciences & Engineering (CISE)

Education & Human Resources Directorate (EHR)

Engineering Directorate (ENG)

Geological Sciences Directorate (GEO)

Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate (MPS)

Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE)

Step 2 – Create your Data Management Plan

To create your Data Management Plan, go through the sections in the template.

  1. Start by answering the questions within each section (numbered under each section description).
  2. After answering all of the questions, remove the questions, leaving just your answers.
  3. Modify the answers into prose that makes sense as a paragraph below each Roman numeral header (include the bold text as the header to each of your sections in your Data Management Plan).

Your completed Data Management Plan will have the section headers followed by the paragraphs that detail those points.

Depositing Data in Academic Commons

You can deposit your NSF-funded research results in Academic Commons, Columbia’s institutional repository, a service of the Libraries’ Center for Digital Research and Scholarship (CDRS).

Benefits of Depositing in Academic Commons

When you deposit data (and other materials) in Academic Commons, you receive:

  • a permanent URL
  • secure replicated storage (multiple copies of the data, including onsite and offsite storage)
  • accurate metadata
  • a globally accessible repository
  • the option for contextual linking between data and published research results

File Size Guidelines

Please make sure your individual files meet the following criteria:

  • You may deposit individual files of up to 2 GB in size at no charge.
  • In support of the NSF requirements for data management and sharing plans, Academic Commons will also accept individual files of more than 2 GB, and up to 50 GB, for a one-time charge of $10 per GB, payable at the time of deposit.
  • Researchers expecting to preserve files larger than 50 GB should discuss their special needs with CDRS.

Backup Protocol

The following paragraph describes the process by which materials in Academic Commons are backed up. If you plan to use Academic Commons as the data repository for your proposed project, you can copy and paste this paragraph into your data management plan to help outline your plans for archiving and preservation of access.

Files deposited in Academic Commons are written to a disk cache in an Oracle SAM-FS file system. From the disk cache, two disk copies and two tape copies are immediately made. One disk copy and one tape copy are "live" in Columbia's server room. The second disk copy is located at NYSERNet in Syracuse, NY, while the second tape copy, once the tape is full, is stored in Iron Mountain in Princeton, NJ. The system verifies with an MD5 checksum that these copies are identical on write.

Learn More

For further information on data deposits, please see the Academic Commons data FAQ or contact CDRS. 

Links to Sample Data Management Plans

Below are links to sample data management plans posted by a number of universities.

Rice University [PDF]

University of California San Diego

Yale University

University of New Mexico (see left sidebar)

Web Resources on Data Management

Data Management and Publishing Guide  Extensive site on data management from the MIT Libraries.

Data Management: A Guide to Best Practices for Curating Your Research Data  Well-organized Rutgers University Libraries guide on the different stages of the data life cycle.

Ensuring the Integrity, Accessibility, and Stewardship of Research Data in the Digital Age  National Academy of Sciences publication on the principles affecting research data in the digital age.

Geospatial Data Preservation Resource Center  Resources on preserving geospatial information.

Geospatial Electronic Records  Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)'s guide to managing and preserving geospatial data and related electronic records.

Guidelines for Effective Data Management Plans  Guide from the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR).

Guide for Research Libraries: The NSF Data Sharing Policy  Though this Association of Research Libraries guide is aimed at librarians, it puts the NSF policy in context and includes a list of links to data management planning resources.