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Data Management Plans for the Social Sciences

Suggested resources for designing data management plans (DMP) for your research project.

Funding Agency Guidance

Defining researcher roles and responsibilities in regard to data management, dissemination and sharing is an essential part of a data management plan.

Guidance from NSF's Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate: "The DMP should clearly articulate how “sharing of primary data” is to be implemented. It should outline the rights and obligations of all parties as to their roles and responsibilities in the management and retention of research data. It should also consider changes to roles and responsibilities that will occur should a principal investigator or Co-PI leave the institution or project." https://new.nsf.gov/sbe/data-management 

Summary

Explain how you will assign responsibilities for managing your data in the manner described by the remainder of your DMP. Outline the rights and responsibilities of all project participants as to their roles in the management and retention of research data generated during the project. Also consider any changes to these roles and responsibilities that would occur if a PI or co-PI should leave his or her current institution, and describe the procedure for transferring responsibility should this happen during the anticipated lifespan of any data you plan to preserve.

Questions to Consider

  • What are the responsibilities of staff and investigators for implementing the present DMP? (Include time allocations, project management responsibilities, training requirements, and contributions of non-project staff. Name specific individuals where possible.)
  • How will the PI(s) verify that the data generated are being managed according to this plan? At what point(s) in the project will this happen? Who is responsible for checking that the plan is being followed?
  • Is there a formal process for transferring responsibility for the data should a PI or co-PI leave his or her institution?
  • Who will have responsibility for decisions about the data once all the original personnel are no longer associated with the project? Is there a procedure in place for transferring responsibility once the original personnel are no longer available?
  • Who will bear the cost associated with data preparation, management, and preservation?

Example

Example taken from "The Atlas of Collaboration: Building the World's First Large N Database on Collaborative Governance" (p. 1, "Roles and Responsibilities"). Funding agency is NSF SBE. 

Roles and Responsibilities  

The core project team consists of the principal investigator (PI), Dr. Nabatchi (Syracuse University), a coprincipal investigator (co-PI), Dr. McLain (Portland State University), and a postdoctoral fellow (postdoc) (Syracuse University). The core team will design and oversee data collection instruments and activities, data analysis, and data management, as well as the generation of project products, including the database, data collection instruments and protocols, database user manual, publications, and presentations, among others. A doctoral student at Syracuse University and a master’s student at Portland State University will assist with various tasks, such as producing instruments and protocols, coordinating and participating in data collection and analysis, and producing and disseminating publications, among other activities. In addition, the PI and co-PI, with input from the postdoc, will identify potential members and convene an advisory group to provide input on the data collection instruments and activities. Finally, we will work with the Syracuse University Qualitative Data Repository (QDR) to assist with organizing, curating, and making available the data and data collection instruments and protocols associated with the Atlas of Collaboration database. (The role of QDR is discussed in more detail below.)