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Research Data Planning & Sharing

Research Data Planning & Sharing

We are working with Research Administration's Office of Sponsored Programs to provide support and assistance relative to the new NIH Data Sharing Policy that went into effect on January 23, 2023.  

Figshare for Institutions is supported by Upstate and may be used (for all but very large data If a disciplinary repository is not available.

DMPTool.org, (Data Management Plan Tool) is recommended for the development of data management and sharing plans. It is a free, web-based platform that will walk you through the creation of a data sharing plan. Customized templates are built-in for most funders, and guidance is available from Upstate, funders and other organizations. Create an account with your Upstate.edu account to get started.

Using DMPTool

Upstate DMPTool user guide

Integrated Upstate user help

Guidance and example responses specific to Upstate to the NIH-GEN DMSP (2023) template in the sections for Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines and Oversight of Data Management and Sharing. Guidance will be seen in the right hand column of when in the Write Plan tab. If you cannot see it, go to the Project Details tab where you may search for and add it. Example answers will appear below the DMPTool and the NIH examples.

Help from other Institutions

The Weill Cornell Medicine Library and the Cornell University Research Data Management Services Group provide helpful, easy to use help pages. It is also highly recommended that the Weill Cornell Medicine guidance be activated in DMPTool on the Project Details tab.

Creating a plan

 There are seven tabs, and 12 questions in the Write Plan tab. Not all fields are required. The NIH prefers that data management and sharing plans do not exceed two pages.

 On the Project Details tab only the project title is required.  DMPTool recommends that this title match the grant title.

 Collaborators may be added and assigned one of three levels of access:

  • Co-owners have the same functionality as the plan creator.
  • Editors may edit and comment.
  • Read only collaborators can comment only.

Write Plan is where the bulk of the work will be done.

  • Not all questions require an answer, but the more questions answered, the better.
  • The Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerationssection may be skipped entirely if you data does not involve human subject research (privacy and confidentiality issues, etc.)  intellectual property, etc..
  • The Upstate sample answers described above may be copied, pasted, and edited to meet your plan needs.

 Research Outputs are not required.

 Request Feedback is not required, but if you would like your plan reviewed, clicking the “Request feedback” button will email a DMPTool Administrator.

The Finalize tab allows you to set the plan visibility to private, organization, or public. You may also obtain a DMP ID for your plan, but it is not required.

On the Download tab, it is recommended that you use .docx if the body of the plan will be copied and pasted elsewhere.  The optional plan components recommended are section headings and question text to provide context if edits are needed later.

Under the forthcoming NIH policy, data may be shared in any repository that have the characteristics outlined on the NIH Desirable Characteristics for All Data Repositories web page. NIH supported repositories are available at:

Other data repository resources

Additional repository suggestions:

American Heart Association Approved Repositories

Suggested Data Repositories (NIDDK)

Sherpa Juliet - funder policy lookup by organization

Select publisher policies and guidance:

Some journals will sponsor or pay the data repository fee for select repositories.  See the author guidance pages for the journal in which you are publishing to determine if this is an option.

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