Skip to Main Content

Data Management - Department of Energy: Why Should I Write a DMP?

Reasons for a Data Management Plan

  • Easier for your collaborators and others to understand and use the data
  • Less chance of data loss
  • It's easier for you to use your data
  • After you write the plan, you can spend less time doing data management and more time doing research
  • It's a requirement for funding

Reasons to Share the Data

  •  Further scientific research and avoid duplication of effort
  •  Makes your articles and papers more useful and citable by others
  •  It may be required by the journal publisher
  •  It is a requirement for funding

What Not To Share

Do NOT share:

Laboratory Notebooks, Preliminary Analysis, Drafts of Scientific Papers, Plans for Future Research, Peer Review Reports, Communications with Colleagues, Confidential Materials

Data Management Stories

What to Share in a DMP

You do not need to make all of your data public! Most of your data will likely not need to be shared. However, you must make publicly available the datasets that meet the following criteria:

    - Results from research funded by DOE
    AND
    - Supports a publication
    AND
    - Can be used to support and/or validate the research findings in that publication
    OR
    - Is used as the underlying data for charts, figures, images, or other graphical representations included with or accompanying the publication.