A growing number of US federal funding agencies require data management plans (DMP) as part of new research grant proposals. One of the challenges facing institutions is providing a support structure for potential researcher knowledge gaps in the process. The DMPTool is a free, open source tool designed to not only assist in the DMP writing process, but also connect researchers to best practices and support at their institutions. Researchers that are using HUBzero and similar platforms to manage their data and simulations will benefit by using the DMPTool to write DMPs they submit with their grant proposals. We will be discussing the role the DMPTool plays in the data lifecycle, and how it can be effectively implemented to best support the research community.

The DMPTool provides specific requirements from dozens of funding agencies as well as detailed help with each area of the plan. Users have access to complete DMP life cycle management, tracking changes through creation, editing, submission, evaluation, and publication. With role-based user authorization, users may hold various roles within the interface: creators, collaborators, institutional administrators, and tool administrators.

Partner institutions can add value to the process with several special tool features. They may provide links to resources such as preservation repositories, consultation services, or news and event items. In addition, partner institutions can provide help with specific plan questions, and even suggest responses. Institutional administrators can also mine data on plans in order to better support researchers.

In this session, DMPTool developers will highlight the functionality of the tool as well as exciting new features in the upcoming version. They will also seek input in framing the high-level direction of the project. This includes new functionality, opportunities for integration with other systems, processes, and services, sustainability, and expanding the user base and institutional participation.

Tao Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Library Science at Purdue University, working as a Digital User Experience Specialist. He was a Research Associate in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Vanderbilt University (2009–2011). He received his PhD in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University in 2009.

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

• Tao Zhang (2013), "DMPTool: Expert Resources and Support for Data Management Planning," https://help.hubzero.org/resources/1062.

  BibTex | EndNote

1. hubbub2013