DMS Plans are often required as part of a grant proposal.
There is a mandate that the research data from federally funded projects be made publicly accessible as soon as possible, and no later than the time of an associated publication, or the end of the award/support period, whichever comes first. The Libraries provide information about navigating sharing data and publications from federal funding agencies; this is an area that is changing rapidly, and we do our best to keep the information as up-to-date as possible.
Data is a valuable asset that we should invest time and resources in as part of a research process. DMS Plans help ensure that we manage our data well and maximize our investment.
Researchers create DMS Plans to show that there is a plan for not only the research itself, but for the data that will come out of it, and that they have thought about how to work with and manage the data throughout the research process, including during the collection and analysis phases of the research process, and how they will store and share the data after the research is complete.