University of California Develops New Tool for Data Management Planning

A new tool developed by the University of California and several partner organizations helps researchers create data management plans and comply with federal requirements tied to research funding.

The free DMPTool (now in version 2) "guides researchers in creating plans that meet an array of funder requirements and provides embedded assistance and suggestions for successfully completing the plan," according to a statement from the UC Office of the President. Data management plans are currently required by agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, a policy that will expand to most federal agencies by next year.

The latest release of the tool allows plan creators to collaborate with colleagues, get institution-specific help and easily share their plans publicly or within their institution, according to the university. Plans can be customized with local branding, templates and assistance tailored to the institution.

The DMPTool project is supported by funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Partners include the California Digital Library's UC Curation Center, the University of Virginia Library, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Purdue Libraries, the Smithsonian Institution and DataONE.

For more information, visit the DMPTool site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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