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The Graduate Health & Life Sciences Research Library at Georgetown University Medical Center

Research Data Management

Best practices and tools for managing your research data.

What is a data management plan?

A data management plan (DMP) is a formal document required by many federal and private funding agencies that provides information on the data you will be collecting through the course of your project. Typical elements include a description (provides subject scope and scale), probable formats, metadata, how the data will be stored, secured and backed-up, who will be primarily responsible for the care of the data, and how the data will be preserved and shared with a broader audience. 

Tools for creating a DMP