Data Management

In 1999 the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 was amended to require Federal awarding agencies to ensure that all data produced under an award will be made available to the public through the procedures established under the Freedom of Information Act'' (FOIA). 

This amendment defines research data as "the recorded factual material commonly accepted in the scientific community as necessary to validate research findings." 

The basic level of digital data to be archived and available includes:

  1. analyzed data, which include digital information that would be published such as digital images, published tables, and tables of the numbers used to make published graphs; and,
  2. metadata that define how these data were generated, such as descriptions or suitable citations of experiments, apparatuses, raw materials, computational codes, and computer-calculation input conditions.

These data should be published in theses, dissertations, referred journal articles, supplemental data attachments for manuscripts, books and book chapters, and other print or electronic publication formats. 

Not included in the basic level per the 1999 OMB statement are "preliminary analyses, drafts of scientific papers, plans for future research, peer reviews, or communications with colleagues."  Raw data fall into "preliminary analyses."

Data Management Plan is a document that describes what data will be created, what policies apply to the data, who will own and access the data, what data management practices will be used, what facilities and equipment will be required, and who will be responsible for each of these activities.

Resources for Preparing a Data Management Plan

UM's Research Development Office maintains resources to support the preparation of a Data Management Plan. View the Data Management Plan resources on their website.