Compiled January 2, 2018
The U.S. National Science Foundation Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) requires, in all proposals submitted, a supplementary document of no more than two pages describing a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) for the proposed research. Proposals that are missing the DMSP cannot be submitted. The DMSP will be reviewed as part of the intellectual merit or broader impacts of the proposal, or both, as appropriate. The goal is to provide clear, effective and transparent implementation of the long-standing NSF Policy on Dissemination and Sharing of Research Results, which may be found in the PAPPG.
For many proposals to DMS, a statement that no DMSP is necessary will suffice, provided that a clear justification for this claim is given. All principal investigators should consult the PAPPG for points to be addressed in a DMSP and its inclusion within a proposal.
Many of the proposals to DMS that require significant data management plans will be interdisciplinary submissions that involve the mathematical sciences and research topics, data or collaborators from one or more other disciplines. In such cases DMS expects principal investigators to address the customary data practices of partner disciplines in their proposals' DMSPs, and reviewers are likely to be asked to comment on the suitability of those plans from the perspectives of the relevant disciplines. Principal investigators may find it useful to consult statements on data management plans from other divisions and directorates of NSF in the preparation of interdisciplinary proposals.