How to Use the NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan Writer Prompt to Draft All Six Elements

Since January 2023, NIH has expected a Data Management and Sharing Plan with applications that generate scientific data. The plan is short, usually around two pages, but it has six required elements, and reviewers and program staff read it against the rest of your application. A plan that promises open sharing of interview recordings your consent form says will be destroyed is a problem. The NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan Writer: Six Required Elements, Repository Choice, Sharing Timelines, and DMS Budget Notes prompt drafts all six elements from your study details and checks that the plan, the consent language, and the budget agree.

What the prompt produces

1. Element 1, Data Type: what data you generate, what will and will not be shared and why, and the documentation that comes with it.
2. Element 2, Related Tools, Software, and Code: what someone needs to use the data and where custom code will be archived.
3. Element 3, Standards: data standards, formats, and dictionaries, or a plain statement that none exist.
4. Element 4, Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines: repositories by data type and when data will be shared.
5. Element 5, Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerations: consent limits, privacy protections, and controlled access.
6. Element 6, Oversight: who monitors the plan and how often.
7. Budget justification lines for data management and sharing costs, plus a consistency check.

How to fill the inputs

StudyDesign is a short summary of aims, sample, and sites. DataInventory is the most important input. List every data type with format and approximate size, including the awkward ones such as audio, images, or free text.

ConsentLanguage should be pasted from your consent form or template. The prompt flags CONSENT GAP whenever the plan would share more than participants agreed to.

RepositoryOptions lists repositories you have considered and any your institute expects. ToolsAndCode covers software needed to read or process the data. AwardDetails gives the institute, activity code, and award period. DMSCosts lists expected costs such as curation time and de-identification.

Reading the example output

The example is an observational sleep and falls study in older adults:

• Sharing decisions have reasons. Actigraphy, diaries, and questionnaires are shared. Interview audio is not preserved and full transcripts are not shared, both because the consent form says so. A codebook and theme summary are shared instead.
• Repositories match data types. Sleep data goes to a controlled access sleep research repository, and code goes to a general repository with a DOI.
• Uncertain facts are marked. Deposit requirements and fees are marked VERIFY instead of guessed.
• The timeline uses the policy wording. Data will be shared no later than publication or the end of the award period, whichever comes first.
• Budget lines are specific. A fractional data manager in the final years and a de-identification review are listed separately.

Tips for better results

• Talk to your institution's research data librarian or repository staff early. Some repositories have deposit timelines or format requirements that affect your budget.
• Check your institute's notices for preferred repositories. Some institutes expect specific ones for certain data types.
• Keep the plan in the investigator's voice. Reviewers notice generic boilerplate.
• Revisit the plan when your protocol changes. A new data type usually means a plan update.

Mistakes to avoid

• Do not promise sharing your consent form does not allow.
• Do not leave out data types because they are hard to share. Explain the limit instead.
• Do not invent repository fees or policies. Confirm them and update the budget.

Who it is for

Principal investigators, research coordinators, grant administrators, and research data librarians preparing NIH applications.

Related PromptDig links

Open the NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan Writer: Six Required Elements, Repository Choice, Sharing Timelines, and DMS Budget Notes prompt and paste your study design and data inventory. For more research and grant writing prompts, Browse more prompts. If you have a research workflow prompt worth sharing, Share a prompt.