Approaching Two Years of the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy

On January 25, 2023, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Data Management and Sharing Policy (DMS Policy) went into effect. This policy requires all projects funded by the NIH, in whole or in part, to submit a two-page data management and sharing plan with their funding applications. This plan should outline what data will be produced, how it will be managed throughout the life of the project, and where it will be shared at the project’s end (or when the first peer-reviewed publication comes out, whichever comes first). The DMS Policy was implemented to build on and fulfill earlier commitments made by federal funders to increase the public’s access to both scientific publications and research data that was funded by federal institutes such as the NIH.  

A wide range of local efforts have been implemented to support compliance with the DMS Policy. Our Galter Team held meetings throughout 2023 with departments and individuals to update them on the new requirements. Promotion of one-hour consultations available through the Galter DataLab increased as we worked to get the word out that investigators can reach out to us for data management plan review, as well as assistance with a variety of additional data topics. A new class, Getting to Know the NIH Policy on Data Management and Sharing, was added to Galter Library’s data-focused class offerings, and an accompanying GalterGuide was produced to provide researchers with supplemental guidance on DMS Policy compliance. Both the class and the guide contain references to the DMPTool, a Northwestern-subscribed service which provides funder-specific templates to assist researchers and research staff to complete data management and sharing plans. 

Compliance with the NIH DMS Policy, on a practical level, requires well-managed data, which requires proper storage, computing environments, and associated resources. Data support needs outside of the data management focus of Galter Library are met through collaboration with other campus units in order to maximize local expertise. Our librarians partnered with the Office for Research to update their Researcher Resources page with links to Galter services. In addition, we partnered with Northwestern University IT (NUIT) to publish a special website on Research Data Management and Sharing. This website is intended as a one-stop-shop for information on local requirements and resources for compliance with the NIH DMS Policy. Taking our support to the next level, Galter Library, Northwestern University Libraries (NUL), and NUIT Research Computing Services created the shared email Inbox researchdata@northwestern.edu. All requests for support on data management and sharing, high performance computing, long-term preservation options, and much more, can be sent to this single inbox, which links to the University TeamDynamix ticketing system. Requests are then routed to the people or departments at the university who are best equipped to help. Requests can be made from any campus and related to any data question. 

Galter Library’s commitment to supporting safe sharing of scientific data extends throughout Northwestern’s campus, and beyond. The summer before the NIH DMS Policy went into effect, Galter librarians published “Ten simple rules for maximizing the recommendations of the NIH data management and sharing plan,” an article that outlines not only the basics of compliance with the forthcoming NIH DMS Policy, but also ways to make compliance easier through improved data management practices. Best data management practices enable compliance while simultaneously producing better documented, more reusable data for local research teams. On the national level, Galter Library and the creators of Zenodo have teamed up to represent Zenodo in the Generalist Repository Ecosystem Initiative (GREI), to promote use of generalist repositories for data sharing when discipline-specific ones are not available. 

For consultations on data management and sharing plans, please reach out to Senior Data Librarian Sara Gonzales at sara.gonzales2@northwestern.edu, or to researchdata@northwestern.edu.