Research data services

The University Libraries offer data management education, consultation, and services for individuals, lab groups, departments, and courses.

Data management and sharing plan updates

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is updating its Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan to shorten and harmonize with the Genomic Data Sharing plan, effective May 25, 2026. All research proposals generating scientific data are required to have a DMS Plan and continue to follow the 2023 DMS Policy.

Comprehensive guide with UMN-specific information

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is implementing a new tool for creating Data Management and Sharing Plans on Research.gov, which will be available on April 27, 2026. See the updated Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) for more information.

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Education

Training

We can provide tailored data management curriculum and training for course-integration or lab/research groups on topics such as:

  • Data management basics (file/folder naming and organization, storage/back-up, documentation, archiving)
  • Qualitative data management
  • Data sharing (funder/journal mandates, repositories, planning ahead, ethics)
  • Managing sensitive and protected data (human participant, spatial data, protected species)
Request training

Virtual introduction to data management​

Managing your Research Data: A Tutorial Series (October 2020) 

Specialized data management topics:

Immersive education options

We offer an in-depth data management workshop series each fall for graduate students and anyone who wishes to hone their data management skills. Learn more about our data management camp.

We offer an asynchronous online “data management when you graduate” workshop aimed at students about to matriculate. There is also an opportunity to book a consultation with a data management expert at the end of the course. Enroll in the canvas course to get started.

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Consultations

Personalized consultations can be requested by individuals or lab/research groups on topics such as:

  • Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plans, 
  • Data sharing (consent form language, repository selection, documentation guidance, IRB protocols), and
  • Data management for specific projects (e.g., file naming and folder organization for a research group).

Request a consultation

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Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM)

DRUM is an institutional repository for University of Minnesota researchers, students, and staff to share data, with 6 discipline-specific curators who ensure your work is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable.

Learn more about DRUM.

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Data Management and Sharing Plans (DMPs)

Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plans (sometimes called data management plans, data sharing plans, or open science plans) are a blueprint for how to manage data throughout their lifecycle and share data at project-end. In addition, many funders require a DMS plan as part of the grant application.

We can help you create a DMS Plan and provide feedback on your draft within three business days.

Get started with a template

If you don't already have a draft DMS plan, then start one now.

  1. Review your funder requirements for data management plans. If you are seeking funding from NIH, turn to our NIH Data Management & Sharing Policy page.
  2. Log in with your U of M ID to the DMPTool to draft a new plan to manage your data.
  3. Refer to our Data Management Plan checklist.

Get feedback

Send us a copy of your DMS Plan. We will review your plan within three business days and make recommendations based on our expertise and experience with funders. Email your draft plan to [email protected] with a Google doc link.

Helpful tip: Include a link to your funder/proposal that you are applying to so that we ensure any specific data sharing requirements are met.

Boilerplate language for using DRUM in your grant

The Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM) is the university’s open access data repository for data sharing that enables long-term access and preservation, and it meets the desirable characteristics of data repositories for federally funded research. If appropriate for your data, use this boilerplate language in a DMS plan to note that data will be shared in DRUM:

The data will be shared via the Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM), an open access, publicly-accessible, institutional repository. DRUM was certified in 2017 and 2021 by CoreTrustSeal, an international community-based organization that recognizes sustainable and trustworthy repositories. Curators review submissions and work with data authors to comply with data sharing requirements in ways that make data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) - including, but not limited to, file transformation and metadata augmentation (Dublin Core is the metadata standard). DRUM commits to 10 years of long-term preservation using services such as file migration (limited format types), off-site backup, bit-level checksums, and Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) for archival citations. The DOI exposes data to online discovery tools like Google Scholar and Web of Science Data Citation Index.

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Find and access data

Research Data Services can help you find and access data for your research. We can provide instruction and consultation on data discovery for reuse of datasets specific to disciplines and research questions. Getting started on your own? Use this checklist to evaluate the data you are finding.

Specific data repositories

Below is a starting point in your search for reusable datasets. These are curated data repositories, maximizing the potential for reuse.

  • Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM) for the University of Minnesota, an open access repository for data authored by U of M researchers
  • ICPSR - data repository hosted by the University of Michigan related to social science data, both publicly and privately collected and published. See our guide for depositors.
  • QDR - data repository hosted by Syracuse University related to qualitative research.
  • Dryad - discipline-agnostic data repository offering public domain licenses for all data shared.
  • Dataverse - discipline-agnostic data repository hosted by Harvard; datasets may or may not be curated.

Data registries and guides

These registries and guides aggregate freely available data resources for the discovery of data and statistics.

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Good practices

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RDS data partners

Research Data Services (RDS) believes that strong institutional partnerships are crucial for supporting and advancing research and the educational mission at the UMN. We work hard to advance the research ecosystem by crossing departmental lines in communication, collaboration, and networking, both formally and informally. 

Below is a list of our UMN partners, as well as our national partners whose collaborations allow us to better advance data sharing at the UMN. If you would like to be added to our list, please reach out to start a conversation.

UMN partners

  • Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Health Informatics Program. CTSI's Health Informatics Program offers health data technology solutions and informatics expertise to researchers across the University. The Best Practices Integrated Informatics Consulting Core (BPIC) provides access to clinical data, secure and compliant infrastructure for storing and processing data (including PHI), self-service tools for cohort identification, research recruitment and network participation, and other informatics services to support health research, education, and quality of care improvement. Free consultations are available by request at z.umn.edu/informaticsconsult.
  • Data Repository for the University of Minnesota. DRUM is the institutional data repository for the UMN housed in the University Libraries. It is a publicly available collection of digital research data generated by UMN researchers, students, and staff. DRUM is part of RDS, and RDS staff members oversee DRUM and provide all curation.
  • Data Science and AI Hub. The AI Hub aims to make a mark in data science research, nationally and internationally, by charting new research directions and enabling the development of new methods, data sets, and software that are used to address grand challenges facing our state, nation, and the world. One RDS member is also a member of a DSI subgroup. RDS and DSI co-hosted the 2023 UMN Day of Data Event.
  • GEMS Platform. GEMS is a secure web-based informatics service for storing, cleaning, exploring, sharing, and analyzing agro-food data.
  • Human Rights Protection Program. HRPP is a system of interdependent groups and individuals interacting to achieve a common aim to protect research participants in the conduct of human research. Two RDS members sit on HRPP’s Education Advisory Group.
  • Institutional CyberInfrastructure Group. ICIG engages and consults with a variety of campus groups to facilitate communication and collaboration related to cyberinfrastructure activities across the University system. We engage with ICIG in dialogue regarding implementation of federal funding agency policies and matters pertaining to RCC (see below).
  • Institutional Review Board. The IRB reviews research projects involving human participants to ensure adequate protection and informed consent. RDS has worked with the IRB to update their protocol and consent templates with language that allows for data sharing. We engage with the IRB in dialogue regarding implementation of federal funding agency policies and have collaborated on Requests for Information from federal funding agencies.
  • Liberal Arts Technology and Innovation Services. LATIS Research is a team of methodological and technical experts who can provide support, technology, and infrastructure for research. LATIS and the Libraries team up to comprise RDS. 
  • Masonic Cancer Center research development team. MCC’s research development team partners with faculty, trainees, and administrators to develop and submit competitive grant proposals by ensuring applicants meet sponsor guidelines and by improving the content, organization and visual appeal of proposal packages.
  • Minnesota Supercomputing Institute. MSI provides advanced research computing infrastructure and expertise to advance and accelerate research and foster innovation and discoveries. RDS and MSI connect to discuss best options for storage and data sharing for UMN affiliates.
  • Research Advancement and Development Professionals Network. RADPN is focused on the professional development, training, and networking of research advancement and development professionals at the University of Minnesota. One RDS member is also a RADPN member.
  • Research Cyberinfrastructure Champions. RCC is a cross-departmental network that helps to improve alignment and collaboration between research cyberinfrastructure service providers and the user community. Two RDS members are also RCC members.
  • Sponsored Projects Administration. SPA assists researchers with proposal submissions, grants, contracts, clinical trials, subawards, material transfer agreements, and agreements. RDS meets with SPA bi-weekly to discuss a coordinated approach to data sharing mandates.
  • Technology Commercialization. Tech Comm facilitates the protection and transfer of UMN innovation by helping to license research, patent innovative ideas, establish startups, and facilitate commercialization. RDS connects with Tech Comm to best guide researchers through patent and software licensing considerations.
  • Technology Help. OIT can help to find the right technology to help you store, manage, and work with your data and files for smooth implementation of your DMS Plan. RDS and OIT collaborate to offer a data management series called Focus on Files.
  • U-spatial. U-spatial supports geospatial research at UMN through training and technology. One RDS member attends weekly meetings, collaborating on options for data sharing, transfer, and management.

National partners

  • Data Curation Network. The DCN is a membership organization of institutional and non-profit data repositories whose vision is to advance open research by making data more ethical, reusable, and understandable. The UMN is a founding member and fiscal home for the DCN.
  • HydroShare. HydroShare is the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) online environment for sharing data, models, and code. They feature tools for collaboration, enabling you to manage access and more easily work together, and web apps for visualizing, analyzing, and running models on data in HydroShare.
  • Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. ICPSR maintains a data repository of research in the social and behavioral sciences. They provide leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for the social science research community. UMN is an institutional member of ICPSR, reducing or eliminating fees for UMN affiliates.

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