Cook Library offers a variety of research data services across the data lifecycle. This expertise can support grant-seekers throughout the grants process.
Data Management Plan Support
Definition: A data management plan is a formal document that outlines project data creation, availability, use, and preservation throughout the project lifecycle.
Many federal funding agencies now require data management plans as part of a grant proposal application.
Cook Library has made DMPTool.org available to enable grant seekers to create their own data management plans. This is a free, open-source, online application that walks researchers through the process of writing data management plans that meet funders specifications.
Example: A TU faculty member is applying for a National Institutes of Health grant. Because this is an agency that requires a data management plan be included with the proposal, the faculty member uses DMPTool.org to create the plan and then asks Cook Library’s Data Science Librarian to review the plan before submission.
Costs: No direct costs for the grant
Contact: To learn more about data management plans and how to use the DMPTool, please visit our Data Management Research Guide or contact our Data Science Librarian, Songyao Chen, with questions.
Data Access and Preservation
Definition: Many federal agencies require that the data produced as a result of their grant funding be made freely and publicly available. Grantseekers can partner with Cook Library in a variety of ways to make their grant data available. One option for making data sets publicly available and preserving them is Cook Library’s open access institutional repository, Scholarworks@Towson. More complex data with nuanced access requirements may require additional, specialized technology.
Example: A researcher receives a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the agency requires that the data resulting from the grant be publicly available. Because the data set is not complex and does not require specialized access, the researcher includes depositing the data in Scholarworks@Towson in their grant proposal and then contacts Cook Library’s Data Science Librarian to discuss uploading the data upon completion of the project.
Costs: Consultation on Scholarworks@Towson, disciplinary repositories, or referrals for OTS hosting of a secure server are provided for no direct costs to the grant.
For more in-depth plans to support data access and preservation, initial consultation and training will be $1,200 ($60/hour x 20 hours).
In the cases where additional technology is needed to meet the investigator’s needs, costs will include at least partial technology fees, such as hosting fees, as well as personnel costs for time to set-up and maintain that technology.
Contact: To determine if the best solution for sharing and preserving your data, please contact our Data Science Librarian, Songyao Chen to discuss file sizes, format requirements, and technology requirements.