Step 1
Start with a concrete research output
Work backward from a figure, table or reusable dataset. These are Manusights planning questions; the applicable award, consent, institutional and journal requirements still control.
- Name the package
- List the relevant data version, analysis code, software environment and documentation. Separate raw, cleaned and derived files so a recipient can identify the input behind an output.
- Write the README now
- Explain variables, units, missing-value codes, processing steps, file relationships and responsible contacts. State which steps cannot be reproduced and why.
Step 2
Decide access before promising openness
FAIR's accessibility principles allow authentication and authorization where needed. FAIR does not mean every file must be publicly downloadable.
- Assign the decision
- Have the responsible institutional owner review consent, agreements and disclosure risks. Specify open, controlled or unavailable access for each part of the package, with the rationale.
- Do not improvise de-identification
- Removing names alone is not a release decision. Record the approved process, required review and who may authorize deposit. Keep identifiers and credentials out of this worksheet.
Check the source
- GO FAIR Foundation: FAIR principles · Accessible; A1.2
Step 3
Test a handoff, not a promise
Fictional example: a collaborator receives 'analysis_final.csv' but cannot tell whether a value of 999 means missing data or a measurement.
- Make the package interpretable
- Provide a data dictionary, missing-value definitions, a version identifier and code linking the file to the reported output. Ask a permitted colleague to reproduce one non-sensitive result.
- Keep failures visible
- Record the missing dependency or ambiguous field, its owner and the next check. A successful spot check is not evidence that the full dataset is error-free.
Step 4
Translate the plan into the actual funder requirements
NIH's format page says the 2026 DMS Plan format is required for applications and progress reports after its May 25 transition. From October 1, 2026, NIH no longer requires prior approval to change an approved DMS Plan; recipients report changes in the RPPR (Section C.5.c), and existing awards move to the 2026 format on the schedule in NOT-OD-26-100. NSF's PAPPG 24-1 Supplement 2 replaces the prior two-page-upload instruction with a Research.gov DMSP tool, released April 27, 2026. This worksheet is neither submission format.
- Check the award and submission route
- Open the current funder instructions and the specific solicitation. Record which form or system applies, the responsible approver and any project-specific requirements.
- Make timing and retention explicit
- Use the applicable release deadline, not a generic promise to share after acceptance. Identify the repository, review dependencies, retention requirement, costs and continuing owner. Resolve conflicts with the institution or funder before committing to a plan.
- Record changes where the funder expects them
- When the approach changes after award, update the worksheet and note which report carries the change. For NIH awards from October 1, 2026, that is the RPPR, Section C.5.c, not a prior approval request.
Check the source
- NIH: Data Management and Sharing Plan Format Page · How to Access: 2026 format now required
- NIH: NOT-OD-26-100, Implementation Update: NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan Requirements · Revisions to DMS Plans and Reporting Requirements; transition table
- NSF: PAPPG 24-1, Supplement 2 · Section 3: Data Management and Sharing Plan