Prepare reusable research

Plan the data handoff before the project ends

Describe what another person will receive, how they will interpret it, who can access it and who is responsible for keeping it usable.

Guide evidence checked 2026-09-11. Edition 2026.09.11-guide1. The worksheet and PDF have their own version below.

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Research data handoff plan

Assign an owner, location, access decision, and release plan to each research output.

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2 pages · Worked example + blank worksheet · Version 1.0

Use and limits. Operational preparation, not a funder-compliant application form or legal advice. NIH requires its 2026 DMS Plan format. Use the current official form and your institution's approvals for submissions.

Read the worked example

Fictional project: a non-human laboratory imaging study. Human-participant data would require a separate consent, privacy, and access assessment.

1. Outputs and formats: TIFF microscope images, CSV measurements, R scripts, and README files. Estimated raw volume: 120 GB. Retain raw images and code; mark disposable intermediate files.
2. Documentation and provenance: One sample ID links image and measurement records. Record calibration, exclusion reasons, script version, and units in the data dictionary.
3. Active storage and recovery: Institution-managed project drive; analysts can edit, collaborators can read. The data steward owns weekly recovery checks; last test restore: 2026-09-08 (fictional).
4. Rights and access decision: No human-participant data anticipated. Check collaborator agreements and image rights before selecting a public license; escalate uncertainty to the research office.
5. Repository and release: Compare repositories that accept the image formats and volume. Confirm retention and costs; align deposit and release dates with applicable journal and funder instructions.
6. Owner, budget, and review trigger: PI approves scope and costs; data steward documents and deposits outputs. Review on 2026-10-01 and after protocol changes. Successor: lab manager if the steward leaves.

Your worksheet

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1. Outputs and formats

List raw data, derived tables, code, and documentation. Estimate volume and distinguish what must be retained.

2. Documentation and provenance

Specify identifiers, units, file names, software versions, and the information needed to reproduce processing.

3. Active storage and recovery

Name approved storage, access roles, backup responsibility, and a restore-test date. Do not enter credentials.

4. Rights and access decision

Identify consent, contracts, privacy, or other restrictions. Name the institutional role that will resolve uncertainty.

5. Repository and release

For each output, record repository fit, metadata, identifier, timing, retention requirements, and any access controls.

6. Owner, budget, and review trigger

Assign deposit and maintenance responsibilities, costs, next review date, and a handoff if the owner leaves.

0 of 6 fields contain notes. This is a progress count, not a quality assessment.

Before you use the result

Someone other than the analyst can locate and interpret an output.
Sharing decisions and restrictions have an accountable institutional owner.
The actual funder form, repository rules, and journal requirements were checked separately.

Source guidance and reuse

Worksheet source check: 2026-09-11. This date applies to this worksheet, not a full re-review of the surrounding guide. Manusights' examples and fields are original teaching aids, not publisher or institutional endorsements.

NIH: Writing a DMS Plan
Current NIH format and data-sharing planning requirements. This worksheet is not that form.

Original worksheet licensed CC BY 4.0. You may adapt it for a class or lab: credit Manusights, link to this page and the license, and identify changes. Third-party sources retain their own terms. Report a correction.

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. 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.

Check the source

NIH: Data Management and Sharing Plan Format Page · How to Access: 2026 format now required
NSF: PAPPG 24-1, Supplement 2 · Section 3: Data Management and Sharing Plan

Common questions

Can I submit this worksheet to NIH or NSF?

No. Use it to organize decisions, then complete the required current funder form or submission workflow.

Does FAIR require open participant-level data?

No. Authentication and authorization can be compatible with FAIR accessibility. The permitted access route still depends on the data, consent and applicable requirements.

How long should I retain the data?

There is no universal period in this guide. Record the requirement that applies to the award, institution, data and agreements, along with the responsible owner.

Sources and evidence

These checked sections support the specific statements identified below. The workflow and fictional examples are Manusights teaching material, not publisher instructions or evidence of institutional review. The check date is not a policy effective date.

GO FAIR Foundation: FAIR principles
Explains access with authentication and authorization where necessary.
Section: Accessible; A1.2. Checked 2026-09-11.
NIH: Data Management and Sharing Plan Format Page
Supports the current NIH format notice. Does not approve a project-specific sharing plan.
Section: How to Access: 2026 format now required. Checked 2026-09-11.
NSF: PAPPG 24-1, Supplement 2
Identifies the Research.gov DMSP tool requirement and its April 27, 2026 release date.
Section: Section 3: Data Management and Sharing Plan. Checked 2026-09-11.

What changed in this edition?

2026-09-11: Kept the worksheet distinct from funder forms, checked the 2026 NIH and NSF format changes, and replaced generic release promises with accountable access and timing decisions. The underlying worksheet PDF was not revised in this guide edition.

Recheck destination requirements before relying on them. Report a correction with the page, disputed statement and supporting source. Original Manusights educational text is available under CC BY 4.0 reuse terms; third-party material retains its own terms.

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Citation formats

Free to use and cite, with attribution. See the reuse policy for what you may republish.

APA: Manusights. (2026). Plan the data handoff before the project ends (Version 2026.09.11-guide1). https://manusights.com/resources/research-data-management-plan
MLA: Manusights. "Plan the data handoff before the project ends." Research Library, version 2026.09.11-guide1, Sep 11, 2026, https://manusights.com/resources/research-data-management-plan.
Vancouver: Manusights. Plan the data handoff before the project ends [Internet]. Version 2026.09.11-guide1. 2026 Sep 11. Available from: https://manusights.com/resources/research-data-management-plan