While the specifics of DMP requirements differ among agencies, DMPs should cover the following elements:

• The type(s) of data to be collected or created
• Methods and standards for describing the data with sufficient detail for the data to be used by others without need for additional documentation
• Access control and re-use policies and procedures
• Intellectual property
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Plans for making data available to other researchers beyond the end of the project

If you are writing a DMP as part of a grant proposal, refer to the funding agencies' requirements for Data Management Plans or Data Sharing.