Department of Energy

What is required? 

The Department of Energy requires a two-step process to comply with its data policy:

  • A data management plan (DMP) or data sharing plan is required with the grant proposal.
  • Dataset(s) supporting published research results should be deposited in a public data repository at the time of publication.

What do I need to submit as part of my proposal? 

All research activities funded by DOE sponsoring offices must include a Data Management Plan (DMP) that meets the requirements stated in this policy and any additional requirements identified by the sponsoring research office.

What is a data management plan (DMP)?

A document that describes which data generated through the course of the proposed research will be shared and preserved and how it will be done. It may explain why data sharing or preservation is not possible or scientifically appropriate, or why the costs and benefits of doing so should be considered in data management planning.

Data management planning should be an integral part of research planning.

All DMPs submitted to any DOE sponsoring office should include:

  • how data generated in the course of the proposed research will be shared and preserved 
  • how data sharing and preservation will enable validation of results, or how results could be validated if data are not shared or preserved
  • provide a plan for making all research data displayed in publications resulting from the proposed research open, machine-readable, and digitally accessible to the public at the time of publication.
    • This includes data that are displayed in charts, figures, images, etc. 
    • In addition, the underlying digital research data used to generate the displayed data should be made as accessible as possible to the public in accordance with the principles stated above. 
    • The published article should indicate how these data can be accessed.
  • consult and reference available information about data management resources to be used in the course of the proposed research.
    • In particular, DMPs that explicitly or implicitly commit data management resources at a facility beyond what is conventionally made available to approved users should be accompanied by written approval from that facility. 
    • In determining the resources available for data management at DOE Scientific User Facilities, researchers should consult the published description of data management resources and practices at that facility and reference it in the DMP.
  • protect confidentiality, personal privacy, Personally Identifiable Information, and U.S. national, homeland, and economic security; recognize proprietary interests, business confidential information, and intellectual property rights; avoid significant negative impact on innovation and U.S. competitiveness; and otherwise be consistent with all applicable laws, regulations, agreement terms and conditions, and DOE orders and policies.

In instances where the Department intends to collect digital data resulting from the supported research, additional requirements for data management may be necessary to ensure the Department meets the requirements of the Open Data Policy (2013).

Additional requirements for the DMP may be identified by the sponsoring office, program, sub-program, or in the solicitation.  Some sponsoring research offices have provided additional requirements and guidance as detailed below: 

Generally, a data management plan will not exceed 2 pages. The plan describes how and where the data will be made available to the public and describes how the data that underlies scientific publications will be available for discovery, retrieval, and analysis. 

Costs associated with the scope of work and resources articulated in a DMP may be included in the proposed research budget as permitted by the applicable cost principles.

View a list of Suggested Elements for a DMP.

Follow this link for information about data management resources at the DOE Scientific User Facilities: Information about Data Management Resources at DOE Scientific User Facilities.

Use the DMPTool, an online tool for creating data management plans, with templates for many funding agencies.

When do I need to share my data? 

Data should be shared at time of publication.

Where can I deposit my data? 

While there is no required repository for DoE data, researchers are encouraged to deposit data in existing community or institutional repositories or to submit these data to the article publisher as supplemental information. See our guidance on sharing and archiving data for information about finding a suitable repository.

In instances where the Department intends to collect digital data resulting from the supported research to make publicly available, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will include detailed requirements to ensure specific research data are submitted to the Open Energy Information Platform (OpenEI), a centralized and secure resource for publicly accessible energy data managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

How do I submit? 

Before submitting your data to your chosen repository, you will need to follow ensure you’ve completed these steps.

  • De-identify your data if appropriate.
  • Put your data in an open, machine-readable file format such as .csv.
  • Document the dataset thoroughly in a separate readme.txt file, and/or create metadata according to the scheme required by your chosen repository.
  • Obtain a DOI or other permanent identifier for the dataset from Department’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) DataID service.
  • Follow the upload instructions for your chosen repository.

Are there any compliance requirements?

The DMP is part of the overall conditions of the funded research and, as such, it is expected that researchers will follow, to the best of their ability, the proposed research and associated data management plan. Failure to do so may negatively influence future funding opportunities of the recipient. 

More information

Implementation

The DOE implemented their plan in October 2015.

Page last updated September 2024