The DMPTool needs you!

The DMPTool, which as of February 2020 has supported 44,415 users and 266 participating institutions, currently maintains thirty-eight templates for twenty-two different federal and private funders. It is no secret that funder requirements and subsequent application and data management guidance change regularly and it is crucial that the DMPTool reflects these changes in real time to remain a high-integrity resource. Staying up to date with rapidly changing grant requirements and RDM best practices is no small task, however. There is no magic wand or automated system to keep the DMPTool in sync with current requirements. Then how does it happen? The key factor in the success of the DMPTool over the last 9 years has been and continues to be the contributions of and collaboration with the user community.

As the capabilities of the DMPTool expand and needs for it rise, we are currently calling for additional community members to contribute and to ensure its continued success. We’re therefore pleased to announce the formation of and the invitation to join the DMPTool Editorial Board. Our goal for the Board is formalize existing community involvement in the tool and to have representation across disciplines with varied areas of expertise, from a wide range of institutions, including librarians along the full career spectrum. Experience working with DMPs is desirable and we welcome applications from any individuals committed to supporting effective research data management.

Responsibilities for members of the Editorial Board include the following:

• One year term of service (with the opportunity to extend if desired)
• Short bi-monthly (or as needed) meetings
• Individual ownership of specific funder templates, linked to your area of focus
• Creation of new templates as needed
• Provide suggestions for default guidance and best practices
• Identification and publication of example DMPs to include in the tool
• Estimated 1-4 hours of work a month to check for requirement updates from funders, reporting to the Board, and updating templates and guidance in the DMPTool

Joining the DMPTool Editorial Board presents an excellent opportunity to meet fellow research data management professionals, actively contribute to the community, help support a critical piece of open-source technology advancing research data management, and keep abreast of the larger changes in funding requirements and the larger funding ecosystem. Editorial Board members will work to ensure the tool provides current information about grant requirements and corresponding guidance.

We hope you will consider this invitation to contribute and apply! We have opened applications and responses are due Friday, March 13. All questions, comments, concerns, or advice are welcome: maria.praetzellis@ucop.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!