The Challenge
As research becomes increasingly data-intensive, funding agencies now expect researchers to plan well before a project begins how research data will be collected, stored, protected, shared and preserved. These expectations are formalized through Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plans: documents intended to address all facets of data management across the entire lifecycle of a research project, from data creation to long-term access.
While essential, DMS Plans are challenging for many researchers. Data management is not taught uniformly across research training programs leaving investigators to navigate complex requirements with limited preparation. Completing a DMS Plan also requires researchers to think through their entire project in advance, including hypothetical scenarios about data sharing, privacy, metadata, repositories and long-term stewardship. These are considerations that can be difficult to imagine before the research has even begun.
This challenge intensified in 2022 with the release of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) Nelson Memo, which directed federally funded agencies to ensure that grant-funded research outputs — including scientific data — are openly and equitably shared. While the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had already anticipated this shift by launching its Data Management and Sharing Policy in January 2023, the policy raised the stakes for researchers across campus. Compliance required practical understanding and institutional support.
Our Approach
In response to these evolving mandates, The Ohio State University Health Sciences Library (HSL) played an early and proactive role in preparing researchers to meet data management and sharing requirements.
Anna Biszaha, assistant professor and HSL research and education librarian, and Stephanie Schulte, professor and HSL director, contributed their expertise to a campus-wide planning effort in partnership with colleagues from across the university, including The Ohio State University Libraries (OSUL). This informal group ensured researchers had a clear path to compliance with the NIH. Anna continues her work by participating in a formal working group that has a three-year charge scoped more broadly to the Nelson Memo, including all federal funder public access policies. This group is co-led by Kelsey Badger, assistant professor and OSUL research data librarian.
The HSL’s contributions have focused on education, guidance and direct researcher support. HSL librarians co-teach educational sessions on the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy alongside Kelsey, demystifying policy language and translating requirements into practical steps. Anna and Kelsey also co-developed the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy LibGuide, which has become a central point of asynchronous researcher support — available online anytime resources are needed.
Beyond instruction, the HSL research and education librarians offer individualized consultations in a coordinated rotation with Kelsey. Researchers — particularly those applying for NIH grants within Ohio State’s health sciences colleges — can request feedback on their DMS Plans, receive help identifying appropriate data repositories and better understand how data sharing intersects with privacy, compliance and technology infrastructure. For health sciences researchers funded by non-NIH agencies, Kelsey provides comparable support, ensuring no group is left behind.
This work requires close collaboration across campus, including with the Office of Responsible Research Practices (ORRP), Office of Research Compliance (ORC), IT and the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP).
The Impact
Over the past three years, the HSL has directly supported researchers through workshops, consultations, online guides and repository advising, touching multiple departments and units across the health sciences.
There have been 900 participants in the NIH DMS Policy workshops Anna has co-taught, including a campus-wide Q&A session, eight campus-wide webinars and nine invited sessions for specific groups or departments. The HSL research and education librarian team, including Anna, Stephanie, and assistant professor and HSL research librarian Kaylie Vermillion, has also completed 34 NIH DMS Plan reviews to date.
“We surveyed researchers who used the DMS review service in the first quarter of 2023,” said Kelsey. “The survey received a 62% response rate (13 of 21), with 92% of respondents indicating satisfaction with the service. Notably, over 90% reported revising their plans based on the feedback provided. Patterns in responses also revealed common areas of confusion, which informed updates to both our introductory workshop and the individualized guidance provided in reviews.”
This effort has elevated the visibility of the HSL and OSUL as essential partners and trusted connectors to help researchers navigate different offices and processes throughout their research journeys. Researchers increasingly recognize librarians not simply as information providers, but also as collaborators. Anna noted, “They’re starting to connect, ‘Librarians are the people I can ask for help.’”
Even as the NIH moves toward a simplified DMS Plan template — largely yes-or-no questions — the value of this work has not diminished. The underlying policy expectations have not changed. Instead, the shift is changing how data management is discussed. Librarians are now helping researchers understand what a “yes” truly means in practice, reinforcing that, while the form may be simpler, the planning and standards remain just as rigorous. The HSL is actively updating guidance materials to reflect this new language while maintaining the depth researchers need.
To learn more, send an email to ReferenceMail@osumc.edu.
