Additional Requirements and Guidance for Digital Data Management
The Office of Nuclear Physics (NP) supports the Digital Data Principles enunciated in the Office of Science Statement on Digital Data Management. The following requirements and guidance provided by the NP program office supplement but do not replace the requirements and guidance in the Office of Science Statement on Digital Data Management.
Program Requirements
The Office of Nuclear Physics does not have any additional requirements beyond what is required by the Office of Science Statement on Digital Data Management.
Additional Guidance
Experiments
Research proposals that are part of larger collaborative experiments may cite the digital data policies and/or practices of their collaboration, along with any specific activities relevant to their specific proposal in their DMPs. It is expected that some additional information pertaining to collaboration practices/policies will be publicly available on the websites of the lead US lab for each experiment.
If experimental proposals plan to use Office of Science User Facilities, they should follow the rules of the facility and consult the published description of data management resources and practices at that facility.
Simulations and Computations
Research proposals that focus on simulations or computations that fall within the scope of larger experiments or collaborations may cite the Data Management Plans for their host experiments or collaborations – expected to be available on the web sites of the lead US lab for the Collaboration.
If simulation and computation proposals to NP are requesting co-funding by Office of Science Programs other than NP, they should follow the guidelines of the partnership FOA.
If simulation or computational proposals plan to use SC user facilities, they should follow the rules of the user facility and consult the published description of data management resources and practices at that facility.
Theory
If the theoretical proposal is part of a larger collaboration the data practices/policy of the collaboration may be cited.
Other
If research proposals combine experimental, theory, simulation, computing, and/or technology research activities, DMPS may address these categories individually or collectively as relevant.
Elements of a Data Management Plan
For DMP elements that are not specific to Nuclear Physics, please visit this page.
FAQs
For FAQs that are not specific to Nuclear Physics, please visit this page.
Additional NP specific FAQs
- I will be submitting a proposal in FY 2015. Do I need to submit a Data Management Plan (DMP)?
Yes, provided the proposal is in response to a solicitation or invitation issued on or after October 1, 2014. If in doubt, please refer to the language in the solicitation.
- I am part of a large collaboration. How do I find the data management policies of my experiment?
You can contact your experiment spokesperson or contact the lead U.S. laboratory for your experiment.
- My experiment is not part of a large collaboration and we do not have any established data policies. What should we do?
You will need to develop a data management plan to submit with your proposal and can refer to the ‘Suggested Elements of a Data Management Plan’ provided in the SC Statement.
- I work on an experiment that is funded by multiple agencies. Do we have to develop separate policies for each agency?
If you submit a proposal to the Nuclear Physics Program you will have to submit a DMP as per the Office of Science Statement on Digital Data Management. You should contact the other agencies directly regarding their policies.
- As a theorist, my proposed research does not involve the generation of experimental data. Do I still need to submit a DMP?
Yes. All proposals submitted to DOE for research funding must include a DMP, and most theoretical proposals would involve the generation of digital research data. This is a broader category than experimental data, and includes for example numerical data generated through computation and simulation, and data files used in figures, even in purely theoretical studies. The formal definition of digital research data is given here.
