NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy FAQ

Yes. Under the DMS Policy, researchers are expected to maximize the appropriate sharing of scientific data, which is defined as data commonly accepted in the scientific community as being of sufficient quality to validate and replicate the findings, regardless of the technique utilized. In some cases, data generated using fundamental basic science techniques may not be considered scientific data.

For example, data generated from optimizing a protocol that does not support a research finding may not constitute scientific data and therefore may not be expected to be shared.

NIH strongly encourages the use of established repositories to the extent possible for preserving and sharing scientific data. Options for sharing these data types include discipline or data-type-specific repositories, or other repositories, including generalist repositories. For more information, please see Supplemental Information “Selecting a Repository for Data Resulting from NIH-Supported Research” and a list of NIH-supported scientific data repositories.