How to Integrate CARE Principles into Your Data Management Plan

Creating a strong, ethical Data Management Plan (DMP) is essential for any research project that involves people, communities, or sensitive knowledge. While the FAIR Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) ensure technical excellence in research data management, they do not address questions of equity, community rights, or responsible data use. That’s where the CARE Principles come in—focusing on Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics.

In this post, we’ll explore how integrating CARE into your DMP strengthens ethical data governance, and how FAIR Wizard helps researchers embed both FAIR and CARE practices from the start.

What Are the CARE Principles?

The CARE Principles were developed to ensure that research data governance prioritizes the people and communities behind the data. Each principle addresses an essential component of ethical data management:

• Collective Benefit: Data should serve the well-being of communities, not just academic or institutional goals.
• Authority to Control: Communities must have a say in how data is collected, accessed, and shared—honoring data sovereignty.
• Responsibility: Researchers and institutions have a duty to be accountable to data contributors throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ethics: Data practices should minimize harm, respect cultural contexts, and uphold trust.

By applying CARE, researchers ensure that data stewardship is not only technically sound but also socially responsible.

Combining FAIR and CARE in Your Data Management Plan

The FAIR Principles improve data usability, but they don’t ask should data be shared, or with whom. A good Data Management Plan should answer both sets of questions. Integrating FAIR and CARE in your DMP helps you:

• Define clear access and licensing terms that respect community needs.
• Outline metadata standards and repositories (FAIR) along with consent protocols and governance roles (CARE).
• Ensure your research complies with funder requirements and ethical best practices.

For example, your DMP might include a repository for discoverability (FAIR) but specify access limitations and community-approved licensing terms (CARE).

Why Use FAIR Wizard for FAIR + CARE Compliance

FAIR Wizard is a smart platform for building robust, customizable Data Management Plans. Its flexible templates and collaborative interface help researchers. There are links to specific features that can be used to ensure CARE Compliance:

• Meet FAIR data requirements with confidence: setup metrics to control the processes.
• Integrate CARE Principles through community-specific governance questions and ethical prompts: use Integration Hub to setup custom value integrations.
• Ensure transparency, traceability, and cultural sensitivity in data workflows: monitor information using the KM Insights.

Whether you're applying for funding or conducting fieldwork with Indigenous communities, FAIR Wizard helps you plan responsibly—from metadata to meaningful partnerships.

Ethical Data Management Is Good Data Management

A well-crafted Data Management Plan grounded in both FAIR and CARE supports ethical, sustainable, and inclusive research. It protects the interests of communities, builds trust, and strengthens your project's long-term value.

Use FAIR Wizard to create a DMP that’s technically excellent and ethically aligned—with FAIR and CARE working hand in hand.