1. File Names
Use consistent file naming and appropriate descriptive text
| Good File Name |
Bad File Name |
Reason |
|
2016_01_29 or
20160129
|
29_1_2016 or
2912016
|
- Opposite to Kazakhstan date format because the computer sorts numerically. You want your years grouped together instead of day of the month.
- Always add a 0 (zero) because 01 is smaller than 1 so will sort more logically.
|
| Survey_Answer_Percent |
Survey Answer % |
- Avoid spaces in your file name. Instead use the underscore _
- Avoid special characters like ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ` ; < > ? , [ ] { } ' "
|
2. Version Control
Keep different versions and drafts series of a documents by adding _01 or V01 to the end or beginning of your files
3. File Format
Save your data in an "Open source", standard encoding formats to keep files accessible over time
- Video: mov., mpeg.
- Audio: wav., mp3
- Data: csv., sas.
- Images: tiff, jpeg 2000
- Text: PDF/A
File formats recommended by the UK Data Service
4. Metadata
Metadata (descriptive information) about your data to make it searchable, discoverable, identifiable and usable in the future. Describe project and data with descriptive, structural, technical, administrative data to define what is this data, how it was collected, who, how, when, where can find and use it:
- origin: experimental, observational, raw or derived, physical collections, models, images, etc.
- type: integer, Boolean, character, floating point, etc.
- file type
- instrument, methods, software used
- scripts or codes
- license, reasons for an embargo, usage rights
- name of the project and dataset title
- abstract
- investigators and collaborators with contact information
- handle (DOI or URL)
- citation
- publication date
- geographic description
- subject/keywords
- sponsors
More about what metadata is and the types https://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/c.php?g=1045684&p=7665997
5. Data Storage
- Local hard drives (weak) (ex. personal or office desktop/laptop computer)
- External storage devices (weak) (ex. USB drives; external hard drives)
- Networked storage (okay) (ex. University servers)
- Cloud storage services (okay) (ex. Microsoft, Google, Mendeley)
- Archives and Repositories (ex. NU Repository)
Best Practices
- Back up all data - storing copies in more than one place
- the Rule of Three: keep 3 copies of your data in at least 2 different locations with at least 1 offline
6. Folder organization
- Established structure
- Coherent and logical
- Review regularly
