This document discusses organizing data files through proper file organization and naming conventions. It recommends keeping files organized by project, analysis type, date or other logical scheme. Consistent naming conventions make files easier to find and avoid duplicates. The date format YYYY-MM-DD is suggested. Examples show files organized by site and sample number or author and title. Maintaining an organized filing system from the start helps ensure data remains usable over time.

1. Organizing Your Data
Kristin Briney, PhD
Data Services Librarian

2. justgrimes, https://www.flickr.com/photos/notbrucelee/8016192302 (CC BY-SA)

3. http://retractionwatch.com/2014/01/07/doing-the-right-thing-authors-retract-brain-paper-with-systematic-human-error-
in-coding/

4. FILE ORGANIZATION & NAMING
Dan Zen, http://www.flickr.com/photos/danzen/5551831155/ (CC BY)

5. File Organization
• What?
– Keeping your files in order

6. File Organization
• Why?
– Easier to find and use data
– Tell, at a glance, what is done and what you have
yet to do
– Can still find and use files in the future

7. File Organization
• When?
– Always!
– Get in the habit of putting files in the right place

8. File Organization
• How?
– Any system is better than none
– Make your system logical for your data
• 80/20 Rule
– Possibilities
• By project
• By analysis type
• By date
• …

9. Example
• Thesis
– By chapter
• By file type (draft, figure, table, etc.)
• Data
– By researcher
• By analysis type
– By date

10. File Organization
• How?
– Don’t forget to write your system down!
• Front of your research notebook
• In a README.txt document with your digital files
• On a print out by your computer

11. http://retractionwatch.com/2014/01/07/doing-the-right-thing-authors-retract-brain-paper-with-systematic-human-error-
in-coding/

12. File Naming Conventions
• What?
– Consistent naming for files
– Also useful for physical samples

13. File Naming Conventions
• Why?
– Make it easier to find files
– Avoid duplicates
– Make it easier to wrap up a project because you
know which files belong to it

14. File Naming Conventions
• When?
– For a group of related files (3 to 1000+)
– May need different conventions for different
groups

15. File Naming Conventions
• How?
– Pick what is most important for your name
• Date
• Site
• Analysis
• Sample
• Short description

16. File Naming Conventions
• How?
– Files should be named consistently
– Files names should be descriptive but short (<25
characters)
– Use underscores instead of spaces
– Avoid these characters: “ / : * ? ‘ < > [ ] & $
– Use the dating convention: YYYY-MM-DD

17. Example
• YYYYMMDD_site_sampleNum
– 20140422_PikeLake_03
– 20140424_EastLake_12
• AuthorLastName-Year-Title
– Smith-2010-ImpactOfStressOnSeaMonkeys
– Hailey-1999-VeryImportantDNAStudy

18. WHAT TO DO FROM HERE

19. Chris Hoving, https://www.flickr.com/photos/pcrucifer/2433274595 (CC BY-ND)

20. Data Services
• uwm.edu/libraries/dataservices
• Data Services Librarian
– Kristin Briney

21. Thank You!
• This presentation available under a Creative
Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license