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Andrew Sallans, Head of Strategic Data Initiatives
Sherry Lake, Senior Scientific Data Consultant
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Organizing Files

What should I focus on when organizing data?

There are some fundamental decisions that you need to make when you start your research, and data organization should be within this set. The choices that you make will vary based on type of research that you do, but everyone must address the same issues.

  • File Version Control
  • Directory Structure/File Naming Conventions
  • File Naming Conventions for Specific Disciplines
  • File Structure
  • Use Same Structure for Backups

How do I keep track of changes?

If your research involves more than one person, then tracking of changes is a critical element. As you think through how to manage this step, keep the following issues in mind.

  • Record every change to a file, no matter how small
  • Keep track of changes to files
  • Use file naming conventions
  • Headers inside the file
  • Log files
  • Version Control Software (e.g. SVN)
  • File sharing software (Google Docs or Amazon S3)
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