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Research Data Management: Store & Organize

Storage Options

Storage refers to the system of keeping your data accessible during active research. To make sure your data is safe and secure, us the 3-2-1 strategy:

  • Make three copies of your data.
  • Keep two copies on separate devices (options are an external hard drive, personal computer hard drive, and cloud storage).
  • Keep one copy offsite.

Sometimes, to ensure that data is secured, you may need to encrypt it or use a password to protect it.

Organize your Files

File Naming and Folders

  • Plan for folder hierarchy and file naming conventions in the beginning of a project.
  • Organize the folder hierarchy around the most logical characteristic, such as type, location, study. Example: [Project] / [Experiment] / [Instrument or Type of file]
  • Include important metadata in the file naming scheme. Example: [Date]_[Run]_[SampleType]
  • Consider sorting when deciding goes first in the file name. Use YYYYMMDD or YYMMDD for dates so that files stay in chronological order.
  • Include documentation on the folder hierarchy and naming conventions in your readme file stored with your data for onboarding new contributors.
  • Check for established file naming conventions. Many disciplines have recommendations.

Version Control

Versioning is saving new copies of your files when making significant changes so that you are able to retrieve old versions later if needed.

  • For simple versioning needs, simply manually copy your files, and include a version number on the new files (example: v1 or v2.1).
  • Box automatically tracks versions and who authored the new version.
  • For more sophisticated versioning, GitHub may be a solution.

Resources