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Step 2 - Naming |
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A File Naming Convention (FNC) is a framework or protocol if you like for naming your files in a way that describes what files contain and importantly, how they relate to other files. It is essential prior to collecting data to establish an agreed FNC.
'File names' are the names that are listed in the file directory and that team members give to new files when they are saved for the first time.
Naming files consistently, logically and in a predictable manner will prevent against unorganised files, misplaced or lost data. It could also prevent possible backlogs or project delays. A file naming convention will ensure files are:
- Easier to process - All team members won't have to over think the file naming process
- Easier to facilitate access, retrieval and storage of files
- Easier to browse through files saving time and effort
- Harder to lose!
- Having logical and known naming conventions in place can also help you with version control (See step 5 Version Control for more information).
- Check for obsolete or duplicate records
The University of Edinburgh has a comprehensive and easy to follow list (with examples and explanations) of 13 Rules for file naming conventions https://www.ed.ac.uk/records-management/guidance/records/practical-guidance/naming-conventions
Former PhD student and subsequent founder of the Figshare platform, Mark Hahnel, typified a common challenge: ‘During my PhD I was never good at managing my research data. I had so many different file names for my data that I always struggled to find the correct file quickly and easily when it was requested. My former PI was so horrified upon seeing the state of my data organisation that she held an emergency lab book meeting with the rest of my group when l was leaving’. Research Information, April/May 2014
Your research team should agree on the following elements of a file name prior to data collection:
- Vocabulary - choose a standard vocabulary for file names, so that everyone uses a common language
- Punctuation - decide when to use punctuation symbols, capitals and hyphens
- Dates - agree on a logical use of dates so that they display chronologically i.e. YYYY-MM-DD
- Order - confirm which element should go first, so that files on the same theme are listed together and can therefore be found easily
- Numbers - specify the amount of digits that will be used in numbering so that files are listed numerically e.g. 01, 002, etc.
As previously suggested, consistent and meaningful naming of files and folders can make everyone’s life easier. See this example below:
YYYYMMDD_SiteA_SensorB.CSV Date Location Sensor Which when applied, would look like this below 20150621_Yaouk_Humidity.CSV
Some characters may have special meaning to the operating system so avoid using these characters when you are naming files. These characters include the following: / \ " ' * ; - ? [ ] ( ) ~ ! $ { } < > # @ & | space tab newline https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/ssw_aix_71/com.ibm.aix.osdevice/filename_conv.htm
Let's look at some easy naming convention for your data files and documents. Any dates are best stored with YYYY-MM-DD. Try to avoid spaces in your file names
Make sure you follow 13 Rules for file naming conventions https://www.ed.ac.uk/records-management/guidance/records/practical-guidance/naming-conventions
Do you have a policy in your team around naming conventions? If not, this is a great way of getting everyone on the same page
- Talk to your Research Support Services librarian at [email protected]
- Naming things by Jenny Bryan
- File naming and folder conventions by CESSDA ERIC
- The University of Edinburgh has a comprehensive yet easy to follow list (with examples and explanations) of 13 Rules for file naming conventions https://www.ed.ac.uk/records-management/guidance/records/practical-guidance/naming-conventions
- Australian National Data Services (ANDS). (2018). ANDS Guide: File wrangling. Retrieved from https://www.ands.org.au/working-with-data/data-management/file-wrangling