Source: Freepik
“No one has the time to tidy up, but everyone has the time to search” – this dilemma, as described by efficiency expert Jürgen Kurz, is probably familiar to many. And when dealing with research data, many researchers and scientists are also faced with the challenge of storing their research data in such a way that it is structured, documented and secured for subsequent use. After all, the work done in advance saves us a lot of nerves, time and effort in retrospect. In this article, we would like to give you some helpful tips on data organization.
The First Step: Organizing Data
Are you new to a research group and just starting your research? If so, it is important to clarify any predefined structures within your research group beforehand. If there are predefined structures, you can orient yourself to the best practices in the next step.
Create folder structures for efficient data organization. At the beginning of your research, think about how you want to name data sets that belong together in terms of structure or content. The clearest way is to create a folder hierarchy with two to three levels. Keep folders and subfolders to a minimum. After completing a project, examine which data needs to be saved.
Overview of Data Organization
- Use existing standards and best practices.
- Store research data in folders.
- Use systematic and content-related folder names.
- Use a maximum of three subfolder levels.
- Determine which data is still required once the project is complete.
The Second Step: Setting Up Version Control
Now that you have organized the data into folder structures, it is important to efficiently manage individual data and records. This is especially important if your data records change during your research. Therefore, you should always ensure that version control is functioning properly.
A clear, self-explanatory naming convention is at the heart of efficient version control. Designate the individual data records consecutively, including the version number and the storage date. To facilitate later sorting, specify the date in the format “YYYYMMDD.” Once the data record has been finalized, the corresponding version should be renamed “Final Version.”
We hope this article has helped advance your data organization, and we wish you success in managing your data!
More Information
If you have any questions about RDM in general, please contact the IT-ServiceDesk. The RDM team looks forward to hearing from you!
Responsible for the content of this article is Lina-Louise Kaulbach.
The following source was used as a source of knowledge for the following article:
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