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Being able to easily locate and retrieve data is essential, not only to you but also for those who you collaborate with. It will save a lot of time and effort if you establish a file organising scheme before you begin your research.
Check if there is a file naming convention already in place. If not set up folders and create a file naming convention that everyone who needs can access in a shared storage area.
It is common practice to document your organisation scheme in a 'readme' file which is stored in a top level folder when it can be readily accessed.
At the start of your project it is essential to plan how the research data will be documented in order for it to be used, shared and reused.
The documentation should include information on why and how data were related, prepared, digitised, the content, structure and any amendments that may have overreacted. it will normally be at two levels.
1. High level documentation: applicable to all data files and should document:
2. Lower level documentation: individual to specific data and will include:
How you structure your folders and files will depend on the nature of your research. However, when working in collaboration with other researchers it is essential to agree upon the structure in advance.
(Taken from: University of Cambridge (2020) Research Data. https://www.data.cam.ac.uk/data-management-guide/organising-your-data)