File Naming Standards - Notes (Research Data Management at Princeton)

Cowles, W. (n.d.). Research Guides: Research Data Management at Princeton: File naming and structure. Retrieved May 31, 2021, from https://libguides.princeton.edu/c.php?g=102546&p=930626

Key takeaways 

• be consistent 
• avoid special characters 
• use capitals and underscores instead of periods and spaces 
• use date format YEAR / MONTH / DAY - ISO 8601
• include a version number
• include naming convention in data management plan (and commonly used docs - i.e. agenda - for quick reference) 

Interesting is how this article suggests the following and how that compares with the Pode article

Elements to consider 

• Date of creation (putting the date in the front will facilitate computer aided date sorting)
• Short Description
• Work
• Location
• Project name or number
• Sample
• Analysis
• Version number