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Introduction

For data organization, we suggest to use the 5S methodology that uses a list of five words 1:

1. Sort: delete unnecessary files.
2. Set in order: develop and document naming conventions and folder structures.
3. Shine:
   • Comply with conventions.
   • Develop routines.
4. Standardize:
   • Document rules and responsibilities.
   • Develop best practices and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
5. Sustain:
   • Regularly check whether rules are followed.
   • Implement improvements if necessary.

File naming conventions

File versioning

Version control

Folder structure

Big data organization

Further resources

5S methodology

• Lang, K., Roman, G., Jessica, R., Annett, S., Nadine, N., & Lehmann, A. (2021). The 5S Methodology in Research Data Management. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.4494258
• “5S Data: Setz dich auf deine 5 Buchstaben und organisiere deine Daten! (Coffee Lecture)” (in German only)

Organizing data in spreadsheets

• Broman, K. W., & Woo, K. H. (2018). Data Organization in Spreadsheets. In The American Statistician (Vol. 72, Issue 1, pp. 2–10). Informa UK Limited. https://doi.org/10.1080/00031305.2017.1375989
• Perkel, J. M. (2022). Six tips for better spreadsheets. In Nature (Vol. 608, Issue 7921, pp. 229–230). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-02076-1
• Tidy data for librarians

Tools

• FAIR4Health Data Curation Tool
• G-Node Infrastructure (GIN) = Modern Research Data Management for Neuroscience

References

1. 1. Assmann C, Gadelha L, Markus K, Vandendorpe J. Workshop on Research Data Management. Published online November 2022.

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