File Naming Conventions

A File Naming Convention is a consistent way to name your files so that they are easier to access and retrieve. The benefits of using a naming convention includes finding files more easily, making sorting more predictable, giving clues to the contents of files and folders without having to open each file, providing a time sequence, and controlling versions. It also contributes to organization when using hierarchical file structures.

As part of Research Data Management, it is important to establish a file naming convention before collecting data or creating/writing files in order to prevent unorganized files that may lead to misplaced or lost data.

File naming best practices:

• Files should be named consistently using alphanumerics, underscores, and dashes
• File names should be short but descriptive (<25 characters) (Briney, 2015)
• Avoid special characters or spaces (!@#$%^&*?), other than underscores and dashes.
• Use capital letters, underscores, or dashes instead of periods, spaces, or slashes.
• Use date format ISO 8601: YYY-MM-DD (or YYYYMMDD).
• Make it extendible by using leading zeros (001, 002, 003, etc.) 
• Include a README.txt file in your directory that explains your naming convention along with any abbreviations or codes you have use