Project-Level README.txt

  • README files are crucial for understanding your data, especially a year later.
  • The PLR contains is in the top level folder of the project and contains basic data about the project.
  • Project would have one PLR and a DLR for all datasets.

Dataset README and Data Dictionary

  • Data-level README can help a researcher quickly understand which data is which and where that data is stored in your dataset.
  • Data-level README is a quick description of how your dataset is structured.
  • Data dictionaries are a decoding of the variables used in a single file of your dataset.

File Orgainization and Naming

Data Storage

  • It’s important to determinine a data storage location that fits with your security
  • Optimizing your storage solution will help you in the long run
  • Always backup your data

Data Management

  • A living DMP is useful for understanding where data lives, how it’s labelled, how it moves through the research process, and who will oversee the data management.
  • Data stewardship lays out who has what rights to use, retain, and share data.

Data Sharing

  • An important part of doing research is sharing it with others so that they can use it.
  • Choose a repository that is field specific if you can, but generalist ones work too.
  • Make sure to think about what data you actual need to share with other researchers so that they can recreate your results (does it need to be a 4 TB dataset?)

Ending the Research Project

  • Use .md files for episodes when you want static content
  • Use .Rmd files for episodes when you need to generate output
  • Run sandpaper::check_lesson() to identify any issues with your lesson
  • Run sandpaper::build_lesson() to preview your lesson locally