Guides @ UF: Research Data Management at UF: Data Collection

File types accepted by IR@UF

As a general rule, platform independent, vendor independent, nonproprietary, stable, open and well supported formats can be readily accepted and preserved by the University of Florida Institutional Respository (IR@UF).

A list of recommended file types can be found here.

Using Validated Survey Instruments

Health and Psycosocial Instruments (HaPI)
HaPI is a database that provides access to information on approximately 15,000 measurement instruments. If accessing from off-campus, you will need to be logged in via the library proxy or VPN.
REDCap Shared Library
This includes data collection instruments and forms that can be downloaded and used by researchers at REDCap partner institutions. Curated instruments have been approved for inclusion by the REDCap Library Oversight Committee (REDLOC) after review for research relevance, accuracy in coding and function, and copyright issues.

NIH Common Data Elements (CDE)

The NIH's Common Data Element (CDE) Resource Portal provides access to NIH-supported CDE initiatives and tools.

Common Data Elements (CDEs) are data elements common to multiple data sets across different studies. Use of CDEs can help improve data quality and the opportunity for comparison and combination of data from multiple studies.

Hazards of Not Planning to Share Data

NYU Health Sciences Libraries animation showing the importance of proper file formatting

FIle Naming and Folder Hierarchy

Keeping track of research data and documentation is critical. Strategies include:

Spend time planning out both folder hierarchy and file naming conventions in the beginning of a project. Consider how you or others will look for and access files at a later date. Do you think about them by type, location, study or something else?

Establish a folder hierarchy that aligns with the project. Example: [Project] / [Experiment] / [Instrument or Type of file]

Consider all aspects of the project and develop a file naming scheme that includes important metadata. Example: [Date]_[Run]_[SampleType]

Consider sorting when deciding what element of the file name will go first. File names starting with YYYYMM will sort differently than files starting with the MMDDYYYY format.

Provide a method for easy adoption. Consider a shared dropbox with the folder hierarchy in place and a readme file in onboarding documentation for new contributors.

Check for established file naming conventions. Many disciplines have recommendations, for example: DOE’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program.