DATA MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION

Storing active datasets

Data should be stored in one of three places:

  1. Physical folder in locked filing cabinet
    • Data to store here: consent forms, payment forms, keys to subject IDs
  2. Lab Dropbox Folder
    • Data to store here: behavioral data
  3. The Cluster
    • Data to store here: fMRI and EEG data

In general, you should not store data locally on your computer unless it is being synced with Dropbox or Google Drive.

 

Data organization

Good data organization can save you lots of time and mistakes! Suggested format for project folders:

  • ProjectName
    • the mother folder containing all your project subfolders
  • ProjectName/Data
    • contains a folder for raw data - always keep a copy of the raw (i.e., unprocessed) data & keep it separate from the copy that you're using in your pipeline
    • participant folders P01, P02, etc for processed data
    • this folder also contains a file documenting demographic & other summary info
  • ProjectName/Analysis
    • contains folders for each type of analysis, e.g., AnalysisOne, AnalysisTwo etc
  • ProjectName/Task
    • contains folders for stimuli & presentation scripts, as well as any piloting info/data
  • ProjectName/Resources
    • contains miscellaneous resources relevant to a project, e.g., ROIs, papers that are direct references for particular methods
  • ProjectName/Scripts
    • contains subfolders for different kinds of scripts, e.g., behav, preproc, helper, model, mvpa, etc

For neuroimaging datasets, you should additionally consult the BIDS framework.