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Best Practices for Data

Why Do We Need Good Data Practices?

Good research data management (RDM) practices are essential for keeping data organized, minimizing errors, preventing data loss, and avoiding ambiguity.
Strong practices ensure your data is FAIR once published - Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. They also support CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) and OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession) principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty.

Topic Key Principles Best Practices
File Formats Choose formats that maximize interoperability and long‑term access.
  • CSV is preferred for tabular data.

  • Avoid proprietary formats for archiving, if possible.

  • Export each Excel sheet as its own CSV, if possible.
Versioning Track changes to prevent data loss and maintain provenance.
  • Keep raw and processed data in separate folders.

  • Use clear version naming (e.g., v1, v2).

  • Use GitLab or similar tools for advanced version control.
Table & Spreadsheet Structure Ensure clarity, consistency, and machine‑readability.
  • Variables as columns; samples as rows.

  • Avoid merged cells, blank rows, or blank columns.

  • Use consistent NULL values (prefer blanks).

  • Standardize date formats (preferably UTC).

  • Avoid spaces or special characters in headers; use underscores.
Naming Conventions Make files and variables easy to identify and reuse.
  • Include dates or descriptive keywords.

  • Avoid special characters (< > : " / \
Storage & Backup Protect data integrity and ensure long‑term access.
  • Use secure, access‑controlled storage.

  • Maintain multiple backups (local + cloud).

  • Automate backups where possible.
Metadata Documentation Make data discoverable, interpretable, and reusable.
  • Record provenance (how data was collected and processed).

  • Document constraints, licenses, and usage rights.

  • Credit contributors.

  • Use standardized vocabularies and ontologies.
Indigenous Data Sovereignty Respect CARE and OCAP principles.
  • Ensure communities retain ownership and control.

  • Share data in ways that provide collective benefit.

  • Follow cultural protocols for access and use.
Sharing & Preservation Ensure long‑term accessibility and compliance.
  • Deposit data in trusted repositories (e.g., CanWIN).

  • Assign persistent identifiers (DOIs).

  • Follow funder and institutional RDM policies.

References & Extra Sources

Tip

See our Data File Best Practices primer for a quick guide to keep with you!