File labeling

File labeling, file exchange, file sorting

Label all files on your computer with meaningful labels. This should be done in a way that a stranger can find his way easily through your files without having to ask you. If you finish your project, you must hand over the files related to the project in such a way that supervisors (or following researchers) can pick up your files and understand them (and their order) easily. 
This means that you should avoid labels like „test.doc“ or „this and that.xls“.

Have a file with your relevant literature. Label all literature pdfs
Hatt_2005_ZooBiol_tortoisedigestion.pdf
Clauss_2007_JAnimPhysiolAnimNutr_rhinominerals.pdf

Last name of the first author_year of publication_Journal name in the usual abbreviation using capital letters for a new word_description of the paper in as little words as possible using lower case letters in a continous way.

Files that are exchanged with a supervisor for a project should always be labelled in the following way:

1. MC_rhinotannin_060403.doc
2. which means
3. initials of the student (here: Marcus Clauss)
4. a _
5. description of the contents in lower case letters
6. another _
7. the date in the order YYMMDD (year, month, day). Always use two digits (using a zero if the two digits represent a one-digit number). This sequence is important because if you use it, the versions will be sorted automatically in a reasonable order.
8. doc or xls or ppt – the computer does this automatically most of the time.

Please do not use dots or – or other strange signs (incl. äöü) in the label.

If a supervisor returns a document, it will be labelled with the initials of the supervisor at the end.
MC_rhinotannin_060403_JMH.doc
means that this is the version Jean-Michel Hatt corrected.

Email communication: see extra sheet. Save all email correspondence relevant for your project in according files in your email system.

Word documents: We have templates for a dissertation thesis, and templates for other routine formats like project outlines etc. Use such templates as much as possible (and if necessary, improve them).

Excel: when linking different Excel files, always send the source file together with the file you use to demonstrate something. When producing graphs, always put the graph on a new sheet in the file, not on the same sheet where the data is. Always keep the file where you did the actual calculations on. Do not copy your calculated results to another file and then delete the file where the calculations were made. Supervisors want to see your equations you used for calculation.

Make sure all your files are regularly saved on the server of our clinic. Do this on a daily basis.

At the end of a project your supervisor will go through your files with you and test whether she/he can find her/his way around in your files without any additional explanations by you.