File creation

File naming

• Be clear, concise, and consistent
• Use alphanumeric characters only; avoid special characters such as: ” *: < > ? / \ | [ ] & $ ; ,
• Use underscores (_) or hyphens (-) instead of spaces or full stops
• Include dates using the year-month-day format (e.g., 2022-06-24)
• Use version control to number drafts and revisions as part of the filename (e.g. v01)

File formats

These formats are compatible with long-term preservation:

• PDF/A for PDFs
• Excel for spreadsheets
• Word for text documents
• TIFF and JPEG for images
• WAV and MPEG-4 for audio

Student Organizations

The MIT Student Organization Records Toolkit (SORT) provides best practices for organizing, storing, and preserving group records.

Researchers

Data Management Services provides guidance – including written resources, workshops, and consultations – to faculty and researchers who manage data.