Setting up a Data Project Folder

Whenever we start a new project that will involve using data it is important to set up a Project folder (also called a “directory” or a “repository”), which contains all raw data files, scripts, data outputs and plots. This should be your first step before you begin to investigate your data and start writing scripts.

Having a standard approach to organizing your Project folder and subfolders has multiple benefits:

• Encourages best practices for naming and outputs.

• Makes it easier for other team members to utilize and collaborate with your work.

• Coming back to a project after weeks or months (or even years) will be easier.

• It will be easier to implement “version control” using Git and Github, which we will discuss in a later chapter.