Link Search Menu Expand Document
Research Data Management

README file

The purpose of a README file is to give an overview of the content, aiding individuals in making sense of the data enclosed thereby persevering the long term value of the data. This can be very helpful if you are sharing your data with others, or to keep track of content and edits or changes made in multiple projects, or revisiting data after some time has passed.

  • A README file is better suited for a collection of data such as a directory for a specific project or experiment, software tool, or any data that is related to each other “logically”.
  • Place the README file in a parent directory associated with the content described.
  • Use plain markdown or a simple text editor to create the README file in either .md or .txt file format
  • For dates use the  ISO 8601  standard: YYYY-MM-DD
  • Whenever possible use the standard vocabulary from your field, see metadata standards directory by RDA community

README file template

  • Title:

  • Abstract:

  • Keywords:

  • Funding/grant number:

  • Date project Started:

  • Date files were created:

  • Date the files were last updated:

  • Version:

  • Author information:
    • Full Name
    • Email
    • ORCID
    • Affiliation
  • Principal Investigator:
    • Full Name
    • Email
    • ORCID
    • Affiliation
  • Collaborators: People involved in the project for instance, those involved in sample collection, processing, analysis and/or submission
    • Full Name
    • Email
    • ORCID
    • Affiliation

  • Access rights: Can be viewed by X, Can be edited by X, Can be shared by X, Owned by X

  • License: Sharing & attribution rights

  • Directory structure:

  • File Formats:

  • Links: To related data or publications

  • Data Source:

  • Methods: *i.e. type of experiment, analysis *

  • Naming conventions:

  • Abbreviations:

  • Units of measurement:

  • Codes or symbols:

  • Variable list: Such as column headings for tabular data

  • Quality assurance:

  • Metadata: How will it be generated and where will it be available

  • Data retention schedule: Which data and file format will be kept, how long records should be kept, who is authorized to access it, who is responsible for disposal decision and performance.

  • Data sensitivity: Does it contain private or sensitive data?