Choosing Formats | Research Data Management (2024)

In planning a research project, it is important that you consider which file formats you will use to store your data. In some cases, this will be dictated by the software you are using or the conventions of your discipline. In other cases you may have to make a choice between several options.

These are likely to be some of the key factors in your decision-making:

  • what software and formats you or your colleagues have used in past projects
  • any discipline-specific norms (and any peer support that comes with them)
  • what software is compatible with hardware you already have
  • whether you have funding for new software
  • how you plan to analyse, sort, or store your data

But you should also consider:

  • what formats will be easiest to share with colleagues for future projects
  • what formats are at risk of obsolescence, because of new versions or their dependence on particular software
  • what formats will allow you toopen and read your data in the future
  • what formats will be the easiest to annotate with metadata so that you and others can interpret them days, months, or years in the future.

In some cases, it might be best to useone format for data collection and analysis, and convertyour data to another format for archiving once your project is complete.

Best formats for preservation

If you are not aware of any disciplinary standards these are some good file formats for the preservation of the most common data types:

  • Textual data: XML, TXT, HTML, PDF/A (Archival PDF)
  • Tabular data (including spreadsheets): CSV
  • Databases: XML, CSV
  • Images: TIFF, PNG, JPEG (note: JPEGS are a 'lossy' format which lose information when re-saved, so only use them if you are not concerned about image quality)
  • Audio: FLAC, WAV, MP3

The following provide further information on recommended formats for data sharing, reuse and preservation:

UK Data Service recommended file formats

Library of Congress recommended formats statement (digital and non-digital formats)

Frequently Asked Questions about data formats

Choosing Formats | Research Data Management (2024)

FAQs

Choosing Formats | Research Data Management? ›

By considering the factors of purpose, compatibility, security, size, and durability, you can select the file formats that best suit your needs and preferences.

How do I choose a data format? ›

Choosing Formats
  1. what software and formats you or your colleagues have used in past projects.
  2. any discipline-specific norms (and any peer support that comes with them)
  3. what software is compatible with hardware you already have.
  4. whether you have funding for new software.
  5. how you plan to analyse, sort, or store your data.

What are the factors to consider when choosing a file format? ›

By considering the factors of purpose, compatibility, security, size, and durability, you can select the file formats that best suit your needs and preferences.

What is formatting in data management? ›

Formatting, in the context of data management, refers to the process of structuring and arranging data to conform to certain rules or guidelines. It is a necessary step in data analysis, ensuring consistent, clean, and ready-to-use data.

What are the 3 data formats? ›

Data formats can be categorized into three main types: structured data, semi-structured data, and unstructured data. Each type of data format has its own characteristics and organization, which affects how it can be stored, processed, and analysed.

How can you choose the data formatting option? ›

Available number formats in Excel
  1. Select a cell or a cell range.
  2. On the Home tab, select Number from the drop-down. Or, you can choose one of these options: Press CTRL + 1 and select Number. Right-click the cell or cell range, select Format Cells… , and select Number. ...
  3. Select the format you want.

What are the standard data formats? ›

Common data formats include JSON, CSV, and XML. API - An application programming interface (API) is a predefined protocol for reading and/or writing data using a filesystem, a database, or across a network.

What are the 4 types of file format? ›

In this guide, we'll explore some of the different types of files for the 4 primary file types: document, image, video, and audio.

How do I choose a file format? ›

In the “Save As” dialog box, find an option that says “Save As Type” or “Format.” Choose a new file type from the list of options in the drop-down menu. Click the “Save As” button.

What are the seven criteria for selecting a file organization? ›

In choosing a file organization for a particular file in a database, consider seven important factors: fast data retrieval, high throughput for processing data input and maintenance transactions, efficient use of storage space, protection from failures or data loss, minimizing need for reorganization, accommodating ...

What is a data format example? ›

txt files, PDF, RTF, XML (Extensible Markup Language) Numerical - SPSS, Stata, Excel. Multimedia - jpg / jpeg, gif, tiff, png, mpeg, mp4, QuickTime. Models - 3D, statistical.

Why are data formats important? ›

Data formats serve as a common language that enables data to be interpreted accurately by different systems and applications. They establish a set of rules and guidelines, defining how information should be structured, represented, and manipulated.

What are the three types of formatting? ›

The three types of formatting styles are character formatting, paragraph formatting and page formatting.

What is the most common format used for data? ›

CSV (comma-separated values) and TSV (tab-separated values) are simple and widely used formats for storing and exchanging tabular data.

How many data formats are there? ›

There are 11 types of Data Formats available in Excel. Number:- It is used generally for the display of numbers. Currency:- This is used generally for monetary formats.

What are the 4 main data types? ›

4 Types Of Data- Nominal, Ordinal, Discrete And Continuous.

How do you decide which data type to use? ›

In general, it is wise to choose a data type which is closest to the domain for the column. If the column is to store numeric data, favor choosing a numeric data type: SMALLINT, INTEGER, DECIMAL, or floating point.

How do you choose the correct data type? ›

The basic strategy for selecting the best data type is to select the smallest data type that matches the kind of data you have and that allows for all the feasible values of your data. For example, customer_id in our sample sales table is a whole number starting with 0.

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