Last updated: Aug 2022
When we start using softwares, like Stata or others, we often overlook structuring our files and folders. Most of the time, neatly organizing the data and code is left as a last step, for example, when finalizing some articles. I have also seen researchers only think about organizing files and folders once they get some revisions, or are expected to submit their files for replication. This is exactly the approach we want to avoid.
Workflow management is extremely important and organizing our folders should be done as a first step otherwise a lot of time is lost later figuring out what we actually did, where the files actually are, and where the latest code is saved. This also makes it easier not only for ourselves but also for our co-authors and collaborators or even others trying to replicate the code. A good litmus test of a good workflow system is that when we open an old project, we can immediately figure out the purpose of each file and folder.
In this guide, I will cover some basic principles of workflow management. This article will not discuss coding but rather how to organize the code and all the files around it. While here I use Stata as an example, the broad workflow tips discussed here can be extended to any project in any software. Additionally, these are not hard rules, but rather guidelines for best practices to…
