General Tips for Creating an Effective Folder Structure:

• Avoid building the structure spontaneously; plan a systematic approach.
  (In project teams: collaboratively develop a structure that can be used across platforms.)
• For clarity: consider adding a README fileReadMe files in the context of systems or projects contain information about the respective system, project, etc., to help users orient themselves. Read More at the top-level folder with guidelines on file organization.
• Build a hierarchical structure: from general to specific.
• Top-Level: Ideally, the structure ensures a document is stored in only one folder.
• Use content-related folder names (keep names short, concise, and descriptive).
• If a document needs to be stored in multiple locations, use shortcuts/links (at both folder and file levels).
• Avoid excessive nesting: optimally, folder structures should be no more than three levels deep. (The fewer layers, the easier it is for visual memory to navigate.)

The “7-Folder System“ widely used in corporate settings (Sekretaria, 2023):

1. First Level: Maximum of 7 folders
2. Second Level: Maximum of 7 folders per folder (7 × 7 = 49)
3. Third Level: Maximum of 7 folders per folder (7 × 7 × 7 = 343)

Source: 7-Folder System, Anne Voigt, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Folder Structure in Projects

Helpful categories for structuring folders in projects include (VerbundFDB, 2023):

• Work packages or functional units within a project
• Dates or timeframes (e.g., months, quarters, years)
• Folder content or types (e.g., research data, publications/reports, data analyses, conferences, literature, project coordination)
• File types (formatsThe terms 'file type' and 'file format' are often used interchangeably. A distinction is made between proprietary and open file formats. Proprietary formats usually require fee-based software to access, as they may not be compatible with other programs (e.g., PowerPoint for .ppt files or Photoshop for .psd files). In contrast, open formats such as .rtf or .png are based on standards and can be opened by many programs. Read More)
• Depending on context, personal initials or identifiers

Folder Sorting

To maintain consistent folder order, add a number prefix indicating its position in the hierarchy:

• First Level: Prefix 0_ bis 9_
  • Second Level: Prefix 00_ bis 99_
    • Third Level: Prefix 000_ bis 999_
      • Fourth Level: Prefix 000-0_ bis 999-9_ (use a hyphen to avoid confusion with year numbers)