Document Type

Presentation

Date of Original Version

6-2026

Abstract

Poster was presented at the International Association for Social Science Information Service and Technology (IASSIST) Annual Conference, Virtual, June 2-5, 2026.

Increasing attention is being paid to not just research data management but also research project management. This refers to the myriad of organizational, administrative, and metacognitive tasks needed to manage research projects from beginning to end (Noy, 2024). One overlooked aspect of research project management is collaboration in shared digital workspaces. For example, are files named and organized in such a way that it is easy for new collaborators to get up to speed?

We have access to tools that allow us to easily share materials with collaborators and have a shared digital workspace for files – but how easy is it to work in these spaces when materials are not well organized and documented? We have perhaps been told that we can just search for a document, but it doesn’t always work as planned. There is a lack of guidance on best practices for organizing non-data files. Not being able to easily locate digital files can reduce efficiency, disturb peace of mind, and increase the risk of burnout. This presentation will describe a case study of how a university research committee re-organized their files in a shared google drive. Through this example, we will provide guidance on how to organize files based on action-ability (Forte, 2023) and the mission of the group, and how to write simple documentation. This presentation will give the audience ideas for how to “clean up” inherited project files, and also how to organize a new project for long-term success.

REFERENCES: 
Forte, T. (2022). Building a Second Brain. Atria Books. 
Noy, S. (2024). Project Management for Researchers. University of Michigan Press. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://press.umich.edu/Books/P/Project-Management-for-Researchers__;!!Jh1S!iDiavQmvYLfDpk3_GXM4BUKJOTwWUyEvGHZW61KbGyJp_K1K036QbsRgJG85slew-UKFLl3XoRSKW0KiIK3cpao$

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