Records Management Section
The University of Edinburgh Records Management Section
 

Rule 6

When including a personal name in a file name give the family name first followed by the initials

It may be appropriate to include within a file name the name of an individual, usually when the record is a piece of correspondence. However, it will not usually be appropriate to name records after the record owner or creator, i.e. avoid naming records after yourself. When it is appropriate to include a personal name it should be given as family name first followed by initials as it is most likely that the record will be retrieved according to the family name of the individual.

Rule 6 Example
Correct Incorrect
File name BrownSR20041201.rtf SamRBrown20041201.rtf
Explanation This is a letter to Mr Samuel R Brown. By putting the family name first the file directory will display this file next to the b's, which is where you would expect to find a letter to Mr Brown.

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Page last updated: Friday July 06 2007