Skip to content

GIN-TONIC Data Structure

What is GIN-TONIC?

If you have ever asked yourself how to start your project then a good way is by thinking about how to structure your project first. GIN-TONIC is a project structure template that is part of the GIN platform but can also be used independently of it. It allows you to build a standardized but yet individual folder structure, you and everybody around you can easily comprehend.

Why should I use it?

  1. Adaptable: As already mentioned it is adaptable to one's own needs, by adding or deleting directories without loosing its internal structure.
  2. Depth: It does not only allow to structure your data but also all the notes, papers and documents around data management, administration, etc.
  3. Gitlab compatible: Luckily, gitlab repositories with this structure system already exist, which make it easily distributed and usable.
  4. Flexible: because of its hierachical layout, GIN-TONIC can be used to structure the smallest side projects, as well as huge collaborations including multiple experiments of different labs.

How does it look like?

On project level the GIN-TONIC structure includes 7 different folders, which are numbered accordingly. Any of the folders can be deleted but the numbering should remain the same to keep it comparable. These folders are:

GIN-TONIC structure 01_project_management (research planning, general project information, data collection plan)
02_material_and_methods (paradigma code, experiment setup variables, method descriptions, stimuli)
03_data (original data, processed data)
04_data_analysis (codes for analysis, documentation)
05_figures (output files)
06_disseminations (presentations, posters, reports)
07_misc (everything else)

Each of these seven folders also have corresponding subfolders. The details of the structure can be read here: GIN-TONIC.

Is GIN-TONIC compatible with BIDS?

Yes. Under the 03_data folder, experiments are added in seperate folders: 001_exp01, 002_exp02, etc. These folders can contain the data in BIDS. That is, in 001_exp01 there are the sourcedata and the derivatives for the first experiment.