Directory Structure

We want the directory structure used to store files on NextCloud to be as “flat” as possible. The goal is to avoid several layers of nested sub-folders that make it difficult to locate information because they create an inflexible structure for information–one that fails to reflect how discrete pieces of knowledge actually connect to one another.

Basic folder structure on NextCloud

Below is a schematic for the basic layout of high-level folders in the cloud drive (NextCloud).

• admin: administrative files, such as project descriptions and metadata, task lists, or files dealing with other administrative matters.

• notes > literature: all literature notes (written in Markdown)–one for each source corresponding to a citation stored in Zotero–stored in a single folder.

• notes > research: all research notes (written in Markdown) stored in a single folder. Here, tags are especially crucial for being able to locate and link relevant notes through Zettlr.

• projects: each project gets its own dedicated sub-folder, which holds images and other media files, data files, and longer writing pieces (articles, briefs, reports, etc) specific to that project.

• resources: technical and learning resources to support your work.

Directory Diagram

Here is a sample directory structure in graphical form to help you visualize:

NextCloud Directory Structure
*****************************

admin
|  projects.md

notes
|
|___literature
|   |  rose1986comedy.md
|   |  goodrich1991eating.md
|   |  ...
|___research
    |  202110130914.md
    |  202201041245.md
    |  202203211522.md

projects
|
|___project01
|   |  blog_post.md
|   |  image.png
|   |  ...
|
|___project02
    |  longer_article.md
    |  ...

resources
|  howtotakenotes.pdf

For most purposes, you should not need to create a new NextCloud directory. Anytime you want to ensure that it is easy to retrieve a file in the future, consider what tags and other metadata should be included with the file itself (see Front Matter).