Naming Convention
Conventions used for naming data tables and variables across the Yale dataset.
Table names#
Data tables are named following the pattern <domain>_<respondent>_<instrument>:
| Component | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Study domain | ab Adaptive Behavior · as Autism Symptoms · bc Behavioral Challenges · bio Biospecimen · bmk Biomarker · cog Neurocognitive & Developmental · gen General · lc Language & Communication · med Medical/Other · ms Motor Skills · nmg Neuroimaging |
| Respondent | Data source | cg Caregiver · ch Child · ra Research assistant |
| Instrument | Measure identifier | gen_cg_demo → Demographics |
Variable names#
Variables are named following this general pattern, with scale and item included where relevant: <table name>_<scale>_<item>.
| Component | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | Subscale or score type | med_cg_cgis_improve_001 → Improvement scale |
| Item | Item/question number | med_cg_cgis_improve_001 → Item 001 |
Subcomponent conventions#
Subcomponents may be appended to naming components using additional underscores. Because REDCap does not support consecutive underscores in variable names, i is used as a placeholder between underscores (i.e., _i_ is used in place of __). For public data releases, these placeholders are converted back to consecutive underscores.
| Convention | Public | REDCap |
|---|---|---|
| Double underscore | __ |
_i_ |
| Triple underscore | ___ |
_i_i_ |
Double underscore (__)#
Indicates a version, edition, or variant of the preceding component.
Example: cog_ch_bayley__4, where __4 identifies the fourth edition of the Bayley instrument.
Triple underscore (___)#
Indicates a multi-select response option for an item.
Example: lc_cg_orca_001___001 (or lc_cg_orca_001_i_i_001 in REDCap), where ___001 identifies response option 001 for item 001 of the ORCA instrument.
Derived variable naming#
Derived variables carry the _db suffix and are distributed in the gen_cg_demo table. Examples from the harmonized demographics:
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
gen_cg_demo_child_agecat_db |
Age at screening |
gen_cg_demo_child_race_db |
Child race/ethnicity (collapsed) |
gen_cg_demo_gender_db |
Child gender identity (collapsed) |
gen_cg_demo_lang_db |
Home primary language |
See Cohort Variables for harmonized cohort-level fields.