ResearchDrive (CALS IT-Managed) - Understanding Folder Structure and Permissions

ResearchDrive provides your lab with a centralized space to store and share files, but not every file should be open to everyone. To balance collaborative needs with privacy, CALS IT-managed ResearchDrive spaces are divided into three top-level areas: General, PI, and Special. Each area governs file sharing and access rights differently.

This article explains the purpose of each area, the reasoning behind their specific access rules, and how to build a clear mental model for where your research data and administrative files belong.

Who this applies to

This General, PI, and Special structure is not the standard layout of every ResearchDrive space across UW-Madison. It applies only to spaces configured and managed by CALS IT. If your ResearchDrive space is not managed by CALS IT, it may be organized differently, and this explanation may not match your environment.

If you are unsure whether your space is under CALS IT management, please check with CALS IT before relying on the rules outlined below.

The three areas at a glance

Every file in a CALS IT-managed ResearchDrive lives inside one of these three areas. The area determines who can open, edit, and add files:

General: shared space for the whole lab

General is the open, collaborative area. Everyone with access to your ResearchDrive can read and write every file and every subfolder inside General. There are no internal walls: if a file is in General, the entire lab can open it, change it, and add files alongside it.

This is the correct home for anything the lab works on together — shared datasets, protocols, group documents, and active project folders. Because access is automatic, you never have to request permissions or wait for administrative setup. You drop a file in General and your colleagues can use it immediately.

PI: a private space for the principal investigator

PI is the opposite of General. Only the Principal Investigator (PI) can read or write here. No other lab member can open or edit what the PI stores in this area, even if they have access to the rest of the ResearchDrive space.

This area gives the PI a private workspace inside the same drive the lab uses every day. It is ideal for personnel notes, draft grant material, or research not yet ready to share. It is private by design, requiring no custom administrative setup.

Special: custom access set up by request

Special is designed for scenarios that General and PI do not cover: work that should be shared, but only with a specific subset of people rather than the whole lab. Each folder in the Special area gets its own custom access control list (ACL), defined folder by folder.

Because this access is customized, it is not automatic. CALS IT sets up Special folders centrally based on individual requests. Common use cases include:

• A subgroup or collaboration that includes some lab members but not others.
• Sensitive research data that only named, authorized individuals should access.
• A shared space with an external collaborator who should see one folder and nothing else.

Think of Special as the area you reach for when "everyone" (General) is too broad and "just me" (PI) is too narrow.

How permissions apply to subfolders

Within any of these three areas, access rules flow downward. A subfolder you create inside General is automatically shared with the whole lab, just like General itself. A folder inside the PI area remains strictly private to the PI.

This inheritance means that the choice of the top-level area—rather than the choice of a subfolder—is what controls who can see your files. You cannot override permissions to mix open and restricted files inside the same area by creating subfolders. If you need distinct access for a particular subfolder, that is precisely when a Special folder should be requested.

Choosing the right area

To decide where a file belongs, start with the question: Who should be able to open this file?

• If the answer is "the whole lab," use General.
• If the answer is "only me (the PI)," use the PI area.
• If the answer is "a specific group, and no one else," request a Special folder.

When you are unsure, it is best to lean toward the more restrictive choice. It is much easier to share a file more widely later than to pull back information that was once open to everyone.

Trade-offs to keep in mind

Each area trades ease of access for privacy, which is why all three exist instead of a single default configuration:

• General makes collaboration effortless but offers no privacy within the lab. Anyone can change or remove a file, so it is not the place for anything that must stay untouched or unseen.
• PI guarantees privacy but cannot be shared. If the PI later needs a colleague to help with a file kept here, it must be moved to General or a Special folder first.
• Special gives you precisely the access control you want, but it is not instant. Because CALS IT must provision each folder by request, you should plan for a short administrative wait rather than expecting it on demand.

Getting help

To request a new Special folder, submit a support request to CALS IT via the CALS IT Help Desk or by emailing helpdesk@cals.wisc.edu. When making your request, describe who needs access and the level of access (read-only or read/write) each person should have.