Naming conventions for evidence – guide

Purpose

This guide outlines the requirements for providing documentary evidence to TEQSA in support of applications, with respect to:

• how to name files
• specifications for formatting.

Scope

This guidance note applies to files provided via the provider portal, or as requested, for:

• applications (for TEQSA and CRICOS)
• responses to requests for information
• responses to section 28 requests under the TEQSA Act
• conditions imposed on registration or course accreditation.

File identification

Submitted electronic files should be:

• clearly titled: whatever file naming conventions you use, file titles should provide, in as few characters as possible, enough information to determine what the file is so TEQSA can easily identify, locate and reference it, for example: 
  • ‘CourseEnrolments01’ instead of ‘CE01’
  • ‘AB Minutes January 2016’ instead of ‘Meeting0116’, and
• clearly referenced: for evidence submitted to support an application, or if your application cross-references a file, please ensure you cite its title accurately or provide enough information to clearly identify it. 

Note that the evidence should be clearly referenced in the Confirmed Evidence Table, in response to the pre-submission discussion and agreement on scope and/or evidence requirements with your case manager.

Format specifications

The preferred formats for file submission are Microsoft Word (doc/docx), Microsoft Excel (xls/xlsx) and PDF. However, TEQSA also accepts the following file formats:

File name restrictions

An error message will appear when attempting to upload any file with a file name:

• of more than 128 characters in length
• containing any of the following characters:

PDF format

If submitting a file in pdf format, please ensure, where possible, that the text in the file can be searched, selected, copied and pasted – note that generally, pdf files created from Word/Excel are searchable, while pdf files created from scanned files are generally not.

Compressed and zipped files

Where files are compressed or “zipped” for uploading, please list the files that are in the zipped files in the Confirmed Evidence Table, or upload a table listing them along with the zipped file. 

File size limits

Uploaded files must be 10MB or less. Larger files can be provided via a link (e.g. to the provider’s website). Alternatively, speak to your case manager.

For additional information, refer to Provider Portal - Frequently Asked Questions.

A video help guide and other support material are also available in our Provider portal information page.