diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 00b238f..59baacc 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ export(dos2unix)
 export(download)
 export(draft.data)
 export(draft.software)
-export(enc)
+export(file.encoding)
 export(flr2taf)
 export(latin1.to.utf8)
 export(lim)
diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 5b3b930..e5b0b28 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 icesTAF 2.2-0 (2019-02-20)
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-o Added function enc() to examine file encoding. Added functions
+o Added function file.encoding() to examine file encoding. Added functions
   latin1.to.utf8() and utf8.to.latin1() to convert file encoding.
 
 o Added function line.endings() to examine line endings.
diff --git a/R/enc.R b/R/file.encoding.R
similarity index 87%
rename from R/enc.R
rename to R/file.encoding.R
index 0c0151c..320fc6e 100644
--- a/R/enc.R
+++ b/R/file.encoding.R
@@ -5,8 +5,7 @@
 #' @param file a filename.
 #'
 #' @return
-#' \code{enc} returns \code{"latin1"}, \code{"UTF-8"}, \code{"unknown"}, or
-#' \code{NA}.
+#' \code{"latin1"}, \code{"UTF-8"}, \code{"unknown"}, or \code{NA}.
 #'
 #' This function requires the \command{file} shell command. If the
 #' \command{file} utility is not found in the path, this function looks for it
@@ -25,19 +24,21 @@
 #' \code{\link{latin1.to.utf8}} converts files from \verb{latin1} to
 #' \verb{UTF-8} encoding.
 #'
+#' \code{\link{line.endings}} examines line endings.
+#'
 #' \code{\link{icesTAF-package}} gives an overview of the package.
 #'
 #' @examples
 #' \dontrun{
 #' file.base <- system.file(package="base", "DESCRIPTION")
 #' file.nlme <- system.file(package="nlme", "DESCRIPTION")
-#' enc(file.base)  # ASCII
-#' enc(file.nlme)
+#' file.encoding(file.base)  # ASCII
+#' file.encoding(file.nlme)
 #' }
 #'
 #' @export
 
-enc <- function(file)
+file.encoding <- function(file)
 {
   if(!file.exists(file))
     stop("file not found")
diff --git a/R/icesTAF-package.R b/R/icesTAF-package.R
index 4ebd947..1912da6 100644
--- a/R/icesTAF-package.R
+++ b/R/icesTAF-package.R
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
 #'   \code{\link{deps}}           \tab list dependencies\cr
 #'   \code{\link{dos2unix}}       \tab convert line endings\cr
 #'   \code{\link{download}}       \tab download file\cr
-#'   \code{\link{enc}}            \tab file encoding\cr
+#'   \code{\link{file.encoding}}  \tab examine file encoding\cr
 #'   \code{\link{latin1.to.utf8}} \tab convert file encoding\cr
 #'   \code{\link{line.endings}}   \tab examine line endings\cr
 #'   \code{\link{process.bib}}    \tab read and process metadata\cr
diff --git a/R/latin1.to.utf8.R b/R/latin1.to.utf8.R
index f1e5fe5..b4db952 100644
--- a/R/latin1.to.utf8.R
+++ b/R/latin1.to.utf8.R
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
 #'
 #' @param file a filename.
 #' @param force whether to perform the conversion even if the current file
-#'        encoding cannot be verified with \code{\link{enc}}. Not recommended.
+#'        encoding cannot be verified with \code{\link{file.encoding}}. Not
+#'        recommended.
 #'
 #' @note
 #' In TAF, text files that have non-ASCII characters must be encoded as UTF-8.
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@
 #' @seealso
 #' \code{\link{iconv}} converts the encoding of a string.
 #'
-#' \code{\link{enc}} examines the encoding of a file.
+#' \code{\link{file.encoding}} examines the encoding of a file.
 #'
 #' \code{\link{icesTAF-package}} gives an overview of the package.
 #'
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@
 
 latin1.to.utf8 <- function(file, force=FALSE)
 {
-  if(!isTRUE(enc(file)=="latin1") && !force)
+  if(!isTRUE(file.encoding(file)=="latin1") && !force)
   {
     warning("could not verify that file is 'latin1' encoded, nothing done")
     return(invisible(NULL))
diff --git a/R/line.endings.R b/R/line.endings.R
index 46efd7e..7f867d6 100644
--- a/R/line.endings.R
+++ b/R/line.endings.R
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 #' String indicating the line endings: \code{"Dos"} or \code{"Unix"}.
 #'
 #' @seealso
-#' \code{\link{enc}} examines the encoding of a file.
+#' \code{\link{file.encoding}} examines the encoding of a file.
 #'
 #' \code{\link{dos2unix}} and \code{\link{unix2dos}} convert line endings.
 #'
diff --git a/R/utf8.to-latin1.R b/R/utf8.to-latin1.R
index 02d67ef..b306413 100644
--- a/R/utf8.to-latin1.R
+++ b/R/utf8.to-latin1.R
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 utf8.to.latin1 <- function(file, force=FALSE)
 {
-  if(!isTRUE(enc(file)=="UTF-8") && !force)
+  if(!isTRUE(file.encoding(file)=="UTF-8") && !force)
   {
     warning("could not verify that file is 'UTF-8' encoded, nothing done")
     return(invisible(NULL))
diff --git a/man/enc.Rd b/man/file.encoding.Rd
similarity index 76%
rename from man/enc.Rd
rename to man/file.encoding.Rd
index e74dbf6..6f9b30d 100644
--- a/man/enc.Rd
+++ b/man/file.encoding.Rd
@@ -1,17 +1,16 @@
 % Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
-% Please edit documentation in R/enc.R
-\name{enc}
-\alias{enc}
+% Please edit documentation in R/file.encoding.R
+\name{file.encoding}
+\alias{file.encoding}
 \title{File Encoding}
 \usage{
-enc(file)
+file.encoding(file)
 }
 \arguments{
 \item{file}{a filename.}
 }
 \value{
-\code{enc} returns \code{"latin1"}, \code{"UTF-8"}, \code{"unknown"}, or
-\code{NA}.
+\code{"latin1"}, \code{"UTF-8"}, \code{"unknown"}, or \code{NA}.
 
 This function requires the \command{file} shell command. If the
 \command{file} utility is not found in the path, this function looks for it
@@ -31,8 +30,8 @@ In TAF, text files that have non-ASCII characters must be encoded as UTF-8.
 \dontrun{
 file.base <- system.file(package="base", "DESCRIPTION")
 file.nlme <- system.file(package="nlme", "DESCRIPTION")
-enc(file.base)  # ASCII
-enc(file.nlme)
+file.encoding(file.base)  # ASCII
+file.encoding(file.nlme)
 }
 
 }
@@ -42,5 +41,7 @@ enc(file.nlme)
 \code{\link{latin1.to.utf8}} converts files from \verb{latin1} to
 \verb{UTF-8} encoding.
 
+\code{\link{line.endings}} examines line endings.
+
 \code{\link{icesTAF-package}} gives an overview of the package.
 }
diff --git a/man/icesTAF-package.Rd b/man/icesTAF-package.Rd
index 3a67f76..2872db4 100644
--- a/man/icesTAF-package.Rd
+++ b/man/icesTAF-package.Rd
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ data, methods, and results used in ICES assessments.
   \code{\link{deps}}           \tab list dependencies\cr
   \code{\link{dos2unix}}       \tab convert line endings\cr
   \code{\link{download}}       \tab download file\cr
-  \code{\link{enc}}            \tab file encoding\cr
+  \code{\link{file.encoding}}  \tab examine file encoding\cr
   \code{\link{latin1.to.utf8}} \tab convert file encoding\cr
   \code{\link{line.endings}}   \tab examine line endings\cr
   \code{\link{process.bib}}    \tab read and process metadata\cr
diff --git a/man/latin1.to.utf8.Rd b/man/latin1.to.utf8.Rd
index dd2a8bb..bdda8df 100644
--- a/man/latin1.to.utf8.Rd
+++ b/man/latin1.to.utf8.Rd
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ utf8.to.latin1(file, force = FALSE)
 \item{file}{a filename.}
 
 \item{force}{whether to perform the conversion even if the current file
-encoding cannot be verified with \code{\link{enc}}. Not recommended.}
+encoding cannot be verified with \code{\link{file.encoding}}. Not
+recommended.}
 }
 \description{
 Convert file encoding between \verb{"latin1"} and \verb{"UTF-8"}.
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ latin1.to.utf8("data.txt")
 \seealso{
 \code{\link{iconv}} converts the encoding of a string.
 
-\code{\link{enc}} examines the encoding of a file.
+\code{\link{file.encoding}} examines the encoding of a file.
 
 \code{\link{icesTAF-package}} gives an overview of the package.
 }
diff --git a/man/line.endings.Rd b/man/line.endings.Rd
index b7f61d4..38bb9a6 100644
--- a/man/line.endings.Rd
+++ b/man/line.endings.Rd
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ line.endings(file)
 
 }
 \seealso{
-\code{\link{enc}} examines the encoding of a file.
+\code{\link{file.encoding}} examines the encoding of a file.
 
 \code{\link{dos2unix}} and \code{\link{unix2dos}} convert line endings.