1. Ten simple rules for writing a paper about scientific software
- Author
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Joseph D. Romano and Jason H. Moore
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Computer science ,Writing ,02 engineering and technology ,Scientific software ,Open Science ,Software ,Citation analysis ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Biology (General) ,Simple (philosophy) ,Ecology ,Software Engineering ,Research Assessment ,Research Personnel ,Editorial ,Computational Theory and Mathematics ,Publishing ,Modeling and Simulation ,Citation Analysis ,Engineering and Technology ,The Internet ,Open Source Software ,Computer and Information Sciences ,QH301-705.5 ,Science Policy ,Bibliometrics ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Ecosystems ,Computer Software ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience ,Genetics ,Humans ,Molecular Biology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Scientific Publishing ,Internet ,Software Tools ,business.industry ,Ecology and Environmental Sciences ,Computational Biology ,Biology and Life Sciences ,020207 software engineering ,Data science ,030104 developmental biology ,business ,Publication types - Abstract
Papers describing software are an important part of computational fields of scientific research. These “software papers” are unique in a number of ways, and they require special consideration to improve their impact on the scientific community and their efficacy at conveying important information. Here, we discuss 10 specific rules for writing software papers, covering some of the different scenarios and publication types that might be encountered, and important questions from which all computational researchers would benefit by asking along the way., Author summary Computational researchers have a responsibility to ensure that the software they write stands up to the same scientific scrutiny as traditional research studies. These 10 simple rules make doing so easier by enhancing usability, reproducibility, transparency, and other crucial characteristics that aren’t taught in most computer science or research methods curricula.
- Published
- 2020