A Metadata-Based Ecosystem to Improve the FAIRness of Research Software

The reuse of research software is central to research efficiency and academic exchange. The application of software enables researchers with varied backgrounds to reproduce, validate, and expand upon study findings. Furthermore, the analysis of open source code aids in the comprehension, comparison,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Kuckertz, Patrick, Göpfert, Jan, Karras, Oliver, Neuroth, David, Schönau, Julian, Pueblas, Rodrigo, Ferenz, Stephan, Engel, Felix, Pflugradt, Noah, Weinand, Jann M, Nieße, Astrid, Auer, Sören, Stolten, Detlef
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 18.06.2023
Subjects
Metadata
Software development
Software reuse
Source code
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Summary:The reuse of research software is central to research efficiency and academic exchange. The application of software enables researchers with varied backgrounds to reproduce, validate, and expand upon study findings. Furthermore, the analysis of open source code aids in the comprehension, comparison, and integration of approaches. Often, however, no further use occurs because relevant software cannot be found or is incompatible with existing research processes. This results in repetitive software development, which impedes the advancement of individual researchers and entire research communities. In this article, the DataDesc ecosystem is presented, an approach to describing data models of software interfaces with detailed and machine-actionable metadata. In addition to a specialized metadata schema, an exchange format and support tools for easy collection and the automated publishing of software documentation are introduced. This approach practically increases the FAIRness, i.e., findability, accessibility, interoperability, and so the reusability of research software, as well as effectively promotes its impact on research.
ISSN:2331-8422