Guidance on Versioning of Digital Assets

Versioning of data and metadata is a crucial - but often overlooked - topic in scientific work. Using the wrong version of a (meta)data set can lead to drastically difference outcomes in interpretation, and lead to substantial, propagating downstream errors. At the same time, past versions of (meta)data sets are valuable records of the research process which should be preserved for transparency and complete reproducibility. Further, the final version of (meta)data sets may actually include errors that previous versions did not. Thus, careful version control is the foundation for trust in and broad reusability of research and operational (meta)data. This document provides an introduction to the principles of versioning, technical recommendations on how to manage version histories, and discusses some pitfalls and possible solutions. In the first part of this document, we present examples of change processes that require proper management and introduce popular versioning schemes. Finally, the document presents recommended practices for researchers as well as for infrastructure developers

Checkliste zur Unterstützung der Helmholtz-Zentren bei der Implementierung von Richtlinien für nachhaltige Forschungssoftware

Mit der voranschreitenden Digitalisierung von Forschung und Lehre steigt die Zahl an Software-Lösungen, die an wissenschaftlichen Einrichtungen entstehen und zur Erkenntnisgewinnung genutzt werden. Die – unter dem Stichwort Open Science geforderte – Zugänglichkeit und Nachnutzung von wissenschaftlichen Ergebnissen kann in vielen Fachgebieten nur sichergestellt werden, wenn neben Forschungsdaten auch Programmcode offen zugänglich gemacht wird. Die vorliegende Handreichung richtet sich an Entscheider*innen in den Helmholtz-Zentren, die sich mit der Implementierung von Richtlinien für nachhaltige Forschungssoftware befassen. Sie ergänzt eine Muster-Richtlinie, die den Zentren bereits eine richtungsweisende und nachnutzbare Vorlage zur Erstellung von Regelungen für einen nachhaltigen Umgang mit Forschungssoftware gibt

Dealing with research software: recommendations for best practices

In this paper we present general recommendations for dealing with research software. We discuss incentives and metrics, software development and documentation, accessibility, publication and transfer strategies, infrastructures, quality assurance, licensing and other legal topics, education and training, as well as policies and guidelines. We consider research software, alongside text and data, as an essential element of open science. We argue that research software should be treated and acknowledged as a discrete product of the research process

Checklist to Support the Helmholtz Centers in Implementing Policies on Sustainable Research Software

As the digitalization of research and teaching progresses, the number of software solutions developed at scientific institutions and used for the purpose of knowledge production is increasing. The accessibility and reuse of scientific results called for under the heading “open science” can be ensured in many fields only if, in addition to research data, program code is also made openly accessible. The present guide is addressed to decision-makers at the Helmholtz Centers who deal with the implementation of policies on sustainable research software. They supplement a model policy that already gives the Centers a forward-looking and reusable template for drawing up rules on sustainable research software management