FAIR Principles for Research Software Released

5 Jul 2022 - 3 min

Following two years of hard work and the involvement of more than 500 contributors from around the globe, the FAIR Principles for Research Software have finally been released. The principles are referred to as FAIR4RS and are the result of a joint working group set up by the Research Software Alliance (ReSA), Research Data Alliance (RDA) and FORCE11. The Netherlands eScience Center actively contributed to this work, with Carlos Martinez-Ortiz as a main contributor and others (Mateusz Kuzak, Ben van Werkhoven, Elena Ranguelova and Tom Bakker) as part of the large group of co-authors. We are proud to have done so. Why? That’s because those who know us, know that the eScience Center’s involvement underlines our belief in and commitment to open and sustainable research software. 

FAIR Data text on a world map

Citing the Research Software Alliance on the publication of the principles: “Similar to the FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship, the goal of the FAIR4RS Principles is to improve the sharing and reuse of research software, by making it Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. These principles are needed because specific characteristics of software — such as its executability, composite nature, and continuous evolution and versioning — make it necessary to revise and extend the FAIR data principles.”   

“We’ve been involved from the beginning because we find that FAIR Principles leads to software reuse and it aligns with our mission at the centre which is to empower researchers through innovative software,” says Community Manager Carlos Martinez at the eScience Center. “To put it differently, these principles are a way of promoting better quality research software. Think of recycling – it saves money and the environment. Well, why not ensure the preservation and quality of research software to save money, time and resources?”  

So what’s next? Now that the principles have been published, the Research Data Alliance Software Source Code Interest Group will maintain these principles. The Working Group will work to spread the principles as far and wide as possible, and compile resources for adoption guidelines and adoption support. With this international effort we seek to stimulate all those who produce and/or work with research software to do so with these principles in mind. 

Read the FAIR Principles Guidelines in full online. (cite as: Chue Hong, Neil P., Katz, Daniel S., Barker, Michelle, Lamprecht, Anna-Lena, Martinez, Carlos, Psomopoulos, Fotis E., Harrow, Jen, Castro, Leyla Jael, Gruenpeter, Morane, Martinez, Paula Andrea, Honeyman, Tom, Struck, Alessandra, Lee, Allen, Loewe, Axel, van Werkhoven, Ben, Jones, Catherine, Garijo, Daniel, Plomp, Esther, Genova, Francoise, … RDA FAIR4RS WG. (2022). FAIR Principles for Research Software (FAIR4RS Principles) (1.0). https://doi.org/10.15497/RDA00068) 

Follow updates by using #FAIR4RS and continue to add resources to the FAIR4RS community in Zenodo.