Motivation
In a recent study by the sustainable software institute it was found that 7 out of 10 UK researchers would not be able to carry out their research without software: www.software.ac.uk/blog/2014-12-04-its-impossible-conduct-research-without-software-say-7-out-10-uk-researchers. This is certainly applicable in mathematics:
- Numerical mathematics makes use of software to implement algorithms;
- Pure mathematics often makes use of software to identify and/or verify conjectures;
- All fields of mathematics use software to communicate the work.
When software is used it can be done in such a way that is not easily repeatable and verifiable. For example, a recent study identified an alarming number of errors in genetic research (20%) due to the use of Excel: www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/08/26/an-alarming-number-of-scientific-papers-contain-excel-errors/?utm_term=.9a71f62fa32c.
The purpose of this workshop is to introduce best practice so as to ensure this won't occur.
Here are a number of sources that provide excellent guidance and references on these issues:
- "Share and Enjoy": Publishing Useful and Usable Scientific Models
- "Top Tips to Make Your Research Irreproducible"
- "Ten Simple Rules for the Open Development of Scientific Software"
- "Re-run, Repeat, Reproduce, Reuse, Replicate: Transforming Code into Scientific Contributions"
- "Gene name errors are widespread in the scientific literature."
- "A Guide to Reproducible Code in Ecology and Evolution"
Here are two organisations with further sources and information:
(NB if you were to write a paper about some research software you have written these would make good references.)