This course will be a combination of lecture, discussion, and exercises. It will present the case for software citation and introduce recently developed and published software citation principles (https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj-cs.86). We will discuss what benefits and challenges participants initially see in using the principles.
Participants will then assume a variety of roles (software developer, software user, funder, publisher, archivist/librarian, university administrator, or science historian) and test how the principles help them in that role and what the consequences to the researcher are. Because the principles are high-level, the exact way they are applied can vary widely, but some standard practices seem likely to emerge, and the role-playing exercises will help illustrate those practices. As part of the course, participants will have the opportunity to prepare software they have coauthored for software citation, and they will cite software using their preferred tool.
At the end of the course, participants will be able to apply the principles in their work and to explain to others why they should apply the principles, too. In cases where there are problems in applying the principles, participants should completely understand why and what changes need to be made.
Proposed level: No prior experience writing software is required.
Limits on participation: None.
Intended audience: Software developers, software users, funders, publishers, archivists/librarians, university administrators, science historians.
