Wrap-Up and Reflection

Overview

Questions

• What small steps can make your research software more citable and discoverable?
• How can you apply these practices to your current or future projects?

Objectives

• Reflect on the practical steps taken during the session
• Identify at least one improvement to apply in your own software projects

Your FAIR4RS Checklist

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Congratulations! You’ve transformed fragile research software into a FAIR software project.

What We Covered Today:

✅ F - Findable: Added DOI, CITATION.cff, rich metadata ✅ A - Accessible: Public GitHub, archived on Zenodo ✅ I - Interoperable: Standard formats (YAML, CFF), documented dependencies (pixi.toml) ✅ R - Reusable: LICENSE (BSD-3), README with setup, environment reproducibility

From Fragile to FAIR

Before (Branch: 01-start):

• ❌ No LICENSE
• ❌ No environment
• ❌ No citation
• ❌ No DOI

After (Branch: 06-metadata):

• ✅ LICENSE (BSD-3)
• ✅ Environment (pixi.toml)
• ✅ CITATION.cff
• ✅ DOI from Zenodo
• ✅ README with documentation
• ✅ Community health files

Your software is now citable, discoverable, and reusable.

Introduction

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Over this session, you’ve learned how to make your research software more visible, citable, and impactful. These small, practical steps support scholarly communication, reproducibility, and the FAIR principles.

Use this time to reflect on what you’ve learned and decide on one action you’ll take with your own project.

Challenge

Challenge 1: Choose Your Next Step

Which of the practices from today’s session will you apply to a current or future project?

Show me the solution

Answers may vary: making a repo public, adding a license, archiving on Zenodo, writing a README, creating a CITATION file, etc.

Challenge

Challenge 2: Find a FAIR Win

Think of one thing you can do in under 30 minutes to make your software more FAIR.

Show me the solution

Examples:

• Add a LICENSE file
• Write a short README
• Register your ORCID on Zenodo
• Create a GitHub release

Resources to Take With You

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Lesson Materials

• Lesson repository: https://github.com/UC-OSPO-Network/research-software-citable-discoverable

Tools

• CITATION.cff Helper: https://citation-file-format.github.io/cff-initializer-javascript/
• Zenodo: https://zenodo.org
• Pixi: https://pixi.sh
• Choose a License: https://choosealicense.com

UC-Specific Resources (for UC campus learners)

• UC OSS Chart: https://security.ucop.edu/files/documents/resources/oss-chart.pdf
• UC OSPO License Guide: https://ucospo.net/oss-resources/template-guides/license-guide/
• UC OSPO Templates: https://github.com/UC-OSPO-Network/templates
• UC Open Source Program Office (OSPO) Network: https://ucospo.net/

General Open Source Resources

• Open Source Initiative (OSI): https://opensource.org/licenses (authoritative license registry)
• FAIR4RS Principles: https://doi.org/10.15497/RDA00068 (RDA/FORCE11/ReSA paper)
• Software Citation Principles: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj-cs.86 (Smith et al. 2016)
• CODE Beyond FAIR: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06705-6 (Di Cosmo et al. 2026; covers Software Heritage, institutional roles, and the library’s part in software metadata)
• Software Heritage Archive: https://www.softwareheritage.org/ (universal source code archive; assigns SWHIDs for long-term preservation)

Key Points

• You’ve successfully made your software FAIR: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable
• Even small actions can significantly improve your software’s impact
• Making code citable and discoverable benefits both you and the research community
• Start with one change, then build from there
• Use the UC OSPO resources and templates to streamline the process