Skip to content

Commit f021702

Browse files
authored
Merge pull request #13 from DE-RSE/12-port-definition-block-from-the-competencies-paper
bring over definitions part
2 parents 62c9e2f + 6d1a4e3 commit f021702

File tree

1 file changed

+31
-4
lines changed

1 file changed

+31
-4
lines changed

paper.tex

Lines changed: 31 additions & 4 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -38,16 +38,41 @@ \section{Introduction}
3838
It has been established that most research requires research software for its results [REF].
3939
To solve pressing research challenges, better software is crucial [REF].
4040
During the past decade, it gained ever-growing attention and is becoming accepted as a research result on its own.
41-
The term “Research software” is still defined somewhat differently within the community.
42-
We follow here the definition: “Research Software includes source code files, algorithms, scripts, computational workflows and executables that were created during the research process or for a research purpose”, with full definition and discussion provided in~\autocite{Gruenpeter2021}.
41+
%We follow here the definition: “Research Software includes source code files, algorithms, scripts, computational workflows and executables that were created during the research process or for a research purpose”, with full definition and discussion provided in~\autocite{Gruenpeter2021}.
4342

4443
The number of people developing software in academia is constantly rising [REF].
4544
Research Software Engineering are actions necessary to create, adapt or maintain Research Software or train others to do so.
4645
These actions are very diverse and so are the environments they are performed in.
47-
We refer by Research Software Engineer (RSE) to persons who regularly perform those actions as part of their work.
48-
We refer by researcher to all others involved in research, those that are at most sporadically performing RSE actions.
4946
This position paper focuses on (groups of) research software engineers and researchers who require RSE for their research.
5047

48+
\subsection{Terminology}
49+
Depending on the national research
50+
environments and processes that readers are familiar with, the notion of the terms \emph{software} and \emph{research} might differ.
51+
The term “Research software” is also defined somewhat differently within the community.
52+
Therefore, to avoid ambiguities, we define them as follows:\\
53+
\textbf{Software:}\\
54+
Source code, documentation, tests, executables
55+
and all other artefacts that are created by humans during the development process
56+
that are necessary to understand its purpose.\\
57+
\textbf{Research software:}\\
58+
Foundational algorithms, the software itself,
59+
as well as scripts and computational workflows that were created
60+
during the research process or for a research purpose, across all domains of research.
61+
This definition is broader than in~\autocite{FAIR4RS} and is the outcome of a recent
62+
discussion in~\autocite{Gruenpeter2021}.\\
63+
\textbf{Research software engineers:}\\
64+
People who
65+
create or improve research software and/or the structures that the software interacts with
66+
in the computational ecosystem of a research domain.
67+
They are highly skilled team members who may also choose to conduct their own research as
68+
part of their role.
69+
However, we also recognise that many RSEs have chosen specifically to focus on a technical
70+
role as an alternative to a traditional research role because they enjoy and wish to focus
71+
on the development of research software.\\
72+
\textbf{Researchers:}\\
73+
We refer by researcher to all others involved in research or in research supporting organizations as \eg libraries,
74+
hence those that are at most sporadically performing RSE actions.
75+
5176
\section{Motivation}
5277

5378
In this chapter, we provide motivation for dedicated RSE groups in German research organizations.
@@ -73,6 +98,8 @@ \subsection{Tasks - Why do central software services make sense?}
7398

7499
Cite for international comparison \autocite{Cosden2022} Princeton RSE group model
75100

101+
102+
76103
\subsection{Structure}
77104

78105
A central RSE team on long-term contracts will act as a knowledge hub due to their experience in and support of several disciplines as well as established contacts within the organisation.

0 commit comments

Comments
 (0)