Identity, Store, and Preserve

Software is essential in modern research; it plays vital roles at multiple stages of the research lifecycle. The term Research Software is widely used in the academic community but, what do we mean when we use these terms? Software and research? When you think of software, you may think of a digital object that is executed on a machine. Yet software is more than just this, it is a complex and evolving artifact. It may be a concept or a project designed to solve a puzzle by a team or a community that develops its functionalities and algorithms, which might not be digital objects.

In September 2021, the FAIR4RS WG formed subgroups to address milestones for the adoption of the FAIR4RS principles. This document is the output of subgroup 6, focused on adoption support.

The FAIR For Research Software Working Group (FAIR4RS WG) is leading the research software community in the crucial step of agreeing how to apply the FAIR principles to research software, including defining the principles and adoption guidelines. This group was convened under the Research Software Alliance (ReSA), the Research Data Alliance (RDA), and FORCE11 (the Future of Research Communication and Escholarship).

The provision of adoption guidelines will help implement the FAIR4RS Principles. The FAIR4RS Working Group formed subgroups to address milestones (as contained in the case statement), including a subgroup on adoption guidelines, FAIR4RS Subgroup 5.