Research Project Onboarding and Preservation

This use case provides a standardized process for research software projects to ensure their long-term preservation and reusability. It helps prevent the loss of valuable software when researchers leave by establishing clear guidelines for project setup, version control, and documentation.

Repository

Maturity: Pilot (stage 4 of 5)

Overview

Value: This use case provides a standardized process for research software projects to ensure their long-term preservation and reusability. It helps prevent the loss of valuable software when researchers leave by establishing clear guidelines for project setup, version control, and documentation.

Problem: Software developed in research projects often becomes unusable or is lost when the project ends or the primary researcher departs. This is often due to a lack of standardized version control practices and inconsistent documentation, with the steep learning curve of tools like Git acting as a barrier to adoption.

Solution: To implement a centralized and sustainable system for managing research software by using project templates to enforce standardized documentation and version control. This approach includes creating a central landing page that showcases all related projects, making them discoverable and accessible to the broader research community.

Who Benefits

Primary

  • Researchers and engineers at RWTH Aachen
    • A clear, standardized process for initiating and managing software projects.
    • Ensured preservation and long-term availability of their work.
    • Simplified onboarding to version control best practices.

Secondary

  • The broader research community
    • Access to a reusable and well-documented collection of research software.
    • Increased transparency and potential for collaboration.

When to Use

  • For any new research project that involves software development.
  • When aiming to make research software reusable and citable for the long term.

When Not to Use

  • For projects that do not involve any software development or digital artifacts.

Process

  1. 1. A researcher initiates a new project using a standardized GitLab project template.
  2. 2. The template automatically populates the repository with a standard structure, including a README and a Wiki.
  3. 3. The researcher develops their software, following the version control and documentation guidelines.
  4. 4. The project is automatically listed on a central landing page for discoverability.
  5. 5. Upon completion, the project is preserved, ensuring long-term access.

Requirements

People

  • Researchers with low to inconsistent knowledge of Git.
  • A support team to provide training and guidance.

Data Inputs

  • Source code for research software.
  • Project documentation and research data.

Tools & Systems

  • A central Git platform (e.g., git.rwth-aachen.de).
  • A system that supports project templates.
  • A tool to automatically generate a project landing page.

Policies & Compliance

  • Public/internal discoverability with repository-level access controls.
  • A mandatory quick-start course on Git, READMEs, Wikis, and Markdown for all participating researchers.

Risks & Mitigations

  • Researchers may be resistant to adopting new, standardized workflows due to the initial learning curve.

    • Provide a mandatory but accessible quick-start training course.
    • Use project templates to simplify the setup process and lower the barrier to entry.
    • Offer direct support for project setup and management.

Getting Started

To begin, you will need access to the specified Git platform. A mandatory quick-start guide will be provided to cover the fundamentals of Git, documentation, and the project workflow.

  1. Complete the mandatory training course on Git and project standards.
  2. Create a new project using one of the available research project templates.
  3. Follow the standardized workflow for development, documentation, and version control.

Resources

FAQ

Is prior knowledge of Git required?

No, but a mandatory quick-start course is required to ensure all team members have a foundational understanding of the tools and workflows.

How are projects made discoverable?

Projects are automatically collected and displayed on a central, publicly accessible landing page.

Glossary

Project Template
A pre-configured repository that provides a standardized structure and files (e.g., README, license, CI/CD configuration) for new projects to ensure consistency.
Landing Page
A central web page that aggregates and provides an overview of multiple research software projects, improving their discoverability.