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In progress Updated 29 October 2026

Defining research software

A FAIR lesson plan for trainers and educators.

FAIR principles covered
F Findability A Accessibility I Interoperability R Reusability
Session profile
0 min 0 activities Beginner–Expert

Overview

A FAIR lesson plan for trainers and educators.

Topic, definition and scope

  • Differentiating research software and software in research
  • Where research software lies in the research cycle
  • Identifying the role of research software in research outputs (e.g., publications)
  • The challenges facing research software
  • Ways in which reseach software can be credited

Exercises

  • Identify an example of software in research
  • Identify an example of research software
  • What were some of the challenges you faced in developing research software?
  • How might researchers get ‘credit’ for developing research software?
  • How can researchers give credit to others when using research software?

Learning outcomes

  1. 1

    Provide a concise definition of research software.

  2. 2

    Differentiate between research software and 'software in research'.

  3. 3

    Provide examples of research software (e.g., a GitHub repository, a file on your local machine).

  4. 4

    Understand the challenges facing the development of research software in the current academic landscape.

Lesson agenda

0 activities · 0 min total · grouped by phase

Summary of tasks and actions

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Materials and equipment

For participants
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For the trainer
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CITE THIS LESSON PLAN

Pronk T, Langton S. Defining research software. Version 1.0. FAIR Lesson Plan Handbook [Internet]. 2026. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5072/zenodo.627823

Licence CC BY 4.0 DOI 10.5072/zenodo.627823 (sandbox DOI, not citable) Last updated 29 October 2026