# Software must be recognised as an important output of scholarly research

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.07571 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.07571/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 15 Nov 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [How do software citation formats evolve over time? A longitudinal analysis of R programming language packages](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.09390/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Software now lies at the heart of scholarly research. Here we argue that as well as being important from a methodological perspective, software should, in many instances, be recognised as an output of research, equivalent to an academic paper. The article discusses the different roles that software may play in research and highlights the relationship between software and research sustainability and reproducibility. It describes the challenges associated with the processes of citing and reviewing software, which differ from those used for papers. We conclude that whilst software outputs do not necessarily fit comfortably within the current publication model, there is a great deal of positive work underway that is likely to make an impact in addressing this.