Software and Code Finder: making research outputs visible

Abstract

QUT’s Software and Code Finder is a searchable registry of code and software which has been created as a result of QUT research activities. The registry is designed to aid the discovery and visibility of QUT research outputs and encourage sharing and re-use of code and software throughout research communities, both nationally and internationally. Software and code as research outputs can be registered and shared openly with other researchers via a link in Software and Code Finder (from GitHub, SourceForge or Google Code, etc) or by mediation via the researcher. Records describing software and code are connected to information on researchers, research groups, publications and related projects. Links to the software or code location are provided alongside licencing and re-use information. Records in Software and Code Finder are linked to related records in the University’s data registry (QUT Research Data Finder) and related publications in the institutional repository (QUT ePrints). This poster describes the rationale for having a metadata registry for software and code, the linkage between the registry and other internal and external repositories and the issues which arose during the development stage.