The case for open computer programs
Top Cited Papers
- 22 February 2012
- journal article
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature
- Vol. 482 (7386) , 485-488
- https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10836
Abstract
Scientific communication relies on evidence that cannot be entirely included in publications, but the rise of computational science has added a new layer of inaccessibility. Although it is now accepted that data should be made available on request, the current regulations regarding the availability of software are inconsistent. We argue that, with some exceptions, anything less than the release of source programs is intolerable for results that depend on computation. The vagaries of hardware, software and natural language will always ensure that exact reproducibility remains uncertain, but withholding code increases the chances that efforts to reproduce results will fail.Keywords
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