Science as Amateur Software Development (2023 edition)

Software is both a cause of unreliable research and part of the solution. The bulk of scientific research relies upon specialized software for data management and analysis. The bad news is that much of this software is poorly tested and documented, and researchers often use software in unreliable ways. Part of the problem is that researchers are being asked to perform a job they have not been trained for: software development. The good news is that borrowing simple habits and open tools from software engineering brings huge benefits. Even more good news: Specialized curricula already exist to train scientists to develop and use these habits in their own research.