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Good enough practices in scientific computing

Author

Listed:
  • Greg Wilson
  • Jennifer Bryan
  • Karen Cranston
  • Justin Kitzes
  • Lex Nederbragt
  • Tracy K Teal

Abstract

Author summary: Computers are now essential in all branches of science, but most researchers are never taught the equivalent of basic lab skills for research computing. As a result, data can get lost, analyses can take much longer than necessary, and researchers are limited in how effectively they can work with software and data. Computing workflows need to follow the same practices as lab projects and notebooks, with organized data, documented steps, and the project structured for reproducibility, but researchers new to computing often don't know where to start. This paper presents a set of good computing practices that every researcher can adopt, regardless of their current level of computational skill. These practices, which encompass data management, programming, collaborating with colleagues, organizing projects, tracking work, and writing manuscripts, are drawn from a wide variety of published sources from our daily lives and from our work with volunteer organizations that have delivered workshops to over 11,000 people since 2010.

Suggested Citation

  • Greg Wilson & Jennifer Bryan & Karen Cranston & Justin Kitzes & Lex Nederbragt & Tracy K Teal, 2017. "Good enough practices in scientific computing," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pcbi00:1005510
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005510
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Geir Kjetil Sandve & Anton Nekrutenko & James Taylor & Eivind Hovig, 2013. "Ten Simple Rules for Reproducible Computational Research," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(10), pages 1-4, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Nüst & Vanessa Sochat & Ben Marwick & Stephen J Eglen & Tim Head & Tony Hirst & Benjamin D Evans, 2020. "Ten simple rules for writing Dockerfiles for reproducible data science," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(11), pages 1-24, November.

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