Software citation needs better standards and easier workflows
Best practices in software citation
Digital Libraries
Summary
Software is an important part of research, but scientists often don’t cite software properly. This leads to problems like difficulty in repeating experiments and not giving credit to software creators. The authors analyze cultural and technical reasons for poor citation and suggest ways to improve habits, community rules, and tools. They also discuss new challenges from AI-assisted research. They say journal editors and publishers have an important role in making software citation easy and standard practice.
What this means in practice
- •For journal editors and publishers: Design journal policies and submission workflows that make correct software citation straightforward and routine for authors.
- •For research software developers: Develop tools and metadata standards that support complete and machine-actionable citation of software in research projects.
A position paper. It proposes an approach and reports no results.
Authors
Phil R. Van-Lane, Floor S. Broekgaarden, Daniel S. Katz, Bhavesh Patel, Pengyin Shan, Jonathan Starr, Samantha Teplitzky, Peter K. G. Williams, Alice Allen, Lucas M. de Sá, Andrew Fullard, Sandra Gesing, Tom Wagg, Andrea Zonca
Abstract
Software is both a foundational tool and a primary output of modern computational research, yet citation practices for software remain inconsistent, incomplete, and rarely machine-actionable. Existing infrastructure designed for paper and data citation does not adequately serve the distinct needs of software citation, leaving a gap that impedes reproducibility, misattributes scholarly credit, and obscures the labor embedded in research pipelines. Drawing on a NASA-funded community workshop held in April 2026, we present an analysis of four interconnected themes: (I)~the cultural barriers to consistent citation practice; (II)~the need for clearer community norms and conventions; (III)~gaps in existing technical infrastructure and workflow; and (IV)~the emerging challenges posed by AI-assisted research. For each theme we identify targeted interventions and assign responsibility across stakeholder groups. We conclude that meaningful progress requires simultaneous action on technical and cultural fronts. Journal editors and publishers represent the single highest-leverage point for accelerating this change, and correct citation must become the path of least resistance within researchers' existing workflows.