Speaker: Michael Sparks (University of Manchester)

When: Wednesday 27th May 2026, 3pm

Where: Kennedy SR2

Abstract

The Research Software Quality Toolkit (RSQKit), developed by the EVERSE project, lists curated best practices for improving the quality of research software. It is intended for researchers, research software engineers, as well as those running research infrastructures involving software or engaged in research software policy and funding.

These practices are informed by software excellence and quality in a research context, with a focus on FAIR software, open research, community development, and software engineering across different tiers of research software (analysis scripts, prototype tools, and research software infrastructure). RSQKit links to tools and resources that support these practices, including software quality dimensions, indicators, and tasks to guide their use, alongside training resources and existing guides.

EVERSE is a multi-institution, EU-funded collaboration that aims to create a framework for research software and code excellence, collaboratively designed and championed by research communities, including physics and astronomy. Its broader ambition is to contribute to a cultural change in which research software is recognised as a first-class component of the scientific process, and those who contribute to it are appropriately credited.

This talk introduces EVERSE and RSQKit, outlining its aims and architecture, and explores how these best practices can map to real research workflows. It will also invite discussion and feedback from researchers who write and maintain code.