EVERSE Reference Framework

The EVERSE Reference Framework (RF) establishes quality assessment standards for research software across diverse research communities. It serves as both a theoretical foundation and practical guide for research software quality.

About

The RF addresses research software quality through four main pillars:

• Technical dimensions based on ISO/IEC 25010:2023 standards
• FAIR principles for research software
• Open source software practices
• Sustainability considerations

The framework targets multiple stakeholder groups through four complementary views:

• Three-tier model categorising software by complexity
• Software lifecycle development stages
• Personas role-based perspectives
• Science clusters domain-specific applications

Current version

Version 2.0 (published July 2025)

Repository structure

reference-framework/
├── README.md
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
├── LICENSE
├── Makefile                           # Build targets (pdf, html, markdown)
├── templates/
│   └── everse.latex                   # Pandoc LaTeX template
├── source/
│   ├── main.md                        # Metadata (title, version, authors)
│   ├── 01-introduction/
│   │   └── index.md
│   ├── 02-framework/
│   │   ├── index.md
│   │   ├── technical-dimensions.md
│   │   ├── fair.md
│   │   ├── open-source-software.md
│   │   └── sustainability.md
│   ├── 03-views/
│   │   ├── index.md
│   │   ├── three-tiers.md
│   │   ├── software-lifecycle.md
│   │   ├── personas.md
│   │   └── science-clusters.md
│   ├── 04-conclusions/
│   │   └── index.md
│   └── figures/                       # Diagrams and images
└── assets/
    └── EVERSE_reference_framework_v2.pdf

Editing and building locally

Prerequisites

To build the PDF you need:

• Pandoc (3.0 or later)
• A TeX Live installation with LuaLaTeX and the following packages: titlesec, setspace, fontspec, fancyhdr, geometry, longtable, booktabs, tex-gyre fonts
• GNU Make

On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install pandoc texlive-luatex texlive-latex-extra texlive-fonts-extra make

On macOS (with Homebrew):

brew install pandoc make
brew install --cask mactex

On Fedora:

sudo dnf install pandoc texlive-scheme-medium texlive-titlesec texlive-setspace texlive-tex-gyre make

Editing

The document source lives under source/ as Markdown files. Edit the files directly -- they are combined in the order listed in the Makefile. Metadata (title, version, authors) is in source/main.md.

Images go in source/figures/ and are referenced with relative paths from each Markdown file, e.g.:

![Caption text](../figures/my-figure.png){ width=70% }

The { width=70% } attribute controls how wide the figure appears in the PDF (percentage of page width).

Building

From the repository root:

# Build PDF (default target)
make pdf

# Build single-file HTML
make html

# Build combined Markdown
make markdown

# Remove all build output
make clean

Output is written to the build/ directory.

Development workflow

The Reference Framework follows a periodic release model:

• GitHub main branch: Contains work-in-progress for the next version
• Zenodo releases: Stable, citable versions with DOIs
• Version releases: Major versions only (v2, v3, v4...)

Release process

1. Work on main branch accumulates changes and improvements
2. When ready for release, create git tag (e.g., v3.0)
3. Generate PDF from markdown source
4. Publish to Zenodo with DOI
5. Continue development on main for next version

Between releases

• Changes tracked via GitHub issues and pull requests
• Feedback from TF2 meetings, presentations, and community incorporated
• No automatic synchronisation from other EVERSE repositories (indicators, RSQKit)
• Alignment maintained through manual review and discussion

How to contribute

The Reference Framework is developed collaboratively by the EVERSE team. To propose changes:

1. Create an issue describing the proposed change
2. Fork this repository
3. Make your changes in a branch
4. Submit a pull request referencing the issue

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

Relationship to other EVERSE tools

• RSQKit: Actionable knowledge hub translating RF concepts into practical guidance
• TechRadar: Tool cataloguing system
• Indicators repository: Canonical source for dimensions and indicators data
• QualityPipelines/resqui: Automated assessment tools
• DashVERSE: Visualisation platform

The RF provides conceptual foundations whilst these tools enable practical implementation.

Versions

• v2.0 (July 2025): Twelve quality dimensions established (nine technical plus FAIR, Open Source Software, and Sustainability)
• v3.0 (target Summer 2026): Refinement and integration of community feedback

How to cite

EVERSE Consortium. (2025). EVERSE Reference Framework for Research Software Quality (v2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15856368

Contact

For questions about the Reference Framework, contact the EVERSE Task Force 2 team or open an issue in this repository.

Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Acknowledgements

This work is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101129744 (EVERSE).