Not just for programmers: How GitHub can accelerate collaborative and reproducible research in ecology and evolution
[1];
[2];
[3];
[4];
[3];
[5];
[6];
[7];
[8];
[3];
[9];
[10];
[11];
[12];
[13];
[14];
[13]
- Department of Biology Concordia University Montréal Québec Canada
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Québec Canada
- Department of Biology Carleton University Ottawa Ontario Canada
- Communications &, Cyber Technologies University of Arizona Arizona Tucson USA
- School of Natural Sciences University of California Merced California USA
- Terrestrial Biodiversity Norwegian Institute for Nature Research – NINA Trondheim Norway
- Department of Biology Georgetown University Washington District of Columbia USA
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
- Departments of Zoology and Botany University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
- Fisheries Department, Faculty of Natural Resources University of Guilan Sowmeh Sara Iran
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture Ordu University Ordu Turkey
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley California USA
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies, Hatfield Marine Science Center Oregon State University Newport Oregon USA
Abstract Researchers in ecology and evolutionary biology are increasingly dependent on computational code to conduct research. Hence, the use of efficient methods to share, reproduce, and collaborate on code as well as document research is fundamental. GitHub is an online, cloud‐based service that can help researchers track, organize, discuss, share, and collaborate on software and other materials related to research production, including data, code for analyses, and protocols. Despite these benefits, the use of GitHub in ecology and evolution is not widespread. To help researchers in ecology and evolution adopt useful features from GitHub to improve their research workflows, we review 12 practical ways to use the platform. We outline features ranging from low to high technical difficulty, including storing code, managing projects, coding collaboratively, conducting peer review, writing a manuscript, and using automated and continuous integration to streamline analyses. Given that members of a research team may have different technical skills and responsibilities, we describe how the optimal use of GitHub features may vary among members of a research collaboration. As more ecologists and evolutionary biologists establish their workflows using GitHub, the field can continue to push the boundaries of collaborative, transparent, and open research.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Earth & Environmental Systems Science (EESS)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 1971145
- Journal Information:
- Methods in Ecology and Evolution (Online), Journal Name: Methods in Ecology and Evolution (Online) Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 14; ISSN 2041-210X
- Publisher:
- Wiley-BlackwellCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
S