Realization of best practices in software engineering and scientific writing through ready-to-use project skeletons

Abstract

AbstractEfforts in providing high-quality scientific software are hardly rewarded, as scientific output is typically measured in terms of publications in high ranking journals. As a result, scientific software is often developed without proper documentation and support of modern software design patterns. Ready-to-use project skeletons can be employed to accelerate the development process, while at the same time taking care of the implementation of best practices in software engineering. In this work, we revisit best practices in software engineering and review existing project skeletons. Special emphasis is given on the realization of best practices. Finally, we present a new project skeleton for scientific writing in "Image missing", which takes care of the attainment of best practices, adapted for being used in academic publications.