Announcing howfairis 2.0: Embracing FAIR4RS Metrics for Better FAIR Software Assessment
We’re thrilled to announce that howfairis is getting a major update! Since its inception, howfairis has been a valuable tool for assessing the FAIRness of research software based on recommendations from the fair-software.eu website. Now, we are working on howfairis 2.0, which will incorporate the latest FAIR4RS metrics, offering a more comprehensive and precise evaluation of software compliance with FAIR principles. Read on to learn more about what’s coming in this new version!
We are excited to announce that we are working on the 2.0 version of howfairis, our tool that automates the assessment of software compliance with the five recommendations. Since its creation, howfairis has helped developers and researchers evaluate their software based on five key recommendations from the fair-software.eu website, which was endorsed by a wide range of organizations. The tool has been used across many software repositories to ensure that software aligns with principles of being Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR).
However, in 2022, a group of experts in the research software community introduced a more detailed and comprehensive set of metrics for FAIR software known as FAIR4RS. These metrics have since gained widespread recognition as the state-of-the-art guidelines for assessing the FAIRness of research software. While howfairis was one of the pioneering tools for automating FAIR software assessments, the time has come for us to update our approach to reflect these new standards.
What is FAIR4RS?
FAIR4RS (FAIR for Research Software) extends the original FAIR data principles by providing more detailed metrics tailored specifically for software. These metrics were developed by a global working group of research software experts and focus on:- Improving software findability, beyond metadata and documentation
- Enhancing accessibility and reproducibility for the research community
- Promoting interoperability with other tools, frameworks, and datasets
- Encouraging reusability by focusing on quality, sustainability, and open licenses
FAIR4RS is now seen as the leading framework for evaluating software in research, making it crucial for tools like howfairis to align with these principles.
What’s new in howfairis 2.0?
In the upcoming version, howfairis 2.0 will be fully updated to use the FAIR4RS metrics for its assessments. This update will bring several key improvements, including:- Expanded Evaluation Scope: We will move beyond the original five recommendations from fair-software.eu to assess software across the comprehensive FAIR4RS guidelines.
- Detailed Metrics: Software will be evaluated with more granularity, offering insights into how well it adheres to modern best practices in research software development.
- Better Reporting: Reports generated by howfairis 2.0 will provide clearer, more actionable feedback, allowing developers to make informed improvements to the FAIRness of their software.
- Community-Driven Updates: We are actively engaging with the research software community to ensure the new version meets the needs of its users and stays aligned with evolving standards.
Why this update matters
As research increasingly relies on software, ensuring that software is FAIR is essential for improving scientific transparency, reproducibility, and collaboration. The howfairis tool has helped many in the community, and we believe that by updating to FAIR4RS, howfairis 2.0 will continue to serve as a vital resource for researchers, software developers, and institutions alike.
We are excited to bring howfairis into this new era of research software assessment and look forward to sharing more updates with you soon. Stay tuned for the release of howfairis 2.0 and feel free to get in touch if you'd like to learn more or contribute to this important effort.
Let’s continue building software that accelerates science—together!