Resources

Guides for cleaning, documenting, or revisiting older code and data.

Set up continuous integration
Technical

Run tests and build documentation automatically with GitHub Actions.
Acknowledge contributors
Community

Describe how each person helped, in your README and wherever you share the work.
Add a citation file
Preserve and release

A CITATION.cff lets reference managers and GitHub cite your software correctly.
Add a license
Preserve and release

Decide what others may do with your code, data and documentation.
Archive your code
Preserve and release

Deposit a snapshot in Zenodo or Software Heritage, and retire abandoned repositories.
Comment your code
Document

Explain the why, write for your future self, and remove notes once a fix lands.
Develop a project roadmap
Plan

Turn intentions into tasks with tangible, measurable outcomes.
Develop a release strategy
Preserve and release

Choose SemVer, AltVer or CalVer and tag a release users can rely on.
Donate to FOSS projects
Community

Compensate the maintainers of the tools you use most.
List your project in a registry
Community

Make your work findable through open-archaeo and similar community lists.
Open issues
Plan

Report bugs in other projects well, and track your own to-do list in public.
Optimize speed and efficiency
Technical

Profile first, then fix the few code paths that cost the most.
Perform a code review
Community

Review software you rely on and publish the appraisal where others will find it.
Post a code of conduct
Community

Set expectations for behaviour and write a plan for enforcing them.
Test your code
Technical

Write one unit test for one function, then build from there.
Write a better README
Document

Give a newcomer what they need to understand and run your code.
Write comprehensive documentation
Document

Manual pages, vignettes and a documentation website for R and Python projects.
Write contributor guidelines
Community

Tell prospective contributors how to engage with your codebase.
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