How to Read a Research Compendium

TL;DR

This paper extends Keshav's three-pass reading method to research compendia, offering structured guidance for effectively reading and understanding comprehensive, reproducible scientific packages that include data and software.

Contribution

It introduces a structured approach for reading research compendia, adapting existing methods to this emerging, comprehensive publication format.

Findings

Provides a structured reading process for research compendia

Highlights conventions and shared properties of research compendia

Aims to guide researchers in the initial adoption of compendia reading

Abstract

Researchers spend a great deal of time reading research papers. Keshav (2012) provides a three-pass method to researchers to improve their reading skills. This article extends Keshav's method for reading a research compendium. Research compendia are an increasingly used form of publication, which packages not only the research paper's text and figures, but also all data and software for better reproducibility. We introduce the existing conventions for research compendia and suggest how to utilise their shared properties in a structured reading process. Unlike the original, this article is not build upon a long history but intends to provide guidance at the outset of an emerging practice.