Publish and share open research software
Have you built a tool to analyse research data? Perhaps you have some unique code or script that is necessary to replicate the findings in your publication. These are considered research software and are viewed as important research outputs. As a result, publishing and sharing software you create means getting recognition for your work.
Publish and share open research software introduces you to the benefits of openly sharing your research software.
4. Choose a license for your software or code
Always share your software with an appropriate license. Applying a license:
- states and protects your rights
- provides clear guidance on what users may do with the software.
Commercialisation
Contact UQ Research to discuss software developed at UQ that may be suitable for commercialisation before you license or share it.
How to choose a license
Ownership
Determine if you are the creator or owner of the software before choosing a license. For example, if you are working with other software tools that integrate with your own, you may be constrained by the original licenses or terms and conditions of that software.
If there are no existing licenses or constraints, and you are the owner of the code you can select a software license.
Open licenses
Most research software is licensed under an open-source model using standard licenses. Choose a license that fits the intended use of the software.
- Visit Open Source Initiative for a list of software licenses suitable for substantial pieces of software, tools, and applications.
- Check Creative Commons licenses for small pieces of script or code being published alongside a related dataset.
Copyright information and support
Check our Copyright pages or contact the University Copyright Officer for further information about licensing your work.