July 16, 2026: Good practices for sharing research code

Most research code lives on our laptops in a folder that grows organically over months or years. When the time comes to share it (for a paper, a collaboration, or just our future selves), the folder is hard to clean up and maybe the code does not run anymore.
In this one-hour lecture we look at good practices for reproducible and reusable research code and learn how to improve our own repositories.

We will cover three things:

What makes a good repository: README, license, structure, dependencies, reproducibility, citation metadata.
Where and how to publish: GitHub, Zenodo for archiving and DOI, and the integration between the two.
A demo of an AI-assisted repository reviewer that reads a repository and writes a plain-language report of what to fix before publishing.

The lecture is language agnostic and focuses on data analysis repositories rather than scientific software.

You'll take home a checklist for your own repository, a portable prompt to run a similar audit with your AI tool of choice, and a list of existing tools and references to consult.

When? 16.07.2026 4-5 pm

Where? Online on Webex

Meeting link:
https://fu-berlin.webex.com/fu-berlin-en/j.php?MTID=m34eb076434302e1947afdd0ffd5e8994

Meeting number:
2780 899 3130

Meeting password:
H34QnzCfEn9

Join from a video system or application
Dial 27808993130@fu-berlin.webex.com
You can also dial 62.109.219.4 and enter your meeting number.

Meeting password for video system
43476923

Join by phone
+49-619-6781-9736 Toll
+49-89-95467578 Toll
Access code: 27808993130

Global call-in numbers
https://fu-berlin.webex.com/fu-berlin/globalcallin.php?MTID=m941404a4f3940f01df7af45e2504099d

Meeting password for audio
43476923

Overview Doctorate Procedure

1. Supervision, Topic and Funding

What are the requirements for admission? What has to be done before starting the doctorate? What funding opportunities are there?

2. Start of Work

What insurance cover is required at the start of work?

3. Admission

When and where should I submit my application for doctorate admission? What documents are required for admission?

Mitgliedschaftsverhältnis FU / Enrollment

4. FU Membership and Enrollment

Is there a need to become a member of the FU Berlin? Is enrollment including the student ID card and the semester ticket necessary?

Regelbearbeitungszeit / Standard Time to Completion

5. Standard Time to Completion

What is the standard time to completion for the doctorate? What should I do if the standard time can not be met? How can a change of supervisor take place?

Schreiben der Dissertation / Writing the Thesis

6. Writing the Thesis

Is a monograph necessary or may a cumulative work also be submitted? What must be considered? What should be on the title page?

7. Submission of the Thesis

How many copies have to be submitted? What should be taken into account when submitting a cumulative thesis? Which forms are necessary for submitting the thesis?

8. Review and Display Period

Who appoints the doctoral committee? How is the review procedure organized? How long is the display period?

9. Defense of the Thesis

Who organizes the disputation? When should the disputation be announced? How many members of the doctoral committee must be present? How long does the disputation take?

10. Publication of the Thesis

When does the publication take place? Which kinds of publication are possible? Is the publication required for the award of the certificate?

11. Awarding of the Doctoral Degree

When can the title be used? When and where do I get the certificate?

Das Alumni-Magazin „wir“ der Freien Universität Berlin erscheint zwei Mal im Jahr.

12. Offer: Joining the Alumni Network of ERG

How can I register for the alumni network of the Ernst-Reuter-Gesellschaft? What are the advantages?

Image Credits

Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy

Graduate Center / Doctorate