Referencing of complex software environments as representations of research data

Abstract

Complex software environments, like virtual research environments or visualisation frameworks, are increasingly used to conduct research and present its results. While there is a growing amount for solutions facilitating the (granular) citation of publications and research data, the citation of complex software environments remains a challenge. This abstract outlines the challenges and introduces an approach for referencing software environments developed in the Humanities Data Centre project: the application preservation.