NHSE Software Review Procedures

Software that has been explicitly submitted to the NHSE by its author(s) is subject to ongoing review. The purpose of review is to give users added confidence in NHSE codes and to allow authors to have claims about their codes confirmed by users and independent reviewers. Through the NHSE Software Catalog, users have access to a review abstract for each submission. The abstract is based on author comments and package documentation, independent reviews, and comments and experiences from users. The abstract states what the review is based on and what components of the review are still ongoing. It includes names of reviewers and of those compiling the abstract. User comments are moderated by the NHSE librarians and NHSE area editors. Forms will be provided on the NHSE Software Catalog pages for submitting user comments.

Although the NHSE does not consider a simple level-based certification to be as useful as the more informative review abstract, for bookkeeping purposes, and for users who desire a quick evaluation method, NHSE codes are classified into three review levels:

• Unreviewed. The submission has not yet been reviewed by the NHSE for conformance with software guidelines. This classification is for unreviewed software available on an ``as is'' basis.

• Checked. The submission has undergone a partial NHSE review to check conformance with the scope, completeness, and documentation guidelines. Checks are carried out by the NHSE librarians or by maintainers of discipline-oriented repositories.

• Reviewed. The submission has achieved the Checked level and has been reviewed by an expert in the appropriate field, such as the author of an article in the electronic journal NHSE Review which began publication in July 1996. The NHSE Review presents articles written by experts that review and compare software for particular areas of HPCC. The NHSE provides a recommended set of review criteria for the Reviewed level.

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