The Research Software Spotlights are interview-style features that put African-developed research software in the spotlight — covering the problem it solves, the people who build and maintain it, and the researchers who rely on it.
There is no selection process — every submission gets featured. When you submit, we’ll also ask whether you’d like your software listed in the African Research Software Directory — there are no criteria, any software is welcome.
The process has two steps. First, you complete a short submission form with the basic details about your software. We then follow up with the interview questions below. Most responses are a few sentences to a short paragraph. We edit for clarity and length, and you’ll have a chance to review before anything is published.
Not every question will apply to every software — skip anything that isn’t relevant. And if there’s something important about your software that we haven’t asked, please include it.
What the submission form asks for#
These details are used for the spotlight article and, if you’d like, for the African Research Software Directory.
- Software name
- Repository or website URL
- One-sentence description of what the software does
- Programming language(s)
- Research domain — Astronomy, Data Science & NLP, Health, Geospatial, Environment & Ecology, Biomedical, or Other
- Country or region where the software is primarily developed or maintained
- Institution or organisation
- License (e.g. MIT, GPL-3.0, Apache-2.0, proprietary, not yet decided)
- Status — Active, Maintained, Archived, or Unmaintained
- Your contact details so we can send you the interview questions
Interview questions#
1. Introduce the software — what does it do, and what research problem does it solve?
We’re looking for a clear, jargon-light explanation that any researcher could understand.
2. What inspired its development, and when did work begin?
The origin story — what gap existed, what motivated the team, and how it got started.
3. Who develops and maintains it? Tell us about the team.
Names, affiliations, roles, and how the team came together. We also include developer profiles alongside the article.
4. Who uses this software, and how does it support their research? Can you share a specific example?
Real use cases make spotlights compelling. If you can name a project, institution, or researcher who has benefited, that’s ideal.
5. What has been the most challenging aspect of building or maintaining it?
Technical challenges, resource constraints, keeping up with dependencies — whatever has been the hardest part.
6. Is it open source? How is ongoing development sustained?
Licensing, funding, volunteer effort, institutional support — how does the software keep going?
7. What impact has the software had — on research, on the people who use it, or on the wider community?
Think beyond formal metrics. Who relies on it, and how has it changed their work? Has it enabled research that would not otherwise have been possible? Has it been used in teaching, training, or capacity building? Has it influenced policy or practice? Any evidence of reach or value — however measured — is welcome.
8. How can people access or engage with [software name] — whether as users, collaborators, or followers of its development?
This might mean how to download or request access, who to contact, what documentation exists, whether external contributions are welcome, or simply how to keep up with the project.
9. What’s next for the software?
Planned features, funding bids, community growth, sustainability goals — what does the future look like?
Anything else you’d like to share?
If there’s something important about the software, the team, or the context that the questions above didn’t capture, please add it here.
Ready to get featured? Submit via GitLab issue or email team@rsse.africa.