maintenance_curation.pt.Rmd

---
aliases:
  - curationpolicy.html
---

# Package Curation Policy {#curationpolicy}

```{block, type="summaryblock"}
This chapter summarizes a proposed curation policy for rOpenSci's
ongoing maintenance of packages developed as part of rOpenSci activities
and/or under the rOpenSci GitHub organization. This curation policy aims
to support these goals:

-   Ensure packages provided by rOpenSci are up-to-date and high quality

-   Provide clarity as to the development status and and review status
    of any software in rOpenSci repositories

-   Manage maintenance effort for rOpenSci staff, package authors, and
    volunteer contributors

-   Provide a mechanism to gracefully sunset packages while maintaining
    peer-review badging

```

Elements of infrastructure described
below needed for implementation of the policy are in some cases partly
built and in other cases not yet begun. We aim to adopt this policy in
part to prioritize work on these components.

## The package registry {#the-package-registry}

- The rOpenSci package
  [registry](https://github.com/ropensci/roregistry)
  is a central listing of R packages currently or formerly
  maintained or reviewed by rOpenSci. It contains essential package
  metadata including development and review status, and will be the
  source of data for display on websites, badges, etc. It will allow
  this listing to be maintained independently of package or
  infrastructure hosting platforms.

## Staff-maintained packages {#staff-maintained-packages}

Staff-maintained packages are developed and maintained by rOpenSci staff
as part of rOpenSci projects. These packages may also be peer-reviewed
packages, but are not necessarily peer reviewed. Many are infrastructure
packages that fall out of scope for peer review.

- Staff-maintained packages will be listed in the registry with tag
  "staff\_maintained" and listed on rOpenSci's packages web page or similar
  venues with tag "staff-maintained"

- These packages will be stored in the "ropensci" GitHub
  organization

- Staff-maintained packages and their docs will be built by rOpenSci
  [system](https://status.ropensci.org/). This system does not send notifications
  but it outputs results as GitHub commit status (red check mark or red cross).

- When the packages fail checks, rOpenSci staff will endeavor to fix
  changes, prioritizing packages based on user base (downloads),
  reverse dependencies, or strategic goals.

- On a biannual or annual basis, rOpenSci will review all packages
  that have been failing for over a month to determine whether to transfer them to the ["ropensci-archive" GitHub organization](https://github.com/ropensci-archive).

- Packages consistently failing and without an ongoing plan to return
  to active maintenance will move to "archive" status. When
  archived, staff packages will move to the "ropensci-archive"
  repository (to be created) and and gain the "archived" type in
  the registry. They will not be built on rOpenSci system.

- Archived packages will not be displayed by default on the packages
  web page. A special tab of packages pages will display
  these with `"type": "archived"`
  that were either peer-reviewed or staff-maintained.

- Archived packages can be unarchived when the old or a new maintainer
  is willing to address the problems and wants to revive the
  package. For that please [contact rOpenSci](https://ropensci.org/contact/).
  They are transferred to the ropenscilabs organization.

## Peer-reviewed packages {#peer-reviewed-packages}

Peer-reviewed packages are those contributed to the rOpenSci by the
community and have passed through peer review. They need to be
[in-scope](#aims-and-scope)
at the time of submission to be reviewed.

- Upon acceptance, these peer-reviewed packages are transferred from
  the author's GitHub to the "ropensci" GitHub organization

- Peer-reviewed packages will be in the registry tagged as
  "peer-reviewed" and have a peer-reviewed badge in their README.

- Peer-reviewed packages will be listed on rOpenSci's web page or
  similar venues with tag "peer-reviewed"

- Peer-reviewed packages and their docs will be built by rOpenSci
  [system](https://status.ropensci.org/). This system does not send notifications
  but it outputs results as GitHub commit status (red check mark or red cross).

- Annually or bi-annually, rOpenSci staff will review packages in a
  failing state or have been failing for extended periods, and
  contact the authors to determine ongoing maintenance status and
  expected updates. Based on this exchange, rOpenSci may opt to
  retain the package's current status with the expectation of an
  updates, contribute support or seek a new maintainer, or transfer
  the package to "archived" status.

- Based on user base (measured by downloads), reverse dependencies, or
  rOpenSci strategic goals, rOpenSci staff may support failing
  packages via PRs reviewed by package authors, or direct changes
  (if authors are unresponsive for approximately a month). rOpenSci
  will also provide support to package authors on request, both by
  staff and community volunteers, based on time available.

- At the author's request, or if authors are unresponsive to
  inquiries for approximately a month, rOpenSci may seek a new
  maintainer for select peer-reviewed packages it deems have high
  community value based on user base/downloads, reverse
  dependencies, or rOpenSci strategic goals.

- When archived, these packages will move from the "ropensci" GitHub
  organization to the "ropensci-archive" organization (or author
  GitHub accounts if desired), following [transfer guidance](#archivalguidance). They will gain the "archived" type
  in the registry. They will retain "peer-reviewed" tags and
  badges. They will not be built on rOpenSci system.

- Archived packages will not be displayed by default. A special tab of packages
  pages will display these with `"type": "archived"`
  that were either peer-reviewed or staff-maintained.

## Legacy acquired packages {#legacy-acquired-packages}

"Legacy" packages are packages not created or maintained by rOpenSci
staff and not peer reviewed, but are under the rOpenSci GitHub
organization(s) due to historical reasons. (Prior to establishing the
peer review process and its scope, rOpenSci absorbed packages from
various developers without well-defined criteria.)

- rOpenSci will transfer legacy packages back to author organizations
  and repositories. If authors are uninterested, we will transfer
  them to the "ropensci-archive" repository following [transfer guidance](#archivalguidance). If packages are
  [in-scope](https://devguide.ropensci.org/policies.html#aims-and-scope),
  rOpenSci will inquire if authors would like to submit them to the
  Software Review process.

- Legacy packages will not be listed in the package registry.

- Exceptions may be made for packages that are vital parts of the R and/or rOpenSci package ecosystem which are actively monitored by staff.

## Incubator packages {#incubator-packages}

"Incubator" packages are in-development packages created by staff or
community members as part of community projects, such as those created
at unconferences

- Incubator packages will live in the "ropenscilabs" organization.

- Incubator packages will appear in the package registry with the
  "incubator" tag

- Incubator packages will not appear on the website by default, but
  packages pages will include an "experimental packages" tab.

- Incubator packages and their docs will be built by rOpenSci
  [system](https://status.ropensci.org/). This system does not send notifications
  but it outputs results as GitHub commit status (red check mark or red cross).
  The docs will indicate clearly the package is experimental.

- Biannually or annually, rOpenSci will contact incubator maintainers
  about repositories at least three months old, inquiring about
  development status and author preferences for migration to
  peer-review, ropensci-archive, or to author organizations. Based
  on response, package will be migrated immediately, peer review
  will be initiated, or migration will be deferred to the next
  review. Incubator packages will be migrated to ropensci-archive by
  default after one year, following [transfer guidance](#archivalguidance).

- Archived incubator packages will gain the "archived" type.

### Incubator non-R-packages {#incubator-non-r-packages}

- The "incubator" organization will also include non-R-package
  projects.

- These projects will not be listed in the registry or appear on a web
  page, and will not be automatically built.

- Migration policy will be the same as for R packages, with
  appropriate migration locations (e.g., ropensci-books)

- If archived, non-R-packages will move to "ropensci-archive" following [transfer guidance](#archivalguidance).

## Books {#books}

rOpenSci books are long-form documentation, often bookdown-formatted,
related to rOpenSci packages, projects, or themes, created by both
rOpenSci staff and community members.

- Books will live in the "ropensci-books" organization

- Books will be hosted at books.ropensci.org

- Books may be mature or in-development, but must have minimal
  outlines/content before migrating into "ropensci-books" (e.g.
  from "ropenscilabs").

- The authorship and development status of a book should be clearly
  described on its home page and README.

- rOpenSci may provide badges or templates (e.g., "In development,"
  "Community Maintained,") for authors to use on book home pages
  in the future