SoftwareX aims to acknowledge the impact of software on today’s research practice, and on new scientific discoveries in almost all research domains. SoftwareX also aims to stress the importance of the software developers who are, in part, responsible for this impact.

To this end, SoftwareX aims to support publication of research software in such a way that:

• The software is given a stamp of scientific relevance, and provided with a peer-reviewed recognition of scientific impact;
• The software developers are given the credits they deserve;
• The software is citable, allowing traditional metrics of scientific excellence to apply;
• The academic career paths of software developers are supported rather than hindered;
• The software is publicly available for inspection, validation, and re-use.

Above all, SoftwareX aims to inform researchers about software applications, tools and libraries with a (proven) potential to impact the process of scientific discovery in various domains. The journal is multidisciplinary and accepts submissions from within and across subject domains such as those represented within the broad thematic areas below:

• Mathematical and Physical Sciences;
• Environmental Sciences;
• Medical and Biological Sciences;
• Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

Originating from these broad thematic areas, the journal also welcomes submissions of software that works in cross cutting thematic areas, such as citizen science, cybersecurity, digital economy, energy, global resource stewardship, health and wellbeing, etcetera.

SoftwareX specifically aims to accept submissions representing domain-independent software that may impact more than one research domain.

Domain independent underpinning software tools and technologies have for too long been underrepresented in academic literature. We wish to ensure that these software items get academic recognition and welcome submissions of software tools and services that may otherwise not have a publication home. Examples include mathematical or image processing libraries or methodologies, visualization tools, data management, etcetera.

Through the quality of the description and of the (potential) impact of the software deposited we aim that significant reuse will occur both within and without the original developing domain and therefore encourage consideration of this reuse factor when submitting and in the language used within the description.