Concept

At the center of the reproducibility concept are the definitions of result, source, and secondary files:

• Result files are all files that the author uses to document his findings. At SEP, result files are often figures in various graphic formats, such as postscript.
• Source files are the minimum set of files required to reproduce all the result files. This usually comprises C or FORTRAN source code, TEX files, makefiles, and data input files.
• Secondary files are all intermediate files which a reader creates when reproducing the result files from the source files.

A makefile - usually a source file itself - contains rules for isolating each set of files and for recreating the result files after their removal. Ultimately, a reader can dissect the document and observe or alter its reassembly.