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JOSS-Style Software Paper Submission Checklist

Date: 2026-05-06

This checklist freezes the submission boundary for the short JOSS-style software note. It indexes committed paper and package artefacts only. It does not claim that JOSS, pyOpenSci, or arXiv submission has already happened.

Submission Scope

Supported:

  • Research software package for Kuramoto-XY quantum-control workflows.
  • Python/Qiskit public interface with selected Rust/PyO3 hot-path kernels.
  • Hardware artefact packaging: job identifiers, raw counts, metadata, and integrity hashes.
  • Benchmark artefact discipline through committed JSON/CSV summaries.
  • Public scpn-bench reproducibility CLI.
  • Documentation site and repository links from package metadata.
  • Companion DLA parity and Rust/VQE methods artefacts as application evidence.

Not supported:

  • A broad quantum-advantage claim.
  • A claim that Rust accelerates the whole VQE or Qiskit transpilation workflow.
  • A claim that the software replaces Qiskit, PennyLane, QuTiP, or general quantum-control frameworks.
  • A claim that all optional extras are required for normal installation.
  • A claim that paper tables can be edited manually without regenerated artefacts.

JOSS / pyOpenSci Boundary

The paper should be framed as software infrastructure, not as the primary experimental result. The primary contribution is the reusable workflow:

  • model-to-Hamiltonian conversion;
  • topology-informed ansatz construction;
  • simulator and hardware-run packaging;
  • benchmark artefact regeneration;
  • provenance and claim-boundary documentation.

The DLA parity, SCPN/FIM, and Rust/VQE methods papers can be cited as research applications, but the JOSS-style note should remain focused on package purpose, installation, documentation, examples, tests, and archival metadata.

Required Claim Wording

Use the conservative claim:

scpn-quantum-control is a specialised, reproducible workflow package for Kuramoto-XY NISQ studies, combining Qiskit orchestration, selected Rust/PyO3 kernels, benchmark harnesses, and hardware artefact packaging.

Avoid the stronger claim:

scpn-quantum-control is a general quantum simulator or quantum-advantage engine.

Committed Artefact Index

Item Path
JOSS paper source paper/submissions_joss/submission_joss_001_software_framework_note/paper.md
JOSS preview source paper/submissions_joss/submission_joss_001_software_framework_note/paper_preview.tex
JOSS preview PDF paper/submissions_joss/submission_joss_001_software_framework_note/paper_preview.pdf
Project metadata pyproject.toml
README literature/README.md
Documentation site config mkdocs.yml
Benchmark dashboard docs/methods_benchmark_dashboard.md
DLA submission checklist docs/publication/dla_parity_submission_checklist_2026-05-06.md
Rust/VQE submission checklist docs/publication/rust_vqe_methods_submission_checklist_2026-05-06.md
Software artefacts data/rust_vqe_methods/
Hardware validation package docs/publication/publication_phase2_package_2026-05-05.md

Metadata Gate

Before submission:

  • Verify pyproject.toml version matches the intended release tag.
  • Verify repository URL is https://github.com/anulum/scpn-quantum-control.
  • Verify documentation URL is https://anulum.github.io/scpn-quantum-control.
  • Verify issue tracker URL points to the public GitHub repository.
  • Verify author ORCID is 0009-0009-3560-0851.
  • Verify the software licence shown in the paper matches AGPL-3.0-or-later.
  • Verify any Zenodo DOI listed in the paper resolves to the intended software or data record.

Reproducibility Gate

Run before changing any numerical sentence in the JOSS-style note:

scpn-bench reproduce-methods

Optional supporting checks:

scpn-bench all --dry-run
scpn-bench reproduce-methods --include-scaling

The JOSS-style note may cite benchmark artefacts, but it should not become a performance paper. Detailed benchmark tables belong in the Rust/VQE methods paper and dashboard.

Final Manual Pre-Upload Gate

Before JOSS, pyOpenSci, or arXiv upload:

  • Rebuild paper/submissions_joss/submission_joss_001_software_framework_note/paper_preview.pdf from paper/submissions_joss/submission_joss_001_software_framework_note/paper_preview.tex if the preview source changed.
  • Verify paper/submissions_joss/submission_joss_001_software_framework_note/paper.md has valid YAML metadata and bibliography links.
  • Verify every benchmark number in paper/submissions_joss/submission_joss_001_software_framework_note/paper.md appears in committed JSON/CSV artefacts or is removed.
  • Verify the quickstart imports still match public package APIs.
  • Verify installation instructions do not require optional IBM, GPU, Julia, or domain extras for the default path.
  • Verify optional extras are described as optional.
  • Verify the AI disclosure, if required by the venue, is minimal and does not replace the author responsibility statement.
  • Verify no internal coordination paths, private data locations, credentials, or provider tokens appear in the paper.

QPU Boundary

No QPU time is required for this software submission package. Hardware examples must cite committed raw-count artefacts only. New provider runs require a separate manifest, budget estimate, and explicit approval.