Toward Open Governance in Research Software for Communication and Media Research: Principles, Dimensions, and Practices

In recent years, communication and media studies have increasingly emphasized the need for open, transparent, and sustainable research infrastructures. Despite numerous calls for a cultural shift toward open science, the field continues to rely heavily on commercial and closed software environments that limit collaboration, reproducibility, and methodological innovation. This article responds to these challenges by examining two interconnected initiatives—MeTag/MeSort and OpenQDA—as examples of open, co-created research software developed at the University of Bremen. Building on the theoretical framing of research software as sociotechnical infrastructure, we introduce open governance as a conceptual framework for the sustainable management of research software. We argue that open governance is not merely a licensing issue but also a collaborative process of negotiating values, responsibilities, and practices among diverse stakeholders. Drawing insights from both case studies, we develop a conceptual model of open governance for research software that highlights the need for hybrid arrangements combining community-driven openness with structured coordination. In conclusion, we argue that such governance-oriented approaches represent a promising path toward sustainable, reusable, and equitable infrastructures for communication and media research.