Metadata Files

Covers: Chapters 6-12 - README, DESCRIPTION, NAMESPACE, NEWS, LICENSE, CITATION, and system dependencies.

README (Chapter 6)

README is optional but useful, especially for packages developed on GitHub.
If present, it must clearly give Bioconductor installation instructions using BiocManager::install().
Any installation code blocks must use eval = FALSE so they do not execute.
Files with executable code (including README.Rmd) must NOT install packages, download system dependencies, or download applications; assume dependencies are already present.
Declare external software in DESCRIPTION SystemRequirements, not in the README.
README.md may be auto-generated from a vignette via README.Rmd (R Markdown child documents) and rmarkdown::render().

Required fields:

Package - must match the repository name (case-sensitive).
Title - brief but descriptive summary.
Version - x.y.z scheme. New submissions start at 0.99.0. y is even for release versions, odd for devel; z increments with each commit.
Description - relatively short but detailed overview; at least three complete sentences.
Authors@R - required (use this, not Authors:). Must include the maintainer with the cre role and an actively maintained email. Use a single maintainer. Include ORCID in comment if available. Example: person("First", "Last", email = "me@x.org", role = c("cre", "aut"), comment = c(ORCID = "...")).
License - standard R license spec, version-specific (see LICENSE section).
biocViews - REQUIRED (case-sensitive, lowercase ‘b’). At least two leaf nodes, all from the same trunk/package type; single comma-separated line.

Dependency fields (Depends, Imports, Suggests, Enhances):

All dependencies must come from Bioconductor or CRAN. The Remotes: field is NOT supported.
List each package only once across these fields.
Imports - functions/methods/classes used within the package namespace (the usual place for dependencies).
Depends - only for functionality essential to users; rarely more than 3 packages (avoid Depends bloat).
Suggests - packages used only in vignettes, examples, or conditional code.
Enhances - optional performance packages such as Rmpi or parallel.
Version specifications are usually not needed.

Other fields:

LazyData - omit LazyData: TRUE for large data packages (it slows loading).
SystemRequirements - external software not auto-installed; add an INSTALL file for non-trivial installs.
BugReports - encouraged; link to the GitHub issues page.
URL - source repo and help resources.
VignetteBuilder - name the builder (e.g., knitr) when using vignettes.
BiocType - required for Docker/Workflow submissions; values Software, ExperimentData, Annotation.
Config/Bioconductor/UnsupportedPlatforms - comma-separated list to exclude platforms (windows, windows-x64, macosx, macosx-x86_64, macosx-arm64).

Prefer importFrom() to import specific functions; use import() only when importing many functions from one package.
For Bioconductor classes, import() the whole package so full class functionality is inherited automatically.
Do NOT use broad export patterns: exportPattern("^[[:alpha:]]+") is strongly discouraged and almost always not allowed. Export functions/generics individually.
Exported function names should use camelCase or underscores; avoid dots (dots imply S3 dispatch). Functions beginning with . stay internal and are not exported.
Use exportMethods() / exportClasses() for S4 methods and classes, and useDynLib() for compiled code.

Exactly one NEWS file per package, in one of: ./inst/NEWS.Rd, ./inst/NEWS, ./inst/NEWS.md, ./NEWS.md, or ./NEWS.
NEWS files MUST use list elements/structure; plain text files are not allowed.
Document the forthcoming release version, in non-technical language.

Version heading format:

CHANGES IN VERSION X.Y.Z
-------------------------

Use section headers such as “NEW FEATURES” and “SIGNIFICANT USER-VISIBLE CHANGES” with bullet points.
Bioconductor compiles NEWS files into semi-annual release announcements.
Validate formatting with utils::news(package = "<package_name>").
To write or update the NEWS file itself, use the update-r-news skill (skills/update-r-news/SKILL.md) rather than hand-editing: it already encodes the heading format and section conventions described above.

Use R’s standard license specifications (r-project.org/Licenses). Be version specific (e.g., GPL-2). Core packages typically use Artistic-2.0.
Forbidden: licenses restricting use (e.g., to academic or non-profit researchers) and other restrictive licenses (CC BY-NC variants, ACM).
For a non-standard license, add a full LICENSE file at the package root and reference it as file LICENSE; the file must match the License: field.
All dependencies must have compatible open-source licenses, and the package must contain only code that can be redistributed under its license.

Place the file at inst/CITATION. It is optional but recommended.
Validate with readCitationFile("inst/CITATION") (must run without errors) so it displays correctly on the package landing page.
Follow Writing R Extensions conventions; specify author/maintainer details for correct name formatting. If absent, Bioconductor auto-generates a citation.
Also include citations in help pages and vignettes.

Declare external software in the DESCRIPTION SystemRequirements field, with an optional INSTALL file giving install instructions for Linux, Windows, and Mac.
System requirements must never be exclusive to a specific version; work with current versions of the external software.
Declaring a requirement does not guarantee Bioconductor will agree to install it.
Discuss additional system requirements on bioc-devel@r-project.org before development. Do not install system dependencies from within package code.

Source: README, DESCRIPTION, NAMESPACE, NEWS, LICENSE, CITATION, System dependencies Fetched 2026-08-14 from contributions.bioconductor.org (Bioconductor devel guide).