The Zen of Python
A key list of principles to follow, especially when writing (open source) code, but not only, are the Zen of Python, that were listed in the Python Enhancement Proposal 20 [1] and shown in Listing 10.
Listing 10 The Zen of Python by Tim Peters, a series of 20 aphorisms, only 19 of which have been written down [1].
1 Beautiful is better than ugly.
2 Explicit is better than implicit.
3 Simple is better than complex.
4 Complex is better than complicated.
5 Flat is better than nested.
6 Sparse is better than dense.
7 Readability counts.
8 Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.
9 Although practicality beats purity.
10 Errors should never pass silently.
11 Unless explicitly silenced.
12 In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess.
13 There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it.
14 Although that way may not be obvious at first unless you're Dutch.
15 Now is better than never.
16 Although never is often better than *right* now.
17 If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea.
18 If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea.
19 Namespaces are one honking great idea -- let's do more of those!
Although written for Python code writing (in particular, number 19), the Zen of Python can be applied in all programming settings, and in general when conducting research. Whether it is when choosing a data and metadata format, writing a DMP, or writing an analysis code, following the principles is a great way to keep things organized, simple, …
Footnotes