.science research packages

A .science research package brings conversation branches, files and recorded evidence together for a handover. A colleague can import it into a project and inspect the research record. Imported sessions are read-only; new research work starts in a normal session.

Choose what to share

What the recipient needs	Export to use
Read or edit the conversation text	Conversation PDF or Markdown.
Use selected original files	File downloads or an artifact ZIP.
Inspect the conversation branches, files and evidence together	A .science research package.

A package can contain uploaded research materials, conversation text and generated results. Review its contents before sharing. It is an independent copy: deleting local work does not remove packages already sent to others.

Side Chat conversations, private reading bookmarks and their notes are excluded from the package. Put information the recipient needs into a saved report or the conversation before exporting.

Export a research package

1. Finish or stop work in the session. Open its menu and choose Export → Export Session package.
2. Review the export scope and any omitted contents or size limits.
3. Confirm the export and save the .science file to the intended folder.
4. Follow progress until it completes, then use Show in folder to locate the file.

Export option	How to choose
Essential export	Keep the essential record and literature metadata; omit optional literature PDFs.
Full export	Include available literature PDFs and the additional contents shown in the preview.
Customize contents	Select individual literature PDFs, optional files and versions; required evidence remains included.

Literature metadata is always included. If a literature PDF is required evidence, Essential export is unavailable; use Full export or Customize contents and retain the required file. The exporter does not retrieve missing full texts. Check the listed PDFs and size before confirming; Full export does not remove every size or content limit.

Worked example Hand over a sample QC session

The following screens use a session that summarizes the GSE60450 sample QC table. In the export preview, compare Essential export and Full export, inspect the estimated size, then choose Export. The contents and size depend on your session.

Import into a project

1. Open the destination Project menu and choose Import Session package…, or drop one .science file into that project. Opening an associated file directly asks you to choose the destination project.
2. Review the package preview, destination and included or omitted contents, then confirm import.
3. Wait for completion and choose Open imported Session.
4. Inspect the conversation branches and open the files needed for the handover. Check that you can find the inputs and results relevant to your next task.

Use the received research record

The imported session can be inspected and referenced, but cannot be continued or executed. To do new work, create a normal session and explicitly provide the relevant input files and instructions. Imported usage is excluded from local activity totals.

A received verification record describes checks supplied by the sender. It does not mean this computer has rerun them. Read the file version, comparison criteria and outcome; see Reproducibility for how those checks work.

Cancel or retry a transfer

Run in background hides the progress window while the transfer continues. Use Cancel to stop; hiding the window does not cancel the operation.

If cleanup is incomplete, use Retry cleanup before trying again. After a failure, Try again retries the same file and destination. Choose another package separately if that is your intent. Check the existing operation before starting a second import, then inspect the imported session and files when it completes.