The Impact of Collaboration Patterns and Network Centrality on Long-Term Contribution in GitHub Project
Open-source software (OSS) projects rely on collaborative contributions, yet sustaining long-term engagement remains a challenge. This study examines how contributor activity frequency and network centrality impact sustained contributions in 672 GitHub repositories. Using k-core decomposition and mo...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/1/352 |
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| author | Suhee Jo Gihwon Kwon |
| author_facet | Suhee Jo Gihwon Kwon |
| author_sort | Suhee Jo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Open-source software (OSS) projects rely on collaborative contributions, yet sustaining long-term engagement remains a challenge. This study examines how contributor activity frequency and network centrality impact sustained contributions in 672 GitHub repositories. Using k-core decomposition and model checking, we find that contributors with higher k-core values manage more pull requests. Additionally, they show greater resilience in continuing to contribute after pull request rejections, a behavior rarely seen in non-core contributors. Moreover, the likelihood of long-term engagement increases significantly when contributors’ pull requests are processed swiftly, with delayed or rejected pull requests resulting in higher disengagement, particularly among peripheral contributors. We also observe that as project networks grow more complex over time, core contributors become essential in maintaining project sustainability. These findings offer new insights into fostering core contributor retention and underscore the need for efficient governance and PR management practices in OSS projects. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bb252e45a6ae498f9463a2c7fd1bbf78 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-bb252e45a6ae498f9463a2c7fd1bbf782025-01-10T13:15:16ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-01-0115135210.3390/app15010352The Impact of Collaboration Patterns and Network Centrality on Long-Term Contribution in GitHub ProjectSuhee Jo0Gihwon Kwon1Department of SW Safety and Security, Kyonggi University, Suwon-si 154-42, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Computer Science, Kyonggi University, Suwon-si 154-42, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of KoreaOpen-source software (OSS) projects rely on collaborative contributions, yet sustaining long-term engagement remains a challenge. This study examines how contributor activity frequency and network centrality impact sustained contributions in 672 GitHub repositories. Using k-core decomposition and model checking, we find that contributors with higher k-core values manage more pull requests. Additionally, they show greater resilience in continuing to contribute after pull request rejections, a behavior rarely seen in non-core contributors. Moreover, the likelihood of long-term engagement increases significantly when contributors’ pull requests are processed swiftly, with delayed or rejected pull requests resulting in higher disengagement, particularly among peripheral contributors. We also observe that as project networks grow more complex over time, core contributors become essential in maintaining project sustainability. These findings offer new insights into fostering core contributor retention and underscore the need for efficient governance and PR management practices in OSS projects.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/1/352community dynamicsK-core decompositionmodel checkingopen-source software |
| spellingShingle | Suhee Jo Gihwon Kwon The Impact of Collaboration Patterns and Network Centrality on Long-Term Contribution in GitHub Project Applied Sciences community dynamics K-core decomposition model checking open-source software |
| title | The Impact of Collaboration Patterns and Network Centrality on Long-Term Contribution in GitHub Project |
| title_full | The Impact of Collaboration Patterns and Network Centrality on Long-Term Contribution in GitHub Project |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of Collaboration Patterns and Network Centrality on Long-Term Contribution in GitHub Project |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of Collaboration Patterns and Network Centrality on Long-Term Contribution in GitHub Project |
| title_short | The Impact of Collaboration Patterns and Network Centrality on Long-Term Contribution in GitHub Project |
| title_sort | impact of collaboration patterns and network centrality on long term contribution in github project |
| topic | community dynamics K-core decomposition model checking open-source software |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/1/352 |
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