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Newcomers are critical for the success and continuity of open source software (OSS) projects. To attract newcomers and facilitate their onboarding, many OSS projects recommend tasks for newcomers, such as good first issues (GFIs). Previous…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2023-02-13 Xin Tan , Yiran Chen , Haohua Wu , Minghui Zhou , Li Zhang

The ability of an Open Source Software (OSS) project to attract, onboard, and retain any newcomer is vital to its livelihood. Although, evidence suggests an upsurge in novice developers joining social coding platforms (such as GitHub), the…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2022-04-07 IFraz Rehman , Dong Wang , Raula Gaikovina Kula , Takashi Ishio , Kenichi Matsumoto

Onboarding newcomers is vital for the sustainability of open-source software (OSS) projects. To lower barriers and increase engagement, OSS projects have dedicated experts who provide guidance for newcomers. However, timely responses are…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2025-05-08 Xin Tan , Xiao Long , Yinghao Zhu , Lin Shi , Xiaoli Lian , Li Zhang

Context: To attract, onboard, and retain any new-comer in Open Source Software (OSS) projects is vital to their livelihood. Recent studies conclude that OSS projects risk failure due to abandonment and poor participation of newcomers.…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2020-08-07 Ifraz Rehman , Dong Wang , Raula Gaikovina Kula , Takashi Ishio , Kenichi Matsumoto

Nowadays, many software projects are partially or completely open-source based. There is an increasing need for companies to participate in open-source software (OSS) projects, e.g., in order to benefit from open source ecosystems. OSS…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2013-11-07 Fabian Fagerholm , Patrik Johnson , Alejandro Sánchez Guinea , Jay Borenstein , Jürgen Münch

[Context] Newcomers joining an unfamiliar software project face numerous barriers; therefore, effective onboarding is essential to help them engage with the team and develop the behaviors, attitudes, and skills needed to excel in their…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2024-08-29 Italo Santos , Katia Romero Felizardo , Marco A. Gerosa , Igor Steinmacher

Tools and artifacts produced by open source software (OSS) have been woven into the foundation of the technology industry. To keep this foundation intact, the open source community needs to actively invest in sustainable approaches to bring…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2022-02-17 Mariam Guizani , Thomas Zimmermann , Anita Sarma , Denae Ford

Open-source software (OSS) projects rely on effective newcomer onboarding to sustain their communities. OSS projects widely adopt "good first issue" (GFI) labels to highlight beginner-friendly tasks. As development practices continue to…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2026-05-01 Hirotatsu Hoshikawa , Hidetake Tanaka , Kazumasa Shimari , Raula Gaikovina Kula , Kenichi Matsumoto

Sustaining newcomer participation is critical for the long-term health of open-source communities. Although prior research has explored various task recommendation approaches to help newcomers resolve their first-issue, these methods…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2026-03-31 Yichen Hao , Weiwei Xu , Kai Gao , Xiaofang Zhang

Open Source Software (OSS) sustainability relies on newcomers transitioning to core contributors, but this pipeline is broken, with most newcomers becoming inactive after initial contributions. Open Source Software for Social Good (OSS4SG)…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2026-04-27 Mohamed Ouf , Amr Mohamed , Mariam Guizani

Open Source Software (OSS) projects rely on a continuous stream of new contributors for their livelihood. Recent studies reported that new contributors experience many barriers in their first contribution, with the social barrier being…

Open-source software (OSS) community managers face significant challenges in retaining contributors, as they must monitor activity and engagement while navigating complex dynamics of collaboration. Current tools designed for managing…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2026-02-13 Zixuan Feng , Katie Kimura , Bianca Trinkenreich , Igor Steinmacher , Marco Gerosa , Anita Sarma

Selecting an appropriate task is challenging for contributors to Open Source Software (OSS), mainly for those who are contributing for the first time. Therefore, researchers and OSS projects have proposed various strategies to aid…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2022-11-16 Fabio Santos

Background: OSS projects face various challenges. One major challenge is to onboard and integrate newcomers to the project. Aim: We aim to understand and discuss the challenges newcomers face when joining an OSS project and present evidence…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2023-05-17 Ahmed Samir Imam Mahmoud , Alexander Nolte , Dietmar Pfahl

The sustainability of open source software (OSS) projects hinges on contributor retention. Interpersonal challenges can inhibit a feeling of welcomeness among contributors, particularly from underrepresented groups, which impacts their…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2024-11-05 Bianca Trinkenreich , Zixuan Feng , Rudrajit Choudhuri , Marco Gerosa , Anita Sarma , Igor Steinmacher

Open source projects depend on newcomers who stay, yet most leave after a single contribution. Contribution events such as Google Summer of Code, LFX Mentorship, Hacktoberfest, and 24 Pull Requests attract thousands of newcomers each year,…

Human-Computer Interaction · Computer Science 2026-04-27 Mohamed Ouf , Mariam Guizani

Participation of women in Open Source Software (OSS) is very unbalanced, despite various efforts to improve diversity. This is concerning not only because women do not get the chance of career and skill developments afforded by OSS, but…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2024-01-24 Bianca Trinkenreich , Igor Wiese , Anita Sarma , Marco Gerosa , Igor Steinmacher

Throughout their lifetime, open-source software systems will naturally attract new contributors and lose existing contributors. Not all OSS contributors are equal, however, as some contributors within a project possess significant knowledge…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2024-12-03 Olivier Nourry , Masanari Kondo , Shinobu Saito , Yukako Iimura , Naoyasu Ubayashi , Yasutaka Kamei

README and CONTRIBUTING files can serve as the first point of contact for potential contributors to free/libre and open source software (FLOSS) projects. Prominent open source software organizations such as Mozilla, GitHub, and the Linux…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2025-03-17 Matthew Gaughan , Kaylea Champion , Sohyeon Hwang , Aaron Shaw

Newcomers to a software project must overcome many barriers before they can successfully place their first code contribution, and they often struggle to find information that is relevant to them. In this work, we argue that much of the…

Software Engineering · Computer Science 2024-04-30 Christoph Treude , Marco A. Gerosa , Igor Steinmacher
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