2020/08/08 by Adam Tutko, Tutko, Adam, Austin Z. Henley +3
Computer Science · #Data Mining Algorithms and Applications #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Software Engineering (cs.SE) #Software Engineering Research #Software System Performance and Reliability
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2008.03439
openalex publication_date 2020/08/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Background: Data mining and analyzing of public Git software repositories is a growing research field. The tools used for studies that investigate a single project or a group of projects have been refined, but it is not clear whether the results obtained on such ``convenience samples'' generalize. Aims: This paper aims to elucidate the difficulties faced by researchers who would like to ascertain the generalizability of their findings by introducing an interface that addresses the issues with obtaining representative samples. Results: To do that we explore how to exploit the World of Code system to make software repository sampling and analysis much more accessible. Specifically, we present a resource for Mining Software Repository researchers that is intended to simplify data sampling and retrieval workflow and, through that, increase the validity and completeness of data. Conclusions: This system has the potential to provide researchers a resource that greatly eases the difficulty of data retrieval and addresses many of the currently standing issues with data sampling.