Contribution Attribution
Question: Who has contributed to an open-source project, and what attribution information about people and organizations is assigned for contributions?
Overview
This metric evaluates the individuals and organizations contributing to a project and attributes specific contributions to them. By measuring who contributes and under what sponsorship (volunteer vs. sponsored), this metric offers insights into the dynamics of how work gets done in a community. Understanding contribution attribution is essential for assessing the health and sustainability of a project by recognizing active contributors and tracking the influence of organizational support on the community. Objectives include:
- Who is working on the project?
- What is the ratio of volunteer work, sponsored work, and blended work?
- How many contributions are sponsored?
- Who is sponsoring the contributions?
- What types of contributions are sponsored?
- How diverse is the community of contributors working on a project?
Want to Know More?
Data Collection Strategies
Data is gathered primarily through volunteered information from contributors, with the support of project leadership to determine appropriate attribution to organizations or individuals. Information on sponsor relationships may also be sourced from surveys or contributor profiles.
Filters
- Type of Contributor (individual, organization, gender, race, global status, work location)
- Volunteer
- Sponsored by a firm and/or client
- Role that a contributor plays on a project (i.e., maintainer, board member, etc.)
- Type of Contribution
- Links to contribution artifacts, like merge requests, issues, and the like, where relevant.
- Indication of contribution types not managed in Git platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and BitBucket.
- See also: https://chaoss.community/metric-types-of-contributions/
- Volunteer versus sponsored - Related to Organizational DiversityandLabor Investment
Visualizations
Figure 1: Contributions by Volunteer vs Sponsored
Figure 2: Contributions by Gender
References
- A Method for Giving Credit to Organizations
- Who Sponsors Drupal Development
- Annual Report on Sponsors
- GitLab Issue for Contribution Attribution
Contributors
- Matthew Tift
- Sean Goggins
- Elizabeth Barron
- Vinod Ahuja
- Armstrong Foundjem
- Kevin Lumbard
- Yigakpoa L. Ikpae
Additional Information
To edit this metric please submit a Change Request here To reference this metric in software or publications, please use this stable URL: https://chaoss.community/?p=3616
The usage and dissemination of health metrics may lead to privacy violations. Organizations may be exposed to risks. These risks may flow from compliance with the GDPR in the EU, with state law in the US, or with other laws. There may also be contractual risks flowing from terms of service for data providers such as GitHub and GitLab. The usage of metrics must be examined for risk and potential data ethics problems. Please see CHAOSS Data Ethics document for additional guidance.