Evolution of Open Source Software Projects: A Systematic Literature Review

Open Source Software (OSS) is continuously gaining acceptance in commercial organizations. It is in this regard that those organizations strive for a better understanding of evolutionary aspects of OSS projects. The study of evolutionary patterns of OSS projects and communities has received substantial attention from the research community over the last decade. These efforts have resulted in an ample set of research results for which there is a need for up-to-date comprehensive overviews and literature surveys.

This paper reports on a systematic literature survey aimed at the identification and structuring of research on evolution of OSS projects. In this review we systematically selected and reviewed 101 articles published in relevant venues. The study outcome provides insight in what constitutes the main contributions of the field, identifies gaps and opportunities, and distills several important future research directions.