Behind the Scenes of Academic Open Source Software

In my dissertation, I demonstrate how invisible labor underlies much of Academic OSS work and how a lack of invisible labor leads to low sustainability. This dissertation aims to look into the invisible labor underlying academic (OSS), explores governance documents and how governance documents impact user retention and interaction. In my first paper I discuss invisible labor in OSS, where it occurs and how it is integral for long term OSS success. Second, I study governance documents in OSS and how projects formulate leadership, power and interaction between members. I find that they attempt to build community via their decision making structures, communication channels and values statements. Finally, I propose a project investigating the impact of governance documents on contributor behavior.