Replication Package for `Code Review Comprehension: Reviewing Strategies Seen Through Code Comprehension Theories`

# Replication Package for `Code Review Comprehension: Reviewing Strategies Seen Through Code Comprehension Theories` #### About the study ----------------- Modern code review is an integral part of software development process. However, there is only a superficial knowledge of the cognitive aspects that enable reviewers to analyze the code and provide feedback. We observed and interviewed ten experienced reviewers performing 25 reviews from their review queue. We use Letovsky’s model of code comprehension to perform an in-depth theory-driven thematic analysis to understand how reviewers use code comprehension to navigate the changes and provide feedback. ## Structure ``` README.md Study-Design/ interview_structure.pdf demographics_survey.pdf participant_consent.pdf Data-Analysis/ transcripts/ P1R1.rtf P1R2.rtf ... coding/ codebook.pdf coding_schema_theory-driven.png co_author_review_1/ coded_transcript_P4R1.pdf coauthor_notes_P4R1.txt ... co_author_review_2/ coded_transcript_P2R2.pdf coauthor_notes_P2R2.txt ``` ## Contents of the Replication Package ### `Study-Design` Contains documents that outline the study’s methodology and design: - `interview_structure.pdf`: Structure and sample questions for the review&interview sessions. - `demographics_survey.pdf`: Survey capturing demographic data of participants. - `participant_consent.pdf`: Consent form signed by study participants before the recorded sessions. ### `Data-Analysis` Contains files used and produced in the analysis. - `transcripts/`: Raw transcripts from code review sessions (e.g., `P1R1.rtf` for Participant 1, Review 1). - `coding/`: Coding schema and list of final codes and themes. - `coding_schema_theory-driven.png`:The initial coding schema created based off Letovsky's comprehension model and other theories as reported in the paper. - `codebook.pdf`: A complete list of codes created in the analysis - `co_author_review_1/`: Documents from the first co-author review, including coded transcripts and reviewer notes. - `co_author_review_2/`: Documents from the second co-author review, including coded transcripts, reviewer notes, and coding schema for knowledge and mental models. ---