First Come First Served: The Impact of File Position on Code Review

10 months ago

The study investigates the impact of file position on code review outcomes.
Analysis of 219,476 Pull Requests (PRs) from 138 Java projects on GitHub shows files presented earlier receive more comments.
A controlled experiment with 106 participants reveals file position affects defect detection, with a 64% lower odds of identifying defects in files presented last.
Findings suggest the need for reconsidering how files are ordered in code review tools to mitigate bias.
The study provides implications for tool design and the code review process.

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