Too long; didn’t read: Automatic summarization of GitHub README.MD with Transformers
Doan Thi Hoai Thu, Phuong T. Nguyen, Juri Di Rocco, Davide Di Ruscio
Abstract
The ability to allow developers to share their source code and collaborate on software projects has made GitHub a widely used open source platform. Each repository in GitHub is generally equipped with a README.MD file to exhibit an overview of the main functionalities. Nevertheless, while offering useful information, README.MD is usually lengthy, requiring time and effort to read and comprehend. Thus, besides README.MD, GitHub also allows its users to add a short description called “About,” giving a brief but informative summary about the repository. This enables visitors to quickly grasp the main content and decide whether to continue reading. Unfortunately, due to various reasons–not excluding laziness–oftentimes this field is left blank by developers.