Papers with code or without code? Impact of GitHub repository usability on the diffusion of machine learning research

Donghyun Kang, Taeyoung Kang, Junkyu Jang

Abstract: Highlights•We assess how GitHub repositories influence citation rates of ML research papers.•ML papers enjoy a 20% monthly citation boost after the first GitHub repositories.•Frameworks popularity (e.g., PyTorch) also positively shapes citation rates.•Technological infrastructure can play a critical role in the diffusion of research.