[PRE REVIEW]: HINA: A Learning Analytics Tool for Heterogenous Interaction Network Analysis in Python

[editorialbot]

Submitting author: @shihuife (shihui Feng)
Repository: https://github.com/SHF-NAILResearchGroup/HINA
Branch with paper.md (empty if default branch):
Version: 0.4.7
Editor: @juliaferraioli
Reviewers: @etShaw-zh
Managing EiC: Arfon Smith

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[editorialbot]

Software report:

github.com/AlDanial/cloc v 1.98  T=0.04 s (1846.2 files/s, 179375.2 lines/s)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Language                     files          blank        comment           code
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TypeScript                      11            125            109           1764
Python                          27            265            431           1153
CSV                              2              0              0            556
reStructuredText                14            553            971            460
Markdown                         2             70              0            226
HTML                             3             50              3            131
CSS                              2             20              3            101
YAML                             4             15             22             85
JSON                             3              2              0             70
TeX                              1              9              0             65
Text                             3              3              0             31
DOS Batch                        1              8              1             26
Dockerfile                       1              7              0             15
JavaScript                       1              0              0             14
make                             1              4              7              9
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUM:                            76           1131           1547           4706
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commit count by author:

    89	Shihui Feng
    74	Baiyue
    50	Alec Kirkley
     4	baiyueh
     1	aleckirkley

[editorialbot]

Paper file info:

📄 Wordcount for paper.md is 1011

✅ The paper includes a Statement of need section

[editorialbot]

License info:

✅ License found: MIT License (Valid open source OSI approved license)

[editorialbot]

Reference check summary (note 'MISSING' DOIs are suggestions that need verification):

✅ OK DOIs

- None

🟡 SKIP DOIs

- No DOI given, and none found for title: The Igraph software package for complex network re...
- No DOI given, and none found for title: The Graph-Tool Python library
- No DOI given, and none found for title: Piaget’s Theory
- No DOI given, and none found for title: Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychol...

❌ MISSING DOIs

- 10.18608/jla.2025.8431 may be a valid DOI for title: Analyzing students’ emerging roles based on quanti...
- 10.1145/3636555.3636918 may be a valid DOI for title: Heterogenous network analytics of small group team...
- 10.1007/s11528-014-0822-x may be a valid DOI for title: Let’s not forget: Learning analytics are about lea...
- 10.25080/tcwv9851 may be a valid DOI for title: Exploring network structure, dynamics, and functio...
- 10.21105/joss.07312 may be a valid DOI for title: PANINIpy: Package of Algorithms for Nonparametric ...

❌ INVALID DOIs

- None

[editorialbot]

👉📄 Download article proof 📄 View article proof on GitHub 📄 👈

[editorialbot]

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⚠️ Note to editors: If these papers look like they might be a good match, click through to the review issue for that paper and invite one or more of the authors before considering asking the reviewers of these papers to review again for JOSS.

[shihuife]

We have moved the repository to this link https://github.com/orgs/SHF-NAILResearchGroup/repositories, please use the updated repository link for the review, thanks!

Shihui Feng

[arfon]

@editorialbot set https://github.com/SHF-NAILResearchGroup/HINA as repository

[editorialbot]

Done! repository is now https://github.com/SHF-NAILResearchGroup/HINA

[crvernon]

@editorialbot check repository

[editorialbot]

Software report:

github.com/AlDanial/cloc v 1.98  T=0.05 s (1675.3 files/s, 213310.1 lines/s)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Language                     files          blank        comment           code
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TypeScript                      17            311            133           4115
Python                          27            323            497           1400
CSV                              2              0              0            556
reStructuredText                14            552           1199            414
Markdown                         2             77              0            244
HTML                             3             50              3            131
CSS                              3             22              3            117
YAML                             4             15             36             80
TeX                              1              9              0             75
JSON                             3              2              0             70
Text                             3              3              0             31
DOS Batch                        1              8              1             26
Dockerfile                       1             10              6             15
JavaScript                       1              0              0             14
make                             1              4              7              9
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUM:                            83           1386           1885           7297
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commit count by author:

    93	Shihui Feng
    77	Baiyue
    51	Alec Kirkley
    31	baiyueh
     2	github-actions[bot]
     1	aleckirkley

[editorialbot]

Paper file info:

📄 Wordcount for paper.md is 1011

✅ The paper includes a Statement of need section

[editorialbot]

License info:

✅ License found: MIT License (Valid open source OSI approved license)

[crvernon]

👋 @shihuife - the commit history of your repository seems to be fairly young. Can you discuss the development history of your software a bit here?

[shihuife]

Hi @crvernon, Thank you for the question :)

Over the past few years, I have been working on developing novel network-based methods to analyze learning process data, resulting in two publications so far (Feng et al., 2024; Feng et al., 2025). Initially, the code was developed and analyzed locally without being uploaded to a public repository. However, since last year, as the three-level methods have matured, I began collaborating with my team to organize and prepare the repository for release.

We recently moved the package to the new repository path under my research group, as I am in the process of creating a GitHub organisation to share other open-source methods developed by my research group in learning-related contexts. I hope this provides clarity on the development process. Let me know if you have any further questions!

---

Feng, S., Yan, L., Zhao, L., Maldonado, R. M., & Gašević, D. (2024, March). Heterogenous network analytics of small group teamwork: Using multimodal data to uncover individual behavioral engagement strategies. In Proceedings of the 14th learning analytics and knowledge conference (pp. 587-597).

Feng, S., Gibson, D., & Gašević, D. . (2025). Analyzing Students’ Emerging Roles Based on Quantity and Heterogeneity of Individual Contributions in Small Group Online Collaborative Learning Using Bipartite Network Analysis. Journal of Learning Analytics, 12(1), 253-270. https://doi.org/10.18608/jla.2025.8431

[crvernon]

@editorialbot invite @vissarion as editor

👋 Do you have time to take this one on @vissarion?

[editorialbot]

Invitation to edit this submission sent!

[vissarion]

@crvernon I already have three papers on my stack, I would take this one only if it is urgent.

[crvernon]

No problem @vissarion, I'll find another editor for this one.

[crvernon]

@editorialbot invite @juliaferraioli as editor

👋 @juliaferraioli would you like to take this one on as editor?

[editorialbot]

Invitation to edit this submission sent!

[juliaferraioli]

I'll take this one on and look for reviewers.

[shihuife]

@juliaferraioli Thank you very much!

[crvernon]

@editorialbot aasign @juliaferraioli as editor

Thanks @juliaferraioli!

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[arfon]

@editorialbot assign @juliaferraioli as editor

[editorialbot]

Assigned! @juliaferraioli is now the editor

[arfon]

(typo in your previous message @crvernon)

[juliaferraioli]

Hi @drj11, @dataspider, and @etShaw-zh, would you be able to review this paper for JOSS?

[etShaw-zh]

@juliaferraioli yes, I can do it.

[juliaferraioli]

Thank you!

@editorialbot add @etShaw-zh as reviewer

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@editorialbot add @etShaw-zh as reviewer

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[etShaw-zh]

@editorialbot generate pdf

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[etShaw-zh]

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[etShaw-zh]

@editorialbot generate pdf

[editorialbot]

👉📄 Download article proof 📄 View article proof on GitHub 📄 👈

[editorialbot]

Five most similar historical JOSS papers:

repytah: An Open-Source Python Package for Building Aligned Hierarchies for Sequential Data
Submitting author: @kmkinnaird
Handling editor: @jbytecode (Active)
Reviewers: @Rocsg, @ranzhengcode
Similarity score: 0.6692

visxhclust: An R Shiny package for visual exploration of hierarchical clustering
Submitting author: @rhenkin
Handling editor: @osorensen (Active)
Reviewers: @jonjoncardoso, @wiljnich
Similarity score: 0.6581

sknet: A Python framework for Machine Learning in Complex Networks
Submitting author: @TNanukem
Handling editor: @osorensen (Active)
Reviewers: @dvysardana, @drj11, @imw
Similarity score: 0.6560

XGI: A Python package for higher-order interaction networks
Submitting author: @nwlandry
Handling editor: @vissarion (Active)
Reviewers: @arashbm, @MridulS
Similarity score: 0.6524

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Submitting author: @diningphil
Handling editor: @arfon (Active)
Reviewers: @idoby, @sepandhaghighi
Similarity score: 0.6471

⚠️ Note to editors: If these papers look like they might be a good match, click through to the review issue for that paper and invite one or more of the authors before considering asking the reviewers of these papers to review again for JOSS.