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Contemporary Empirical Methods in Software Engineering

  • Presents contemporary empirical methods in software engineering that will impact future research
  • Gathers contributions related to the plurality of research methodologies, data collection and processing, aggregation and synthesis of evidence, and knowledge transfer
  • Is equally suitable for academics aiming to expand the field and for industrial researchers and practitioners looking for novel ways to check the validity of their assumptions and experiences

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Table of contents (18 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
  2. The Evolution of Empirical Methods in Software Engineering

    • Michael Felderer, Guilherme Horta Travassos
    Pages 1-24
  3. Study Strategies

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 25-25
    2. Guidelines for Conducting Software Engineering Research

      • Klaas-Jan Stol, Brian Fitzgerald
      Pages 27-62
    3. Challenges in Survey Research

      • Stefan Wagner, Daniel Mendez, Michael Felderer, Daniel Graziotin, Marcos Kalinowski
      Pages 93-125
    4. The Design Science Paradigm as a Frame for Empirical Software Engineering

      • Per Runeson, Emelie Engström, Margaret-Anne Storey
      Pages 127-147
  4. Data Collection, Production, and Analysis

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 149-149
    2. Biometric Measurement in Software Engineering

      • Fabian Fagerholm, Thomas Fritz
      Pages 151-172
    3. Empirical Software Engineering Experimentation with Human Computation

      • Marta Sabou, Dietmar Winkler, Stefan Biffl
      Pages 173-215
    4. Data Science and Empirical Software Engineering

      • Ezequiel Scott, Fredrik Milani, Dietmar Pfahl
      Pages 217-233
    5. The Role of Simulation-Based Studies in Software Engineering Research

      • Breno Bernard Nicolau de França, Nauman Bin Ali
      Pages 263-287
    6. Bayesian Data Analysis in Empirical Software Engineering: The Case of Missing Data

      • Richard Torkar, Robert Feldt, Carlo A. Furia
      Pages 289-324
  5. Knowledge Acquisition and Aggregation

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 325-325
    2. Automating Systematic Literature Review

      • Katia R. Felizardo, Jeffrey C. Carver
      Pages 327-355
    3. Rapid Reviews in Software Engineering

      • Bruno Cartaxo, Gustavo Pinto, Sergio Soares
      Pages 357-384
    4. Benefitting from the Grey Literature in Software Engineering Research

      • Vahid Garousi, Michael Felderer, Mika V. Mäntylä, Austen Rainer
      Pages 385-413
    5. Guidelines for Managing Threats to Validity of Secondary Studies in Software Engineering

      • Apostolos Ampatzoglou, Stamatia Bibi, Paris Avgeriou, Alexander Chatzigeorgiou
      Pages 415-441
    6. Research Synthesis in Software Engineering

      • Paulo Sérgio Medeiros dos Santos, Guilherme Horta Travassos
      Pages 443-474

About this book

This book presents contemporary empirical methods in software engineering related to the plurality of research methodologies, human factors, data collection and processing, aggregation and synthesis of evidence, and impact of software engineering research. The individual chapters discuss methods that impact the current evolution of empirical software engineering and form the backbone of future research.

Following an introductory chapter that outlines the background of and developments in empirical software engineering over the last 50 years and provides an overview of the subsequent contributions, the remainder of the book is divided into four parts: Study Strategies (including e.g. guidelines for surveys or design science); Data Collection, Production, and Analysis (highlighting approaches from e.g. data science, biometric measurement, and simulation-based studies); Knowledge Acquisition and Aggregation (highlighting literature research, threats to validity, and evidence aggregation); and Knowledge Transfer (discussing open science and knowledge transfer with industry).

Empirical methods like experimentation have become a powerful means of advancing the field of software engineering by providing scientific evidence on software development, operation, and maintenance, but also by supporting practitioners in their decision-making and learning processes. Thus the book is equally suitable for academics aiming to expand the field and for industrial researchers and practitioners looking for novel ways to check the validity of their assumptions and experiences.

Chapter 17 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Reviews

“The book is highly recommended to read for, in particular, Ph.D. students and researchers interested in conducting high-quality software engineering research aspiring to apply empirical research methods for today and the future.” (From the foreword by Prof. Claes Wohlin, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Institute of Computer Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Michael Felderer

  • Systems Engineering and Computer Science, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Guilherme Horta Travassos

About the editors



Michael Felderer is a professor at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and a guest professor at the Department of Software Engineering at the Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden. His fields of expertise and interest include software quality, testing, software processes, data-driven engineering, software analytics and measurement, requirements engineering, model-based software engineering, and empirical research methodology in software and security engineering. His research has a strong empirical focus also using methods of data science and is directed towards development and evaluation of efficient and effective methods to improve quality and value of industrial software systems and processes in close collaboration with companies. He has more than 10 years of industrial experience as a senior executive consultant, project manager and software engineer and is an internationally recognized member of the software engineering research community.

Guilherme Horta Travassos is a professor at the Systems Engineering and Computer Science Program (PESC), COPPE/Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, a CNPq Researcher and an ISERN member. He leads the Experimental Software Engineering Group at COPPE/UFRJ since 2001, after coming back from a post-doctoral at UMCP/USA and NASA/SEL. His research interests concern experimental software engineering and the engineering of contemporary software systems (Internet of things, industry 4.0, and context-awareness, among others) and involve software quality, software verification, validation and testing, ubiquitous systems, simulation, and environments and tools to support the development and evolution of experimentation and development methods in software engineering. He also intensively collaborates with the software industry through research and development projects at the COPPE/UFRJ.



Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Contemporary Empirical Methods in Software Engineering

  • Editors: Michael Felderer, Guilherme Horta Travassos

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32489-6

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Computer Science, Computer Science (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-32488-9Published: 28 August 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-32491-9Published: 28 August 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-32489-6Published: 27 August 2020

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 525

  • Number of Illustrations: 41 b/w illustrations, 42 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Software Engineering, Software Management

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access