The ABC of software engineering research

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Date
2018-07
Authors
Stol, Klaas-Jan
Fitzgerald, Brian
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Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
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Abstract
A variety of research methods and techniques are available to SE researchers, and while several overviews exist, there is consistency neither in the research methods covered nor in the terminology used. Furthermore, research is sometimes critically reviewed for characteristics inherent to the methods. We adopt a taxonomy from the social sciences, termed here the ABC framework for SE research, which offers a holistic view of eight archetypal research strategies. ABC refers to the research goal that strives for generalizability over Actors (A) and precise measurement of their Behavior (B), in a realistic Context (C). The ABC framework uses two dimensions widely considered to be key in research design: the level of obtrusiveness of the research and the generalizability of research findings. We discuss metaphors for each strategy and their inherent limitations and potential strengths. We illustrate these research strategies in two key SE domains, global software engineering and requirements engineering, and apply the framework on a sample of 75 articles. Finally, we discuss six ways in which the framework can advance SE research.
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Keywords
Research methodology , Research strategy , Cross-computing tools and techniques , Software engineering
Citation
Stol, K.-J. and Fitzgerald, B. (2018) 'The ABC of Software Engineering Research', ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, 27(3), 11 (51 pp). doi: 10.1145/3241743
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© 2018 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). Publication rights licensed to Association for Computing Machinery.