Empirical software engineering (ESE)[1] is a subfield of software engineering (SE) research that uses empirical research methods to study and evaluate an SE phenomenon of interest. The phenomenon may refer to software development tools/technology, practices, processes, policies, or other human and organizational aspects.
ESE has roots in experimental software engineering, but as the field has matured the need and acceptance for both quantitative and qualitative research has grown.[2] Today, common research methods used in ESE for primary and secondary research are the following:[3]
^Guide to advanced empirical software engineering. New York: Springer. 2008. ISBN978-1-84800-043-8.
^Ali, Nauman bin (8 September 2016). "Is effectiveness sufficient to choose an intervention?". Proceedings of the 10th ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement. pp. 1–6. doi:10.1145/2961111.2962631. ISBN9781450344272. S2CID3208211.
^Wohlin, Claes; Aurum, Aybüke (December 2015). "Towards a decision-making structure for selecting a research design in empirical software engineering". Empirical Software Engineering. 20 (6): 1427–1455. doi:10.1007/s10664-014-9319-7. S2CID254463421.