International Journal of Computer Applications |
Foundation of Computer Science (FCS), NY, USA |
Volume 186 - Number 69 |
Year of Publication: 2025 |
Authors: Abeer Alarainy, Nora Madi, Arwa Abolkhair, Aljawharah AlMuaythir, Aljohara Alyousef, Zainab Altamimi, Ohud Almeshari, Muna Al-Razgan |
![]() |
Abeer Alarainy, Nora Madi, Arwa Abolkhair, Aljawharah AlMuaythir, Aljohara Alyousef, Zainab Altamimi, Ohud Almeshari, Muna Al-Razgan . Support Mechanisms for Conducting Empirical Research in Software Engineering: A Systematic Mapping Study. International Journal of Computer Applications. 186, 69 ( Feb 2025), 1-22. DOI=10.5120/ijca2025924542
Empirical research plays a crucial role in the evolution of the field of software engineering (SE), as it provides evidence-based insights that help improve the software development life cycle (SDLC). Recognizing its significance, this paper presents a systematic mapping study (SMS), analyzing 195 studies published between 2019 and 2024, selected from three highly reputable sources: IEEE, ACM, and Wiley Digital Libraries. Understanding trends in the different applications of empirical strategies and their associated support mechanisms, as well as the challenges in this context, is a necessary step toward advancing the field of empirical software engineering. The findings of this SMS reveal that empirical techniques are heavily employed in the testing and maintenance phases of SE, which accounted for 42% of the analyzed studies, while the management and deployment phases receive comparatively less attention. Experimental methods emerged as the most commonly used empirical strategies, followed by quantitative and qualitative analyses. Tools and techniques were identified as the most frequently employed support mechanisms, demonstrating their importance in empirical research. This study offers a comprehensive resource for researchers and practitioners, mapping empirical strategies onto specific SDLC phases and illuminating the challenges and possibilities of designing and executing empirical SE research.