This positions a big part of ESE research as problem-solving, and the object of study as “an artifact in a context” (Wieringa 2014). As a result, in order to handle ill-structured problems, one must formulate problems as a core aspect of the investigation (Nielsen and Persson 2016). How one frames the problem shapes its solution, and the problem and solution are in this way intrinsically related. Here, solutions are not absolute but relative to the context where the problem is observed. Therefore, the context in which this observation or experience is acquired becomes a critical ingredient of ESE. “Empirical” stands for being verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic. This article introduces the theoretical underpinnings, design principles, proof of concept and evaluation for FRAMEndeley, a Mendeley-integrated utility for RQ Scoping.Įmpirical Software Engineering (ESE) is gaining momentum as research is headed towards an evidence-based understanding of practical problems and their solution counterparts (Basili et al. Specifically, the advent of the RQ in close relationship with the literature advises for “Agile” literature reviewing to be conducted at the place where the literature is naturally kept: the Reference Management System (e.g., Mendeley). Tools might bring transparency and traceability, both factors especially welcome in a scenario characterized by testing (is my RQ relevant?) and adjustment (how can I make my RQ relevant?). Yet, for literature reviewing to become “Agile” it is not only required to be driven by the RQ but also to have tool support. Informed by Inductive Top-Down Theorizing, this article acknowledges RQ Scoping as iterative and incremental, entailing a conversation between the experimental work and literature reviewing. Here, the literature may play the role of the stakeholders in Agile methods: keeping the focus on the aspects that are essential (vs. Like software engineers when facing blurred requirements, researchers might not be familiar enough with the problem in the early phases of a research to properly scope their RQs (hereafter referred to as RQ Scoping). This tends to imply that the solution and the problem unveil gradually together, and hence, researchers are not always in the position to state the research question (RQ) at the onset. Frequently, solutions are not absolute but relative to the context where the problem is observed. Empirical Software Engineering rests on the understanding of practical problems and their solution counterparts.
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