Case Survey Studies in Software Engineering Research
Jorge Melegati, Xiaofeng Wang

TL;DR
This paper reviews how the case survey method is used in Software Engineering research, highlighting inconsistencies and the need for clear guidelines to improve study quality and comparability.
Contribution
It provides a systematic mapping of case survey applications in SE and emphasizes the necessity for standardized guidelines for its proper use.
Findings
Heterogeneous understanding of case survey in SE studies
Inconsistent application of the method compared to seminal definitions
Need for clear guidelines to improve research quality
Abstract
Background: Given the social aspects of Software Engineering (SE), in the last twenty years, researchers from the field started using research methods common in social sciences such as case study, ethnography, and grounded theory. More recently, case survey, another imported research method, has seen its increasing use in SE studies. It is based on existing case studies reported in the literature and intends to harness the generalizability of survey and the depth of case study. However, little is known on how case survey has been applied in SE research, let alone guidelines on how to employ it properly. Aims: This article aims to provide a better understanding of how case survey has been applied in Software Engineering research. Method: To address this knowledge gap, we performed a systematic mapping study and analyzed 12 Software Engineering studies that used the case survey method.…
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