SE Research is a Complex Ecosystem: Isolated Fixes Keep Failing -- and Systems Thinking Shows Why

TL;DR

This paper argues that software engineering research faces systemic challenges that are interconnected, and advocates for a holistic, systems thinking approach to identify leverage points for meaningful reform.

Contribution

It introduces a complex systems framework to understand the interconnected challenges in software engineering research and suggests coordinated reforms over isolated fixes.

Findings

Identifies non-linear feedback loops sustaining dysfunctions

Highlights the need for holistic, system-level reforms

Proposes leverage points for ecosystem-wide improvements

Abstract

The software engineering research community is productive, yet it faces a constellation of challenges: swamped review processes, metric-driven incentives, distorted publication practices, and increasing pressures from AI, scale, and outright scams. These issues are often treated in isolation, yet they arise from deep structural dynamics within the research ecosystem itself and distract us from the larger role of research in society. Meaningful progress requires a holistic system-level view. We sketch such a framework drawing on ideas from complex systems, ecosystems, and theory of change. Reframing SE's challenges through this lens reveals non-linear feedback loops that sustain current dysfunctions, and it helps to identify leverage points for reform. These are less a matter of isolated fixes and more a matter of exploring coordinated sets of fixes that operate across the SE ecosystem