Empirical Software Engineering

Article	Citations
Introduction to the special issue on program comprehension	119
Consensus task interaction trace recommender to guide developers’ software navigation	107
Underproduction analysis of open source software	101
The human experience of comprehending source code in virtual reality	92
Security by documentation? characterizing GitHub SECURITY.md policy and their adoption in Python libraries	81
The design space of lockfiles across package managers	79
(In)Security of mobile apps in developing countries: a systematic literature review	64
Optimal priority assignment for real-time systems: a coevolution-based approach	59
Bugs in machine learning-based systems: a faultload benchmark	58
Fuzzing-based mutation testing of C/C++ software in cyber-physical systems	56
Does the first response matter for future contributions? A study of first contributions	53
Evaluating software user feedback classifier performance on unseen apps, datasets, and metadata	53
Evaluating few-shot and contrastive learning methods for code clone detection	51
Can static analysis tools find more defects?	43
Understanding the characteristics and the role of visual issue reports	42
On the adoption and effects of source code reuse on defect proneness and maintenance effort	41
Seeing the invisible: test prioritization for object detection system	40
Mitigating omitted variable bias in empirical software engineering	40
More than React: Investigating the Role of Emoji Reaction in GitHub Pull Requests	40
An empirical study on the effectiveness of large language models for SATD identification and classification	39
Shaky structures: The wobbly world of causal graphs in software analytics	38
Toward effective secure code reviews: an empirical study of security-related coding weaknesses	38
TestEvoViz: visualizing genetically-based test coverage evolution	38
A study of documentation for software architecture	36
Developers’ perception matters: machine learning to detect developer-sensitive smells	36

Cross-status communication and project outcomes in OSS development	34
Maintaining shared understanding of non-functional requirements in small companies using continuous software engineering	33
Output format biases in the evaluation of large language models for code translation	33
Testing the past: can we still run tests in past snapshots for Java projects?	32
Collaboration failure analysis in cyber-physical system-of-systems using context fuzzy clustering	32
The impact of class imbalance techniques on crashing fault residence prediction models	32
What causes exceptions in machine learning applications? Mining machine learning-related stack traces on Stack Overflow	32
Towards cost-benefit evaluation for continuous software engineering activities	32
The transformative potential of AI in software engineering: a case study on LeetCode and ChatGPT	29
Smells in system user interactive tests	29
Analyzing and mitigating (with LLMs) the security misconfigurations of Helm charts from Artifact Hub	29
Evaluating the impact of flaky simulators on testing autonomous driving systems	28
On the emergence of testing strategies: A socio-technical grounded theory	28
Aspect-centric vulnerability understanding via semantics-aware commit representation learning	28
Automated test generation for Scratch programs	27
The Influence of Code Comments on the Perceived Helpfulness of Stack Overflow Posts	27
Echoes of AI: Investigating the downstream effects of AI assistants on software maintainability	27
App review driven collaborative bug finding	26
Deep learning based identification of inconsistent method names: How far are we?	26
Deep learning techniques to detect cybersecurity attacks: a systematic mapping study	25
Automatic prediction of rejected edits in Stack Overflow	25
An empirical study of untangling patterns of two-class dependency cycles	24
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s contribution to public code	24
The effect of stereotypes on perceived competence of indigenous software practitioners: a study of dress style in professional photos	24
BTLink : automatic link recovery between issues and commits based on pre-trained BERT model	24
Real world projects, real faults: evaluating spectrum based fault localization techniques on Python projects	24
A fine-grained taxonomy of code review feedback in TypeScript projects	24
How far are app secrets from being stolen? a case study on android	23
AI support for data scientists: An empirical study on workflow and alternative code recommendations	23
Quantifying adoption: A SEM study of quantum software technology in software development	23
Indentation and reading time: a randomized control trial on the differences between generated indented and non-indented if-statements	22
A configurable method for benchmarking scalability of cloud-native applications	22
Static detection of equivalent mutants in real-time model-based mutation testing	21
How far are we with automated machine learning? characterization and challenges of AutoML toolkits	21
JNFuzz-Droid: a lightweight fuzzing and taint analysis framework for native code of Android applications	21
A Comprehensive Study of the Lifecycle of Dormant npm Packages	21
An empirical evaluation of a novel domain-specific language – modelling vehicle routing problems with Athos	21
A grounded theory of community package maintenance organizations	21
Code reviews in open source projects : how do gender biases affect participation and outcomes?	20
Advantages and disadvantages of (dedicated) model transformation languages	20
Scalable hierarchical protocol format inference via feature-heuristic message delimiter	20
How students use generative AI for software testing: An observational study	19
An empirical study of the impact of log parsers on the performance of log-based anomaly detection	19
Experimental comparison of features, analyses, and classifiers for Android malware detection	19
The well-being of software engineers: a systematic literature review and a theory	19
Understanding practitioners’ reasoning and requirements for efficient tool support in technical debt management	19
Why android app testing falls short: empirical insights from open-source projects and a practitioner survey	19
A large-scale empirical study of commit message generation: models, datasets and evaluation	19
On combining commit grouping and build skip prediction to reduce redundant continuous integration activity	19
Balancing usefulness and naturalness: an LLM-based curation pipeline for code review comments	19

ContractFull: a rapid and comprehensive static analysis tool for Ethereum smart contracts	18
A metrics-based approach for selecting among various refactoring candidates	18
Local software buildability across Java versions	18
Securing dependencies: A comprehensive study of Dependabot’s impact on vulnerability mitigation	18
Engineering recommender systems for modelling languages: concept, tool and evaluation	18
From values to adoption: on the role of individual cultural values on fairness toolkit adoption in software development	17
Lightweight dynamic build batching algorithms for continuous integration	17
Systematic Evaluation of Deep Learning Models for Log-based Failure Prediction	17
Securing LLM-in-the-loop software for empirical study of risks, mitigations, and utility trade-offs in a safety-critical case	17
Revisiting code readability improvement with LLMs: A critical assessment of fine-tuned models	17
Validation of an analyzability model for quantum software: a family of experiments	17
LineFlowDP: A Deep Learning-Based Two-Phase Approach for Line-Level Defect Prediction	17
Identifying Quality Indicators in Student Self-Reflections in Software Engineering	17
Software product line testing: a systematic literature review	17
An empirical study on the potential of word embedding techniques in bug report management tasks	17
What really changes when developers intend to improve their source code: a commit-level study of static metric value and static analysis warning changes	16
RAG-Driven multiple assertions generation with large language models	16
Software testing in the machine learning era	16
Tools and benchmarks evolve: what is their impact on parameter tuning in SBSE experiments?	16
Patterns of multi-container composition for service orchestration with Docker Compose	16
Enhanced SQL error messages facilitate faster error fixing	16
Language usage analysis for EMF metamodels on GitHub	16
Is GitHub’s Copilot as bad as humans at introducing vulnerabilities in code?	15
Preface to the Special Issue on Security Testing for Complex Software Systems Special Issue 1239 Editorial	15
OpTrans: enhancing binary code similarity detection with function inlining re-optimization	15
When less is more: on the value of “co-training” for semi-supervised software defect predictors	15
Comparing effectiveness and efficiency of Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) and Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) tools in a large java-based system	15
Less is more: balancing models performance and complexity for software defects prediction	15
Empirical benchmarking of large language models for data science coding: a multidimensional evaluation	15
Can the configuration of static analyses make resolving security vulnerabilities more effective? - A user study	15
Semantic matching in GUI test reuse	15
What kinds of contracts do ML APIs need?	15
Common challenges of deep reinforcement learning applications development: an empirical study	15
An investigation of online and offline learning models for online Just-in-Time Software Defect Prediction	15
DRECT: A search-based developer recommendation approach for software crowdsourcing platforms	15
Mastering uncertainty in performance estimations of configurable software systems	15
Test smells 20 years later: detectability, validity, and reliability	15
On the Investigation of Empirical Contradictions - Aggregated Results of Local Studies on Readability and Comprehensibility of Source Code	15
Test schedule generation for acceptance testing of mission-critical satellite systems	14
Applying bayesian data analysis for causal inference about requirements quality: a controlled experiment	14
Meta-enhanced code: leveraging structural and functional features for precise cross-modal code search	14
Which design decisions in AI-enabled mobile applications contribute to greener AI?	14
SmartFast: an accurate and robust formal analysis tool for Ethereum smart contracts	14
Semantically-enhanced topic recommendation systems for software projects	14
Toward granular search-based automatic unit test case generation	14
Challenges and practices of deep learning model reengineering: A case study on computer vision	14
Program transformation landscapes for automated program modification using Gin	14
Correction to: Examining ownership models in software teams	14
Classifier or prompt: A case study on legal requirements traceability	14
A zero-shot framework for cross-project vulnerability detection in source code	14
An empirical study of testing practices in open source AI agent frameworks and agentic applications	14
Exploring the black box: analysing explainable AI challenges and best practices through stack exchange discussions	14
What have we learned? A conceptual framework on New Zealand software professionals and companies’ response to COVID-19	13
How challenging it is to identify real code authors: an empirical study	13
Measuring SES-related traits relating to technology usage: Two validated surveys	13
Studying the explanations for the automated prediction of bug and non-bug issues using LIME and SHAP	13
Demystifying API misuses in deep learning applications	13
A controlled experiment on the impact of microtasking on programming	13
A multi-model framework for semantically enhancing detection of quality-related bug report descriptions	13
An exploratory study on fine-tuning large language models for secure code generation	13
DDImage: an image reduction based approach for automatically explaining black-box classifiers	13
Towards understanding the challenges of bug localization in deep learning systems	13
Identifying performance-sensitive configurations in software systems with LLM-based agents	13
Implicit security requirements classification with large language models using the OWASP application security verification standard: a shift-left approach	13
Static analysis driven enhancements for comprehension in machine learning notebooks	13
Prioritizing test cases for deep learning-based video classifiers	13
KPIRoot+: An efficient integrated framework for anomaly detection and root cause analysis in large-scale cloud systems	13
A fine-grained evaluation of mutation operators to boost mutation testing for deep learning systems	13
Experimental Evaluation of a Checklist-Based Inspection Technique to Verify the Compliance of Software Systems with the Brazilian General Data Protection Law	12
CyberSAGE: The cyber security argument graph evaluation tool	12
Automated detection of algorithm debt in deep learning frameworks: an empirical study	12
Unveiling overlooked performance variance in serverless computing	12
When uncertainty leads to unsafety: Empirical insights into the role of uncertainty in unmanned aerial vehicle safety	12
On the spread and evolution of dead methods in Java desktop applications: an exploratory study	12
Towards automatic labeling of exception handling bugs: A case study of 10 years bug-fixing in Apache Hadoop	12
Cross-project defect prediction via semantic and syntactic encoding	11
APR4Vul: an empirical study of automatic program repair techniques on real-world Java vulnerabilities	11
Predicting merge conflicts considering social and technical assets	11
Refactoring practices in the context of data-intensive systems	11
Studying differentiated code to support smart contract update	11

On detection latencies of network intrusion detectors – discussion and application	11
Seeing confusion through a new lens: on the impact of atoms of confusion on novices’ code comprehension	11
Explainable automated debugging via large language model-driven scientific debugging	11
Detecting data manipulation errors in android applications using scene-guided exploration	11
CMF-Vul: Advancing automated vulnerability detection via contrastive multimodal fusion and challenge-driven representation learning	11
Styler: learning formatting conventions to repair Checkstyle violations	11
Modeling function-level interactions for file-level bug localization	11
Learning to Predict Code Review Completion Time In Modern Code Review	11
Transformer-based code model with compressed hierarchy representation	11
ComPass: Contrastive Learning for Automated Patch Correctness Assessment in Program Repair	11
Fixing Dockerfile smells: an empirical study	11
Web element relocalization in evolving web applications: A comparative analysis and extension study	10
Story points changes in agile iterative development	10
Correction to: Why do companies create and how do they succeed with a vendor-led open source foundation	10
Multi-granular software annotation using file-level weak labelling	10
Understanding and effectively mitigating code review anxiety	10
Large language models in model-driven engineering: a systematic mapping study	10
Detecting API compatibility issues of android applications based on screen transition graphs	10
Automatic bi-modal question title generation for Stack Overflow with prompt learning	10
Empirically evaluating flaky test detection techniques combining test case rerunning and machine learning models	10
Toward a theory on programmer’s block inspired by writer’s block	10
Silent bugs in deep learning frameworks: an empirical study of Keras and TensorFlow	10
Understanding refactorings in Elixir functional language	10
Studying the characteristics of AIOps projects on GitHub	10
Assessing the exposure of software changes	10
Hyperfuzzing: black-box security hypertesting with a grey-box fuzzer	10
A qualitative study on refactorings induced by code review	10
From guidelines to practice: assessing Android app developer compliance with google’s security recommendations	10
Navigating fairness: practitioners’ understanding, challenges, and strategies in AI/ML development	10
Model vs system level testing of autonomous driving systems: a replication and extension study	10
Software selection in large-scale software engineering: A model and criteria based on interactive rapid reviews	10
An empirical study on developers’ shared conversations with ChatGPT in GitHub pull requests and issues	10
Investigating cross-market android apps: Security, protection, and components	10
Towards understanding quality challenges of the federated learning for neural networks: a first look from the lens of robustness	10
Developers and generative AI: A study of self-admitted usage in open source projects	9
GenCode: A generic data augmentation framework for boosting deep learning-based code understanding	9
Peer-aided repairer: empowering large language models to repair advanced student assignments	9
On the assignment of commits to releases	9
A longitudinal explanatory case study of coordination in a very large development programme: the impact of transitioning from a first- to a second-generation large-scale agile development method	9
Correction to: Advantages and disadvantages of (dedicated) model transformation languages	9
Evaluating pre-trained models for user feedback analysis in software engineering: a study on classification of app-reviews	9
Come for syntax, stay for speed, write secure code: an empirical study of security weaknesses in Julia programs	9
An empirical study of the systemic and technical migration towards microservices	9
Deep learning approaches for bad smell detection: a systematic literature review	9
Decoupling in AI ethics: Learning how to walk the talk	9
Industrial adoption of machine learning techniques for early identification of invalid bug reports	9
Leveraging large language models for sentiment analysis in GitHub pull request discussions	9
Machine learning-based test smell detection	9
Automated detection, categorisation and developers’ experience with the violations of honesty in mobile apps	9
Correction to: Utilization of pre-trained language models for adapter-based knowledge transfer in software engineering	9
What characteristics make ChatGPT effective for software issue resolution? An empirical study of task, project, and conversational signals in GitHub issues	9
A comprehensive study of machine learning techniques for log-based anomaly detection	9
An efficient model maintenance approach for MLOps	9
The whos, whats, and whys of issues related to personal data and data protection in open-source projects on GitHub	9
“What really happened to my models?” Extending co-evolution with cross-layer traceability in metamodel-model histories	9
Extracting enhanced artificial intelligence model metadata from software repositories	9
Can generative AI bridge the gap? A quasi-experimental study of non-programmers with AI vs. programmers without AI	9
IRJIT: A simple, online, information retrieval approach for just-in-time software defect prediction	9
Software reconfiguration in robotics	9
Bringing it home: successful backsourcing of software development in the public sector	9
Can search-based testing with pareto optimization effectively cover failure-revealing test inputs?	9
SparseCoder: Advancing source code analysis with sparse attention and learned token pruning	9
How programmers find online learning resources	9
Continuance use of AI coding assistants among South Korean Industry Developers: A survey case study with large language models	8
Quantum circuit mutants: Empirical analysis and recommendations	8
Improving hardware/software interface management in systems of systems through documentation as code	8
“I see models being a whole other thing”: an empirical study of pre-trained model naming conventions and a tool for enhancing naming consistency	8
Does code review speed matter for practitioners?	8
Do I really need all this work to find vulnerabilities?	8
ROBUST: 221 bugs in the Robot Operating System	8
On the acceptance by code reviewers of candidate security patches suggested by Automated Program Repair tools	8
Investigating user feedback from a crowd in requirements management in software ecosystems	8
A multi-language perspective on the robustness of LLM code generation	8
On the suitability of hugging face hub for empirical studies	8
Just-in-Time crash prediction for mobile apps	8
WIA-SZZ: Work item aware SZZ	8
Do SDN configuration changes get reviewed differently? An empirical study at TELUS	8
A multi-objective effort-aware approach for early code review prediction and prioritization	8
Peer code review in research software development: The research software engineer perspective	8
Ethics in AI through the practitioner’s view: a grounded theory literature review	8
The making of accessible Android applications: an empirical study on the state of the practice	8
Quality issues in machine learning software systems	8
What makes a code review useful to OpenDev developers? An empirical investigation	8
Developer discussion topics on the adoption and barriers of low code software development platforms	8
Leveraging encoder-only large language models for mobile app review feature extraction	8
On the usage and development of deep learning compilers: an empirical study on TVM	8
Causal inference of server- and client-side code smells in web apps evolution	8
Cross-project defect prediction based on transfer graph convolutional network	7
Vulnerabilities in infrastructure as code: what, how many, and who?	7
The role of psychological safety in promoting software quality in agile teams	7
Predicting Post-release Defects with Knowledge Units (KUs) of Programming Languages: An Empirical Study	7
Investigating developers’ perception on software testability and its effects	7
Technical leverage analysis in the Python ecosystem	7
Design smells in multi-language systems and bug-proneness: a survival analysis	7
A systematic review on smart contracts security design patterns	7