Using the case survey methodology for finding high-quality grey literature in software engineering

Williams, Ashley ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6888-0521 and Buchan, Jim (2022) Using the case survey methodology for finding high-quality grey literature in software engineering. In: EASE '22: International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering 2022, 13 June 2022 - 15 June 2022, Gothenburg Sweden.

Preview

Accepted Version Download (476kB) | Preview

Abstract

Background: Mining online accounts of practitioner experience can provide new evidence for software engineering researchers. However, we need methods for assessing quality at vast scale. Objectives: We investigate the challenge of finding high-quality grey literature, defining high-quality in terms of a document's relevance to the consumer and its credibility. Method: Building on previous research, we use a version of the case survey methodology for automating the identification and assessment of high-quality grey literature. Results: We develop a model of credibility assessment within software engineering research and demonstrate our case survey methodology and credibility assessment model in practice. We use it to conduct a grey literature review of High Performing Teams (HPT). Conclusions: The paper provides a foundation for future research on automated quality and credibility assessment. Adoption of the tools and methodology presented can help researchers effectively search for and select higher-quality blog-like content.