Aims and scope

Empirical Software Engineering provides a forum for applied software engineering research with a strong empirical component.

Over the last decade, it has become clear that empirical studies are a fundamental component of software engineering research and practice: Software development practices and technologies must be investigated by empirical means in order to be understood, evaluated, and deployed in proper contexts. This stems from the observation that higher software quality and productivity is more likely to be achieved if well-understood, tested practices and technologies are introduced in software development.

Reported empirical studies usually involve the collection and analysis of data and experience that can be used to characterize, evaluate and reveal relationships between software development deliverables, practices, and technologies. Over time, it is expected that such empirical results will form a body of knowledge leading to widely accepted and well-formed theories.

Empirical Software Engineering aims at promoting the publication of industry-relevant research since one of its goals is to address the significant gap between research and practice.

Research Articles

Both original and replicated studies can be reported, varying from controlled experiments to field studies, from data intensive to qualitative. Preference is given to studies that can be replicated or expanded upon. Papers on the infrastructure for supporting empirical research are also of interest.

Specific topics relevant to the journal include the following:

    Analysis and design
    Model-driven development
    Requirements engineering
    Verification and validation
    Maintenance and evolution
    Quality assurance
    Dependability analysis
    Project management
    Organization models for software development
    Predictive models for software dependability
    Software engineering economics
    Applications of artificial intelligence techniques to software engineering
    Qualitative analysis  

Special Issue on Empirical Studies for Quantum Software Engineering (E-QSE)
Submission Date: 2026-03-01

This special issue in the Empirical Software Engineering journal aims to address the growing need for empirical insights into the methodologies, tools, and practices involved in developing Quantum-Based Software Systems (QBSs). By focusing on empirical research, we seek to bridge the gap between theoretical advancements and practical applications, fostering innovation in this transformative field.

Submitted papers must have a strong empirical basis/component to be eligible for this special issue. Empirical Software Engineering (http://link.springer.com/journal/10664) provides a forum for applied software engineering research with a strong empirical component and a venue for publishing empirical results relevant to researchers and practitioners. In addition to the open call for papers, authors with an accepted paper to E-QSE 2025 (https://sites.google.com/view/e-qse/) are invited to submit extended versions of their work. To comply with the goals of a journal publication, we are asking to revise and substantially extend original E-QSE 2025 papers. Some possible extensions can include additional practical applications determined through case studies or experiments, additional empirical validation, systematic comparisons with other approaches, or a sound theoretical foundation. Revised papers should explicitly explain how they extend the original E-QSE 2025 papers.

All submissions will be reviewed using the Empirical Software Engineering Journal standards and undergo a rigorous review process. Reviews of extended papers may include reviewers of the E-QSE 2025 paper and new reviewers. The guest editors of the special issue are not permitted to submit.

Submission Topics

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Studies on the effectiveness of different development methodologies for quantum software;
- Definition and evaluation of software metrics for quantum programs;
- Empirical studies on testing methodologies for quantum software;
- Studies on integrating quantum components into classical software applications;
- Assessment of tools supporting quantum software development, including simulators, optimizers, and debuggers;
- User studies to understand the experience of software engineers working with quantum programming languages and tools;
- Case studies of quantum software engineering projects in industry settings;
- Investigation into the cognitive aspects of designing and developing quantum software;
- Lessons learned and challenges faced during the development and deployment of quantum software applications.