[AISWorld] General Theories of Software Engineering, Special Issue in Elsevier's Science of Computer Programming, Call for Contributions

[Pontus Johnson]

Science of Computer Programming,
published by Elsevier Science (http://www.elsevier.com/)

Special Issue on General Theories of Software Engineering
(see also http://semat.org/?page_id=937)

Submission deadline:   October 14, 2013
 
Most academic disciplines emphasize the importance of their general theories. Examples of general theories include the Big Bang theory, Maxwell’s equations, the theory of the cell, the theory of evolution, the theory of demand and supply, but among the general theories are also found theories with names such as the general theory of crime and the theory of marriage, both well-established within their respective fields. Few general theories of software engineering have, however, been proposed, and none have achieved significant recognition. The main consequence of a lack of theory is a craft, limited to problem solving by trial-and-error and rules-of-thumb and in most cases only related to a limited area of relevance. Its knowledge base cannot be used for other than the most rudimentary predictions. This, in turn, means that its innovations can only be tested in vivo, which in addition to providing only little general insight can be both expensive and painful. The long list of well-known software failures is a testament to the tradition of trial-and-error. Theory addresses this problem, because a theory is a system of rules that explain the real world at some appropriate level of abstraction, but cheaply and without pain. Theory can provide answers to questions that otherwise might be prohibitively expensive or impossible to give. A general theory of software engineering would ideally advise against costly error before the trial begins.
 
This special issue, organized by the SEMAT initiative, aims to provide a forum for discussing the concept of a general theory of software engineering. The topics considered include the benefits, the desired qualities, the core components and the form of a general theory. Explicit proposals of general theories of software engineering are equally welcome. The special issue follows the publication of an article with the title “Where is the Theory for Software Engineering?” in September/October 2012 issue of IEEE Software, as well as two SEMAT Workshops on a General Theory of Software Engineering (GTSE 2012 [http://semat.org/?page_id=561] and 2013 [http://semat.org/?page_id=760]), the most recent in conjunction with the ICSE.
 
Manuscripts can be submitted in pdf format online at https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sigtse2013. All papers will be reviewed by at least three expert reviewers. For the subsequent copy-ready formatting, Elsevier strongly prefers LaTeX. However, MS WORD of ASCII documents can also be processed. Further information is available at the journal homepage, http://www.journals.elsevier.com/science-of-computer-programming/.
 
Science of Computer Programming is indexed in all major databases. Its 5-year impact factor is currently 0.903.
 
For more information, please contact one of the guest editors: 
 
Pontus Johnson (main contact)
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Stockholm, Sweden
pontus at ics.kth.se
 
Michael Goedicke
University of Duisburg-Essen
Essen, Germany
michael.goedicke at paluno.uni-due.de
 
Mathias Ekstedt
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Stockholm, Sweden
mathiase at ics.kth.se
 
Ivar Jacobson
Ivar Jacobson International
Verbier, Switzerland
ivar at ivarjacobson.com
 

---------------------------------------------------------------
Pontus Johnson, Ph. D 
Professor
Industrial Information and Control Systems
KTH - Royal Institute of Technology
10044, Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 8 790 6825
Cellular: +46 70 337 0824
Fax: +46 8 790 6839
Web: www.ics.kth.se
E-mail: pontus at ics.kth.se