Title :
Recommended Steps for Thematic Synthesis in Software Engineering
Author :
Cruzes, Daniela S. ; Dybå, Tore
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Comput. & Inf. Sci., NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
Abstract :
Thematic analysis is an approach that is often used for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within data in primary qualitative research. ´Thematic synthesis´ draws on the principles of thematic analysis and identifies the recurring themes or issues from multiple studies, interprets and explains these themes, and draws conclusions in systematic reviews. This paper conceptualizes the thematic synthesis approach in software engineering as a scientific inquiry involving five steps that parallel those of primary research. The process and outcome associated with each step are described and illustrated with examples from systematic reviews in software engineering.
Keywords :
research and development; software engineering; qualitative research; software engineering; systematic reviews; thematic synthesis; Context; Data mining; Encoding; Organizations; Software; Software engineering; Systematics; evidence-based and empirical software engineering; research synthesis; secondary research; systematic review;
Conference_Titel :
Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM), 2011 International Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Banff, AB
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4577-2203-5
DOI :
10.1109/ESEM.2011.36