An assessment of systems and software engineering scholars and institutions (2002-2006)

This paper summarizes a survey of publications in the field of systems and software engineering from 2002 to 2006. The survey is an ongoing, annual event that identifies the top 15 scholars and institutions over a 5-year period. The rankings are calculated based on the number of papers published in TSE, TOSEM, JSS, SPE, EMSE, IST, and Software. The top-ranked institution is Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, and the top-ranked scholar is Magne Jørgensen of Simula Research Laboratory, Norway. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.postprin

An assessment of systems and software engineering scholars and institutions (2001-2005)

This paper presents the findings of a five-year study of the top scholars and institutions in the systems and software engineering field, as measured by the quantity of papers published in the journals of the field in 2001-2005. The top scholar is Magne Jørgensen of Simula Research Laboratory, Norway, and the top institution is Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea. This paper is part of an ongoing study, conducted annually, that identifies the top 15 scholars and institutions in the most recent five-year period. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.postprin

Webometrics Ranking and Its Relationship to Quality Education and Research inAcademic Institutions in Kenya

Examine the relationship between webometrics ranking and the quality of education and research in academic institutions in Kenya; and suggest appropriate solutions to enhance the practice. Descriptive survey design applied quantitative and qualitative research where structured questionnaire and document reviews were used to collect data from the respondents. Webometrics ranking promotes quality of education and research in academic institutions through visibility that showcases research activities and enriches knowledge. Collaboration and partnerships was the leading strategy for high webometrics ranking practice and performance in academic institutions. Numerous strategies were recommended for maintaining and improving webometrics ranking performance including use of web champions, marketing and awareness. Practice of webometrics ranking as a basis for evaluating performance in institutions of higher learning and education is gaining momentum worldwide. Excellence performance based on webometrics matrix provides practical lessons, suggestions and local solutions for other institutions of higher learning. Webometrics ranking promotes quality research and education in institutions of higher learning; provides public information on academic standing and performance; fosters competition in academic institutions; provides evidence that stimulates the evolution of centres of excellence; and enhances additional rationale for allocation of funds. Practice supports teaching, research related activities and scholarly communications that promotes the need for development of standards and policies in higher education and learning. Fundamental in fostering competition and promoting quality education and research through enrichment of knowledge and content repositories. Strategies for sustainable webometrics ranking performance need to be stipulated in achieving excellence performance in higher education and learning

Authorship trends in software engineering

This paper aims to examine authorship trends in software engineering, especially those related to the number of authors, of scientific publications. We collected and mined around 70.000 entries from DBLP for 122 conferences and journals, for the period 1971–2012, in order to process several bibliometric indicators. We provide evidence that the number of authors of articles in software engineering is increasing on average around +0.40 authors/decade. The results also indicate that until 1980, the majority of the articles have a sole author, while nowadays articles with 3 or 4 authors represent almost half of the total.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

An Exploratory Study Comparing the Core Concepts of Information Systems Development and Software Engineering

The goal of this study is to apply a multidisciplinary approach towards the discovery of core concepts in the art and science of design. This study advances the intellectual body of knowledge for design science by uncovering common areas of agreement between information systems (IS) and computer science (CS) encouraging the development of new design theories within each individual field. This research avoids the trap of finding “yet another methodology” by merging the two dichotomous paradigms of design-as-natural-science and design-as-human-science, and by viewing the common concepts from these approaches through various philosophical lenses. These philosophical lenses ensure that the foundations for art and science of design will be capable of explaining the laws and theories of design and not merely reproduce a set of rules and procedures

Whither Information Science in France?

International audienceInformation science (IS) in France forms part of an inter-discipline named 'Information & Communication Sciences' (ICS), officially recognized as an academic discipline in the French higher education system in 1972. There is a diffuse belief among its academic community that the Anglophone conception of IS is very different from theirs because it is supposedly rooted in Shannon's mathematical theory of communication while the French conception is more rooted in the social sciences and humanities, owing to the literary origins of its founding figures (Robert Escarpit, Roland Barthes, Jean Meyriat). However, a review of the international literature shows that there are no profound distinctions in theories and paradigms underlying research in IS whether undertaken by French or by Anglophone researchers. The differences that do exist are surface level, due mainly to political and institutional factors. These factors also account for the poor state of IS in France today. Indeed, the institutional recognition and development of the field was not grounded upon the foundational works of the pioneers of documentation and IS in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Paul Otlet, Henri Lafontaine, Suzanne Briet). Another factor which has had a lasting impact on the French IS landscape were the inconsistent government policies implemented from the early 1970s till the late 1990s which led to a narrowing down of focus of IS to Scientific and technical information (STI) only, thus orienting the field towards a technological agenda. This in turn affected the direction higher education training and research took in the first three decades. Finally, but not the least adverse factor, the cohabitation of IS with communication science in the same inter-discipline has made it more difficult for the former to affirm its identity and exist as a recognized academic field in France