TOSE 2016 - 5th International Workshop on Theory-Oriented Software Engineering

Most academic disciplines are based on a set of central theories. Software engineering has meanwhile produced few widely-accepted and influential theories of its core phenomena. TOSE consequently supports attempts to propose, synthesize, clarify and test theories of software engineering phenomena. TOSE especially promotes attempts to answer fundamental questions, integrate ideas from diverse sources and propose revolutionary, contrarian or ambitious new theories. We therefore invite papers proposing, extending or evaluating any kind of theory (e.g. causal, process, explanatory, predictive, descriptive) concerning any aspect of software engineering.
Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
New theories
Groundbreaking extensions to existing theories
Groundbreaking synthesis of existing theories
Novel applications of theories from reference disciplines (e.g. sociology) to software engineering
Grounded theory, ethnography and qualitative theory building
Systematic literature review and thematic synthesis, leading to new theory
Empirical evaluation of new and existing theories
Software engineering process theories
Research methodologies for theory evaluation
Contrarian perspectives on software engineering theory
Possible Contributions include (but are not limited to):
Theory proposals with conceptual evaluations
Theory building empirical field studies including grounded theory, case studies and ethnography
Theory building, explorative lab studies, experiments and simulations
Empirical evaluations of theories (any research approach welcome)
Systematic literature reviews and thematic analyses
Conceptual contributions related to research methodology
Position papers related to theories in software engineering