Attributes to Support the Formulation of Practically Relevant Research Problems in Software Engineering

Anrafel Fernandes Pereira; Maria Teresa Baldassarre; Daniel Mendez; Jürgen Börstler; Nauman bin Ali; Rahul Mohanani; Darja Smite; Stefan Biffl; Rogardt Heldal; Davide Falessi; Daniel Graziotin; Marcos Kalinowski

arXiv · 2512.12699

Attributes to Support the Formulation of Practically Relevant Research Problems in Software Engineering

Anrafel Fernandes Pereira·Maria Teresa Baldassarre·Daniel Mendez·Jürgen Börstler·Nauman bin Ali·Rahul Mohanani·Darja Smite·Stefan Biffl·Rogardt Heldal·Davide Falessi·Daniel Graziotin·Marcos Kalinowski

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Abstract

[Background] A well-formulated research problem is essential for achieving practical relevance in Software Engineering (SE), yet there is a lack of structured guidance in this early phase. [Aims] Our goal is to introduce and evaluate seven attributes identified in the SE literature as relevant for formulating research problems (practical problem, context, implications/impacts, practitioners, evidence, objective, and research questions) in terms of their perceived importance and completeness, and learn how they can be applied. [Method] We conducted a workshop with 42 senior SE researchers during the ISERN 2024 meeting. The seven attributes were presented using a Problem Vision board filled with a research example. Participants discussed attributes in groups, shared written feedback, and individually completed a survey assessing their importance, completeness, and suggestions for improvement. [Results] The findings confirm the importance of the seven attributes in the formulation of industry-oriented research problems. Qualitative feedback illustrated how they can be applied in practice and revealed suggestions to refine them, such as incorporating financial criteria (e.g., ROI) into implications/impacts and addressing feasibility and constraints under evidence. [Conclusion] The results reaffirm the importance of the seven attributes in supporting a reflective and context-aware problem formulation. Adapting their use to specific research contexts can help to improve the alignment between academic research and industry needs.

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Anrafel Fernandes Pereira, Maria Teresa Baldassarre, Daniel Mendez, Jürgen Börstler, Nauman bin Ali, Rahul Mohanani, Darja Smite, Stefan Biffl, Rogardt Heldal, Davide Falessi, Daniel Graziotin, Marcos Kalinowski. 2025-12-14. Attributes to Support the Formulation of Practically Relevant Research Problems in Software Engineering. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.12699

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