Empirical studies of software development and evolution
1 Tel: +44 118 931 8615 ; fax: +44 118 975 1994; email: rachel.harrison@reading.ac.uk In some ways it seems extraordinary that it has taken the software engineering community until recently to consider the ways in which we do research. Empirical software engineering has given impetus to the search for research methodologies that will help us to evaluate and transfer technology in a timely manner. The growing interest in the area of empirical research is clear from papers published in journals such as this, as well as the success of workshops such as the IEEE Workshop on Empirical Studies of Software Maintenance (WESS), and the Workshop on Process Modelling and Empirical Studies of Software Evolution (PMESSE) that was held in 1997.