Using evidence from systematic studies to guide a PhD research in Requirements Engineering - an experience report

Abstract

Conducting systematic studies during a postgraduate program, such as systematic review, systematic mapping, and tertiary review, can benefit the project’s success. They provide an overview of the literature considering currently available research findings, establish baselines for other research activities, and support decisions made throughout the research project. However, there is a shortage of research that presents systematic studies experiences in supporting academic projects. This paper’s main contribution is reporting our experience on how the evidence found in tertiary and secondary studies positively influenced a PhD project’s decisions. Initially, a tertiary study was conducted, followed by a systematic mapping. The evidence returned by the tertiary study led to the definition of the PhD research proposal in the Requirement Engineering field. Moreover, a systematic mapping contributed to the definition of the PhD research problem. From this experience in undertaking systematic studies to support a PhD project, the paper also presents lessons learned and recommendations to guide PhD students’ decisions.