A Framework for Sustainability of Systematic Literature Reviews

• Grant number: 25/06946-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science - Computer Systems
• Principal Investigator: Elisa Yumi Nakagawa
• Grantee: Vinicius dos Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação (ICMC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/00488-5 - SPIRA-BM: biomarkers for respiratory conditions on mobile devices using audio analysis with artificial intelligence, AP.TEM

Abstract

Systematic Literature Reviews (SLRs) emerged as a support for Evidence-Based Software Engineering being widely adopted in Software Engineering (SE). This method synthesizes information pragmatically and reliably, allowing the identification of research gaps, patterns, and trends in the existing literature. SLRs became a cornerstone for researchers to provide the foundation for their studies on solid and up-to-date information, providing greater transparency and reproducibility. Despite the benefits, the challenges of conducting an SLR persist, some are related to human factors, their difficulties in following the guidelines, or their lack of experience in conducting SLRs. Other challenges result from the scarcity of techniques and technologies capable of reducing the effort required of researchers in steps such as selecting primary studies and extracting data. Another factor negatively is the lack of reliable, efficient, integrated tools with long-term support. This scenario, which includes social, economic, and technical factors shows that all these problems are closely linked and cannot be solved in isolation, thus requiring the introduction of a holistic and systemic solution. Research projects often use much of their resources to conduct SLR. However, conducting these reviews consumes considerable time and energy, and their results do not always have a significant impact. A lack of integration and communication between members of the research group can lead to rework, and poor documentation can prevent the reuse of research, making the process unsustainable and wasting time that could be invested in advancing the state of the art. In this sense, the Sustainability of Systematic Literature Reviews aims to deliver results that are more aligned with the needs of the industry while preserving the resources (mainly time and effort) of researchers. The associated thematic project highlights the need to explore sustainability in software and reference architectures, seeking to increase the long-term impact of the proposed solutions. Likewise, it is also necessary to value the sustainability of the RSL produced by the research group. Given this context, the central question of this project is: how to support the development of sustainable RSL in research projects? The general objective of this postdoctoral fellowship is to create a RSL Sustainability Framework. With this, the aim is to support researchers of the Thematic Project in conducting more efficient and relevant reviews for the target audience. The main expected scientific contributions include: (i) A framework for sustainability in RSL, helping researchers understand the elements that make their reviews sustainable; (ii) A set of techniques, methods, or tools to support the planning, conducting, and documentation of sustainable RSL. This project aims to transform the way RSL are conducted, promoting a more efficient and accessible process for the academic community and also for the software industry. (AU)