@inproceedings{2ade09048046469b9ce86c04a2b53848,
title = "Manually Locating Features in Industrial Source Code: The Search Actions of Software Nomads",
abstract = "Expert software engineers working on large systems often need to perform feature location when moving to work in unfamiliar areas. We hypothesise that leveraging the system-specific knowledge of these may help to improve semi-automated feature location techniques. In order to assess and understand how software nomads perform manual feature location searches, two expert professional software engineers were observed in-vivo following a think-aloud protocol while performing manual feature location on a large-scale heterogeneous system. The nomads' search actions were found to be around twice as effective as those reported in previous studies. This cannot be explained by sophisticated use of tools or complex queries. We conclude that system rules and conventions are frequently used by experts when constructing feature location search terms.",
keywords = "Feature location, search In-vivo empirical studies, Source code",
author = "Howell Jordan and Jacek Rosik and Sebastian Herold and Goetz Botterweck and Jim Buckley",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2015 IEEE.; 23rd IEEE International Conference on Program Comprehension, ICPC 2015 ; Conference date: 18-05-2015 Through 19-05-2015",
year = "2015",
month = aug,
day = "5",
doi = "10.1109/ICPC.2015.26",
language = "English",
series = "IEEE International Conference on Program Comprehension",
publisher = "IEEE Computer Society",
pages = "174--177",
booktitle = "Proceedings - 2015 IEEE 23rd International Conference on Program Comprehension, ICPC 2015",
}