Evaluating Software Complexity Measures
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
Software measurement: a conceptual framework
Journal of Systems and Software - An Oregon workshop on software metrics
A philosophy for software measurement
Journal of Systems and Software - An Oregon workshop on software metrics
Methodology for Validating Software Metrics
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
Shotgun correlations in software measures
Software Engineering Journal
Software metrics and measurement principles
ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes
The mathematical validity of software metrics
ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes
Software metrics: success, failures and new directions
Journal of Systems and Software - Special issue on invited articles on top systems and software engineering scholars
Proceedings of the Conference on The Future of Software Engineering
Software Measurement: A Necessary Scientific Basis
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
Towards a Framework for Software Measurement Validation
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
A framework for the measurement of software quality
Proceedings of the software quality assurance workshop on Functional and performance issues
Getting a Handle on the Fault Injection Process: Validation of Measurement Tools
METRICS '98 Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Software Metrics
Metrics Are Fitness Functions Too
METRICS '04 Proceedings of the Software Metrics, 10th International Symposium
Journal of Systems and Software
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
Using Static Analysis to Find Bugs
IEEE Software
What's up with software metrics? - A preliminary mapping study
Journal of Systems and Software
A Methodology for Collecting Valid Software Engineering Data
IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering
Evaluating usefulness of software metrics: an industrial experience report
Proceedings of the 2013 International Conference on Software Engineering
Measuring the forensic-ability of audit logs for nonrepudiation
Proceedings of the 2013 International Conference on Software Engineering
A roadmap for software maintainability measurement
Proceedings of the 2013 International Conference on Software Engineering
Dynamic coupling metrics for object oriented software systems: a survey
ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes
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Context. Researchers proposing a new metric have the burden of proof to demonstrate to the research community that the metric is acceptable in its intended use. This burden of proof is provided through the multi-faceted, scientific, and objective process of software metrics validation. Over the last 40 years, however, researchers have debated what constitutes a “valid” metric. Aim. The debate over what constitutes a valid metric centers on software metrics validation criteria. The objective of this article is to guide researchers in making sound contributions to the field of software engineering metrics by providing a practical summary of the metrics validation criteria found in the academic literature. Method. We conducted a systematic literature review that began with 2,288 papers and ultimately focused on 20 papers. After extracting 47 unique validation criteria from these 20 papers, we performed a comparative analysis to explore the relationships amongst the criteria. Results. Our 47 validation criteria represent a diverse view of what constitutes a valid metric. We present an analysis of the criteria's categorization, conflicts, common themes, and philosophical motivations behind the validation criteria. Conclusions. Although the 47 validation criteria are not conflict-free, the diversity of motivations and philosophies behind the validation criteria indicates that metrics validation is complex. Researchers proposing new metrics should consider the applicability of the validation criteria in terms of our categorization and analysis. Rather than arbitrarily choosing validation criteria for each metric, researchers should choose criteria that can confirm that the metric is appropriate for its intended use. We conclude that metrics validation criteria provide answers to questions that researchers have about the merits and limitations of a metric.