Do Research Software Engineers and Software Engineering Researchers Speak the Same Language?
Abstract
Anecdotal evidence suggests that Research Software Engineers (RSEs) and Software Engineering Researchers (SERs) often use different terminologies for similar concepts, creating communication challenges. To better understand these divergences, we have started investigating how SE fundamentals from the SER community are interpreted within the RSE community, identifying aligned concepts, knowledge gaps, and areas for potential adaptation. Our preliminary findings reveal opportunities for mutual learning and collaboration, and our systematic methodology for terminology mapping provides a foundation for a crowd-sourced extension and validation in the future.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2507.02665,
title = {Do Research Software Engineers and Software Engineering Researchers Speak the Same Language?},
author = {Timo Kehrer and Robert Haines and Guido Juckeland and Shurui Zhou and David E. Bernholdt},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2507.02665},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
Early access journal version: T. Kehrer, R. Haines, G. Juckeland, S. Zhou and D. E. Bernholdt, "Do Research Software Engineers and Software Engineering Researchers Speak the Same Language?," in Computing in Science & Engineering, doi: 10.1109/MCSE.2025.3557236