An analysis of research in computing disciplines

by Max Rohde,

An interesting article appeared in the communications of the ACM comparing the nature of topics in the disciplines computer science (CS), software engineering (SE) and information systems (IS) (Glass, Ramesh, and Vessey, 2004)

Topic CategoriesCSSEISExamples
Problem-Solving Concepts14.7%5.9%5.9%Algorithms, artificial intelligence
Computer Concepts28.7%10.9%0.0%Hardware principles, operating systems
System/software Concepts19.1%54.8%6.4%System architecture, system security, software life cycle
Data/information Concepts15.4%7.6%3.0%Data structures, information retrieval, data analysis
Problem domain-specific Concepts21.5%2.7%6.4%Bioinformatics, decision support systems, edutainment
System/software management Concepts-11.5%6.8%Project management, process management
Organizational Concepts0.3%1.9%65.6%Organizational structure, strategy, business process reengineering, IT implementation, change management
Societal concepts-0.3%1.4%Cultural/legal/ethical/political implications
Disciplinary issues-3.5%4.3%„Computing“ research, „Computing“ curriculum/teaching
Categories: contemplations