With the constant expansion of new technological advancements, the role of a software engineer has become vital in today’s digitally-focused economy. Everything from smartphones to heart monitors require some sort of virtual maintenance, and we have these guys to thank for making sure that it all runs smoothly and reliably. Where, though, does this valuable expertise come from? How is it developed? Throughout the many resources the internet has to offer, a vast collection of scholarly articles, web blogs, and magazines exist to answer such questions.
Although, the manner in which these answers are conveyed can differ, depending on the type of source being utilized. Below is a series of examples, each with an analysis that will explain how the resource is authoritative and credible, what audience it is intended for, and how it is published. This should help provide some clarity as to why each is important to the software engineering discipline.
Journal of Software Engineering and Applications
The Journal of Software Engineering and Applications (JSEA) is an international online platform designed to help engineers and academicians promote new ideas, share helpful information, or discuss various developments in the field of software engineering (Aim & Scope). Like many popular resources and trade periodicals, JSEA is a collection of information gathered from numerous authors with similar interests. What makes JSEA unique, however, is the fact that it is a scholarly resource.
Scholarly resources, like journals, are designed for individuals with higher education, as well as those who are already experienced in the field they are researching. Their setup is very precise and method-based, filled with complicated terminology, graphs, and formulas. One could argue that their formatting comes across more as ‘scientific’ or ‘experimental.’
Regarding JSEA specifically, there are a couple things that make it unique, such as the fact that the journal is made freely available to anyone with a reliable internet connection, thanks to Scientific Research Publishing (SCIRP). You can pay a subscription fee to receive a physical copy, but the cost is quite undesirable, with the most expensive issue being $1,068. JSEA’s most defining feature, however, is its complex and unforgiving publication process. Submissions from the software engineering community are subject to peer-review before they can be published to the journal. SCIRP’s editorial board provides its potential authors with strict guidelines to follow regarding the formatting of its manuscripts.
If these requirements are not satisfied, the paper is rejected and returned to its original author (Authors’ Guidelines). If a submission is accepted for publication, its author must pay a hefty processing fee in order to keep the online infrastructure running (Article Processing Charges). Even then, the article will not even appear online until three weeks have passed, unlike a blog or post on social media, which can be uploaded for free at the writer’s discretion (Aim & Scope). Furthermore, the editors of SCIRP have zero tolerance for any infringements of professional ethics. As a result, its articles are rigorously peer-reviewed before they are published to the journal, thus preventing the horrors of plagiarism, fraudulent data, or false claims of authorship from ruining JSEA’s credibility (Authors’ Guidelines).
Journal of Software Engineering Research and Development
The Journal of Software Engineering Research and Development (JSERD) keeps readers updated on the state of software engineering by publishing articles containing valuable information on research related to the discipline’s field (Submissions). JSERD is a scholarly resource, meaning that it shares many characteristics with the aforementioned JSEA (language, audience, publishing process, etc.).
There are a couple things that set JSERD apart, though. Firstly, the platform is newer than JSEA, as its first volume was released six years after JSEA’s first. There is also no processing fee for an author to pay if an article is accepted, since the journal is sponsored by the Brazilian Computing Society (SBC) (Submissions). Additionally, the types of articles that JSERD accepts are much broader; while journals like JSEA primarily publish manuscripts written like lab reports, JSERD will publish research articles, case studies, or even reviews.
Moreover, the platform allows authors to make comments to the editors if they want to provide any extra information, like issues relating to journal polices or suggestions about potential reviewers (Submissions).
With these differences in mind, it is safe to say that JSERD is more user-friendly than our previously mentioned resource. If an author was only interested in writing for scholarly resources, JSERD would be the obvious choice.
CODE Magazine
CODE (or EPS Software) is a company “widely recognized for advanced technical expertise and the ability to help companies build better software with modern technology,” as their website outs it (About CODE and EPS Software). This claim holds some weight to it, and CODE Magazine is physical proof of that. All issues are available for free online, each chock-
full of helpful tutorials, programming tidbits, and details on the latest software innovations.
In the most recent issue, for example, there’s an article titled “Understanding and Using Web Workers” that teaches the reader new tricks to aid their skills in web development.
Obviously, the target audience here only includes web developers, as the author focuses on concepts that only they could understand. What makes it stand out, however, is how easy it is to follow; the language is simple, its tone is laid-back, and the author makes a clear effort to keep his readers interested. The article is casual and fun, which serves as a good representation of the magazine as a whole. This is unlike the previously mentioned scholarly articles, which are dreadfully monotonous (Castro, 2021).
Another interesting detail about CODE Magazine is that, like JSEA, you can pay for a physical copy. Although, the magazine is clearly more affordable, as each issue is only $29.99 (Subscription Information). Additionally, authors can request to write articles for the magazine’s next issue, much like the researchers of scholarly articles. This process is set up more like a job interview, though, as the authors are asked to provide information about themselves in addition to an abstract of their article. Like JSERD, CODE Magazine will accept abstracts for many different types of manuscripts. This can include technical how-to articles, columns, postmortems, or even email newsletters. If their outline is accepted, they are then given a deadline to submit the article in full. After that, the piece is touched-up by the magazine’s editors and finally published. Clearly, CODE Magazine’s publication process is much simpler than that of a scholarly article, as well as more personal (Proposing and Writing an Article).
Codecademy
Codecademy is an online interactive platform that offers a multitude of different services to its users, such as programming cheat cheats, free coding classes, and a news blog featuring
popular trends and stories. What’s really special about Codecademy, though, is how interactive it is with its community, more so than any other resource mentioned in this analysis. For example, the blog is currently celebrating Black History Month by showing their appreciation for Black programmers who were nominated by the Codecademy team (Codecademy Team, 2021). This kind of quality wouldn’t typically appear in many other resources, especially scholarly ones.
In addition to honoring their community, Codecademy focuses heavily on helping their readers further their knowledge in programming. Like CODE Magazine, the blog offers helpful tutorials and coding tidbits with simple language, a relaxed tone, and interesting material.
However, Codecademy is even easier to follow because of its broad target audience, which includes those who may be interested in programming. An example of this can be seen on the blogs homepage under a post titled “6 benefits of learning code for product managers” (Codecademy).
Synopsis and Conclusion
After a comprehensive analysis on each given resource, we now have a better understanding of why these resources are so valuable to software engineers. Scholarly resources like JSEA are the most reliable, due to their intricate review process. Some, however, are more user-friendly than others, like JSERD, due to its broader range of accepted manuscripts, which are free of publication fees. Trade periodicals, on the other hand, offer a much more relaxed researching experience, and the readers of CODE Magazine could definitely attest to that.
Finally, popular resources like Codecademy have broader audiences who they actively value and do their best to assist. All and all, each resource may have its respected advantages, but they all contribute equally to the vast pool of knowledge available to the everyday software engineer.
Works Cited
About CODE and EPS Software. CODE Magazine. Retrieved Feb 8, 2021, from https://codemag.com/About
Aim & Scope. Journal of Software Engineering and Applications. Scientific Research Publishing. Retrieved February 5, 2021, from https://www.scirp.org/journal/aimscope.aspx?journalid=45
Article Processing Charges. Journal of Software Engineering and Applications. Scientific Research Publishing. Retrieved February 5, 2021, from https://www.scirp.org/journal/apc.aspx?journalid=45
Authors’ Guidelines. Journal of Software Engineering and Applications. Scientific Research Publishing. Retrieved February 5, 2021, from https://www.scirp.org/journal/forauthors.aspx?journalid=45
Castro, Miguel. (2021). “Understanding and Using Web Workers”. CODE Magazine. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.codemag.com/Article/2101071/Understanding-and-Using-Web-Workers
Codecademy. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://news.codecademy.com/
Codecademy Team. (2021). “Black programmers and technologists who inspire us”. Codecademy. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://news.codecademy.com/black-programmers-and-technologists-who-inspire-us/
Proposing and Writing an Article. CODE Magazine. Retrieved Feb 12, 2021, from https://www.codemag.com/Write
Submissions. Journal of Software Engineering Research and Development. SBC Open Lib. Retrieved February 5, 2021, from https://sol.sbc.org.br/journals/index.php/jserd/about/submissions
Subscribe to CODE Magazine. CODE Magazine. Retrieved Feb 8, 2021, from https://codemag.com/magazine/subscribe
Subscription Information. Journal of Software Engineering and Applications. Scientific Research Publishing. Retrieved February 8, 2021, from https://www.scirp.org/journal/JSEA/
write