IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering is interested in well-defined theoretical results and empirical studies that have potential impact on the construction, analysis, or management of software. The scope of this Transactions ranges from the mechanisms through the development of principles to the application of those principles to specific environments.

Specific topic areas include: a) development and maintenance methods and models, e.g., techniques and principles for the specification, design, and implementation of software systems, including notations and process models; b) assessment methods, e.g., software tests and validation, reliability models, test and diagnosis procedures, software redundancy and design for error control, and the measurements and evaluation of various aspects of the process and product; c) software project management, e.g., productivity factors, cost models, schedule and organizational issues, standards; d) tools and environments, e.g., specific tools, integrated tool environments including the associated architectures, databases, and parallel and distributed processing issues; e) system issues, e.g., hardware-software trade-off; and f) state-of-the-art surveys that provide a synthesis and comprehensive review of the historical development of one particular area of interest.