What do we know about defect detection methods? [software testing

TLDR

Evidence‑based software engineering (EBSE) offers a systematic framework for defining questions, surveying empirical evidence, and evaluating practices to guide practitioners in selecting defect detection methods, where a defect corresponds to one or more underlying faults in artifacts such as code. The article aims to formulate questions about defect detection techniques and survey empirical studies on testing and inspection. The authors conduct a survey of empirical studies on testing and inspection techniques and interpret the findings to provide practical guidance. The survey recommends using inspections for requirements and design defects and testing for code defects.

Abstract

A survey of defect detection studies comparing inspection and testing techniques yields practical recommendations: use inspections for requirements and design defects, and use testing for code. Evidence-based software engineering can help software practitioners decide which methods to use and for what purpose. EBSE involves defining relevant questions, surveying and appraising avail able empirical evidence, and integrating and evaluating new practices in the target environment. This article helps define questions regarding defect detection techniques and presents a survey of empirical studies on testing and inspection techniques. We then interpret the findings in terms of practical use. The term defect always relates to one or more underlying faults in an artifact such as code. In the context of this article, defects map to single faults