5W+1H pattern: A perspective of systematic mapping studies and a case study on cloud software testing

• Novices often find it difficult to kick off a mapping study or literature review.
• A 5W+1H pattern is proposed to ease the difficulty of conducting literature surveys.
• The 5W+1H pattern helps formulate initial research questions and structure reports.
• A case study shows the applicability of the 5W+1H pattern and the lessons learned.
• A three-year mapping study on cloud software testing research is presented.

A common type of study used by researchers to map out the landscape of a research topic is known as mapping study. Such a study typically begins with an exploratory search on the possible ideas of the research topic, which is often done in an unsystematic manner. Hence, the activity of formulating research questions in mapping studies is ill-defined, rendering it difficult for researchers who are new to the topic. There is a need to guide them kicking off a mapping study of an unfamiliar domain. This paper proposes a 5W+1H pattern to help investigators systematically examine a generic set of dimensions in a mapping study toward the formulation of research questions before identifying, reading, and analyzing sufficient articles of the topic. We have validated the feasibility of our proposal by conducting a case study of a mapping study on cloud software testing, that is, software testing for and on cloud computing platforms. The case study reveals that the 5W+1H pattern can lead investigators to define a set of systematic, generic, and complementary research questions, enabling them to kick off and expedite the mapping study process in a well-defined manner. We also share our experiences and lessons learned from our case study on the use of the 5W+1H pattern in mapping studies.