SLuRp: a tool to help large complex systematic literature reviews deliver valid and rigorous results

Abstract

Background: Systematic literature reviews are increasingly used in software engineering. Most systematic literature reviews require several hundred papers to be examined and assessed. This is not a trivial task and can be time consuming and error-prone. Aim: We present SLuRp - our open source web enabled database that supports the management of systematic literature reviews. Method: We describe the functionality of SLuRp and explain how it supports all phases in a systematic literature review. Results: We show how we used SLuRp in our SLR. We discuss how SLuRp enabled us to generate complex results in which we had confidence. Conclusions: SLuRp supports all phases of an SLR and enables reliable results to be generated. If we are to have confidence in the outcomes of SLRs it is essential that such automated systems are used.