issta-topic-selection
Use when deciding whether a project is a strong ISSTA fit versus ICSE, FSE, ASE, ICST, PLDI/CAV, or an SE journal, identifying whether the contribution is a testing/analysis technique, characterizing its evaluation shape, and sharpening the framing before writing begins.
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill issta-topic-selection --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# ISSTA Topic Selection Use this before writing. ISSTA is the venue for techniques that **test or analyze software** — that find, characterize, or reason about program behaviour and defects — evaluated on real subjects. The routing decision is mostly about whether that is the *core* of the contribution, or an ingredient in something broader. ## Fit test - Prefer ISSTA when the contribution is a testing or analysis technique: test generation, fuzzing, symbolic or concolic execution, static/dynamic analysis, fault localization, program-repair evaluation, sanitizers, or an empirical study *about* testing and analysis. - Route to **ICSE or FSE** when the contribution is broader software engineering: requirements, design, process, developer studies, or a technique whose testing angle is secondary. These are the general SE flagships; ISSTA is the testing/analysis specialist. - Route to **ASE** when the core is automation of an SE task and the testing/analysis content is a means rather than the end. - Route to **ICST** when the work is testing-focused but a better fit for a testing-specific audience, or is more applied/industrial than ISSTA's research-track bar. - Route to **PLDI, POPL, o
- Fit test
- Fit signal table
- Vignette: where a repair project goes
- Sharpening moves before committing
- Output format
What does the issta-topic-selection skill do?
Use when deciding whether a project is a strong ISSTA fit versus ICSE, FSE, ASE, ICST, PLDI/CAV, or an SE journal, identifying whether the contribution is a testing/analysis technique, characterizing its evaluation shape, and sharpening the framing before writing begins.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill issta-topic-selection --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills, a repository with 909 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.