Research

Research reports

Data-driven research on the state of software change communication. Reports are published under CC-BY-SA 4.0 with full methodology disclosure.

Published reports

  • 2026

    State of API Change Communication 2026

    A 30-day tracking study of how 100 major software vendors communicate API changes, deprecations, breaking changes, and policy updates. Covers notification lag, format diversity, silent deprecations, and vendor-by-vendor communication grades. The inaugural ChangeSpec research report.

    Under press embargo - Full release May 2026. Report hosted at changespec.com/report.

Future research

Research published under the ChangeSpec standards identity is independent of commercial considerations and follows a documented methodology. Planned future reports:

  • State of API Change Communication 2027 - annual repetition of the 2026 study, enabling year-over-year trend analysis.
  • ChangeSpec Adoption Report - tracking the growth of ChangeSpec-conforming implementations and publisher adoption.
  • Regulatory Alignment Study - mapping ChangeSpec fields to DORA, OSFI B-10, and FCA third-party risk disclosure requirements.

Research proposals may be submitted via GitHub Discussions. The ChangeSpec Foundation welcomes co-authorship proposals from academic institutions and independent researchers.

Methodology standards

All reports published under the ChangeSpec standards identity adhere to these requirements:

  • Full methodology disclosure including data collection period, vendor selection criteria, and classification rules.
  • Raw data made available in ChangeSpec format where possible.
  • Peer review by at least two independent reviewers before publication, including at least one reviewer from outside the organization.
  • Claims about vendor behavior are documented with specific receipts (timestamps, URLs, screenshots).
  • Vendors mentioned in reports receive advance notification and an opportunity to respond before publication.
  • Published under CC-BY-SA 4.0 - freely quotable with attribution.