The readability of software test code is essential for understanding and maintaining software systems. While several studies address code readability, little research specifically focuses on test code. This paper investigates test code readability from both academic and practical perspectives. Using a Systematic Mapping Study (SMS), we analyzed 16 academic studies and 56 grey literature sources to identify key factors influencing readability. Most academic studies (88%) focus on automatically generated test code, often using surveys (44%) to assess readability. The grey literature highlights practical aspects, revealing overlap but also divergence between academic and industrial viewpoints. Additionally, we conducted a controlled experiment in an academic setting to examine the impact of selected factors on test case readability. Results show that certain factors significantly influence readability. We conclude that aligning academic and industrial perspectives is crucial to establish a shared understanding and improve the readability of software test code.
Winkler et al. (Thu,) studied this question.