Aims and scope

Software and Systems Modeling (SoSyM) is a bi-monthly international journal (published in English) that focuses on theoretical and practical issues pertaining to the development and application of modeling languages and techniques for software, as well as engineered and natural systems and processes. The aim of the journal is to publish high-quality works that (1) further understanding of the theoretical and foundational underpinnings of modeling languages and techniques, (2) present rigorous analyses of modeling experiences, and (3) introduce scalable modeling techniques and processes that facilitate rigorous and efficient development and understanding of software and systems. SoSyM encompasses several communities involving modeling languages and techniques, such as Model-Driven Engineering, Modeling and Simulation, or Data Engineering.

The journal is unique in its emphasis on theoretical foundations of modeling languages and techniques, and on rigorous analyses of "real-world" modeling experiences. The balance of theoretical works and works based on in-depth analyses of experiences offers insights to researchers that can inform future investigations into better modeling languages and techniques, and provides modeling practitioners with a deeper understanding of modeling languages and techniques that can lead to more effective application.

The journal targets researchers, practitioners and students who have a vested interest in results generated by high-quality modeling research and by rigorously analyzed modeling experiences. We invite authors to submit papers that discuss and analyze research challenges and experiences pertaining to software and system modeling languages, techniques, tools, practices and other facets. The following are some of the topic areas that are of special interest, but the journal publishes on a wide range of software and systems modeling concerns:

    Domain-specific models and modeling standards
    Model-based testing techniques
    Model-based simulation techniques
    Formal syntax and semantics of modeling languages such as the UML
    Rigorous model-based analysis
    Model composition, refinement and transformation
    Software Language Engineering
    Modeling Languages in Science and Engineering
    Language Adaptation and Composition
    Metamodeling techniques
    Measuring quality of models and languages
    Ontological approaches to model engineering
    Generating test and code artifacts from models
    Model synthesis
    Methodology
    Model development tool environments
    Modeling Cyberphysical Systems
    Data intensive modeling
    Derivation of explicit models from data
    Case studies and experience reports with significant modeling lessons learned
    Comparative analyses of modeling languages and techniques
    Scientific assessment of modeling practices

More information can be found at www.sosym.org, which contains recent editorials, as well as information about the submission process for different paper categories (such as regular survey/overview, and special themes).

Special Issue on Eds. Gogolla, Haugen, Stevens
Submission Date: 2026-03-31

Authors should prepare their manuscript according to the Instructions for Authors available from the Journal’s submission guidelines https://link.springer.com/journal/10270/submission-guidelines. Submitted papers should present original, unpublished work, relevant to one of the topics of the special issue. All submitted papers will be evaluated on the basis of relevance, significance of contribution, technical quality, scholarship, and quality of presentation by at least two independent reviewers. It is the policy of the journal that no submission, or substantially overlapping submission, be published or be under review at another journal or conference at any time during the review process. All final decisions made by the Editors-in-Chief.

Special Issue on Digital Twin Engineering 2025
Submission Date: 2026-03-31

uthors should prepare their manuscript according to the Instructions for Authors available from the Journal’s submission guidelines https://link.springer.com/journal/10270/submission-guidelines. Submitted papers should present original, unpublished work, relevant to one of the topics of the special issue. All submitted papers will be evaluated on the basis of relevance, significance of contribution, technical quality, scholarship, and quality of presentation by at least two independent reviewers. It is the policy of the journal that no submission, or substantially overlapping submission, be published or be under review at another journal or conference at any time during the review process. All final decisions made by the Editors-in-Chief.

Special Issue on Engineering of Digital Twins
Submission Date: 2026-04-14

Deadlines if you aim to present at EDTconf'26

Papers that need to undergo two major review rounds: 31.12.2025
Papers that might only need one major revision round: 19.04.2026

Notification for presentation at EDTConf’26:09.08.2026

For more information, please see the full call for papers at the following link:

https://www.sosym.org/theme_sections/cfp/cfp-SoSyM-EDTConf26.pdf

Authors should prepare their manuscript according to the Instructions for Authors available from the Journal’s submission guidelines https://link.springer.com/journal/10270/submission-guidelines. Submitted papers 

Special Issue on Large Language Models for Generative Software Engineering
Submission Date: 2026-04-15

The introduction of ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Github's Copilot marked a significant advancement in the field of natural language processing, contributing to the widespread popularity of large language models (LLMs). These models have found successful applications in diverse sectors, including healthcare, finance, education, and various engineering fields, among others.

LLMs tailored for code, such as CodeLLama, Codex, and others, have revolutionized the landscape of software engineering. They significantly enhance developers' efficiency in several classical software engineering tasks like coding, testing, and documentation. LLMs are modifying how we interact with computers, and their application to software engineering holds immense potential.

This theme section will attract innovative works aiming to explore how these powerful models can be harnessed to automate, augment, and even transform the software development lifecycle, leading to increased productivity, innovative solutions, and a new era of software creation. Hence, the primary objective of this theme section is to explore potential applications where LLMs can support software engineers and modelers. Model-driven Engineering (MDE) can benefit from the adoption of these cutting-edge technologies and can offer methodologies to develop, optimize and improve them.

The Journal of Software and Systems Modeling (SoSyM) invites original, high-quality submissions for its theme section on “Large Language Models for Generative Software Engineering” focusing on related topics, including:

    LLM-augmented modeling tools
    LLMs to support MDE tasks
    Prompt engineering techniques to adapt LLMs in the context of MDE
    Retrieval Augmentation Generation (RAG) to support MDE
    Performance evaluation of LLMs in a MDE context
    Benchmarks to assess the modeling capabilities of LLMs
    LLMs trained with modeling corpora
    LLM agents for software modeling
    Positive and negative findings related to real-case scenarios
    Primary SLR concerning the interplay between LLMs and MDE

General Author Information

    Papers must be written in a scientifically rigorous manner with adequate references to related work.
    Submitted papers must not be simultaneously submitted in an extended form or in a shortened form to other journals or conferences. It is however possible to submit extended versions of previously published work. Manuscripts in which at least 75% of the content appears in a non-journal publication or in which at least 40% appears in a journal publication will not be published. Please see the SoSyM Policy Statement on Plagiarism for further conditions.
    Submitted papers do not need to adhere to a particular format or page limit. Please consult the SoSyM author information for submitting papers for more details.
    Each paper will be reviewed by at least three reviewers.

Making a Submission

    Communicate your intent to submit a paper by emailing the theme section editors the following information before the Intent to Submit deadline: Title, Authors, and an Abstract.
    Possible submission formats are:
        Word (.doc, without macros)
        Rich Text Format (.rtf)
        PostScript (.ps, special fonts must be embedded)
        PDF (saved as readable in version 5.0 or earlier)
    Due to a change of the online submission system of SoSyM, details on how to submit your work will follow after the intent to submit deadline.

Important Dates
Intent to Submit: 15-Oct-2025
Paper submission: 15-Feb-2026
Notification: 15-Apr-2026

Authors should prepare their manuscript according to the Instructions for Authors available from the Journal’s submission guidelines https://link.springer.com/journal/10270/submission-guidelines. Submitted papers should present original, unpublished work, relevant to one of the topics of the special issue. All submitted papers will be evaluated on the basis of relevance, significance of contribution, technical quality, scholarship, and quality of presentation by at least two independent reviewers. It is the policy of the journal that no submission, or substantially overlapping submission, be published or be under review at another journal or conference at any time during the review process. All final decisions made by the Editors-in-Chief.

Special Issue on Theme Section: Software and Systems Modeling in Industry 5.0
Submission Date: 2026-07-15

Model-based and model-driven engineering approaches have become well-established practices in manufacturing with the emergence of Industry 4.0 and now Industry 5.0 is gaining momentum, leveraging a range of widely-known modeling languages and tools. For instance, AutomationML, Asset Administration Shells, OPC UA, SysML, and many more. Alongside modeling standards, numerous domain-specific languages and tools accommodate specific requirements across different applications. In addition, low-code development recently has emerged as a significant success story of modeling, allowing a broader audience to engage in Industry 5.0 processes where the human factor is in the center. Yet, rigorous reports on successful and unsuccessful applications of software and system modeling in Industry 5.0 are rare. To address this gap, this theme section of the Journal on Software and Systems Modeling (SoSyM) aims to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to report emerging results, evidence of success or failure, and best practices on software and systems modeling in Industry 5.0. Therefore, SoSyM invites original, high-quality submissions for its Theme Section on Industry 5.0 Applications of Software and Systems Modeling.

The Journal of Software and Systems Modeling (SoSyM) invites original, high-quality articles describing any aspect of modeling in industrial practice are in scope and we would particularly encourage submissions addressing:

    AI support and human-AI interaction in software and systems modeling
    Application of new and emerging technologies, e.g., AI-based simulation, virtual commissioning or digital twins, to software and systems modeling
    Asset modeling, such as with the digital product passport
    Collaborative modeling support within and across enterprises
    Ecosystems in software and systems modeling (i.e., large-scale modeling in Industry 5.0)
    Empirical inquiries, systematic surveys, tool evaluations
    Industry reports, case studies, frameworks, and tools
    Novel domain-specific modeling languages, techniques, and methods
    Usability and scalability in industrial software and systems modeling applications

Evaluation Criteria

Submissions must provide an appropriate form of validation of the claims made in the paper. This can come in many forms and combinations, such as an empirical study on the performance or a controlled experiment of some tool approach related to the operational function compared to other similar tools, a human-based empirical evaluation, a deep user survey that assesses a new modeling approach and its benefits toward users, or a very detailed case study on some real system that provides argumentation and demonstration of the benefits of a modeling technique.

Papers submitted to this theme section will be evaluated primarily on the potential impact of their findings. Specifically:

    The manuscript must describe the context of the application of modeling and which problem this addresses.
    The manuscript should include a concise explanation of the approaches, techniques, methodologies, and tools used.
    The manuscript should report on the efficacy of the application, ideally in comparison to alternatives, and/or what new lessons have been learned or insights have been gained.
    Manuscripts that report negative results must include a thorough discussion of the possible causes of the failure and, ideally, provide a perspective on how to address them.
    Authors are encouraged to make artifacts publicly available, e.g., via a GitHub repository or an alternative that is expected to provide long-term availability.

General Author Information

    Papers must be written in a scientifically rigorous manner with adequate references to related work.
    Submitted papers must not be simultaneously submitted in an extended form or in a shortened form to other journals or conferences. It is however possible to submit extended versions of previously published work. Manuscripts in which at least 75% of the content appears in a non-journal publication or in which at least 40% appears in a journal publication will not be published. Please see the SoSyM Policy Statement on Plagiarism for further conditions.
    Submitted papers do not need to adhere to a particular format or page limit. Please consult the SoSyM author information for submitting papers for more details.
    Each paper will be reviewed by at least three reviewers.

Making a Submission

    Communicate your intent to submit a paper by emailing the theme section editors the following information before the Intent to Submit deadline: Title, Authors, and an Abstract.
    Possible submission formats are:
        Word (.doc, without macros)
        Rich Text Format (.rtf)
        PostScript (.ps, special fonts must be embedded)
        PDF (saved as readable in version 5.0 or earlier)
    Due to a change of the online submission system of SoSyM, details on how to submit your work will follow after the intent to submit deadline.

Important Dates

Intent to Submit: 15-Feb-2026
Paper Submission: 15-Jul-2026
Notification: 15-Oct-2026

Authors should prepare their manuscript according to the Instructions for Authors available from the Journal’s submission guidelines https://link.springer.com/journal/10270/submission-guidelines. Submitted papers should present original, unpublished work, relevant to one of the topics of the special issue. All submitted papers will be evaluated on the basis of relevance, significance of contribution, technical quality, scholarship, and quality of presentation by at least two independent reviewers. It is the policy of the journal that no submission, or substantially overlapping submission, be published or be under review at another journal or conference at any time during the review process. All final decisions made by the Editors-in-Chief.