Systematic Review of Code Smell Patterns and Their Impact on Software Technical Debt

Abstract

The accumulation of technical debt in legacy software is primarily manifested through the recurring need to modify code in order to correct defects, adapt it to new requirements, or alter existing functionalities. This situation reduces the useful lifespan of software systems by increasing their fragility, as a consequence of the continuous interventions required for maintenance and correction. Code smells constitute one of the principal contributors to this problem in software development. Consequently, it is essential to address this issue through appropriate design and coding practices in order to enhance code quality, maintainability, and readability. The objective of the present research is to identify the relative frequency of practices employed by developers during the design and coding phases that lead to the generation of malformed code, thereby contributing to entropy and increased technical debt in legacy systems. The study focuses on evaluating factors related to structural design and programming practices, while also conducting statistical analyses to identify recurring patterns associated with code smells. The results provide a detailed understanding of the most common practices and their impact on software quality. Furthermore, they highlight relevant gaps in current software engineering research and development, suggesting potential directions for future investigations aimed at addressing these shortcomings. Smart citations: https://scite.ai/reports/10.61467/2007.1558.2025.v16i1.947 Dimensions.Open Alex.