SWEBOK Guide v4.0a is the Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge, published by the IEEE Computer Society. The cover states that it was released in August 2026. The editor is Hironori Washizaki of Waseda University, identified as the 2025 President of the IEEE Computer Society. The project belongs to the IEEE Computer Society, and the copyright holder is IEEE.[1]
The Guide describes the generally accepted knowledge of software engineering in 18 knowledge areas, with specifications for the knowledge-area descriptions, an annotated set of relevant standards, and a reference list. It is not the body of knowledge itself; that knowledge exists in the published literature. The introduction describes Version 4 as an update of the 2014 Guide V3 and states that Agile and DevOps have been incorporated into almost all knowledge areas, with three added areas: Software Architecture, Software Security, and Software Engineering Operations.[1]
The copyright page permits educational or personal use without fee, provided the copies are not made for profit or in lieu of purchasing copies for classes, the notice and a full citation appear on the first page of the copy, and the use does not imply IEEE endorsement. Reprinting for commercial, advertising, or promotional purposes, or creating new collective works for resale or redistribution, requires permission from the IEEE Intellectual Property Rights Office. Digital copies are provided through computer.org/swebok.[1][2]
See Software Engineering.