In this project you will summarize 3 collaboration papers in a paper and presentation. I would recommend creating the presentation and first and then writing a paper around it. This allows the figures in the presentation to be pasted in the paper.
In your summary, you should integrate the papers by forming links between them. The presentation should be 20 minutes long and the paper 10 pages (double space, 10 point font, 1” margins). Check with me before you commit to the papers to ensure you don’t duplicate something some other student or I are planning to present.
You will be judged on the level of integration you do, which in turn is a function of the papers you survey. There are at least three kinds of integration possible:
1. Providing a single abstract description of multiple concrete features in different papers. For example abstracting different awareness policies into a dimensionalized design space.
2. Presenting features in different papers as competing alternatives to a common issue and comparing these alternatives. For example, defining the awareness issue and comparing different awareness policies.
3. Showing that some feature in a paper helps overcome some problem with a feature in another paper. For showing that awareness can reduce need for concurrency control.
Therefore, try and pick papers in which one of these three integrations (or some other integration) is possible.
I recommend picking papers that are related to the kind of project you wish to do. However, this is not a requirement. Thus, you do not have to show how these papers are relevant to your project.
You will also be judged on the quality of the content, writing and presentation. You should try to convey as many ideas in the surveyed papers as possible and not shirk from describing the more complex concepts. You must use your own words in describing these concepts – do not reproduce the text in the surveyed papers as your own, which, as most of you know, is considered plagiarism and is a honor code violation. If you must present text verbatim, put it in quotes and give the reference. The number of quotes in your paper is an inverse indication of its originality and the amount of work you did.
Try to have a good flow, where each paragraph you write (slide you make) builds on something you said before. A paper or a talk should be a mystery story where each part is answering some question raised before, ideally in the immediately preceding part! You should also not duplicate information except in the introduction, abstract, and conclusion sections. Moreover, do not give anything irrelevant to the immediate point you are making. Use the spell and grammatical checks before you submit the paper.
Naturally, I am not looking for something perfect – only for something that can be reasonably done in two weeks. This is the reason why I have never before formally described what makes a good survey paper for a class. But now that an IP is a requirement for graduation, I thought it would help to give these principles of good writing. It will not hurt to try practicing the rules mentioned above in this “mini-IP!”
Your talk will be presented in the two weeks after the due date. Naturally you can change the talk till you present it. But you should be ready to present it any class period after 28th.