Research: Topics and AdvisorsSourcesOutlineAdvisorsSlide 5Questions to Ask FacultyQuestions to Ask StudentsExpectationsSlide 9Not-so-Great ExpectationsIn the Unlikely Event...Doing ResearchWhat Is Research??A Good TopicScopeGetting JumpstartedRead, Read, Read!Just Do ItWrite Early!Articulating Your TopicCS Units of StudyUnit DiversityResearch Life CycleThe Research ProcessResearch ResultsResearch MethodsResearch Methods (cont.)Research Project PhasesSupporting Skills for ResearchWords from the WisePeters’ Criteria for Research TopicsA Comment on PetersHamming’s AdviceResearch Advice from CRA-WGood Research Practices from CRA-WSeptember1999October 1999October 1999Research: Topics and AdvisorsMarie desJardins ([email protected])CMSC 691BFebruary 22, 2006September1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 2SourcesRobert L. Peters, Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student’s Guide to Earning a Master’s or Ph.D. (Revised Edition). NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997.Tom Dietterich, CS 519 course slides, Oregon State University.Richard Hamming, “You and your research.” Transcription of the Bell Communications Research Colloquium Seminar, March 7, 1986.Francine Berman, “Building a research career.” CRA-W Career Mentoring Workshops.September1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 3OutlineAdvisorsDoing ResearchWords from the WiseResearch TopicsSeptember1999October 1999October 1999AdvisorsSeptember1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 5AdvisorsTemporary advisorsResearch advisorsApproaching a potential advisorSecondary/informal “advisors”Changing advisorsSeptember1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 6Questions to Ask FacultyAre you taking on new (M.S./Ph.D.) students?Do you have RA funding? For how long into the future?What research areas are you working in?Do you have specific open problems you are looking for students to work on?Do you generally suggest research topics to your students, or do you expect them to find their own topics?Are you willing to advise a thesis/dissertation in an area not directly related to your current research projects?Are you willing to advise an interdisciplinary thesis/dissertation, or to co-advise?Have you (recently) graduated any (M.S./Ph.D.) students?September1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 7Questions to Ask StudentsIs Prof. X accessible? How much time does Prof. X spend with you? In what contexts (individual meetings, lab meetings, etc.)?Do Prof. X’s students finish quickly?Do Prof. X’s students publish in top conferences and journals?Does Prof. X give credit to students for their work?Is Prof. X consistent in expectations and directions?Is Prof. X reasonable in the amount of work expected?Do students respect Prof. X intellectually?(From Peters, p. 46-47)September1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 8ExpectationsYou can reasonably expect your advisor to:Be available on a somewhat regular scheduleSuggest courses and schedulesHelp you to select and solve research topicsSuggest committee membersProvide feedback on written work and work in progressSuggest possible solutions to research problemsEncourage you to publishWrite letters of referenceYour advisor may also:Provide financial support (stipends and travel money)Provide career adviceHelp you find a jobSeptember1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 9ExpectationsYour advisor can reasonably expect you to:Develop ideas independentlyDo what you say you will do, in a reasonable timeframeMake (reasonably) continuous progressGo beyond the minimum amount of workBe pro-active in pursuing ideas and looking for resourcesAsk for help when you need itMeet relevant deadlines, even if heroic short-term effort is requiredYour advisor may also expect you to:Provide written progress reportsReview papers (theirs and others’)Work with other students in the labPublishContribute to grant proposalsSeptember1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 10Not-so-Great ExpectationsYour advisor should not expect you to:Perform excessive administrative tasks or paperworkContribute to research without authorshipConsistently work unreasonably long hoursHave no life outside of the labYou should not expect your advisor to:Constantly remind you what you need to be doingSolve every problem you encounterBe familiar with every aspect of your research problemProvide unlimited resources (time, money, equipment...)September1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 11In the Unlikely Event...What if your advisor is seriously abusing or neglecting you?Talk to the GPDTalk to another faculty member you trustChange advisorsTalk to the department chairTalk to the Associate DeanFile a formal complaintSeptember1999October 1999October 1999Doing ResearchSeptember1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 13What Is Research??Asking “why” and “how”Creating innovative solutions to novel problemsAlso:Understanding previous workTesting hypothesesAnalyzing dataPublishing resultsNot:Applying existing techniques to a new problemDeveloping a one-shot solution to a problemSeptember1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 14A Good Topic...is unsolved...is important...is interesting to you...is interesting to your advisor...is interesting to the research community...has useful applications...applies to more than one problemSeptember1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 15ScopeToo broad is badToo narrow is badToo constrained is badToo unconstrained is bad“Telescoping” is bestSeptember1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 16Getting JumpstartedRead!WriteAnnotated bibliographiesLiterature surveys (including open challenges)Replicate previous workRe-implementRe-deriveRe-experimentStart varying parameters, assumptions, environmentsSeptember1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 17Read, Read, Read!You have to read a lo t of research papers to become an expertYou have to become an expert before you can produce high-quality results You have to produce high-quality results before you can complete your Ph.D. you have to read a lot of research papers (and other people’s theses/dissertations) you might as well get started now!September1999October 1999October 19992/22/06 18Just Do It“People have an amazing ability to become interested in almost
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