Graduate students and undergraduates taking this course as a “contract honors” class will complete a project on a more advanced topic from theory of computing, going beyond the core material that is covered in the class. Requirements, deadlines, and more information is below.
This is intended to be a solid computer science report, with a high standard for scientific writing and rigor. Formulas, theorems, and proofs are important and should be included as appropriate. As for the length of the paper, something around 10 pages (11 or 12 point font, single spaced, with 1 inch margins) should be enough to cover the important parts. There’s no need to try to write about everything that’s out there related to your topic. If at any point you are uncertain about what is expected, or if you would like some guidance, please contact me – don’t just make guesses about what you should do!
Immediately following the second mid-term exam, we will take some time in class to discuss the project. We will talk about some possible topics, although students are not limited to just those topics and can select a topic on their own as long as it is relevant to the class and approved by the instructor.
The major “project milestones” are explained below, with due dates.
Topic selection (due Wednesday, April 2): Submit a basic description of your project topic in Canvas. All I need is a very brief (couple of sentences) description of your project topic, but if you want to provide more information then I can give you feedback on that.
Progress report (due Wednesday, April 16): By the time of the progress report your project should be pretty well investigated, meaning you’ve collected and read the main reference papers, and thought through what you’re going to write about in your report. You should turn in a progress report that contains the introduction section to your project report (this should describe the topic you’re studying at a high level and describe what you will be giving details on), as well as an outline of your report and a list of bibliographic references that you plan on using. You need at least two solid references (books or peer-reviewed conference or journal papers – not just websites!). Make sure you use appropriate citation styles (including full conference/journal names, dates, and page numbers). Web links or URLs are not appropriate citations!
The progress report is graded, and counts for 20% of your overall project grade. However, the most important part of the progress report is that I will provide comments and suggestions in Canvas soon after you submit it. This is where I tell you if you are going in the right direction, and give suggestions for things you should include for a good final report. You can turn in your progress report at any point, and I will provide feedback promptly. You are encouraged to turn in your progress report before the deadline so you can get early feedback on the direction you are taking!
Final report (due Wednesday, April 30): Your final report is due at the end of the day on the last regular class day of the semester. Note that no late submissions can be accepted – all reports must be received by the deadline.
Remember that the writing should be entirely your own – it is not acceptable to copy text from anything, whether it is a book, a paper, or the web. My general advice to people is this: Investigate and read as much about the topic as you can until you really understand it, taking some light notes. Then you should know the topic well enough to put aside all your references, and do the writing without looking at the original material. That ensures that the writing is coming from you and not the reference material.