Research Methods Dr. X

Outline How to read a publication How to formulate an idea for your project Project guidelines

Reading papers Why do we read papers in this class? How do you read papers?

How to read a paper Start by quick browsing: Abstract Titles of all sections Conclusions If it is relevant to your project read the whole paper (more details to follow) If it is part of your reading definitely read it!

How to read a paper Goals: Be able to reproduce the results Criticize the solutions Mine ideas from the paper for your own research Improve upon the ideas

Reading a paper Related work: Develops your expertise in the field Some references may be useful to read

Reading a paper What scientific devices are the authors using to communicate their point? Methodology - this is how they evaluate their solution. Theoretical papers typically validate a model using mathematical arguments (e.g., proofs) Experimental papers evaluate results based on test apparatus (e.g., measurements, data mining, synthetic workload simulation, trace-based simulation). Empirical research evaluates by measurement. Some papers have no evaluation at all, but argue the merits of the solution in prose (e.g., design papers)

Reading a paper Results Prove the validity of the method/claims Read critically, there may be mistakes Observe the graphs, x, y axis, the setup of experiments

Reading a paper Takeaways Inspiration A lesson or fact that you take away from this paper Inspiration Can you build on the solution proposed? Can you make it better? What ideas does the paper give you for your research?

Summarize an article Motivation Contribution Related work Methodology Results Take away

Reading a systems security paper What is the security model? Who are the participants and adversaries What are the assumptions of trust (trust model) What are the relevant risks/threats What are the constraints? What are the practical limitations of the environment To what degree are the participants available What is the solution? How are the threats reasonably addressed How do they evaluate the solution What is the take away? key idea/design, e.g., generalization (not solely engineering) Hint: I will ask these questions when evaluating course project.

Project The course project requires the student execute some limited research in security. Demonstrate applied knowledge Don’t try to learn some new non-security field Be realistic about what can be accomplished in a single semester. However, the work should reflect real thought and effort. The grade will be based on the following factors: novelty, depth, correctness, clarity of presentation, and effort.

Timeline Before Feb 1 Upload project presentation proposal to Oaks Pick your project partner(s) Project need to be done in teams of at least two, unless we discuss otherwise

Idea formulation Read related work in the area of your choice Well cited publications or robust blogs/white papers from companies that are known in the field Then ask the the following questions (write down answers) What are the problems that this area addresses? What are the methodological tools that people bring to bear in addressing problems in this area? How is the field evolving? How do your set of skills apply to the problems being addressed? How are expected changes in the larger computer science community going to affect the known problems and solutions?

Idea formulation methods Listing: in 5 minutes make a quick list of 1-5 word phrases that would be used by/related to/observance of the field and problems and solutions This is not an outline, there is no ordering to the list Use your imagination Creativity is the essence of this exercise (don’t overthink) Brainstream: Brainstream is when the mind has various multiple thoughts that begin to find connections within each, therefore each thought is in conjunction with the other and instead of just separated thoughts, they all began to flow together creating a "stream"

Mind Mapping

Project proposal presentation May include your thought process for the idea Title, team members, team name (optional) Motivation: why is what you are doing important Related work: you need to search thoroughly and make sure that something similar or same method/tool has not been created by other researchers. What you are proposing: Description of the system or network protocol that you re planning to analyze or implement, or the tool that you intend to build or extend. Description of security properties you intend to investigate. Tools and/or analysis techniques you are planning to use. Clear description of project deliverables. Possible deliverables are a software prototype, a substantial case study, or, in the case of a purely theoretical study, proofs (manual or machine- assisted).

Good luck! Questions?