In the lecture notes you received two papers on how and how not to write a scientific paper. You must now write a paper on the topic you selected in your proposal. The purpose of the research report is for you to become an expert on the topic you selected. The research report should be written so that it conveys information to the reader. When grading the paper I will ask myself whether other students in the class might learn about the topic you choose by reading your paper. The paper should contain original analysis of the papers you choose to cover, and ideally suggest directions for future research on the topic.
In writing your paper you should use the assigned readings from the course as a guide of what is expected of you. In particular, the length and level of detail should be about that of the typical paper from your readings. The real constraint on the length, though, is that your paper should be as long as is necessary to get across the material you wish to convey, and not longer. You should also use the papers in the readings as a guide to what is expected in terms of properly citing other works.
We realize that some of the students in CSci555 have not been required to submit research papers in other classes that they have taken. For those of you who have not written a research paper before, we urge you to utilize the resources of the Engineering Writing Center or the USC Writing Center.
Please note that the official due date for the paper is Friday 7 December. The papers must be submitted in printed form by this time. You may mail the paper to me (at the address below) if you prefer, but the paper must have a postmark or pick-up date of Friday December 7, and it must be delivered by the carrier to ISI by Tuesday December 11.
If papers are submitted or mailed after December 7, but by December 14, they will receive a penalty of one letter grade (e.g. an A becomes and A-). This will likely have only a minor effect on the course grade if any, as weighting of the assignment into the final grade has an effect of 0.09 to 0.12 grade points. If your course grades are borderline, however, this might make the difference.
Electronic submissions will NOT be accepted or graded. You may turn in your paper in person to either instructor or to the TA's through the time of the final lecture. DEN students may mail the paper following the directions below so that it has a postmark of December 7. Do NOT slide the paper under the door of the instructor or the TA as 1) the paper may be lost, and 2) we have no way to determine when it was submitted.
For those wishing to turn in the paper by mail. You must deliver have the paper delivered to Dr. Neuman at ISI. It is your responsibility to see that the paper reaches Dr. Neuman. Delivery confirmation is a good way to make sure that it has been delivered. Dr. Neuman will not individually acknowledge receipt of papers - except by entering a grade when grading is complete. Dr. Neuman's address is:
Dr. Clifford Neuman
USC Information Sciences Institute
4676 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 822-1511
If hand delivering the paper, it may be left with the ISI receptionist
until close of business on December 7. If received by receptionist by
close of business December 7th, the receptionist will deliver the
papers to me, and I will treat the papers as delivered on time.