1. Stage-426-Feb-991 Ways to Excel as a Stage-4 Student Professor Clark Thomborson Computer Science Department Auckland University

2. Stage-426-Feb-992 Stage-4 Student Preparation Have a generalist background in CS: »Software systems, theory, graphics, AI,... Ready to specialise Willing to interact with superviser and instructors Eager to do research

3. Stage-426-Feb-993 The Research Process Project definition Literature review Discover something new & interesting Write it up

4. Stage-426-Feb-994 Project Definition Goal: focus on some topic Problem solving: given an important problem, find a solution. Solution justification: given a “solution,” find an important problem that it “solves.” Something else, or both of the above!

5. Stage-426-Feb-995 Literature Review: Initial Search Goal: find at least one relevant publication AltaVista keyword search Computer science bibliographies Journals & books in the library Reference lists in textbooks & articles Web pages of researchers and research groups UseNet FAQs and archives

6. Stage-426-Feb-996 Literature Review: Later Searches Goal: find all the relevant publications Read, take notes, think about what you’re reading. Pay careful attention to reference lists in relevant articles. Keep looking!

7. Stage-426-Feb-997 Discovery Goal: find something new and interesting Be creative Work hard, work efficiently, take breaks Communicate with other researchers, students, instructors, and (especially) your supervisor

8. Stage-426-Feb-998 Writing It Up: First Steps Goal: find out what you know, and what you don’t know. Write carefully and precisely Read your work critically, looking for gaps in your reasoning or explanation

9. Stage-426-Feb-999 Writing It Up: Second Steps Goal: find your audience, by answering three questions. What will you assume that your reader knows, before they read your work? What are you trying to communicate? Why should your reader care? »(Define a new audience, or look for something more interesting to write about!)

10. Stage-426-Feb-9910 Writing It Up: Third Steps Goal: an effective piece of writing. Give your writing to someone else and ask for their feedback Pay attention to their feedback! »What have you learned about your audience? »How can you communicate your ideas? »How can you motivate your audience?

11. Stage-426-Feb-9911 Writing It Up: Final Submission Goal: ready for academic publication Correct in technical detail, spelling, grammar, typography Attractive to your chosen audience Effective at communicating your ideas Academically sound: you must clearly and fully explain how your work “fits in” to the published literature in your topic.