Reading Research Papers

George Corser

Agenda

• Why are we here?• Why read research papers?• What is a research paper?• What is in a research paper?• What is the research process?• How to find significant papers• How to read critically• Time and material management

Why Are We Here?

Research !

Why Read Research Papers?

• Make sure your idea has not been published already

• Become an expert in a research area (stand on the shoulders of giants)

Image source: http://www.hitrecord.org/records/34896

What is a Research Paper?

• Conference paper, journal paper, book chapter• Types– Theoretical: algorithm or mathematical proof– Empirical: analysis of simulation or real-world

implementation– Survey: documentation of state of the art– Tutorial, case study, others…

• Peer reviewed

What is in a Research Paper?

Paper Sections• Abstract1

• Introduction2

• Background3

• Method, terms4

• Results / Analysis5

• Conclusion6

Sample Paper (Excerpt)

What is the Research Process?

Define research topic

Find significant papers Classify papers

Develop hypothesis

Experiment (measure) Write a paper

How to Find Significant Papers

• Find papers in journals with high impact factor (IF): IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, Google Scholar

• Find papers that cite other significant papers• Find papers that have been cited by others

Impact Factor Examples

Computer Science (2011) All Fields (2003)

Source for “Computer Science (2011):http://www.spinellis.gr/blog/20120703/Source for “All Fields (2003)”:http://in-cites.com/research/2005/july_18_2005-1.html

Frequent Citation Examples

IEEE Xplore Google Scholar

How to Read Critically• What problem(s) are they solving? Why are these problems important? Are

the author’s claims reasonable and realistic?• What did they really do? (as opposed to what the authors say or imply they

did) Do the authors present evidence that they know why they are doing this research? What is the larger picture?

• What is the contribution of the work? (i.e. what is interesting or new?)• What methods are they using? Is the approach clearly described? Can you

summarize the approach? Does the approach seem objective? Reasonable assumptions?

• Would you have solved the problem differently? Can you think of counter-examples?

• Do all the pieces of their work fit together logically?• What were the results? Do the results address the problem stated at the

beginning of the paper?

Source: Dr Qu

Time and Material Management

• Nickname the papers you read: AMOEBA, REP, AOSA, PARROTS, FLARES

• Keep a log of the most interesting points in each paper

• Save the files using naming convention (nickname) in one searchable directory

Paper Key Points

AMOEBA Mix zoneSilent period

REP Random encryption period

AOSA Anonymous LBS access, Group leader acts as proxyPrivacy metrics

SPCP Synchronized pseudonym changing protocol

PARROTS Vehicles mimic signals of other vehicles

FLARES Vehicles emit decoy messages, scalable: no reliance on other cars

Relax. Then Refocus.

Conclusion

• Why are we here?• Why read research papers?• What is a research paper?• What is in a research paper?• What is the research process?• How to find significant papers• How to read critically• Time and material management

The End

Extra Slides

Peer-reviewed journal growth

Source: M A Mabe, The number and growth of journals, Serials 16(2), 191-7, 2003

Impact Factor (IF)

• Average number of citations per article• Example– Let A = number of times articles from 2006 and

2007 were cited in a journal in 2008– Let B = the number of “citable” items published in

the journal– Impact factor, IF = A / B

Source: http://www.sciencegateway.org/impact/

Impact factor analysis

Source: Elsevier 201062216345377

What is the Writing Process?

Paper Sections• Abstract1

• Introduction2

• Background3

• Method4

• Results / Analysis5

• Conclusion6

Writing Tasks• Results / Analysis5

• Method4

• Background3

• Conclusion6

• Introduction2

• Abstract1