ESU Department of Computer Science

Guidelines for Technical Papers and Graduate Theses

A technical paper or graduate thesis (referred to as paper for the rest of this document) is the explanation of an argument. That is, the purpose of a paper is to explain a theory and illustrate why it is correct or incorrect. We often use the Scientific Method to help our explanation:
 
Scientific Method [1]    
1.      Hypothesis    
2.      Experiment    
3.      Evaluation and Iteration of Experiment    
4.      Conclusion
 
When we write a paper which does not involve an experiment, we would then use other theories or writers to help explain why our hypotheses are true (or false). This is research.
 
In order to structure the paper, we should remember the famous writing/speaking rule of thumb [2]:    
1.      Tell them what you are going to say (Introduction).    
2.      Say it (Body).    
3.      Tell them what you said (Conclusion).
 
The general structure of a paper could therefore follow the following outline:    
1.      Introduction
     a.       State the Hypothesis
     b.      Overview of the paper
     c.       Explain the Conclusion    
2.      History
     a.       Explore what past work has occurred on the topic    
3.      Experiment or Explanation
     a.       If experimenting, include great detail
     b.      Evaluate the experiment
     c.       Iterate if possible    
4.      Future Work
     a.       What issues has the work not resolved    
5.      Conclusion
     a.       What has been proven
     b.      Review the paper    
6.      References
 
Please use this outline as a guideline. Different instructors will require different methodologies.
 
Note that the Introduction and Conclusion of the paper should actually be the last sections to be written. The best way to attack the problem is to look at its history first and write this section, then perform the experiment and write up the details. If there is no experiment, write the explanation and research. Finally, write the Future Work, Introduction, and Conclusion.

A Note on Plagiarism

As we are aware, much work has been done in the areas we study, and these results are available in trade magazines, journals, and online. Therefore, it is very tempting to use the words that others have written as part of a paper. However,
 
PAPERS MUST BE ORIGINAL WORK, AND SO THE USE OF MATERIAL DEVELOPED BY OTHERS IS UNETHICAL AND UNACCEPTABLE.
 
A paper, or portion of a paper, which is a direct copy of others words will not be accepted by the members of the Computer Science Department and could lead to course failure.
 
Related to plagiarism is the issue of using the work of others as a source for our arguments. Consider the following quote from the 1976 paper New Directions in Cryptography [3] by Diffie and Hellman:
 
          "We stand today on the brink of a revolution in cryptography. The development of cheap digital hardware has freed it from the
          design limitations of mechanical computing and brought the cost of high grade cryptographic devices down to where they can
          be used in such commercial applications as remote cash dispensers and computer terminals."

One method for using such a quote in a paper is to proceed as seen above. We place the text in quotes, and if the text consists of multiple lines we indent the text on the right and left. We should also include where we have found this quote as indicated with [3]. This method of quoting should be used sparingly. A paper should not consist of a series of quotes from others.
 
A second method for using the work of others as a source document is to summarize the information while still indicating that the idea came from the authors. For example, to summarize the Diffie-Hellman quote we could write:
 
In the 1976 paper New Directions in Cryptography [3], Diffie and Hellman predicted that the world was on the brink of a cryptographic revolution. They indicated that as computer hardware became less expensive and more functional, cryptography would be used in ATM machines and in PCs. We now know that their predictions were correct.
 
 

Writing Tips
 

• Make sure you leave enough time for the writing. For example, writing a graduate thesis takes at least a semester.
• Begin with an outline discuss this with your instructor or advisor.
• Attack one chapter or section at a time
• Never use the words I, you, your, etc. We and our are the accepted methods for personal references.
• Variables should be italicized, but not mathematical symbols:
• Correct: x+ y
• Incorrect: x + y
• Numbers should not be italicized:
• Correct: 2x
• Incorrect: 2x
• Using MS Word Equation Editor or a similar package for formulas will give the correct style.

• Keep careful track of references while writing. Do not leave the reference details to the end of your work. Web references can especially get lost in this manner.
• See the last page for style guidelines on references. Included are examples on referencing articles ( [3] and [4] ), texts( [5] ), and web pages ( [1] and [2] )
• When referencing certain pages in a text, we can use the following method: [5, pp. 11 12] or [5, p. 13]
• Note the reference [4] to determine how to reference a piece with many authors.
• Text and journal names are usually written in italics, and article names are placed in quotes.
• Web sites references should include the date written or posted (if this is possible to determine) and the date retrieved.
• Many scholarly publications use a numbered system as we have seen in this document. The numbers should run from the first referenced article to the last, in order. Other publications will use a naming scheme, like using initials of the authors.
• Note the style on the references themselves.
• Each reference should stand apart with a blank line before and after it.
• Use indentation to separate the reference from the reference number.

• Journals and publications from the major computing societies like ACM, IEEE, etc. These are the best sources.
• Textbooks, especially those chosen for your coursework
• Major newspapers like the Washington Post, New York Times, etc.
• Major magazines like U.S. News and World Report, Time Magazine, etc.
• Trade magazines like Computerworld, Information Security, etc.