Survey or Research Paper, and Presentation

• You may either work on a survey paper or a research paper, as you prefer. The requirements are listed below for work performed by an individual student. However, the work may also be performed in groups consisting of 2 students -- in such cases, the expectations from the work will be scaled accordingly.
  
  
  • Survey paper-specific instructions: Read at least 10 papers on a topic (or related topics) in the area of distributed algorithms, and write a survey report. These 10 papers should be distinct from any papers assigned for reading for the class. The survey paper should go beyond simply summarizing the papers. The survey paper should try to identify the relationship between the different papers you have read (e.g., commonalities and differences in the various results, or problem formulations). In the survey, also discuss some open problems related to the surveyed topic. The chosen papers should be primarily theoretical in nature.
    
    The survey paper should be between 6 and 8 pages long, not counting the reference list. The report should be typed and single-spaced in 12 point font. Do not reproduce proofs or algorithm pseudo-codes in your report -- you may instead cite the papers for these.
    
    
  • Research paper-specific instructions: You will need to identify a topic that you pursue for the research, define a specific problem, develop a solution (e.g., propose an algorithm), and provide an evaluation (e.g., evaluation may be the correctness proof of your algorithm). The research work should be primarily theoretical in nature. You will need to submit a report that summarizes your contributions, and provide a summary of the relevant prior publications. The report should be typed in 12 point font. Please discuss your proposed research with the instructor to arrive at a mutual agreement on the expectations from the research work.
    
    
• Presentation: Towards the end of the semester you will need to make a presentation on your survey or research. The presentations will be scheduled outside the normal lecture schedule for this course. More details to be announced later.

• Choose a topic for your survey or research by September 16, 2014. You may consult the instructor for help in choosing a topic. Submit a proposal by September 16, 2014 -- the proposal should list your topic, and a tentative list of relevant papers that you have identified. The list of papers may be modified later if needed.
  
  
• October 15-24, 2014: Meet the instructor during this window of time to discuss the progress of your work.
  
  
• Your survey/research paper is due by December 1, 2014.
  
  
• Presentations are tenatively planned during December 2-10, 2014. Details to be announced later.