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Seminar on Network Security
Useful tips on finding material and getting started
Finding sources
The two main ways to find material for your paper is to look for it on the Internet and in the library. Once you have found a few relevant papers you can start looking for more on the same topic for example using the tips given here.
Internet:
There is a huge amount of information available on almost any topic -
the problem is finding the relevant sources and the quality
papers. One way to start is to use a search engine, e.g. Google. Try different key words and
use advanced search features, to narrow down the results. Good
sources are scientific ones: journal articles, conference papers,
technical reports and such. Web tutorials, company sites and
e.g. 'white papers' are ok for educating yourself on the topic, but
try to find scientific papers to refer to for the facts.
Another good place to start is
ResearchIndex (CiteSeer).
This is a database of scientific articles with lots of information
on citations, related papers, other papers by the same author...
Those who use LaTeX will appreciate the BibTeX entries available for
the papers.
Library:
The library at HUT has several databases to search in. Besides the
librarys own databases, there are a number of scientific journals that
have on-line versions that can be accessed from the campus network
(hut.fi domain). The
library main page has links to the databases and electronic
collections as well as to manuals and general information.
Finding more: Once you have found a few papers, use these to find more on the topic:
- Check the references of the paper - are there any sources that are particulary relevant to you?
- Look for other material by the same authors. (You can even see if the author has a webpage with a publications list, or maybe a link to a few academic research groups doing research on the same topic.)
- Find new keywords to search with.
- If you find some realted thesis (masters, PhD) these usually have comprehensive reference lists.
Using papers, articles and books as material
Once you have your source material and have read it and learned something about the topic, it's time to start writing. Here are some tips on things to do and not to do. This is also a list of the most common mistaces - useful for both tutors and students.
- Start working on your paper in time. If you leave it to the last minute you won't have time to ask your tutor for help if you encounter problems. It will also show in your work that it was done in a hurry.
- Plagiarism is not allowed in any form. If you copy material you
will be failed. Remember to properly refer to sources when using
e.g. pictures. If you need to copy a definition or other short
piece, do not forget to quote and cite properly.
To avoid copied material in your submitted version we suggest you don't copy at all. Not even in the outline or first phase. Instead make a short bullet-list or write down a few keywords with a reference to (or note of) the source. Later you can write full sentences and explain matters in more detail - in your own words. - Stick to your outline. Usually the first outline is reasonably good, and once you have improved it based on the feedback from your tutor it's the backbone for a good paper. Do not write 7 pages of introductory text in the first two chapters...
- Keep in mind the main idea of your paper that you want to present. This is what the paper is about, and this where most of you effort should be put. This will also take up most of the pages in your paper.
- Ask for help if you need it, and discuss the paper with your tutor. The feedback from the tutor is suggestions on how to improve your paper. If you disagree on some point, discuss the issue with your tutor - maybe (s)he was just looking at things in a different way.
This page is maintained by Network Security teaching staff,
E-mail: netsec@tml.hut.fi.
The page has been last updated on September 18, 2001
URL: http://www.tml.hut.fi/Studies/T-110.501/2001/gettingstarted.html