TML / Studies / T-110.551

Seminar on Internetworking

Instructions for the layout of seminar papers

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Recent changes:

• Added instructions regarding file names. (13.11)
• The claimed-to-be-final templates were updated 7.10.2002. The new final template uses a 9pt font size, allowing more text into less pages.

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In scientific writing the layout of the paper is one very important issue. The layout should be such that the paper can be published without having to do too much work to make it look reasonably good. It also gives a better impression of the paper and the author as well if the layout is simple and practical.Therefore we will be very strict with the layout of the papers on this course. The paper must be written using the given LaTeX template.

This is not our conspiracy against students. In computer science conferences the author is expected to do the layout by him/herself, and poorly looking papers are usually rejected without considering their merits. Additionally, the publication will be generated using the LaTeX files, which results in a homogenous and professional looking layout. Creating a publication using other formats is tedious and the result will be poorer.

The students must produce the final paper in the LaTEX and the PDF-format.

Remember the following:

• The paper should be about 5 pages long.
  

  5 pages means about 3500 words, depending on how many figures and tables you have.

• Remember the ground rule of writing in English;
  introduction - body - conclusion.
  

  When you write in English, you must always start with an introduction. After the introduction, which prepares the reader for the main issue you are about to say, you write the main point itself. Finally, you sum up.

  This rule is true whether you are working with the complete paper, with a section, with a paragraph or even a sentence.

• Use references.

  There are separate instructions on how to use references and on what information to include on each reference in the bibliography.

  Note, however, that the style file will render the in-text references and the bibliography automatically. The way the references are denoted might be slightly different from the notation proposed in the guides. You should not try to fix it, as long as the bibliography contains all information needed about the source.

  An additional note to the guide mentioned above. If you use a source throughout a complete section, you can state that in the beginning in the section. The reader will assume that the text is based on that reference until he encounters a section of at least the same level. For instance, if you state in section 2 that all text in that section is based on [16], you can use text based on [16] in section 2.1, section 2.2, and section 2.3, but not anymore in section 3.

• Do not create your own macros.

  When the articles are put together to form one book, macros will may mess things up. If you absolutely need to use macros, name them in a way that will be unique in all papers processed in this course, for instance by prefixing all macro names with your student number.

• Use unique names.

  Give all your files names that are unique for the whole course, e.g. by using your full name or your student number. Names are easer for the course personnnel to type and grasp than student numbers. It is usually wise to use unique names from an early stage. If you rename your files just before submitting them, you easily forget to update your include-statements to use the new names. When your submitted file is reprocessed with LaTeX, files are left out.

The templates used in this course are:

File	Comment
template.tex (Updated 7.10.2002)	If you used one of the previous templates, Check that the \begin{document}-tag is in the right place Add the multicol-package and the multicols-commands The bibliography must be entered manually (the automatic template had problems with organizations as authors) Check that you have entered figures and tables correctly Check that you use the right commands to start your appendix Rename your own file to e.g. yourname.tex.
mypicture1.eps Link corrected 7.10.	For demonstrating how pictures can be included in your LaTeX-file.
iwork.cls (Updated 7.10.2002)	A class file. This file is almost identical to ACM's default class file for articles published in ACM's journals. Update this file, in case you are using one of the the old versions.

Writing the paper in LaTeX will actually be quite easy when using the given template.

The PDF format can be produced from the latex template (almost) automatically.

1. To create a dvi file (you can view the file with xdvi template.dvi):
   latex template; latex template;
2. To create a PS file:
   dvips -o template.ps template
3. To create the PDF file:
   ps2pdf template.ps

You really have to run latex twice, since some updates have to be preprocessed by LaTeX in order to show up.

The result when running these commands on the current template looks like this: template.ps, template.pdf.

Latex-tutorials:

• A good latex-tutorial can be found at http://www-h.eng.cam.ac.uk/help/tpl/textprocessing/latex_advanced/latex_advanced.html

• A very simple latex-tutorial, that won't help you all the way but that explains the very basics, can be found at http://www-h.eng.cam.ac.uk/help/tpl/textprocessing/latex_basic/latex_basic.html

• If you need more information on how to use the ACM template (on which the course template is based), please check here. You'll find the corresponding .tex-file in this directory. To figure out what each file is, check the file latex_style.htm.

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This page is maintained by Internetworking teaching staff, E-mail: iwork@tml.hut.fi.
The page has been last updated on November 13th, 2002.
URL: http://www.tml.hut.fi/Studies/T-110.551/2002/layout.html