How to perform Computing Research
Research Tools
- Our Library has the two main databases you will need:
Google Scholar is an excellent research tool
Cite SeerX is also a tool that has been around longer than Google Scholar and is an excellent tool with more in-depth information like graphs that show the citations by year.
DBLP is a good source to see a specific author or conference etc.
- BibTeX tools include:
Researching
Having the tools is only a small part of the process of researching. In the following sections I'll address how to find papers, how to read them once you have found one, evaluating the paper and deciding if it should be in your bibliography.
How do I find papers?
I'll do a demo of searching for papers using the tools above and post the video here. But that is only step one. Paper titles and abstracts will determine weather you will save the paper (and the BibTeX that goes with it) or discard it. You should finish searching when you have found 15-20 promising papers. The next step is to read them...
How do I read a paper?
Re-read the abstract and then read the introduction. Highlight and annotate as you read! The introduction is the author's chance to convince you that you should read the rest of his/her paper! Papers that don't make this cut will not be fully evaluated. If you find yourself with fewer than 10 papers, you may need to go back and search for more papers. Papers citing the ones you keep are prime targets for addition. Also seminal papers that are cited in the papers you keep should be given serious attention (seminal papers have lots of citations).
How do I evaluate a paper?