Department of Computer Science Pattern Recognition (Topics in Artificial Intelligence, Fall 2008) 4005-759-01 (Calendar Description)

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Instructor: Richard Zanibbi, Office hours: 2-3:50pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, Room 70-3551 (Golisano College)
Lectures: 10-11:50am Tuesdays and Thursdays, Room 70-2590 (Golisano College)

Research Paper

Weight: 20% of final grade

One of the course requirements is the completion of a research paper on a pattern recognition topic. Students will individually:

1. Propose a topic and outline for the paper
2. Submit a rough draft for preliminary comments ('review')
3. Present and submit the final version of the paper

Details are provided below.

Students are strongly encouraged to consult sources on writing research papers in computer science. Expectations regarding writing style, referencing, and sources on writing are provided here.

Part I. Proposal and Outline

Due: Thursday, September 18, 2008 (start of class) Weight: 5% of final grade

For the proposal, students need to submit a two to three page document containing:

• A clear, short (two paragraph maximum) description of the topic to be studied.
• Some background on the topic, including properly cited references. A minimum of five references must be provided.
• A draft outline in point ('bulleted') form, including major sections and topics to be covered in each section,
• A list of references at the end of the document.

The purpose of the proposal is to provide early feedback on your selected topic and citation practices. It is a good idea to select a topic related to the project/thesis that you are pursuing.

Part II. Rough Draft

Due: Thursday, October 16, 2008 (start of class)

For the second part of the project, students will submit a complete rough draft for review by the instructor (see below for the final paper requirements). Comments will be made available in time to make revisions for the final submission. Students are also encouraged to have another student in the class read their draft.

There is no grade associated with this component. Students are strongly encouraged to submit a draft before the deadline in order to obtain feedback before the final submission. The instructor will comment on a few brief passages, but will not comment on complete drafts submitted after the deadline.

Part III. Final Draft and Presentation

Due: Friday, November 7, 2008 (5pm) Weight: 15% of final grade

The final research paper will be a maximum of 15 pages in length (single spaced, including references). The paper must include an abstract, introduction, and conclusion. The remainder of the paper should be structured in a way that makes the organization of your discussion clear.

For examples of research surveys, you should consult recent issues of IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Pattern Recognition, and other relevant journals (a list is provided here; please note that some machine learning journals such as Machine Learning will contain relevant papers as well).

Students will also present their paper in the final week of class. Depending on the size of the class, presentations will be 5 or 10 minutes long, including time for questions. Before presenting, students will submit their paper abstracts to the instructor for distribution to the class.