《How to do Graduate level Research Some Advice》.pdfVIP

1 How to do Graduate-level Research: Some Advice Dr. Bhaskar Krishnamachari First Draft, September 2002 2 Autonomous Networks Research Group (ANRG) Working Paper WP02-001 Department of Electrical Engineering – Systems University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 90089 This document is available online from /~bkrishna/anr/ 1 This article is modeled after “How to do Research At the MIT AI Lab,” MIT AI Lab Working Paper 316, Edited by David Chapman, 1988. 2 ANRG Working papers are non-archival documents of a temporary and dynamic nature and should not be referenced in the literature. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Personal and Professional Principles 2.1 Motivation and Goals 2.2 Tracking Progress 2.3 Time Management 2.4 Dealing with People 2.5 Quality 2.6 Attitude 2.7 Dealing with Failure 2.8 Taking Advantage of Opportunities 3. The Craft of Research – Basic Skills 3.1 Keeping a Notebook 3.2 Reading 3.3 Listening 3.4 Talking 3.5 Writing 3.6 Programming 3.7 Mathematical Analysis 3.8 Background Knowledge 4. The Art of Research – the Hard Parts 4.1 Identifying a Problem 4.2 Formulating a Problem 4.3 Thinking about a Problem 4.4 Choosing an Advisor 4.5 The Thesis 5. References 1. Introduction This document attempts to provide useful advice for graduate students, particularly Ph.D. students, just starting out on their research careers at the Autonomous Networks Research Group, Dept. of Electrical Engineering-Systems, USC. It should also be useful for graduate stud