MODUL PERKULIAHAN

Riset Teknologi
Informasi

Pendahuluan

Fakultas Program Studi Tatap Muka Kode MK Disusun Oleh

01
Teknik Informatika 190661002 Viddi Mardiansyah, S.Si., M.T.
Sriyani Violina, S.T., M.T.
Ulil Surtia Zulpratita, S.T., M.T.

Abstract Kompetensi
Resume ringkas/singkat, akurat, Mahasiswa memiliki kemampuan memahami
dan jelas terhadap isi materi Riset Teknologi Informasi yangsesuai dengan
pertemuan mata kuliah mengacu tren keilmuan terkini di bidang ICT
pada Rancangan Pembelajaran (Information and Communication
Semester (RPS) Technology), sehingga mampu menemukan
topik riset yang diminati untuk keperluan
Tugas Akhir.

‘20 Riset Teknologi Informasi Biro Akademik dan Pembelajaran

http://www.widyatama.ac.id
Viddi Mardiansyah, S.Si., M.T.
1 Sriyani Violina, S.T., M.T.
Ulil Surtia Zulpratita, S.T., M.T.
How to Start Research in Computer Networks

By Prof. Ahmed Helmy, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Southern

California

This is a short note on how to start defining your topic of interest and zooming in on specific
research problems and challenges. This note is geared towards graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.)
students interested in computer networks related topics for their directed research (DR), M.S.
thesis, or Ph.D. dissertation. The general guidelines, however, may apply to a larger class of
students (e.g., in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science disciplines):
[Note: This is only a starting point. There's a lot more to research than what's here!]

1. Pick a direction or area of interest based on your background in netwoking (e.g., courses
you have taken, readings, conferences, talks to Professors, etc.). Try to be as specific as
possible. For example, do not pick 'multicast' (it is too general), but perhaps 'congestion
control for reliable multicast' or 'multicast routing in ad hoc networks'. Do not pick
'wireless networks' (too general), but perhaps 'systematic testing of wireless MAC layer'
or 'efficient handoff for IP mobility', for instance. There could be a list of topics that
interest you (related or unrelated). I do not recommend a list of more than three topics.

2. Compile a set of 'keywords' to start searching for high quality readings for each of the
previously selected topics. Good places to start your search are IEEE library on-
line and ACM library on-line (both of which are freely available to USC students). Pick
one research topic at a time.
You can also search on the web (e.g., Google) but please double check the publication
details for quality (there are a lot of papers out there!).
Another literature-rich scientific digital library is citeseer.com, but again, please double
check details for quality.

3. Out of the search hits, select around 15-20 papers that you think are most related to what
you had in mind and are of the highest quality. Do NOT read all these papers yet!
Check the title, abstract, names of authors, their affiliations, and most importantly the
conference or journal. Many IEEE and ACM conferences/Journals are of high quality.
Some, however, are more selective and competitive than others. Examples of well-
known conferences/journals include, but are not limited to:
o In the general area of Computer Networks: IEEE/ACM Transactions on
Networking (ToN), IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (JSAC),
ACM SIGCOMM, IEEE INFOCOM, IEEE ICNP, IEEE SIGMetrics, Computer
Networks Journal (Elsevier), IEEE ICC, IEEE GlobeCom, ACM CCR, among
others.

‘20 Riset Teknologi Informasi Biro Akademik dan Pembelajaran

http://www.widyatama.ac.id
Viddi Mardiansyah, S.Si., M.T.
2 Sriyani Violina, S.T., M.T.
Ulil Surtia Zulpratita, S.T., M.T.
 o In the more specific areas of wireless networks (including mobile ad hoc
networks, sensor networks and cellular-like infrastructure-based networks): ACM
MobiCom, ACM MobiHoc, ACM MONET Journal, AdHoc Networks Journal
(Elsevier), ACM Wireless Networks (WiNet) Journal, ACM SenSys, IEEE/ACM
IPSN, IEEE WCNC, ACM MC2R, to name a few.

[Note: try to refine your set of keywords and perform multiple searches to cover most
related quality work. Another hint is to use references and citations. Usually the most
cited work by high quality papers is also of high quality. If you like a specific paper look
at the list of references, this will give you a good direction to follow.]

4. For the selected 15-20 papers read only the abstract, introduction and conclusion in detail
(you may skim the rest of the paper for a general idea). Identify the emphasis of each
paper:
o (I) which problem it addresses,
o (II) what solution it proposes,
o (III) how the solution differs from previous solutions, and
o (IV) what are the main contributions and conclusions.

Out of these 15-20 papers, and based on your reading and understanding, pick a list of 4-
6 papers that you think are the highest quality and that address your research interests
and the challenges in the field most appropriately.

5. Read those 4-6 papers from beginning to end, identifying in detail: (I) the main
approaches, (II) methods of analysis: (a) metrics, (b) evaluation tools, and (c) analysis
and interpretation of resulting simulation or measured data, and (III) conclusions. At the
same time, try to keep a list of what you think the authors may have missed in the
paper/study, gaps or limitations that could be improved upon and any ideas on how to
accomplish these improvements. Some questions to ask include: Did all/some papers use
similar approaches? Have they used the same evaluation criteria, or method of analysis?
If not, then what are the strengths/weaknesses of each method? Also, keep a list of ideas
that you want to explore further, or background material you want to brush upon. This
will create another list of readings for you in later stages.

6. Write a two page proposal defining, as clearly as possible, the following items:
o Motivation
o Research challenges
o Overview of existing work
o Limitations of existing work
o Potential directions and ideas for improvement
o Expected results and impact on the field.

‘20 Riset Teknologi Informasi Biro Akademik dan Pembelajaran

http://www.widyatama.ac.id
Viddi Mardiansyah, S.Si., M.T.
3 Sriyani Violina, S.T., M.T.
Ulil Surtia Zulpratita, S.T., M.T.
 Have some knowlegeable (trustworthy) friends review the proposal for you and give
feedback (mainly on presentation and clarity, leave technical remarks for the reserach
advisor). For example, have them read the 2 pages and tell you (in their own words) what
they think you are proposing. If/when you think it is clear, then discuss the proposal with
your research advisor. If you do not think it is clear, go back and re-write. If you think
you have missed some other work, then go back to the 15-20 list and pick another 3-5
good papers to read in detail, and re-write parts of your proposal.

Try to focus... it is hard, and there are a lot of good ideas out there, and the more your
read, the more you want to read (which is good), but you have to focus and write those 2
pages. [Remember that having a strategy is sometimes more important than dispersed
ideas. More readings will come at a later phase. It is more important to focus at this point
and not get confused, so be very selective in your readings.]

For an outline and sample instructions on how to write those two initial pages click here.

If you have done a good job at the above, I think you are at a good 'starting' point to
pursue research! Good luck with the rest...
The next step is to write a 10 page proposal elaborating on the 2 pages above, adding
your own twist on the problem, outlining your initial thoughts, results and findings, and
outlining a clear plan to continue the work.

For a suggested outline and instructions on how to write the ~10 page report click here.

‘20 Riset Teknologi Informasi Biro Akademik dan Pembelajaran

http://www.widyatama.ac.id
Viddi Mardiansyah, S.Si., M.T.
4 Sriyani Violina, S.T., M.T.
Ulil Surtia Zulpratita, S.T., M.T.