CMSC 634: Empirical Research Methods for Computer Science

Projects

Client: Vibha Sazawal. Topic: Frequently used language constructs in open source Ruby repositories. Starter paper: "The promises and perils of mining git" by Bird et al.
Client: Randy Baden. Topic: Trust in social networks. Starter paper: "Access Control by Testing for Shared Knowledge" by Toonim et al.
Client: Adam Bender and Vibha Sazawal. Topic: Malicious content on trusted websites. Starter paper: "What Instills Trust? A Qualitative Study of Phishing" by Jakobsson et al.
Client: Adam Bender and Vibha Sazawal. Topic: Accuracy and Depth of Private Information. Starter paper: "The Truth about Lying in Online Dating Profiles" by Hancock et al.

The first group who emails me with all your names and your project topic gets the topic. Topics are first-come, first-served.

NOTE: If you already have a human-subjects (IRB) application approved for another project, you may be able to work alone or in a smaller group on that project. You will not have a client. Please see me for explicit permission.

Project Proposal, Milestones, and Final Report

Your project proposal is due September 17th. Your proposal will be at most 4 pages long. The proposal will describe

what your project team proposes to do
the intellectual merit and broader impacts of your project
a timeline that describes what you will do when

The timeline must include 3 intermediate deadlines called milestones. For each milestone, a Work-in-progress paper written in 2-column ACM format must be submitted. On the final project deadline, a full research paper written in 2-column ACM format will be submitted. Students will also make project presentations. Revision: Only 2 WIP papers will be submitted.

Important Dates

September 17th: Project proposal due
October 6th: Milestone 1 Work-in-progress Paper due at the start of class
October 27th: Milestone 2 Work-in-progress Paper due at the start of class
December 8th-10th: Project presentations in class
December 18th: Final Project Report due at 3:30 PM. Bring a hard copy to my office, AVW 4113. If I am not there, slide the report under my door.

Important Notes

All papers must be submitted in hard copy at the start of the class.
All papers must be written in 2-column ACM format.
If your group's proposal is unsatisfactory, you will have to resubmit a revised version.

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