Research Project

[semester]

(team project)

In this research project, you’ll apply your skills by studying and investigating a niche topic related to blockchain and smart contracts, producing a unique paper suitable to disseminate in the form of publication in IEEE Blockchain Technical Briefs (this should be your mindset for doing this project). The aim of the project is to increase the specialized knowledge and understanding of blockchain as well as good teamwork through collaboration.

Project description

The research project consists of studying in detail one of the aspects of blockchain technology, and apply it to the development of a unique research paper. The choice of topic to study can be made freely from the domain of the course or beyond. Examples of research topics include “Security Token Offering Current and Future Challenges” , “ Smart contracts in IoT devices Authentication: works?”, “Security and Privacy Challenges of Blockchain Based Online Multiplayer Games”, etc.​

Remember: The research study is not just a literature study; we do not want to read n pages of an introduction to topic XYZ extracted from Wikipedia or elsewhere. Instead, formulate a comparative research framework (may include research questions or comparison criteria) and apply the framework to your case studies/domain areas, as part of a critical evaluation, document the results of applying the framework with analysis and criticism resulting from your study. Do not be afraid to include concrete details in your paper such as source code, figures, tables, specifications, etc.

Sample research paper: sample (or more samples from here)

Instructions

1. Select a specific topic that interests you. While you have all freedom to choose your own topic, the preferences go to those proposed topics that take into account industrial point of views, where the final results could be beneficial for both practitioners and fellow researchers.

1. Once you have decided on the project topic, the team leader email me the instructor (email) a description of your chosen topic to get an OK beforehand. There is no strict deadline for this, but it is strongly recommended to teams to finalize their research topics ASAP—no later than Feb 28.

* It is also very important to know that a proposed project must be authentic and has not been designed, published or presented elsewhere.

Project deliverables

A word document (submit through D2L)

Guideline to prepare your manuscript: link

Your final paper must look professional and error-free (spelled-checked); must include all clean, final pieces, and have most up-to-dated references.

Resources:

For materials gathering:

### - All major digital libraries such as IEEE Xplore, ACM, ScienceDirect, Springer, Wiley etc. (Check in via KSU’s Library Website for downloading)

### - Any other online sources doom relevant

A few important notes:

You should communicate with your teammates early and begin working on the project. Make sure you break up the project so that each member of the team has a responsibility. The project is due before the end of the course and must include a presentation showing the finished work.

The project is graded at the team level. This means that each team member usually receives the same grade for each such element. However, if a student does not perform at the team level for a given element, that student should NOT expect the same grade as the other team members. This includes both students who choose not to participate to an appropriate degree and those who choose to be “team hero”.

This project should be all your own work. You are expected to maintain the utmost level of academic integrity in conducting your research. Plagiarism (copying the work of others without proper citation, even your classmates, and passing it off as yours) and collusion (working closely with someone) are serious offenses and will be dealt with in accordance with KSU’s Regulations on Plagiarism and Cheating.

If you have any questions about the project, please use this open discussion forum: Questions & Discussion about Research Project