CSCI 450 Computer Architecture Report
Topics
- FPGA
- RISC-V
- High Performance Computing (HPC) architectures
- Security microarchitectures and related vulnerabilities
Expectations - Choose a topic from the above list
- Read relevant paper(s) on the topic
- Write a technical report demonstrating your understanding of the paper(s)
- Submit the report by the deadline
Requirements
To help prepare you for writing technical documents in the future, you will write your project
paper in a simplified ACM format with one column, fully justified text. The simplified ACM template is
provided on myleoonline in the project module. Your report should be approximately 5-6 pages,
mimicking a research paper. Your report will basically contain the following sections (which can be
adjusted depending on what you are reporting on)*
• Abstract or executive summary: 100-200 words describing what has been done and results.
• Introduction: This section includes a longer summary of what has been done, main observations
and results. The report introduction should briefly discuss how the used techniques are different
from previous work on the topic.
• Background/Related work: This section includes summaries of previous related work including
references to the papers and other resources you needed to explore to fully understand the
topic you are reporting on. Include references to these resources in the references section. In
this section, you should aim to describe how the work you are reporting on is different and how
it improves and/or extends previous methods. This section could be included in the
• Methodology: Describe your understanding of the main contributions of the topic you are
reporting on: what was done, how it was done, how it works, etc. Provide architectural
diagrams, charts, and figures where necessary with proper citation.
• Experiment Results/Observations: Depending on the topic you are reporting on, you may need
to include a description of the experimental setup (if included in the original paper you are
reviewing). Aim to be concise and utilize graphs to show any improvements. Include a summary
of results analysis: what the results mean and the trends that are revealed.
• Conclusions and Future Work: Include here a summary of the work and results. Include
any future work that is expected or could be done.
• Acknowledgments (Optional): Acknowledge any person that helped with your research that is
not listed as an author.
• References: List of papers and resources cited throughout your report.
You should compose the report using your own words: do not directly copy from the
material of the paper you are reporting on. In the case that you quote the words of the
original authors, use quotation marks “ ” and add a reference number. If you cite any
work other than the provided paper, you should use a standard citation format. Please
maintain the template format in terms of font type, size, line spacing and page margins.
Grading Criteria
Report structure: 10% Follow the template as is
Report content: 70% Report content showcasing your understanding of the
original author’s ideas. How you explain the paper’s ideas
clearly (You do not have to explain every detail).
Report quality: 20% Grammar, sentence construction, coherency
Other Guidelines
• You need to submit the report in both PDF and MS Word format.
• Any report that is corrupted and/or cannot be opened will receive zeropoints.
• Reportsthat fail plagiarismcheck will receive zero points.
• Late submission will result in 25% penalty for every day you are late.
• If you have any questions, contact the instructor or the GA immediately.
