Hi! Thanks for the fast replies... Actually I was quite worried with my progress, that's why I started this thread... I myself have not attended any conference nor have I submitted any papers... I am basically just reading books and papers, try to implement some of the published ideas via simulations and experiments, but I have not yet had any new ideas... Looking forward to some breakthrough!

Hi guys! It has been nine months since the beginning of my phd... I think it's a good time to gauge my progress to see how much more effort I should put it...

So, how was your first year? Had anyone already submitted paper or attended conference? Did you basically still learn from others (papers, books) or do you already contribute new ideas on your project?

Thanks a lot!!

You can also get some good info from DAAD (Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst, similar to British Council). www.daad.de

Hi! Thanks for your advice!

Hi all! I am a new phd student (started 4 months ago) and I think this forum is great!

I have 3 questions and hope someone can clarify my doubts.

1. When we do literature survey, do we need to understand totally other people's algorithms, or do we only need to know roughly what people have done?

2. Is using an existing algorithm for a new product considered "original"? (my research is more application based)

3. When we write papers, must we include every little detail? If i avoid writing something which gives better experimental results but does not have theoretical justification, will that be "cheating"?

Thank you very much!