Presenting Your Research: Papers, Presentations, and PeopleResearch Isn’t Just ResearchPaper Writing: StrategiesPaper Writing: DesignPaper Writing: TacticsKnowing Your Audience: A Reviewer’s PerspectiveGood Reviews Are...Rejected!! Now What?Some Useful ResourcesPresenting Your Research:Papers, Presentations, and PeopleMarie desJardins ([email protected])CMSC 691BApril 24, 2006Thanks to Rob Holte for permission to use some slides4/24/06Marie desJardins -- Presenting Your Research2Research Isn’t Just ResearchWho cares what you do, if you never tell them?You’ll need to present your ideas in various forms and venues:PEOPLE: Networking with colleagues at your institution and elsewhere-PAPERS: Writing and submitting papers to workshops, conferences, and journalsPRESENTATIONS: Giving talks at workshops, conferences, and other institutions-(You should also put together a website that highlights your interests and research activities)…oh, and these things also provide useful experience for job interviews, not to mention valuable job skills…4/24/06Marie desJardins -- Presenting Your Research8Paper Writing: StrategiesFirst, decide where you plan to submit the paper-You may not finish in time, but having a deadline is always helpful-Two to four months away is a good planning horizonNext, decide what you will say-What are the key ideas? Have you developed them yet?-What are the key results? Have you designed and run the experiments yet? Have you analyzed the data?-What is the key related work? Have you read the relevant background material? Can you give a good summary of it?Now get started on the work you need to do to fill in the missing holes! -Write early and often: You can (and should) write in parallel with finishing the work!4/24/06Marie desJardins -- Presenting Your Research9Paper Writing: DesignAbstract –summarizes the research contributions, not the paper (i.e., it shouldn’t be an outline of the paper)Introduction/motivation – what you’ve donewhat you’ve done and why the reader should carewhy the reader should care, plus an outline of the paperTechnical sections – one or more sections summarizing the research ideas you’ve developedExperiments/results/analysis – one or more sections presenting experimental results and/or supporting proofsFuture work – summary of where you’re headed next and open questions still to be answeredRelated work – sometimes comes after introduction, sometimes before conclusions (depends to some extent on whether you’re building on previous research, or dismissing it as irrelevant)Conclusions – reminder of what you’ve said and why it’s important4/24/06Marie desJardins -- Presenting Your Research10Paper Writing: TacticsTop-down design (outline) is very helpfulBulleted lists can help you get past writer’s block-Unless you’re a really talented/experienced writer, you should use these tools before you start writing proseNeatness counts! Check spelling, grammar, consistency of fonts and notation before showing it to anyone for review-If they’re concentrating on your typos, they might miss what’s interesting about the content. (More about the reviewer’s perspective later...)Leave time for reviews!-Fellow students, collaborators, advisors, …-A paper is only done when it’s submitted... and usually not even then.4/24/06Marie desJardins -- Presenting Your Research18Knowing Your Audience:A Reviewer’s PerspectiveFirst, I read the title: is it in my area? (self-selection)Next, I read the abstract: is it interesting? (self-selection)Next, I skim the introduction and form my opinion about the paperNext, I read the rest of the paper looking for evidence to support my view By the time I get to Section 2, I already have a very strong opinion about whether to accept or reject. Your job is to give me the evidence I need in the title and abstract to select your paper for review, and in the introduction to result in the right opinion!4/24/06Marie desJardins -- Presenting Your Research19Good Reviews Are...PoliteFairConciseClearConstructiveSpecificWell-documentedRepresent the scientific community... but you get what you get!-Bad, unfair review that missed the point? Fix your paper anyway!4/24/06Marie desJardins -- Presenting Your Research21Rejected!! Now What?Fix the paper!-Read the reviews, rail and complain, berate the reviewer-Calm down-Read them again with an open mind-Do more experiments, revise the paper, … -Go back to the reviews again – have you addressed all the points?-Have people read the revision critically-Do more experiments, revise the paper, … -Repeat until the next deadline 4/24/06Marie desJardins -- Presenting Your Research28Some useful resources:-Writing:Lynn DuPre, Bugs in WritingStrunk & White, Elements of Style-Giving talks:Mark Hill, “Oral presentation advice”Patrick Winston, “Some lecturing heuristics”Simon L. Peyton Jones et al., “How to give a good research talk”Dave Patterson, “How to have a bad career in research/academia”-These slides:http://www.cs.umbc.edu/~mariedj/talks/presenting-research-dc-jul05.pptSome Useful
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