Crafting a Research Paper/Talk

Prasun DewanFB 150, Sitterson, 11-12:15

962 1823dewan@unc.edu

Which is Research?

IPHONE VISTA SIDEBAR

What is Research?

Research (in Computer Science)• Novel concrete or abstract

CS-related artifact?• Argument made why

significant and interesting– Paper– Talk

• It is the argument that must be new, not necessarily the artifact– New artifact does help

increase significance• Research done in the

process of arguing it!• Most things we learn

should apply to any engineering field– Maybe not science

IPhone

Collaboration Toolkit

GPU-based Algorithm

Software

Algorithm

Asynchronous- Logic Chip

Measurement of Network Traffic

Hardware

Measurement

iPhone as Research

• Research implies a an analysis of previous work (survey/related work discussion)

• Will focus on surveys– Hardest part of

paper/talk

Paper/Talk• Paper: document

created• Talk

– Slides and/or Delivery

– Some talks do not have slides!

– Talk = Recording

Crafting• In the small

– Grammar, PPT Animations– Style, PPT Color Choices– Analogous to defining an object

• In the large– Composition of prose and slide

items– Analogous to design principles

and patterns

• Assume proficiency in design in the small

The passive voice should not be used!

Use light text on dark background !

Have an abstract, introduction, body , conclusions and future work

Have a title, outline, body, conclusions , and future work

Software Design Pattern• Arguably good

composition techniques

• Situational• Examples!• Practice

Write Metho

d

Notification

Read Metho

d

Model

Controller(Performs Input)

View(Performs Output)

Design pattern found in many applications

State of the art in Software engineering

• Arguably good composition techniques

• Situational• Examples!• Practice

Design pattern found in many applications

State of the art in Papers/Talks• Arguably good

composition techniques

• Situational• Examples!• Practice

State of the art in Papers/Talks• Arguably good

composition techniques

• Situational• Examples!• Practice

No one seems to have addressed !

Such Principles/Patterns Exist

Each student seems to make the same kinds of mistakes!Have compiled mistakes made by students of last class

Even if you disagree with class patterns/principles

• Practice• Practice• Practice• Most of talk practice done

offline using recordings• Office 2007• LiveMeeting

• Good also for audience– Viewing a good talk can

inspire and teach– Easier to see others’ mistakes

Why Integration of Talk/Paper• Research done in the process

of arguing it!• At an abstract level,

argument in talk and paper not that different

• Abstract argument is most important

• Concrete recommendations may also be very similar

Have an abstract, introduction, body, conclusions and future work

Have a title, outline, body, conclusions , and future work

Difference?• Paper usually has more details

– More true for journal paper– Which details to omit an important

issue in giving talks• Talk an advertisement for paper• Talk is less formal

• Can afford to make grammar mistakes

• Easy to lose concentration in a talk– Can re-read paper– Papers usually do not have as good

a flow• In this course, paper is almost a talk

transcript

Which comes first: Paper?• Usually conference

paper before talk• Get the details before

abstracting (bottom-up approach)

• Can answer detailed questions in talk

Which comes first: Talk?• Interview talk before thesis written• Get the abstraction/outline first

– Top-down approach– Paper is an expanded version of the

talk• Easier to get reviewer of talk than

paper– Quality of main argument better

evaluated• When integrating papers, details

already there, so no advantage in going to paper first

• Can use figures of talk in paper• Maybe easier to go from informal

(conversational) to formal.– Often people end up reading paper

in talk.

Which is harder: Paper?• More details

– More things to go wrong

– Wrong proofs common in papers

Which is harder: Talk?• Abstraction is harder

– “I am sorry I did not have time for a shorter letter”

– “Length is used to compensate for lack of depth”

• Once talk is made, paper is easy• Will spend much more time on

talks– More of an in-class activity

Series of Talk-Paper Pairs

• First give a talk on some topic.

• Then write a paper that has the same content and flow (it may even be a transcript of the talk)

Talk

Paper

Research Interest

3 minute talk on research interest

Paper on research interest

Talk principles

10 minute talk on talk principles

Paper on talk principles

Seminal Paper

20 minute summary of seminal paper

Summary of seminal paper

Survey

Create recording of 45 min survey

Paper

Review partner’s recording

Present revised talk

Revised Paper

Lots of work!

Student Level• 2nd year student

– Ph.D. qualifying talk and paper

• 1st year RA– Allows you to abstract out and understand what you are doing

• 1st year TA– Allows you to explore an area

• Student writing thesis/proposal– Hardest part of your career

• Master’s student– Integrative comprehensive paper

Previous Skills Matter?

• No matter how good you are, much scope for improvement– How many talks do you listen to with rapt attention and

understand?– How many papers have you enjoyed reading?

• Students expected to start with varying skills and background

• Graded mostly on how much improvement you show