Crafting a Research Paper/Talk

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Crafting a Research Paper/Talk

• Prasun Dewan
• FB 150, Sitterson, 11-1215
• 962 1823
• dewan_at_unc.edu

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Definitions
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Which is Research?
IPHONE
VISTA SIDEBAR
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What is Research?
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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

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iPhone as Research

• Research implies a an analysis of previous work
  (survey/related work discussion)
• Will focus on surveys
• Hardest part of paper/talk

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Paper/Talk

• Paper document created
• Talk
• Slides and/or Delivery
• Some talks do not have slides!
• Talk Recording

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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
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Software Design Pattern

• Arguably good composition techniques
• Situational
• Examples!
• Practice

Design pattern found in many applications
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State of the art in Software engineering

• Arguably good composition techniques
• Situational
• Examples!
• Practice

Design pattern found in many applications
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State of the art in Papers/Talks

• Arguably good composition techniques
• Situational
• Examples!
• Practice

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State of the art in Papers/Talks

• Arguably good composition techniques
• Situational
• Examples!
• Practice

No one seems to have addressed !
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Such Principles/Patterns Exist

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

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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

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Paper vs. Talk
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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
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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

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Which comes first Paper?

• Usually conference paper before talk
• Get the details before abstracting (bottom-up
  approach)
• Can answer detailed questions in talk

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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.

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Which is harder Paper?

• More details
• More things to go wrong
• Wrong proofs common in papers

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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

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Assignments
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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)

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Research Interest
3 minute talk on research interest
Paper on research interest
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Talk principles
10 minute talk on talk principles
Paper on talk principles
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Seminal Paper
20 minute summary of seminal paper
Summary of seminal paper
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Survey
Lots of work!
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Student Level
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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
• Masters student
• Integrative comprehensive paper

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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

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