Crafting a Research Paper/Talk

1. Crafting a Research Paper/Talk PrasunDewan FB 150, Sitterson, 11-12:15 962 1823 dewan@unc.edu

2. Which is Research? IPHONE VISTA SIDEBAR

3. What is Research?

4. 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 Collaboration Toolkit Asynchronous- Logic Chip Software Hardware IPhone Measurement of Network Traffic GPU-based Algorithm Measurement Algorithm

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

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

7. Crafting The passive voice should not be used! • 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 Use light text on dark background ! Have an abstract, introduction, body , conclusions and future work Have a title, outline, body, conclusions , and future work

8. Software Design Pattern Model • Arguably good composition techniques • Situational • Examples! • Practice Read Method Write Method Notification View (Performs Output) Controller (Performs Input) Design pattern found in many applications

9. State of the art in Software engineering • Arguably good composition techniques • Situational • Examples! • Practice Design pattern found in many applications

10. State of the art in Papers/Talks • Arguably good composition techniques • Situational • Examples! • Practice

11. State of the art in Papers/Talks • Arguably good composition techniques • Situational • Examples! • Practice No one seems to have addressed !

12. Such Principles/Patterns Exist Each student seems to make the same kinds of mistakes! Have compiled mistakes made by students of last class

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Which comes first: Paper? • Usually conference paper before talk • Get the details before abstracting (bottom-up approach) • Can answer detailed questions in talk

17. 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.

18. Which is harder: Paper? • More details • More things to go wrong • Wrong proofs common in papers

19. 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

20. 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

21. Research Interest 3 minute talk on research interest Paper on research interest

22. Talk principles 10 minute talk on talk principles Paper on talk principles

23. Seminal Paper 20 minute summary of seminal paper Summary of seminal paper

24. Survey Create recording of 45 min survey Review partner’s recording Present revised talk Paper Revised Paper Lots of work!

25. 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

26. 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