Tips on how to read - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Tips on how to read and present a paper

Ruizhen

Hu

2017.04.11

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To keep current in their fieldsTo do a literature survey of a new fieldTo review for a conference or a journal…Why need

to

read?

2

A typical researcher will likely spend hundreds of hours every year reading

papers

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Paper structure3

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Usually consists of Purpose or rationale of study (why they did it) Methodology (how they did it)Results (what they found

)

Get

a general

ideaWill help you decide if the article was what you were looking for, or not

Abstraction

4

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Serve for two purposes: Create readers’ interest in the subject Provide them with enough information to understand the paperAccomplish this by leading readers

：

Introduction

5

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Conclude the key idea and key contributions of the paperShow current

limitations

Pose

directions

for future works

Discussion/Conclusion

6

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Reading tips7

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Digital copy: figuresPrint copy: notesMulti-pass readingRead critically Read creatively Start early…

Tips

on reading

a paper

8

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Digital copy: figuresPrint copy: notesMulti-pass reading

Read

critically

Read

creatively

Start early

…

Tips

on

reading

a

paper

9

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Look carefully at the figures, diagrams and other illustrations in the paperThe fastest way to get an idea of what’s going on in the paperDigital copy

10

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Digital copy: figuresPrint copy: notesMulti-pass reading

Read

critically

Read

creatively

Start early

…

Tips

on

reading

a

paper

11

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Make notes when you readScribble notes responding in context to the formulas, figures, and textThis keeps your attention focused and makes you engage with the paper

Print

copy

12

U

nderline

key points the authors make

R

estate

unclear points in your own

words

Write

questions or criticisms

down so you do not forget

them

Mark the data that is most important or that appears questionable

D

raw

connections to other methods and problems you know

about

…

Slide13

Digital copy: figuresPrint copy: notes

Multi-pass

reading

Read

critically Read

creatively

Start

early

…

Tips

on

reading

a

paper

13

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Each pass accomplishes specific goals and builds upon the previous pass: The first pass gives you a general idea about the paperThe second pass lets you grasp the paper’s content, but not its detailsThe third

pass

helps

you understand the paper in depth

Multi-pass reading

14

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The first pass is a quick scan to get a bird’s-eye view of the paper:Carefully read the title, abstract, introduction and conclusions Carefully look at the teaser,

overview,

result figures

and their captions

Try to summarize the paper in one or two sentences

Almost all good research papers try to provide an

answer

to

a specific

question

The first pass

15

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Go back and try to outline the paper to gain insight into more specific detailsRemember to mark relevant unread references for further reading (this is a good way to learn more about the background of the paper)Try to get a deeper, more extensive outline of the main points of the paper, including assumptions

The

second

pass

16

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Attempt to virtually re-implement the paperMaking the same assumptions as the authors, re-create the workIdentify not only a paper’s innovations, but also its hidden failings and assumptionsTry to figure

out

any limitations or extensions you see for the ideas in the paperTry

to provide

 your opinion of the paper, primarily, the quality of the ideas and its potential impact

The

third

pass

17

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Digital copy: figuresPrint copy: notes

Multi-pass

reading

Read

critically Read creatively

Start

early

…

Tips

on

reading

a

paper

18

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You should not assume that the authors are always correct, instead, be suspicious:Read critically 19

If the authors attempt to solve a problem, are they solving the right problem?

Are there simple solutions the authors do not seem to have considered?

What are the limitations of the solution (including limitations the authors might not have noticed or clearly admitted

)?

Are the assumptions the authors make reasonable?

Is

the logic of the paper clear and justifiable, given the assumptions, or is there a flaw in the reasoning

?

If the authors present data, did they gather the right data to substantiate their argument, and did they appear to gather it in the correct manner?

Did

they interpret the data in a reasonable manner?

Would

other data be more compelling

?

…

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Digital copy: figuresPrint copy: notes

Multi-pass

reading

Read

critically

Read creatively Start

early

…

Tips

on

reading

a

paper

20

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Reading a paper critically is easy, in that it is always easier to tear something down than to build it upWhat can we learn from the paper?Read

creatively

21

What are the good ideas in this paper?

Do these ideas have other applications or extensions that the authors might not have thought of?

Can they be generalized further?

Are there possible improvements that might make important practical differences?

If you were going to start doing research from this paper, what would be the next thing you would do?

…

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Digital copy: figuresPrint copy: notes

Multi-pass

reading

Read

critically

Read creatively

Start

early

…

Tips

on

reading

a

paper

22

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Leave enough time that if your attention wandersYou can put the paper down and pick it up again when you're in a better reading moodThis is better than trying to force yourself through it on a deadlineStart early23

When you are starting out in a new area, it may take you hours to read

a

paper

thoroughly. That's okay. It's worth spending that much time to really understand a good or foundational paper.

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Presentation tips24

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Don’t talk through the paper section by section or page by pageElaborate the key idea and fill in the details For example, explain

things like

:

Structure your talk

25

how the idea came about

how it was proven

what benefit it had

what difference

it

made

what alternative ideas might have been pursued

instead

…

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Communicate the key ideasDescribe simple examples rather than general resultsIt is better to be inaccurate than incomprehensibleIt’s ok to explain the

general

idea so

that others

know the

whole

story

Don’t

need

to

tell

exactly

what

each

small

part

means

What

to

say

26

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Slides should be neat and legibleDon’t put too much on a slide A picture is worth a thousand wordsA rapid sequence of slides has a hypnotic effectDon’t spend too much time

on

one slide

How

to say

it

27

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Structure your talkSpeak slowly and clearlyAvoid reading from a prepared textMaintain eye contact with the audienceUse

less

dense, less formal,

and shorter sentences,

and use

more signposts Practice makes

perfect

Time

your

talk

Smile

when you

start

;-)

Tips

on

presenting

a

paper

28

Slide29

Keshav, S. "How to read a paper." ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review 37.3 (2007): 83-84.Purugganan, Mary, and Jan Hewitt. "How to read a scientific article." Rice University (2004).Michael Mitzenmacher. “How to read a research paper”, 2000.Jason Eisner

.

“How to

Read a Technical Paper.”, 2009:

http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~jason/advice/how-to-read-a-paper.html

Leslie

Lamport

.

“How to Present a

Paper”,

1979.

Reference

29

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Thank you!30This is a bad

example

for presentation.