Abstract Writing Workshop Grady Gauthier Jason I Hong

Abstract Writing Workshop Grady Gauthier Jason I. Hong EECS Department University of California at Berkeley

Getting Your Research Out There • Posters • Workshops • Short papers • Tech reports • Conference papers • Journal articles • Web Sites and Web Based Databases Nov 20 2001 2

What are Research Abstracts? • Abstracts are stand alone summaries of a research project, giving an overview of the problem, what you did, & what you learned • Abstracts are important because: Some conferences ask for abstracts first Workshops / poster sessions ask for abstracts They are the first thing people read in a paper They are used in collections of papers They are used in searchable databases • Is this research interesting to me? Nov 20 2001 3

Workshop Format • How to write abstracts • How to get your research out there • (And a little bit about how research is done) Nov 20 2001 4

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Through a study of web site design practice, we observed that web site designers design sites at Example Abstract different levels of refinement—site map, storyboard, and individual page—and that designers sketch at all levels during the early stages of design. However, existing web design tools do not support these tasks very well. Informed by these observations, we created DENIM, a system that helps web site designers in the early stages of design. DENIM supports sketching input, allows design at different refinement levels, and unifies the levels through zooming. We performed an informal evaluation with seven professional designers and found that they reacted positively to the concept and were interested in using such a system in their work. (CHI 2000) Nov 20 2001 6

Through a study of web site design practice, we observed that web site designers design sites at Example Abstract different levels of refinement—site map, storyboard, and individual page—and that designers sketch at all levels during the early stages of design. However, existing web design tools do not support these tasks very well. Informed by these observations, we created DENIM, a system that helps web site designers in the early stages of design. DENIM supports sketching input, allows design at different refinement levels, and unifies the levels through zooming. We performed an informal evaluation with seven professional designers and found that they reacted positively to the concept and were interested in using such a system in their work. (CHI 2000) What is the Problem? What did we do? What did we learn? Nov 20 2001 7

What are Research Abstracts? • Abstracts should have: Objective – the problem Methods – how you approached the problem Results – interesting results, the facts Conclusions – what we think the results mean Nov 20 2001 8

Caspase 8 is a cysteine protease regulated in both a death receptor dependent and –independent manner during apoptosis. Here, we Example report that the. Abstract gene for caspase 8 is frequently inactivated in neuroblastoma, a childhood tumor of the peripheral nervous system. The gene is silenced through DNA methylation as well as through gene deletion. Complete inactivation of CASP 8 occurred almost exclusively in neuroblastomas with amplification of the oncogene MYCN. Caspase 8 null neuroblastoma cells were resistant to death receptor and doxorubicin mediated apoptosis, deficits that were corrected by programmed expression of the enzyme. Thus, caspase 8 acts as a tumor suppressor in neuroblastomas with amplification of MYCN. (Nature, May 2000) Nov 20 2001 9

Caspase 8 is a cysteine protease regulated in both a death receptor dependent and –independent manner during apoptosis. Here, we Example report that the. Abstract gene for caspase 8 is frequently inactivated in neuroblastoma, a childhood tumor of the peripheral nervous system. The gene is silenced through DNA methylation as well as through gene deletion. Complete inactivation of CASP 8 occurred almost exclusively in neuroblastomas with amplification(Little of the Caspase 8 null bitoncogene of Method / MYCN. Mostly Results) neuroblastoma cells were resistant to death receptor and doxorubicin mediated apoptosis, deficits that were corrected by programmed expression of the enzyme. Thus, caspase 8 acts as a tumor suppressor in neuroblastomas with amplification of MYCN. (Conclusions) (Nature, May 2000) What is the Problem? What did we do / learn? What did we learn? Nov 20 2001 10

Structure of Research Papers • Abstract • Introduction • Background and Related Work • Description of Your Work • Results • Discussion • Future Work • Conclusion Nov 20 2001 11

Structure of Research Papers • Both present an overview of the research • Abstracts versus Introductions Introduction is longer Abstract describes specific problem, intro needs to have a stronger, broader problem motivation Introduction provides some background info, describing the research area • Abstracts should not have: References Background info Information that is not in the paper itself Nov 20 2001 12

Abstract Lengths • Length of abstracts vary 1 paragraph (~4 7 sentences) for posters, tech reports, short papers, conference papers +Some have strict word lengths, many do not 1 2 paragraphs for journal articles Some conferences / workshops ask for 1 2 page abstracts first, and then full papers later +These kinds of abstract are different, as they explain what you want to do, why it's an important problem, and any early results Nov 20 2001 13

Writing Research Abstracts • Typically written after rest of paper is done • Writing Tips Skim thru paper for the main points, including objectives, methods, results, and conclusions Remove any background info Remove info that is not in the paper itself Iterate • Goals Make sure the abstract can be read by itself without the paper (People often read abstract, intro, and conclusions first, rest of paper last) Clear for your specific audience Nov 20 2001 14

Algorithmic Issues in Large Scale Dynamic Networks Example Abstract We propose to develop a theoretically well founded framework for the design and analysis of algorithms for large scale dynamic networks. In particular, for the Web and related dynamic networks, such as the underlying Internet topology and Internet based peer to peer ad hoc networks. We plan to develop rigorous mathematical models that capture key characteristics and can make reliable predictions about features such as connectivity, information content, and dynamic of these networks. We plan to apply this framework to test existing algorithms and construct improved new algorithms. The main benefits of developing the mathematical models of the Web structure and dynamics will be the improved theoretical foundation for the design, analysis, and testing of algorithms that operate in the web environment. The tangible results of this work will therefore be models that can be subjected to experimental verification, analyses of algorithms based upon these models, new algorithms that benefit from these analyses, and, finally, proof of concept demonstrations and experimental evaluations of such algorithms. (NSF ITR 2001) Nov 20 2001 15

Exercise • 15 minute exercise • Get in groups of 2 3 • Write a 1 paragraph abstract on research you are doing now (or a class project you are working on now or did in the past) Do either the "This is what I did" abstract or the "This is what I will do" abstract • After you are done, pass your abstract to others in your group and get feedback Nov 20 2001 16

Software support for making effective pen based applications is currently rudimentary. To facilitate the creation of such applications, we have developed SATIN, Example Abstract a Java based toolkit designed to support the creation of applications that leverage the informal nature of pens. This support includes a scenegraph for manipulating and rendering objects; support for zooming and rotating objects, switching between multiple views of an object, integration of pen input with interpreters, libraries for manipulating ink strokes, widgets optimized for pens, and compatibility with Java’s Swing toolkit. SATIN includes a generalized architecture for handling pen input, consisting of recognizers, interpreters, and multi interpreters. In this paper, we describe the functionality and architecture of SATIN, using two applications built with SATIN as examples. (UIST 2000) Nov 20 2001 17

Software support for making effective pen based applications is currently rudimentary. To facilitate the Example Abstract creation of such applications, we have developed SATIN, a toolkit designed to support the creation of applications that leverage the informal nature of pens. SATIN introduces a generalized architecture for handling pen input, consisting of recognizers, interpreters, and multi interpreters. It also includes libraries for manipulating ink strokes, GUI widgets optimized for pens, and compatibility with Java’s Swing toolkit. In this paper, we describe the functionality and architecture of SATIN, using two applications built with SATIN as examples. Nov 20 2001 18

• Questions? Nov 20 2001 19

Software support for making effective pen based applications is currently rudimentary. To facilitate the creation of such applications, we have developed SATIN, Example Abstract a Java based toolkit designed to support the creation of applications that leverage the informal nature of pens. This support includes a scenegraph for manipulating and rendering objects; support for zooming and rotating objects, switching between multiple views of an object, integration of pen input with interpreters, libraries for manipulating ink strokes, widgets optimized for pens, and compatibility with Java’s Swing toolkit. SATIN includes a generalized architecture for handling pen input, consisting of recognizers, interpreters, and multi interpreters. In this paper, we describe the functionality and architecture of SATIN, using two applications built with SATIN as examples. (UIST 2000) Nov 20 2001 20