How To Read a Research Paper Research Papers

Research Papers u. Primary form in which research results are disseminated in computer science

Reading a Paper Critically u. Understand the problem u. Understand the proposed solution u.

Why? u. Learn to do research u. Learn to think critically about quality of

Evaluating a Paper u. What is the problem being solved? • Is it important?

Evaluation Process u. Read slowly, take notes as you read • Question assumptions, importance

Ground Rules u. Try to understand u. Don’t be afraid to ask u. Be

In This Course u. We will give you a research paper to read u.

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How To Read a Research Paper

Research Papers u. Primary form in which research results are disseminated in computer science u. Conference papers (shorter) u. Journal papers (longer) • Often the complete version of a conference paper • May come out several years after the conference paper

Reading a Paper Critically u. Understand the problem u. Understand the proposed solution u. Understand competing approaches / designs u. Evaluate the paper u. Peer review is the cornerstone of the scientific publishing process

Why? u. Learn to do research u. Learn to think critically about quality of research papers • Someone will be thinking critically about your own work! • In any discipline, there are fads and there are lasting ideas… learn to tell the difference! u. Gain perspective u. Key issue: what are the questions to ask?

Evaluating a Paper u. What is the problem being solved? • Is it important? Relevant? Why? • What is the prior work in this area? u. Is the proposed solution clever? • Cleverness is orthogonal to importance! u. Are the assumptions and model reasonable? u. Impact • Easier to evaluate for older papers • Does other work build on it? Do other papers uses techniques and solutions proposed in this paper?

Evaluation Process u. Read slowly, take notes as you read • Question assumptions, importance of the problem • Write questions to track what you don’t understand u. Sometimes what is not in the paper is more important than what is in it • Is there something the authors have overlooked? u. Don’t let ideas or design details pass until you understand them! u. Do not assume the paper is correct, even if published in a prestigious peer-reviewed venue

Ground Rules u. Try to understand u. Don’t be afraid to ask u. Be constructive u. Be polite u. Don’t be afraid to criticize (constructively!)

In This Course u. We will give you a research paper to read u. This paper is unpublished (it has been submitted and is currently under review) • Treat it as confidential • Do not show it to anyone outside of this class u. Put yourself in the mind of a reviewer u. On March 23, we will discuss it in class • Your opinions • Ray’s opinion • My own opinion