How to Read and Present a Scientific Paper Tan Zhang 1 Part I: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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How to Read and Present a Scientific Paper

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Tan Zhang

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Part I: Reading a Scientific Paper

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• The Content:
• Looking for new ideas or new proof techniques to write a new paper
• You can use the raw data in your own research
• The Topic:
• What are the new directions in my field or learning a new topic
• The Authors:
• Find supervisors or collaboration

Why read scientific papers?

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I read papers because of:

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Structure of Scientific Papers

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Title

Title and authors

• Title is very descriptive and states the main

finding.

• Order of authors is important.

Example:

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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 idea
• You can decide if the paper is worth

reading based upon this.

Abstract

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• Serve for two purposes:
• Create readers’ interest in the subject
• Provide them with enough background information to

understand the paper

• Accomplish this by leading readers：
• what is known about the topic
• what is not known
• what questions the authors asked and answered

Introduction

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Methods

• Should be detailed enough for another scientist to

replicate the work.

• Often you can skim over them before the results.
• You will need to flip back to them often to clarify how

experiment was done.

• Sample number?
• Conditions
• In reality, often compressed and you may need to look up

another paper that is referenced for more detail.

Results

• The results describes the outcome of the

experiments that were done to answer the questions.

• With each experiment/figure you should be able

to explain :

• the basic procedure
• the results
• the conclusion
• criticisms

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• Conclude the main findings
• f the paper
• Show current limitations
• Pose directions for future

work

Conclusions

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• Digital copy: figures
• Print copy: notes
• Multi-pass reading
• Read Start early
• …

Tips on reading a paper

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• Look carefully at the

figures, diagrams and

• ther illustrations in the

paper

• The fastest way to get an

idea of what’s going on in the paper

• The best way to search

words

Digital copy

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• Make notes when you read
• Scribble notes responding in context to the

formulas, figures, and text

• This keeps your attention focused and makes

you engage with the paper

Print copy

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• Underline key points the authors make
• Restate unclear points in your own

words

• Write questions or criticisms down
• Draw connections to other methods

and problems you know about

• …

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• Digital copy: figures
• Print copy: notes
• Multi-pass reading
• Read Start early
• …

Tips on reading a paper

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The first pass

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The second pass

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The third pass

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• What can we learn from the paper?
• 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: figures
• Print copy: notes
• Multi-pass reading
• Read Start early
• …

Tips on reading a paper

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• Leave enough time that if your attention wanders
• You can put the paper down and pick it up again

when you're in a better reading mood

• This is better than trying to force yourself through

it on a deadline

Start early

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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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Part II: Presenting a Scientific Paper

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• Know your topic
• (Be sure you have understood the paper)
• Know your audience
• (Your talk must take the audience into account)
• Know your goals
• (What are the expectations of the audience?)
• Know your limits
• (How much time will be needed?)

Before You Start

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• Identify the key ideas
• (Make sure that all the key ideas of the paper are in

your talk)

• Do not go into too many details
• (Ignore the equations and focus on the essentials)
• Use a top-down approach
• (starting wide, finishing narrow)

Organize Your Talk

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• Introduction
• Define the problem
• Discuss previous work
• Emphasize the contribution of the paper
• Body
• List major results and explain the meaning
• Give some examples
• Technicalities
• Present some experimental results
• Conclusion
• Remind the main results
• Explain your opinions on the paper

Organize Your Talk

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• The simpler, the better!
• (do not put the whole sentences you want to say on

slides)

• Use colors!
• (but don’t exaggerate!)
• Use pictures
• (one picture is worth thousands of words)
• One slide = 1–3 minutes (average)
• (think about timing)

Slides

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• Speak slowly and loud
• Avoid reading from a prepared text
• Use less formal, with shorter sentences, and use

more signposts

• Check all animations with the sound on
• Maintain eye contact with the audience
• Control you timing

Speaking

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Practice!

Practice!

Practice !

Practice !

Practice !

Last Tips

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Thank you!

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