CMSC 601: Paper Summary Presentations Adapted from slides by Prof. Marie desJardins February 2011

Goals of Paper Presentations Convey why this is an important and/or interesting problem Review key ideas in the paper Convey why this is an important and/or interesting approach Critique the work Stimulate discussion

Paper Summary Presentations Content: Provide a well organized presentation of the key contributions and important ideas in the paper Timing: Aim for a 10-minute presentation. – This works out to (roughly) five to six slides – no more! – As in a real talk, you will get 5-minute, 2-minute, and time’s- up warnings from the session chair. – I will cut you off if you go too long! – There will be a few minutes after each talk for questions. Audience: Your audience consists of computer science graduate students (I don’t count) – Some are in your field, some are not – Most will not have read the paper (at least not in depth) – You can’t assume a lot of existing knowledge – On the other hand, you only have ten minutes! Be selective!

Summary Presentation Content Just as when writing a paper on your own work: Describe the problem Starting with a simple example can be very helpful Explain why it’s important or why they think it’s important State how the authors solved the problem at an appropriate level of detail Tell what explicit and implicit claims the authors make Describe the authors’ experimental and/or analytical evidence for these claims and indicate whether you think the evidence is sufficient to support the claims Stimulate discussion by pointing out interesting aspects of the approach, flaws, limitations/assumptions, open questions,...

Giving the Presentation PowerPoint slides are preferred, but not required Draft slides can be sent to me* for review, if you want feedback beforehand Feel free to use the chalkboard, especially to work through an example Practice your presentation, even if it’s just to yourself, to make sure your timing is correct As with written summaries, leave out details that you don’t have time to explain Be prepared to fill in the missing details during the discussion session if you are asked questions! * Draft slides must be sent at least 24 hours before your talk. No.pptx files, please -- Office 2003 or PDF format only!

Grading and Feedback Students are required to fill out a short feedback form for each presentation You will receive these forms I will also give you written feedback Your grade will be based on: – Your level of preparation – The clarity of your presentation – The timing of your presentation – Other students’ evaluation of your presentation – The ensuing discussion