Paper Presentation

The presentation topics will be clearly defined by the course schedule. Each student is expected to prepare two 20 minutes presentations on assigned research papers. Preparation will involve critical analysis of papers, collecting background material as well as designing and preparing the slides. Web-based reference material and/or notes should be made available on the course resource list for all. You should think carefully about what to present and how, and be conscious of what you can reasonably cover in 30 minutes presentation with questions/discussion.

Paper Selection

Each student must select at least five papers from the reading list, with at least one paper on each presentation topic.

Once you signup on piazza, password for the bidding system will be emailed to you soon. Please submit your preferences for presentation in the bidding system by 11:59 PM October 20, 2015, otherwise you will be arbitrarily assigned a paper from the pool of unassigned papers.

Preparing a Presentation (Recommendation from Prof. M Karsten)

The general goal when reading a research paper is to answer the following questions, which will often be necessary to follow references and/or find other work.

• What is the (claimed) problem that the paper addresses?
• What are the (claimed) insufficiencies of other approaches?
• What are the (claimed) benefits of the new approach?
• How are the claims verified? Is the verification sound?
• What are the (admitted) assumptions, restrictions, and drawbacks of the new approach?
• What relevant information (to answer the above questions) is missing in the paper?

Making a Presentation (Recommendation from Prof. Jay Black)

Your presentation should take about 30 minutes (including discussion). The challenge is to pay strict attention to timing, to what you need to communicate in the time you have, and to how you get your point across.

You will be given marks in each of three categories:

• Communication: How well do you communicate?


• Use keywords and phrases on your slides or blackboard to help the audience follow what you are saying. Full sentences typically cause the audience to ignore what you're saying in favour of what's written.
• If you are making a presentation on overheads, don't use more than about 15 slides. If you are using written notes and a blackboard, three pages of point-form notes should be about right.
• Don't simply read your notes or slides---they shouldn't contain full sentences anyway. Make sure you know your presentation well enough to use your slides or notes only to remind you of what you wanted to say. Do put formulas or highly-technical information on slides or the board, as this information is more difficult to understand if presented only verbally.
• Pay attention to the visible aspect of your presentation: a carefully planned diagram can be more interesting and effective than several pages of small print.
• Split information onto two slides rather than covering up part of a slide.
• Speak slowly and project your voice. Enunciate carefully, particularly if English is not your first language.
• Rehearse your presentation at least once. This will allow you to get the timing right, and will help you find the full sentences that won't be written in your notes or on your slides.




• Technical: Do you understand the technical aspects of your topic?

In 20 minutes, you have time for a general overview of your topic, and then specific technical points in more detail. The challenge is to select the topic and background material carefully, so that you have an opportunity to get to the technical detail of interest to the audience.

• Critical: Do you have a critical appreciation of your topic and its context?

Why did you choose this topic? If you're describing a particular paper, do you agree with the authors? Has the idea had influence in the technical literature, or in the marketplace? What are the expectations for the future? Why should you and your audience know about this topic?

Paper Review

The paper review system is located here. Check out the guidelines in the review system for explanation on how to review a paper. Paper reviews must be submitted before or on 11:59 AM on the day of the presentation.

Presentation Review

The presentation review system is located here. Presentation reviews are to be submitted under given guidelines before or on Saturday 11:59 PM following the day of the presentation. If you are the presenter, you should also post your presentation as attachment on piazza.