Paper Reviews
[Due] The day before each class.
(e.g., the deadline for Monday's class papers is Sunday at 11:59:59 PM.)
The required readings are posted on the course
syllabus, and you will be assigned to write a review for
one out of the four papers per week. Please check Canvas to see your assigned paper for each week. If you are new to reading papers, it may take several hours to read through each paper, and you may need to skim through related works as well. After you are used to this reading, it should take 2-3 hours to go through each paper.
You MUST NOT use AI for writing any part of your review, not even Grammarly. You may use it to help clarify your understanding of some confusing concepts, but be warned that AI can often make mistakes with technical research.
Your review for each paper
MUST have the following fields:
- Summary of the paper (3-5 sentences): Define the specific problem the paper addresses and why it matters. Identify the core technical contributions. Briefly describe the methodology or experimental setup. State the primary finding of the headline results of the paper.
- Main Reasons to Accept (up to 4 bullets): Focus on intellectual merit and broader impact. Avoid generic praise like "the paper is well-written." Is the paper novel, technically sound, and has potential for practical impact?
- Main Reasons to Reject (up to 4 bullets): Be very objective/specific. Focus on major flaws and not small typos.
- Detailed comments (250-500 words): This is the meat of the review. Use this space to expand on your points above, address nuances, and add minor feedback and questions for the author. Justify the final review decision.
In your reviews, I will look for evidence that you thought about the problem discussed in the paper; you incorporated personal experience, you thought about how the security issues in the paper are addressed today, and so on. Think independently and critically about the paper and do not accept the authors' opinions
as-is.
It is the authors' job to convince you!
Grading Policy
- 0 point: No submission before the deadline / a simple paraphrase of the abstract and introduction.
- 1 point: You made an effort to understand the paper and think critically about the pros and cons of the papers.
- 2 points: You made an insightful comment, in addition to the requirements above.
Submission Instructions
Upload your review to the course's HotCRP.