RAP Feedback on Papers

Feedback on a paper should come in the form of a critique. Here are my guidelines for a paper critique:

What's expected in a paper review/critique?

The goal of the review/critique is to show that you have carefully read the paper (spend no more than 3 hours on any given paper, including writing the review), that you have understood it, and that you have learnt something from reading it. The best reviews are the ones that show me that you have clearly understood "the moral" of the paper's story, and have an appreciation for the details of the work.

To some extent, the review is open ended, and what is a good review/critique depends on the paper, what we are discussing in class, and current research.

It should reflect what YOU have learned from the paper. It should also contain specific questions about points that you did not understand (in the case, make sure that you give accurate coordinates for the text in the paper that relates to your question, especially page and line number).

The review should attempt to classify the nature of the work (theoretical, experimental, etc) and indicate what you identify as the main question addressed by the work. It should indicate the extent to which the paper succeeds at addressing this question.

If not obvious, the review should indicate how this work relates to other works in the area.

The review should indicate what you liked and disliked about the work, and why.

If you have doubts about any part of the paper, show them, and explain why.

Finally, an important part of the review is to provide you with an efficient means for you to learn. In particular, many of the papers that we will read require specialized background. Your review should contain specific questions about parts of the paper that you didn't understand. It should be clear that answering these questions would help you understand the paper better.

Note that if your review does not contain questions, then it will be assumed that you have understood the paper completely. In that case, be prepared to answer any question paper.

What's not acceptable in a paper review/critique?

The review is NOT a summary of the paper. It is NOT a list of ideas in the paper.

The review should NOT quote verbatim from the text being read. If quote you must, then limit it to no more than three sentences, and put them in quotation marks ("...").

Your review can contain commments about which parts you found difficult to understand. However, it is essential that you also include specific questions with such remarks.

A Basic Template for a Critique

A basic paper critique can follow this format. If done right, this can be enough. Otherwise, expand as needed.

• Your name
• Date
• Title of paper
• Summary of paper (1-5 sentences)
• Strength (1-3 sentences)
• Weakness (1-3 sentences)
• An important problem left unaddressed (1-3 sentences)