Writing critiques will help you develop critical thinking and teach you how to evaluate and extract deep understanding from original research papers. You are required to write a critique covering all assigned readings for each class.
Paper reading and class discussion are the most important aspects of this course. You are expected to read all assigned readings and write a single critique covering all of them. Your emphasis should be on the innovations and insights that the papers provide and the avenues of new research that these papers pave, rather than lengthy discussions of the experimental results and how the proposed work compares to the state of the art.
Reading advice: Do not read every section of a paper with equal depth. Start with the abstract and introduction to understand the big picture. Then focus on the key technical contributions and figures. Skim the experimental details, and read the related work only if you are not already familiar with the landscape of the field.
Critiques are due at 7:50 PM PST two days BEFORE class on Gradescope. If you are presenting and leading the discussion, submit an empty critique and you will receive full credit.
Your critique must cover all assigned papers for a given class. Your critique should not exceed two pages total for all papers assigned in a given class (not two pages per paper). It should reflect on things you learned from the paper(s) and the thoughts provoked by the paper(s). While critiques contain a summary of the paper, the majority of your writing should be focused on the key innovations and insights the paper provides. Please seek concision and clarity, and avoid unnecessary commentary.
The following specific format is required for critiques.
I will select great questions or insights for each paper and highlight them in class for extra credit. I also reserve the right to deduct points for questions that are hallucinated, demonstrate a basic misunderstanding of the paper, or are otherwise low-effort.
Your critique will be evaluated on a ten-point scale. You can also get a bonus point. Most critiques are expected to receive a ten with good insights and proper format.
| Summary | 1 point |
| Strengths (3 required) | 1.5 points |
| Weaknesses (3 required) | 1.5 points |
| Analytical Discussion | 5 points total; 2.5 points each |
| Grammar and Spelling | 0.5 points |
| Clarity and Grace (i.e., clear, well organized arguments in well organized paragraphs) | 0.5 points |
| Deep Analysis and/or Surprising Me | 1 bonus point |
Late submissions incur the following penalties: 30% off if one day late, 60% off if two days late, and no credit afterwards. If you have extenuating circumstances that prevent you from submitting on time, please reach out to the TA (Hanyang Xu); we can work something out.