Reaction Report Guidelines
Structure of the report
- First half: identify one idea in the paper that you feel is a major
contribution or a major limitation, explain it, and discuss why it is
important.
- Second half: describe one idea of yours that builds on the paper and
expand on that idea as much as possible (why this is an interesting
extension, why it is doable, how can it be done).
Reports are limited to one page of text
- This limit is intended to force you to write concisely (and to reduce
overall workload).
- Try to utilize the page well: the more you elaborate on your thoughts,
the more complete the report will be.
Focus on depth, not breadth
- I am not interested in seeing three major contributions/limitations
and ten new ideas, each of which is described in one sentence. I want to
see just one, explained well.
- Your report is not meant to be a summary, or an abstract of the paper.
- It is not meant to show me that you skimmed the paper.
- I want to see how you think, and how you can express an opinion or
idea in a clear, concise, and well-justified manner.
Examples of good reaction reports