You are required to give one presentation during the semester. Each class will feature two presenters, each presenting one paper group. Presentations usually run about 35 minutes in total, including the paper introduction, Q&A, and discussion. The presenters scheduled for the same day will coordinate among themselves to decide which paper group each of them will present.
Overview
The main goal of the in-class presentation is for you to explore in-depth a research topic/paper in LLM agents, learn how to read and analyze a paper, and perform an academic presentation.
By default, each presenter will present one paper group listed under each topic in the syllabus. Discussion of the recommended papers is also encouraged. If you feel strongly about presenting a different paper, you may do so, but please discuss it with the instructor at least 72 hours before your presentation.
Suggest Structure (can be flexible)
It is recommended to pick one paper as the main focus and connect other papers to it with a more brief introduction.- Background & context: What was the state of the field before these papers? What motivated this line of work? Mention key prior research works that shape these papers.
- Deep dive of the assigned paper(s): Provide a clear and structured walkthrough of the paper(s). Summarize the main research question, proposed methods, and key contributions. Highlight the technical details, including methods and experimental setup, and explain them in a way accessible and crispy. Compare the papers if more than one is assigned, pointing out similarities, differences, and how they build upon each other.
- Future work & extension: If the paper is not recent, what follow-up work has it inspired or extended, and can this idea still inspire our current research? If the paper is recent, what potential future directions could it lead to?
- Your comments: Share your thoughts about the paper. Evaluate the paper in validity and significance.
Evaluate the quality of the work (methodology, techniques, accuracy, assumptions). Here are some questions to
think about:
- Is the problem interesting? Any simplifications and assumptions made?
- How well did they solve it?
- Are the results useful, and for whom?
- What might you improve or do differently?
- What important problems remain unsolved, and where do you see the field heading?
- Discussion: After the presentation, you’ll moderate the discussion.
- Facilitate Q&A, give your classmates opportunities to share their perspectives.
- Don’t feel pressured to resolve debates - many will remain open.
Presentation tips
Keep text minimal and easy to read, and use images, plots, videos, or diagrams wherever they enhance your explanation.