Each week, everyone takes a task for that week’s paper and writes a short piece for the site. You can do the default version, or try something new that might fail. Both are good. Several people can do the same task; comparing versions is half the fun.
Before every class, read the paper: at least the main part, and whatever your task needs.
To take a task, sign up in the sign-up sheet (one row per week). Each role has a guide written by the people who held it before you. To write it up, click Write next to your task: it opens a new post with everything filled in, for the current week’s paper.
✍️ Writing
Make the paper itself better written. Read the writing guide →
Rewrite the abstract (or title) Write Rewrite the abstract, or the title if that is what needs improving. Show before and after and say what you changed and why.
Copyedit the biggest part you can. Could the overall story improve? The structure? If not, what can be cut or phrased better? Give a before and after, and the general rule you applied.
The points that matter Write What are the most important points for most readers, and how could the paper convey or emphasize them better?
🧠 Learning to learn
Bring something new into the room. Read the learning to learn guide →
Teach us something new Write Teach us something new, on writing, on the topic, or on something else entirely.
📊 Visualization
Make the paper's ideas visible. Read the visualization guide →
Redo a graph, better Write Redo one of the paper's graphs, but better. In class we compare versions (and if several people did it, theirs too).
Visualize the core idea Write Create a visualization of the most important part of the paper.
📣 Communicate to the world
Get the ideas out of the PDF and into people's feeds. Read the communicate to the world guide →
Write a post for X, Bluesky, Mastodon and LinkedIn. Each platform has a different audience and length.
Compile the week's outputs into one readable post that links to everyone's work.
Extras (video, poster, other platforms...) Write More communication practice, your way. A short video, a poster, a thread in another language, a press-style summary, another platform, or helping the others.
🔬 Research skills
Read like a researcher, not like a student. Read the research skills guide →
Contact the authors Write Contact the authors with a question or a pointer, if it makes sense.
Strengths and weaknesses, and how the paper could have been improved. Decide if it is worth publishing, and worth pursuing.
Which papers is this one built on? Which fields and concepts does it relate to most?
Describe the prominent authors (usually first and last) and how this paper fits into their larger research. Stick to public, professional information.
Follow-ups worth doing Write Exercise academic taste. Suggest follow-ups that are worth doing, and say why.
💻 Coding
Make it run. Read the coding guide →
Reimplement an experiment or graph Write Reimplement an experiment, a metric, or a graph from the paper.
🔭 Paper scouting
Bring the group papers worth knowing about, popular or not. Read the paper scouting guide →
Go over trending papers and find at least two of interest to the group. Summarize each in one sentence.
Recent papers nobody is talking about Write Go over recent papers and find at least two of interest to the group that are not trending (or that you would not have found because they are). Summarize each in one sentence.
😎 Chill
We are a group. Sometimes it is not your job, and that is fine. Read the chill guide →
Chill, dude
Read the paper, come to class, ask good questions.
The roles and tasks are set by the course. Have an idea for a change? Raise it in class or in Discussions.