METEO 6030: Paper Review
Spring 2007

Paper Review
As part of your homework I will ask you on a quite regular basis to read scientific papers to specific topics. The content of those papers is meant to supplement the lecture and the text book. EACH of you is required to read and understand the papers and to prepare questions and comments for discussion in class. Your grade in the "Paper Discussion" section will be determined to some extend by how active you are in these discussions.

Discussion of Papers
Each student is required to lead the discussion of two papers during the semester. Leading a discussion means to
  • thoroughly read and understand the paper,
  • including essential secondary literature,
  • give a brief (15 min. or less) power point presentation of the topic,
  • be able to lead a discussion with peers at the end and to answer open questions and comments.

    Each presentation should last 15 minutes or less plus sime time for discussion. The time limit will be strictly enforced. You will need to plan your talk carefully and practice it in advance. These presentations will be similar in length to those typically given at large meetings (e.g., American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society), so it will be good experience to learn how to organize your thoughts in a concise manner. The presentation should consist of about 10 powerpoint slides. Your powerpoint presentation should be sent to me not later than the evening before your talk. This sample (ppt) is a talk that I particularly liked from the 2005 class.

    This is a link to "Guidelines for the Preparation and Presentation of a Seminar": [PDF]. Easy to read and lot's of good tips.

    When evaluating your talk, I will use the following criteria:
    • Scientfic depth, completeness and correctness.
    • Defense of your talk. The first 2 points are the most important criteria.
    • Clear introduction with outline of talk.
    • Interesting.
    • Easy to understand.
    • Reasoned synthesis and analysis.
    • Conclusive conclusion.
    • Effective use of visual material.
    • Presentation was not too short or too long; finished without rushing.
    • Spoke clearly, slowly, and loudly enough.
    Essays on reading scientific papers
    • Simon Hunt, University of Oxford, "Reading Scientific Papers" [HTML]
    • John W. Little and Roy Parker, University of Arizona, "How To Read A Scientific Paper" [HTML]
    • Elizabeth Willott, University of Arizona, "Reading a Scientific Paper" [HTML]
    You are NOT required to write a term paper on your topic.

    Paper assignments. For approximate dates see "Syllabus" link.
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