Keep your presentation to less than 15 minutes (not counting time for questions during the presentation). This means presenting the highlights of the paper, not all of the figures.
A typical data slide takes an average of 2 minutes for presentation. Therefore, plan on presenting about half a dozen slides. Simpler slides (e.g. consisting only of text) may take less time. You may prepare extra slides which you would only show if you get a question about a specific point.
Start by putting the paper in the context of what it was trying to do. This will usually be given by its introduction.
Always explain the methods but keep this short. As with all parts of the presentation, assume that the other students have read the paper and that you are reminding them of the most important points.
Briefly present the results and give the interpretation provided by the paper. Only after doing this should you present your criticisms of the work, note points you don't understand, or make big-picture comments not made by the authors. If something about these must be said while presenting the results, keep it to one sentence and come back to the point at the end of your talk.
End by summarizing what the paper accomplished and what it left undone or did wrong. Suggest topics for discussion.
You are encouraged to be critical. Even the best papers (including those authored by instructors) have weaknesses. Sometimes we may deliberately assign flawed papers to illustrate methodological pitfalls.
Avoid jargon, address your audience directly, and try to appear engaged. Be prepared to be interrupted: It means the other students are following you.
At the end of each Theme Discussion, you are asked to write a "theme report". The purpose of this report is to demonstrate your understanding of the papers discussed in the theme and, most importantly, of their interrelationships. Thus, your report should not be a mere collection of abstracts, one for each paper. Rather, you should seek to identify threads or issues that run through several of the papers, and organize your report to discuss how each issue is illuminated (or possibly obscured) by the papers. State points on which the papers agree, those for which they are in conflict, and those for which results are inconclusive, so that future research is needed.
Theme reports make up a significant fraction of your final grade. You will be graded for clarity, conciseness, originality, cogency of arguments, and ability to synthesize different lines of thinking.
Your report should not exceed 4 single-spaced pages.
Figures and summary tables are encouraged and not included in the page limit. Figures can be hand-drawn or copied from a paper or course notes, and either inserted with the text or attached at the end.
Follow scholarly procedures. If you include a figure or a quotation, give the exact reference in text, and include a bibliography at the end of your report (this is not necessary for the theme papers discussed in class). The bibliography is not included in the page limit.
Be critical. Papers are not perfect. If you disagree with one of the conclusions, say so and why.
Conclude your report with a brief (1-2 sentence) statement of the most important thing you learned from the papers.
Your report is normally due a week after end of the theme discussion.
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Theme Report 1: Masking and Cochlear Nonlinearity (
PDF)
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Theme Report 2: Cellular Mechanisms in the Cochlear Nucleus (
PDF)
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Theme Report 3: Binaural Interactions (
PDF)
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Theme Report 4: Pitch and Temporal Coding (
PDF)
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Theme Report 5: Neural Maps and Plasticity (
PDF)