Conference paper

Conference Paper

Purpose: Write and present research at academic conferences — the primary publication venue in CS.

When to use:

• Writing conference paper (4-6 pages)
• Preparing poster abstract
• Creating oral/poster presentation
• Preparing camera-ready version

Links to:

• paper-writing — general writing skills
• journal-q1-polish — polish for top venues
• publication-strategy — venue selection
• technical-english-cs — academic English
• defense-prep — presentation skills

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Conference Paper vs Journal Paper

Aspect	Conference	Journal
Length	4-6 pages (double-column)	8-12 pages (single/double)
Review time	2-3 months	3-12 months
Acceptance rate	20-30% (top: 15-25%)	20-40%
Novelty emphasis	High (new ideas)	Moderate (thoroughness)
Experiments	Key results	Comprehensive
Related work	Concise	Extensive
Presentation	Required	Optional
Proceedings	Yes (archival)	Yes
Impact	Immediate	Long-term

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Conference Paper Structure (4-6 pages)

Title
Abstract (150-200 words)

1. Introduction (0.5-1 page)
   - Problem + motivation (2 paragraphs)
   - Gap (1 paragraph)
   - Contributions (bulleted list)

2. Related Work (0.5-1 page)
   - 2-3 paragraphs grouping related approaches
   - End each: "Unlike [X], we [difference]"

3. Method (1.5-2 pages)
   - Problem formulation
   - System overview (1 figure)
   - Key components (algorithm + explanation)
   - Complexity: O(...)

4. Experiments (1-1.5 pages)
   - Setup: datasets, baselines, metrics
   - Main results (1 table)
   - Ablation (1 table)
   - Analysis (1 figure optional)

5. Conclusion (0.25 page)
   - Summary + future work

References (≤1 page)

Page Budget

Section	Pages	Notes
Abstract	0.2	150-200 words
Introduction	0.75	Funnel structure
Related Work	0.75	2-3 paragraphs
Method	1.5	Core contribution
Experiments	1.25	Key results only
Conclusion	0.25	Brief
References	0.5	20-30 refs
Total	5	±0.5 for 4-6 page limit

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Poster Abstract (1 page)

# [Title]

**Authors:** [Names]
**Affiliation:** [University]

## Abstract
[250-300 words]
- Problem (2 sentences)
- Gap (1 sentence)
- Method (3-4 sentences)
- Results (2-3 sentences)
- Impact (1 sentence)

## Key Figure
[1 main figure showing concept or results]

## References
[3-5 key references]

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Poster Design

Layout (A0 portrait: 841 × 1189 mm)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 TITLE                        │
│            Authors & Affiliation             │
├──────────────┬──────────────┬───────────────┤
│ Introduction │   Method     │  Related Work │
│ + Motivation │   (Figure)   │               │
├──────────────┼──────────────┼───────────────┤
│   Results    │   Results    │  Conclusion   │
│   (Table)    │   (Figure)   │  + Future     │
├──────────────┴──────────────┴───────────────┤
│          References & Contact               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Poster Checklist

• Title readable from 3m distance
• Figures readable from 1.5m distance
• Text readable from 1m distance
• QR code to paper/code
• Contact email visible
• Color-blind friendly palette
• Minimal text (figures > text)

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Oral Presentation (15-20 min)

Slide Structure

Slide 1: Title + Authors (30 sec)
Slide 2: Outline (15 sec)
Slide 3-4: Problem & Motivation (2 min)
Slide 5: Related Work (1 min)
Slide 6-8: Method (5 min)
  - Overview (1 slide)
  - Key component 1 (1 slide)
  - Key component 2 (1 slide)
Slide 9-11: Experiments (4 min)
  - Setup (1 slide)
  - Main results (1 slide)
  - Ablation/Analysis (1 slide)
Slide 12: Conclusion & Future Work (1 min)
Slide 13: Q&A (30 sec)

Timing Guide

Section	Time	Slides
Intro + Problem	2 min	2-3
Related Work	1 min	1
Method	5 min	3-4
Experiments	4 min	2-3
Conclusion	1 min	1
Buffer	2 min	—
Total	15 min	10-12

Presentation Tips

• Practice 3 times minimum
• Time yourself (strict 15 min)
• Prepare for common questions
• Have backup slides for deep-dive
• Speak slowly (120-150 words/min)

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Camera-Ready Preparation

Checklist

• Address all reviewer comments
• Update results if improved
• Fix all typos/formatting
• Check figure quality (300 DPI)
• Verify references complete
• Add acknowledgments
• Check page limits
• Submit source files + PDF
• Sign copyright form
• Register for conference

Response to Reviews (for revision)

# Response to Reviewers

## Summary of Changes
[Bulleted list of major changes]

## Reviewer 1
### Comment 1: "[quote]"
**Response:** [explanation]
**Changes:** [what was changed, page/line]

### Comment 2: "[quote]"
...

## Reviewer 2
...

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Conference-Specific Formats

NeurIPS/ICML/ICLR

• 4 pages main + unlimited appendix
• Double-blind review
• NeurIPS LaTeX template
• Broader Impact statement (NeurIPS)

CVPR/ICCV/ECCV

• 8 pages (excluding references)
• Double-blind review
• IEEE template
• Supplementary material

ACL/EMNLP/NAACL

• 8 pages (long) / 4 pages (short)
• Double-blind review
• ACL template
• Ethics statement

IEEE Conferences (custom)

• 4-6 pages
• IEEE double-column template
• IEEE PDF eXpress compliance

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Integration Flow

sota-survey (find venues)
    ↓
publication-strategy (choose venue)
    ↓
paper-writing (draft)
    ↓
conference-paper (this skill)
    ├── Write paper (4-6 pages)
    ├── Prepare poster
    ├── Prepare oral slides
    └── Camera-ready
    ↓
journal-q1-polish (if extending to journal)
    ↓
internal-critique (self-review)
    ↓
progress-report (report to advisor)
    ↓
thesis-writing (integrate into thesis)