How to do CS Theory || @ CMU || Lecture 1b of CS Theory Toolkit

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The lecture provides valuable, actionable advice for anyone starting in theoretical computer science. O’Donnell’s arguments are grounded in his personal experience and are presented in a clear, engaging manner. He effectively uses anecdotes and examples to illustrate his points, making the advice relatable and memorable. The emphasis on practical tools and resources (e.g., arXiv, Google Scholar, Overleaf, GitHub) is particularly useful. The argumentation is coherent and well-structured, moving from general philosophy to specific technical tips.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The lecture demonstrates scientific rigor by referencing established resources and practices in the TCS community. O’Donnell mentions specific websites and tools, such as arXiv, Google Scholar, and the Diderot course platform, which are widely used and respected. He also recommends books by Moore and Mertens and Wigderson, which are authoritative in the field. The title accurately reflects the content, which is a lecture on how to approach research in TCS. The content is consistent with the title and the course context.

The title accurately reflects the content: a lecture on how to approach research in theoretical computer science, part of a graduate course.

8/10

Lecture by a recognized expert in theoretical computer science, providing practical advice and references to authoritative resources. The content is based on personal experience and established practices in the field, but lacks formal citations for some claims.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 00:00Introduction to the lecture and overview of TCS as a field.
• 02:00Comparison of TCS with pure mathematics and the freedom to choose research topics.
• 05:00Discussion on the psychological challenges of research and the importance of persistence.
• 08:00Anecdote about Julia Robinson and the difficulty of proving theorems.
• 10:00Terence Tao's quote on problem-solving and the '1% progress' philosophy.
• 12:00Resources for staying up-to-date: blogs, Twitter, seminars, and YouTube talks.
• 15:00Importance of reading papers and using Google Scholar to find citing papers.
• 18:00Managing a personal library of papers and using reference management software.
• 20:00LaTeX essentials: using Overleaf, TeX Stack Exchange, and proper editors.
• 25:00Version control and collaborative writing with GitHub.
• 30:00LaTeX pet peeves and best practices for typesetting math.

• The Nature of Computation — Recommended as a good overview book for budding TCS researchers.
• Mathematics and Computation — Recommended as a good overview book for budding TCS researchers.
• Ryan O'Donnell's homepage — Instructor's academic page.
• Course homepage on Diderot — Course materials and information.
• Panopto — Video platform used for recording lectures.
• Rebecca Kiger Photography — Thumbnail photo credit.

• The Nature of Computation — Recommended as a good overview book for budding TCS researchers.
• Mathematics and Computation — Recommended as a good overview book for budding TCS researchers.