Lessons from ICLR 2025: As an Author and Reviewer
This year, I had the opportunity to participate in ICLR 2025 as both an author and a reviewer. It was an eye-opening experience, even though our research was ultimately rejected. Here are some key takeaways from both roles:
What I Learned as an Author
- Strong Experiments Matter – If your research isn’t theory-heavy, the depth and rigor of your experiments are critical.
- Stand Out from Existing Research – Conduct a thorough literature review to ensure your work is novel and differentiated (think of it as academic market positioning).
- Rejections Are Valuable Feedback – Peer reviews provide insights that can help improve your work for future submissions.
- Rejection ≠ Failure – Many groundbreaking papers were initially rejected by top conferences and journals.
What I Learned as a Reviewer
- Novelty is King – Top-tier conferences prioritize originality and breakthrough ideas.
- Ask the ‘What If’ Question – If this research didn’t exist, how much impact would it have on academia or industry? (For example, without Attention is All You Need, language models might have progressed years later.)
- Clarity is Key – A well-written paper isn’t just about fluency—it should use clear figures and visuals to communicate results effectively. Great papers make their core ideas obvious at a glance.
These insights from ICLR 2025 have been incredibly valuable, and I look forward to more discussions on research and peer review! 🚀