Tips for writing your SAS Global Forum paper [add your own!]

[ChrisHemedinger]

Hi #SASGF fans,

Happy New Year! If you have a paper accepted for the 2020 conference, it's time to start writing (if you haven't already!).  According to the dates I see in the Presenter Resource center, the final paper is due for submission February 27...and that's just around the corner.

Fortunately for me, I've already assembled most of the content for my paper.  But I still need to write the paper itself, in the format that the conference needs for sharing in the proceedings.  Here is my routine for getting started:

First, I download the paper template DOCX file from the Presenter Center.  (This year, the template file name is SASGF2020-Proceedings-Paper-Template.docx.)  To kickstart my document, I right-click on the file in Windows Explorer and select New.  That creates a new document with the template content intact.

Next, I complete all of the required, boilerplate content for my particular paper:

• My paper title, paper number, and author information at the top of the doc
• My edited abstract content that I pull from the Presenter Resource Center.  SAS editors might have adjusted this content to include proper product names and trademarks.  Don't undo that work by pulling from an old version!
• Complete the document properties so that the final paper metadata will contain the true title, topic...

And finally, I add all of the headings for the sections that I expect to have in the paper.  This allows you to see the outline of your paper and the hierarchy of topics.  Honestly, once I have that outline it makes me feel like my paper is almost complete.  In Microsoft Word, select the View->Navigation Pane option to see it laid out.  You can even use this Navigation pane to arrange sections, promote or demote the levels of your headings, and navigate among pages as you fill in content.  Here's my ambitious outline for this year's paper:

Experienced presenters: What are your best tips for managing this work?  Share here! I'd love to learn from you, and I'm sure others would too.

[BrettWujek]

Excellent guidance @ChrisHemedinger!

A next good step is to think about how you can attract people to your talk with a promotional video! 

Just a little bit of thought and time could earn you some recognition and a nice prize.

[PerryNoble]

Thanks Chris! 

Where can we get the doc template? I don't see a link to the presenters forum. Perhaps that is a closed forum ?

Looking forward to SGF2020 !

Perry

[ChrisHemedinger]

The Presenter Resource center is here.  You need to log in with the credentials you established when you submitted your topic.

You can find this and other useful info in the conference FAQ.

[mkeintz]

Thanks Chris:

And thanks for the link to populating the document properties. 

However, AFAICT, a presenter would not find that information in the Presenters Resource Center.  I'd suggest putting the list of required document properties - and how to specify them - somewhere in the PRC.  And putting a reference to those instructions in the paper template would be very beneficial.

Oops. I had deleted the very advice I was looking for.  

[TriciaAanderud]

• Start early.  
• Set a goal to be done by mid February.  This way you only have to work on it for a few hours at a time.
• Have an editor to read your work. At least use a service like Grammarly to help.  (I don't mind reading some papers if it helps.)
• Use good screen captures to help make your point. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

Tricia

[SAS_DataRich]

Definitely having someone read over your paper is beneficial.  I would be lost without my 'editor'.  Since some of the topics I write about are things she is not familiar with she reviews it for grammar but also to see if she can follow and grasp what I am trying to convey.  If it makes sense to her then someone who is familiar with the topic should be able to follow.

BTW ... I am happy to say my paper is almost done.  I need to send it to my 'editor' for one more review. 🙂

[hollandnumerics]

Editors are vital! My middle daughter was the 'editor' for my 1st self-published book. She had zero knowledge of SAS, but was probably the only person to read through the entire book in order (including myself!), and found a font issue in the final image, which I would never have spotted.

Make use of any 'editor' that volunteers to help you. You won't regret it!

[ChrisHemedinger]

She read your entire manuscript and found only a font issue?  Nice flex, @hollandnumerics 

Suffice to say, I try to present my editors with more improvements they can suggest -- it's good for their job satisfaction, right?

[hollandnumerics]

Ooops! I forgot to mention that this wasn't the first proofreading cycle, but more to prove that a lack of SAS knowledge shouldn't get in the way of being a good editor.

She had "savaged" my writing style in previous cycles! 😉

[ChrisHemedinger]

"Being edited" is a humbling experience.  But having a published work you can be proud of -- that builds the ego back up, doesn't it?

[tc]

Check out 44 years’ worth of SASGF papers at lexjansen.com for some great examples of what's possible!

[louisehadden]

As a long time mentor at SAS Global Forum, I have to put a plug in for the wonderful free service provided, which can be as extensive or limited as you want! Just having someone else look over your paper with an eye to content and "common sense" as well as grammar is helpful.

Another suggestion I have is that if your company has a review cycle for conference content (many do) make sure you know when you need to get your paper into review and plan WAY ahead. Companies often will not sign off on the permission to publish before they see the content and being late to the review cycle can have a domino effect. 

Most of all, enjoy the process! There's something really wonderful about a blank template ready to be filled up with your message!

Happy writing, Louise

[eajohnson]

Thanks so much @ChrisHemedinger. Do you ever consider matching your GF proceedings paper length to your session type? 

[ChrisHemedinger]

Hi @eajohnson, do mean that if I have a 20-minute presentation slot, I might consider a shorter paper than if I had a 50-minute slot?  No.

The paper (and any code you might share on GitHub!) are the primary takeaways from your conference contribution.  When I write my paper, I try to include as much information as I think is needed so that a reader can apply the techniques even if they didn't attend the conference or see my presentation.

The presentation -- usually 50 or 20 minutes -- are almost always going to be more high level because you won't have time for all of the nitty gritty details, and you can rely on the paper and other materials as resources for your audience to reference later.  Use the presentation to share your enthusiasm for the topic, share anecdotes about your learnings and the impact you've had with your work.  And of course, share the important technical aspects of your topic so that your audience gets what they need to take action or apply your tips.