Starting the Process
Going from "interesting result" to a submitted paper took far longer than I expected, mostly in the writing and revision stages rather than the technical work itself.
What I'd Do Differently
- Start writing the related-work section earlier — it shapes how you frame your own contribution
- Run the statistical significance tests before, not after, drafting the results section
- Get feedback on the abstract from someone outside the immediate research area
Presenting at the Conference
Presenting in front of an audience that didn't know the background going in taught me more about clear communication than the actual research did.