Research Meeting Guide

The Basics

How often

Every week, 1:1 with the professor

What for

Check progress and get feedback on your work

In between

Ask for an extra meeting whenever you need a discussion

The weekly meeting covers everything you are working on: paper reading, seminar preparation, and experiments. You do not have to wait for it, though; if something needs discussion, ask for an additional meeting at any time.

Before the Meeting

Progress summary. What you have done since last week, and what is still unresolved. The meeting starts with this.
A few agenda items. Each one should move the research forward: experimental results, methodological choices, scope, or submission plans.
Your take on each item. Think through the feedback you expect, beyond the obvious, and what you would do next in each case. This shows you have already considered several directions and are ready to decide.
Timeline check. Does current progress support your planned submission? If a delay is likely, how does it affect the plan?

What is not an agenda item. Vague issues such as “the implementation is not working” or “the results are not good yet” do not lead to actionable direction. Turn them into a concrete question: what you tried, what you suspect, and which options you are choosing between.

During the Meeting

Keep the meeting focused on decisions. Skip long background recaps and unfocused explanations. If you used AI to produce results or code you are presenting, make sure you have verified them and can explain them yourself.

Agenda Template

Copy this into your meeting notes and fill it in before each meeting.

1. Progress since last week
   - Done:
   - Still unresolved:

2. Agenda items (repeat for each)
   - Topic:
   - Evidence / results:
   - Expected feedback:
   - My proposed next step:

3. Timeline
   - Target venue and deadline:
   - On track? If not, impact and adjusted plan: