Code in an Academic Paper? No, Thank You.
Posted: January 19, 2025 Filed under: Musing Comments Off on Code in an Academic Paper? No, Thank You.Let’s be brutally honest here: there’s something painfully awkward about stuffing blocks of code into an academic paper. You know the type—pages upon pages of impenetrable black text, each line looking more threatening than the last. And for what? So that the 1.5 people who might care can grab a magnifying glass and attempt to decipher your curly braces?
Why It’s a Bad Idea:
- No One Reads It
You think your readers are going to flip through your 40-page magnum opus and pause to admire your meticulously spaced code? No—people skim for the interesting bits, like your hypothesis, your findings, and maybe your conclusion. Detailed code is about as riveting in paper format as reading a phone book. - Adds Bulk, Not Value
Sure, code inflates your paper’s page count. But more isn’t more if it’s meaningless. If the real purpose is clarity and sharing, then a massive code dump does neither. You’re better off providing a link to a GitHub repo or a supplementary file. - Low Readability
Code that reads well in your favorite IDE doesn’t magically transform into a well-structured exposition when copy-pasted into a PDF. Syntax highlighting is minimal, line breaks get weird, and crucial context is lost.
What to Do Instead:
- Diagram the Process
A picture is worth a thousand lines of code. Creating a clear flowchart or system diagram not only looks neat on your poster or slides, but also helps people understand the logic. - Explain the Thought Process
Your paper should be about the why rather than the what. Readers want to know the reasoning behind your methods, the decisions that led you to that final algorithm, and how it ties back to your research question. This context is what sparks interest and fuels further discussion. - Link to Repos
If you really want to share the code (and believe me, that’s awesome for reproducibility!), pop it on a version control platform. Stick a tiny URL in your paper or slide deck, and voilà—everyone can explore your code if and when they want, in its natural habitat.
Bottom Line
Stop cramming lines of C++ or Python into that gorgeous LaTeX doc just so you can say, “Look, it’s all here.” It’s not a show of strength—it’s a show of clutter. Diagram it, explain your process, and let your readers actually learn something from your research. Because at the end of the day, clarity beats extra pages every time.
Whether it’s a corporate white paper, a thesis, or your team’s internal project report, spare your readers (and yourself) from the headache of static code dumps. Show the bigger picture with diagrams, share your insights, and let them chooseto view the code in a dynamic, interactive space if they want. That’s how you really add value—and no one will ever complain about too few pages!
And if the code is truly that interesting, trust me: your audience will thank you for a link instead of a messy PDF labyrinth.