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2015/12/07
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a 6-year PhD student in computer engineering in an Asian country. My research field is Bioinformatics which was really hard to me in the beginning, but now, I love it and I have much experience at it.
Last year I was an intern in the bioinformatics department at a high-quality university in the United States. Since then, I have become disinterested in pursuing my PhD in computer engineering. Actually, most of the times I think of leaving my PhD and applying to a bioinformatics PhD program in the United States.
However, I am worried if leaving my current PhD program in the 6th year will appear as a negative point on my CV when I am applying for a new PhD in bioinformatics.
If I leave my PhD, do I have any chance of getting admitted to a new PhD program in bioinformatics?
EDIT: Also, I am worried about the letters of recommendation. If I leave my current PhD program, of course I can't get any recommendation from my PhD supervisor.<issue_comment>username_1: I would say go with your gut feeling. If you always feel like leaving then leave sooner rather than later. Do another phd; you can always quit if you don't like it.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: You don't give us much to go with. What you are proposing sounds pretty dramatic, and it potentially has a lot of factors going against you: Based on your description, it seems that 1) you are abandoning a Ph.D. very deeply into it; 2) you are parting ways with your adviser unamicably; 3) you are applying to a highly competitive program in the United States; 4) you may not have publications. The *one* thing potentially weighing in your favor is the fact that you've interned at that university: If your adviser-to-be is willing to commit to advising you and supporting you financially, it may override the other concerns in the eyes of the department.
Someone above suggests applying yourself to completing your Ph.D. and then seeking a postdoc in your dream area; that could well have better odds of success in the long term. Ultimately, of course, there's no way we can predict what the outcome will be. I'd suggest that you be sure you are being completely honest with yourself about the reasons for the situation you find yourself in, and what it is you are trying to accomplish by starting anew.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Two years ago I asked this question and some persons tried to help me.
Now, I would like to share that what happened to me and where I am now. Maybe this story can help someone that feels like me in previous.
As I had written in my first post, I did not like the position that I had and I knew that I would not make any progress when I do not like the situation.
Thus, I dropped out the school and then started to find a job position in Canada, USA, and even Europe, with my master's degree.
I got several interviews and one of them that was in a prestigious university did well. The professor accepted me as a researcher in his lab and also offered a PhD position to me. At the time, I was tired of being a PhD student and I did not accept his PhD offer. A few weeks later, it turned out that the university does not allow the professor to hire a person with MSc degree from out of the university, so the professor again offered a PhD position to me. In that point, since everything seemed good to me, I accepted his offer. Now, there you go, I am again a PhD student!
I just wrote my story maybe it can inspire someone to pursue own dream and do not stay in a position that does not like.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: Okay, so back in my country, the difference between private and public colleges is pretty visible. I have worked in biotech labs of both kinds and know that there's a lot of restrictions on using costly instruments in private colleges whereas we get a lot of liberty to get hands-on lab experience in public ones and sometimes they even encourage the person to conduct independent research without any external interference and to let the person fall and learn. In an internship at a private research lab, I had to ask them multiple times (more than 10 times) to let me use a PCR **just once** (as I needed it in my project thesis) during my stay there for a good two months. They were doubtful about "someone new" manhandling the instrument despite me having been rigorously trained to set-up that machine in the past (You'll be able to comprehend the annoyance if you have a biology background.) This was one incident and I certainly do not wish to rant about the other ones here. This year, I would be applying to US universities for doctoral studies. I have never been to the US, but I have applied to both category. Should I be concerned about such incidents occurring there in private institutions? Also, here the government institutions are highly reputed and have a very stimulating environment much better than any private institutions.
I have found a similar question before [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/47231/difference-between-public-and-private-university-education), but I feel that people mainly talk about funding issues here.<issue_comment>username_1: For graduate school, there are generally few differences. A couple potential factors:
1. Funding and other resources may be easier to obtain at private schools. On the other hand, there are rich public schools and less well-off private schools. The other factor is that public schools are often larger, so they sometimes have better shared resources (e.g. computing clusters).
2. Probably the biggest difference is the undergraduate make-up, which only affects you indirectly. At larger public schools you are more likely to TA as a graduate student, which is both good (easy to get TA funding) and bad (may be harder to avoid TAing).
3. Some public schools have unionized graduate students/teaching assistants. Almost no private schools have these unions. Whether this is good or bad is an open question.
4. In very rare circumstances, public school funding can be affected by political winds. There was one recent high-profile case where a large public university's budget was severely cut over a couple of years, but I can't think of any other recent cases. This is extremely unlikely, but possibly a factor if future cuts are being discussed.
The type (public/private) of the graduate program you go to is unlikely to make a major difference in your experience. What matters much more is the quality and characteristics of the program, which is largely independent of public vs. private. Each department is unique, and it's worth closely researching both the research being done and the culture that exists there when choosing where to apply to and where to go.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to the excellent points that username_1 makes, there are huge differences between American schools that are often bigger than the difference between public and private institutions. For example:
* There are wide differences in the quality of the undergraduate students that institutions attract. Quality includes: intelligence, prior preparation, and motivation to succeed academically. At some top-notch graduate schools, the average undergraduate is smarter than the average graduate student, and knows more math. At the other extreme, some schools deliberately recruit students who could not get admitted anywhere else. This will affect your experience as a Teaching Assistant. *(Many public schools are known for high drop-out rates, compared to similarly prestigious private schools. This suggests that either these public schools are not vetting their admissions as thoroughly, or that their support for marginal students is worse, or both. I have seen examples of both.)*
* Some schools rely on "weeder classes" to identify which undergraduates are best suited to particular majors. I have heard that being a T.A. in a "weeder class" -- which sets up under-prepared students to fail -- is a particularly unpleasant experience. *(The worst T.A. experience I have heard about was in a private school, but public schools are more likely to rely on "weeder classes".)*
* Some schools have great funding, from research grants, tuition, endowments, and/or government subsidies. At the other extreme, some schools are "operating on a shoe-string budget". *(I have heard about both public and private schools with shoe-string budgets.)*
* At some schools, you can take the courses you need to take, in the quarter or semester you want to take them. In smaller schools, courses might not be available every term. In overcrowded schools, you might be forced to postpone classes due to overenrollment -- or never allowed to take a course that is offered by a particular department. *(Even within a single school, some departments can be "small", and others "large". The overcrowded schools I have heard about were public, not private.)*
* Some schools make a point of encouraging students to live on campus, or nearby. These schools tend to keep their dormitories open year-round, including over holidays. Other schools have dormitories with beds so narrow that it is impossible to roll over without waking up, and force students to find other housing three weeks per year. *(The schools I have heard about with great dormitory systems were private, not public. The schools I have heard about with poor dormitory systems were public, not private.)*
* Some schools make a point of having strong programs (outside of their majors) to develop students' skills in math, technical writing, speaking English, giving presentations, drawing, organizing business plans, *et cetera*. Other schools have mandatory "writing" classes that encourage students to emulate badly translated writing, and prohibit using real-world examples in essays. *(The school I have seen with the terrible writing program was public, not private. In general, private schools have better reputations for encouraging networking and entrepeneurialism than public schools.)*
Upvotes: -1
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2015/12/07
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<issue_start>username_0: I previously asked this question [Senior co-author is jeopardizing two years of work](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/59299/senior-co-author-is-jeopardizing-two-years-of-work).
I have been trying to address my senior co-author's concerns. However, he is still not happy, and has now started to openly insult me in the group email discussions among all co-authors.
What should I do? My supervisors and other co-authors appear to choose to remain silent. I will be soon applying elsewhere, so I would like to have good recommendation letters. It is becoming difficult to care what happens to the paper, since it would be in preparation anyway while I am applying elsewhere.
Academia is a small world, so I would like to remain on as good terms as possible with everyone, including the difficult co-author.
(PS. I would accept the highest voted answer in the other question but I lost my login)<issue_comment>username_1: The best thing to do now would be to consult your supervisor/advisor in person.
You might also consider a relook at the *insults* to see if you could get anything constructive from it.
If the criticisms are not constructive; the case in which the motive is to purely do harm, then plainly ignore them as your supervisors do. In the world of research you should be able to bear with such situations. Not all would favour your outcomes or ideals (or even your success for that matter).
IMHO, if such criticisms are *really* destructive and hence affecting your research performance and focus, consider not to coauthor with those people in future.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Things have gotten personal, it is best if you remove yourself from the fight. Anything you say, no matter how sensible or innocent, is likely to be poorly received.
Instead, talk with your most trusted collaborator and ask them to defuse the situation (and follow up, to make sure they do!), preferably someone who has received the insulting emails first hand. Once your difficult collaborator has calmed down, you can all meet and discuss the paper. (NB: it is possible that some have already started to talk to him about this in private, or they are just waiting to see what on Earth is happening with you two, so silence doesn't necessarily mean inaction).
I'd say it is rather unusual for someone to snap at you, so there may be something else going on here, and perhaps you should look into it. On the other hand, some people are plain rude. In any case, personal insults are not acceptable, and this behaviour should not be tolerated.
Upvotes: 3
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2015/12/07
| 474
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<issue_start>username_0: Applied for a faculty position and was notified three weeks ago that the Faculty Search Committee has placed my name on the short-list of applicants to be reviewed by all faculty in the department. I was also notified that if I am still interested in this position, I may be contacted within the next few weeks to be invited for an interview. However, three weeks have passed, I have not got any updated message. References were submitted by my referees at the time I submitted the application. Should I be more patient or just contact them by sending a follow-up email? Not sure what has happened. They lost interest to me or just act too slowly?<issue_comment>username_1: Congratulations on making the short list! There is no way to tell from the outside what the school is doing, but there is also little that you can do to change it at this point.
If the school's answer would change something for you in the short term - for example, if you have another job offer and want to know if the school is still considering you - then it would be very appropriate to send them an email.
If you are just emailing them to check on the status of your application, I would wait a few more weeks to see if you hear anything from them. This part of the application process is often a waiting game, unfortunately. On the other hand, I think that a very polite, short message would not be likely to harm your application, particularly if you let them know that you are still very interested in their department.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Unfortunately academic hiring processes are extremely amateurish (in comparison to corporate processes of most well established mid-size and large companies). You are being left in dark, because the university cares for itself (they are hiring!), not for you (you are waiting/hoping for a job). Being several times through the process, the simplest advice at this point is to wait. Alternatively, you can simply ask for the status. My experience is that ***once the process starts, you will receive an answer. Eventually.*** However waiting for the answer for several months is rather usual too.
Upvotes: 3
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2015/12/07
| 1,216
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<issue_start>username_0: Adjusting for inflation, (without too much controversy, I expect), it is evident that college was more affordable in the past. See for example, this [chart of Tuition and Fees and Room and Board over Time, 1975-76 to 2015-16](http://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-and-fees-and-room-and-board-over-time-1975-76-2015-16-selected-years).
And yet, in the United States in 1980, roughly only 15% of the population had a college degree. It seems to me to be a very economical choice to attend. Are there reasons for the low graduation rate?<issue_comment>username_1: There are many factors!
* In the past there was much less demand for highly educated people, as there were many more jobs that were mostly manual labour. Technology is largely to blame for this, as computers and machines take over what we had to do with our heads and hands.
* People were more likely to work in one job for their whole life, so there was less incentive to get a more general education.
* Apprenticeships were more common, so you'd learn on the job rather than study at university.
* It was easier in the past to "work your way up the company" – you'd start as a front-line grunt, and have a good chance of becoming a manager later on.
* Children with poorly educated parents are much less likely to go to university. Starting off 100 years ago when almost everyone was poorly educated, it's actually taken remarkably few generations to get where we are now.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Even though the cost of tuition was lower, the opportunity cost of going to college was higher in the past. Going to college means you do not have time to work, so you in effect give up the pay from working by going to college. While, nowadays, one struggles to find a near-minimum wage job making $20K/yr without a college degree, it used to be possible (for men) to get a factory job paying the current equivalent of $40K/yr without a college degree. Hence, in effect, college is actually cheaper now.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: In the UK at least, part of the answer is that the relationship goes the other way. University is more expensive now because the costs used to be covered by the government, but as the number of students has risen the proportion paid by the government has dropped.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: From a UK perspective, it's a matter of market forces.
Originally (pre-1900), universities were mostly funded by fee-paying students. Costs were high, but only students from rich families could afford to attend. Places were limited mainly by the number of rich people. Ability was not necessarily a pre-requisite. There were a large number of institutions which funded people without money but with significant skills, but they were a definite minority.
Then the government started funding universities - especially after WWI, there was a strong feeling that everyone (all men anyway; women at universities is a separate issue!) should be given equal opportunities to advance themselves, and universities changed to being mostly funded by government (with some extra from the private sector). Cost to students was zero, but government funding was limited. Every student takes money to teach, so the number of places was limited to what the university could afford. As a result, university places were selective, and only the most able could attend. (Some universities still allowed rich kids to buy their way in, but they were a minority.)
In the 1990s, this changed again. For various political reasons (which I won't go into), government grants for living whilst studying were removed, universities received funding based on the number of students regardless of the value of the courses to the student or the country as a whole, and universities were allowed to charge tuition fees. Now every student was a cash cow, so the incentive was for universities to admit anyone, of any ability, and milk them to the maximum. The majority of students receive no benefit from their courses compared to the experience they would have gained from three years of work, and are tens of thousands of pounds in debt.
And that's where we are today.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: Its because feeding the family was more important back then, than getting a college a degree. Just like Maslow's hierarchy.. Food, Shelter and clothing was more important than education. So people's priority was getting any source of income whatsoever with or without college education, whichever occurs first.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: One important reason was the influx of women into higher education (and the professions). Today, more women than men graduate from college, fifty years ago, perhaps half as many women did. So while the percentage of college-attending men and women both rose over this time, it did so much more for women.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/07
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<issue_start>username_0: I have a Bachelor's degree in journalism, and I'm starting a Master's degree program next year. I'd like to teach in a university - is it possible to do so with only a Master's?<issue_comment>username_1: Your question is short and missing much information, so I will try to cover a few basics.
In general, in many countries, having a Phd is required. The requirement is not always a university rule, but mostly an internal department decision, or a factor of previous experience.
There are many fields in which a Phd is not required, such as Business, Art, Architecture, Music, etc. While many of those fields also have what is referred to as a 'terminal degree', meaning the highest degree in their respective field which may not be a Phd, those departments also will hire non-Phd faculty.
This will also vary depending on what type of school. Community college typically will be willing to accept a broader range of people. Universities may be teaching or research focused. In that case, you may have a masters with a high level of research experience, and a research university will welcome it.
Industry is also greatly important in some fields. In something like Industrial Design, having a bachelors or masters with 7 years of product design at Apple may very well carry you far.
I am not familiar with journalism in particular, but would imagine if you were a journalist at a well known paper, a school focusing on sending students to industry and not academia may look favorably on you.
So how do you become a teacher? In my opinion, your best chances are either getting a masters degree, then working at a renowned journalism company, build a reputation and a name, and over a few years start looking into Universities. Otherwise, pursue a Phd. Having a Phd is not a guarantee for a teaching position either, so you may very well end up spending 6 years on your Phd, not having worked in industry, and find it difficult to get a job.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In the unedited post, you mentioned portuguese, so I'll take a chance and guess brazilian. It is statistically likely, you don't seem to be from portugal, but that still leaves portuguese speaking african countries...
Considering public universities in/near SP, RJ, MG, the whole south and some capitals, you won't even be able to apply, they require PhDs all around, with high competition. In the federal universities farthest away from these centers (like AP, RO, RR) a masters would be enough in most cases. These openings are probably available even with the recession, not many candidates willing to relocate, and, without PhD, the salary will be kinda low... (~ 4k BRL)
On the other hand, if you go to the private universities, yes, totally. With the exception to some of the most prestigious (like PUC, Mackenzie, etc), that require PhDs. In the smaller ones, most of the professors do not even have masters. Low pay, no research and tons of courses tho...
If you combine both and consider a small private university farthest away from the economic centers, they might not even consider you, saying that you are overqualified....
Upvotes: 3
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2015/12/07
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<issue_start>username_0: I read [this](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8077/how-to-get-back-on-track-after-falling-behind) question about falling behind, but my question is more about the long term.
I find myself becoming depressed at lack of overall opportunities in graduate school (in mathematics, specifically, though this question is more about the general case). I had a bad relationship that messed up a few semesters for me at the beginning of grad school. I'm more or less recovered now, but I'm having difficulty trying to support my progress in any way outside of classes.
My field is computational, so I really want to get a summer internship at a software company, government agency, or some other place where I can get exposure to research and skills that are not immediately available in the department (like coding). My advisor's perception of me formed during my period of low performance, too, so he hasn't invested much in teaching me. I have some mediocre grades on my transcript from this time, so the profs from these classes so far don't have such a good impression of me, either. I don't know who to ask for recommendation letters or networking opportunities. I had shining recommendations from undergrad, but that was years ago, which will raise obvious questions on any application.
Meanwhile, my friends are doing interesting projects they can associate with their name. They're giving talks, going to conferences with their advisors, being awarded fellowships, etc. Feeling like I have nothing going on except for classes and an advisor that doesn't believe in me is no good, and though I'm performing better than before, I am still far under what I know to be my potential.
In other words, I feel like I'm stuck in a cycle of poor opportunities, and I'm not sure how to break out of it. I had a lot of momentum when I came here. People were offering me all manner of things, I had many side-projects in different areas, and I was beginning to make a name for myself in research. Now, all I do is try to get my homework in on time. I'm just *bored*, and don't know how to get back to a successful state of mind.
How could one recover from this type of setback?<issue_comment>username_1: You've got a few problems here, so I'm going to try to address each in turn.
**Depression**: As has been noted [before](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/28257/overcoming-depression-and-getting-back-on-rails-with-phd-work) on [several](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/38217/how-to-cope-with-feelings-of-powerlessness-on-a-phd?lq=1) occasions, depression is very common among graduate students and faculty. The important thing to remember is that **you're not alone**. Most universities have counseling centers that are available to students for free - *take advantage of that.* Psychotherapy is effective for most individuals, and a trained professional can help you come up with strategies that are tailored for you.
**Adviser Troubles**: It's unfortunate that your adviser seems to be less interested in your progress because of some poor grades early on. The trick now is how to make your adviser regain interest in you again - whether that's through more frequent meetings with them (out of sight, out of mind, so stay in sight) or by being proactive and finding interesting research directions to pursue is something you'll have to decide. As a last resort, consider finding a new adviser - it may mean losing several years worth of work, but if it can rekindle the adviser/advisee relationship, it may be worth it.
**Letters of Recommendation**: One option is to consider alternative sources - are there professors of not-as-relevant courses that you can go to? Past internship employers? For networking - are there career centers or fairs at your school that you can leverage? Think outside the box. Moreover - don't give up on the professors that you've had so far. Asking for a letter of recommendation, with an acknowledgement that you may not have done as well as you hoped in the course, but you still learned valuable material may yield at least an "okay" letter of recommendation. And there's always the possibility that their opinions of you are *not* as poor as you think they might be.
**Boredom**: This may be the biggest problem of all. You can see a therapist; you can meet with your adviser weekly; you can cobble together LoRs - but if you're still bored stiff and have zero motivation to do anything, you've got a problem on your hands. Generally, I've found there are two solutions to boredom:
1. **Power through and do the best you can do.** As <NAME> (late Prof. at <NAME>) said, "The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people." Show that you aren't "the other people".
2. **Find something else to do.** Sometimes there's nothing you can do about it - you're bored, and no amount of self-negotiation will change that. In those times, you just have to find something else to do. Here that could mean a new research project, or even just a new angle on the current one.
Which solution is the "correct" one is entirely dependent on you.
---
**Summary**: My overall point is that it's going to be an uphill battle for you. If you want this degree, you're going to have to prove it, and ultimately only you can decide what's best for you.
Here's a little inspiration to get you through your day:
>
> Optimist: Someone who figures that taking a step backward
> after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it's a cha-cha. ~<NAME>
>
>
>
Best of luck!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I was in a similar situation as I worked on my PhD. I had been through some stuff in my life and was depressed for a while and just unmotivated, and I was doing unrelated stuff that was taking up a lot of time. I had taken too long already and basically the message was "finish your degree or get out".
So I pulled my socks up, made a list of all the goals I would have to fulfill to complete my degree and worked on crossing several things off my list every day.
It's better to write the steps down on the list and then cross them off than just to do them without writing them down, because then you get a boost every time you look at your list and see all the things that are crossed off. Of course, you'll also be adding to your list as you go on and realize there's more to do, but as long as you cross more things off than add to the list as you go, you'll eventually get there.
Your own supervisor wants you to succeed, so if you show enthusiasm and willingness to complete your project, you will have the support you need. It has to be you that takes the first step though. Nobody else is going to motivate you so for that you need to look within and ask yourself what topic really interests you and work on that.
There's really nothing quite like having "Dr" in front of your name (I assume you are a PhD student), so hang in there!
BTW, it is over a decade later, and my PhD supervisor is still happy to write me reference letters as I need them.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/08
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm interested in knowing the optimal technology/techniques to implement something (storing Lidar data in a database) in a corporate IT world. I have a colleague who recommended that I contact his old phd adviser since his old adviser has done what I'm looking at doing before. He carried out the work as a means to an end for his research and the work I'm interested in is not his research itself. I believe they parted on less than perfect terms and my colleague has said mentioning him might not achieve anything productive as a result (I suspect this wouldn't be too bad as it is simply a referral from a colleague and was a while ago).
So, is it generally regarded as acceptable to email this old phd adviser of his with or without mentioning the referral and ask him if he would mind answering 3-4 basic fairly high level questions regarding the work he has previously carried out? Since acceptable depends on how it is written, what are some good techniques for writing cold email requests for information in this sort of scenario?
NOTE: This is in academia primarily because I'm wanting to email a professor and ask about information he has worked on that he carried out as a means to an end.<issue_comment>username_1: This is acceptable, but you may not get an answer. I would use @tonysdg solution of keeping it vague where you found him. I would also keep the email as short as possible, and I would include the 4 questions. That way (s)he immediately knows what you ask of her/him and (s)he can decide what to respond (or whether to respond at all).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Ideally the person who knows both of you would write a short introductory email and send it to both of you. You could request that he do that.
If he doesn't do that, you can still mention that he suggested that you write to this person at the beginning of your email. Just use a succinct, mildly friendly, and professional tone, and you'll be fine.
Upvotes: 1
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2015/12/08
| 1,132
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<issue_start>username_0: I am seeking some general advice from applied mathematicians at American universities. In my statement of purpose, would my stating that I want to pursue a PhD in applied mathematics primarily for the purpose of working in industry be a bad idea, in general?
This would be sort of "keeping it real" and being honest, when knowing that the vast majority of phds will end up in industry and not in academia, where jobs are extremely scarce.
Or is it still better to tell them what they want to hear? I am assuming that what they want to hear is that I want to be an academic and make contributions to teaching and publish in academic journals, etc.<issue_comment>username_1: I have done graduate admissions for my math department. I am a "pure mathematician" but my department is just the math department: there is no formal separation between pure and applied.
Others can speak for themselves, but I always find honesty refreshing, and the idea that a prospective PhD student does not want to pursue an academic career does not horrify me: rather, in some ways it relieves me. Moreover, if you know this "all along" and don't disclose it right at the outset, when will you disclose it? There is no natural time until you are graduating / going on the job market, and then it will be way too late for your programmatic experiences to be tailored to your true goals.
The worry here, I suppose, is that you risk looking "less serious" than other applicants. In my opinion you can completely counteract this by including, a plausible, **specific** post-PhD career plan in which having a PhD plays a natural role. That is, don't say "I don't plan on pursuing an academic career" or even "I plan on pursuing an industrial career", say *which* industrial career you are aiming for and why the PhD will be helpful and/or necessary. Math PhD programs would like to have students with specific, realistic future plans that they can work towards steadily during their time in the program. We don't see many such students, but we would like to have them anyway.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: If you mean by a job in industry working at a research lab sponsored by a company (or the government) that is like being at a university minus the teaching, then you can ignore the rest of this answer. Those positions are practically like being in academia, minus the teaching. They are also almost non-existent these days.
If you don't mean a quasi-academic job, then you need a realistic reason why you will need a PhD to work in industry.
There are very few jobs in industry that actually require a PhD in Mathematics. For almost all jobs, a Masters degree or a solid Bachelors degree is more than adequate. The jobs that require a PhD have some specific, unique reason why they require someone with research abilities. Unless you can articulate what some of these jobs are, why you want such a job, and how earning a PhD helps in such a job, I am going to be quite worried that either you will waste your time getting a PhD for no reason, or you will drop out after a year when you realize you don't need a PhD. Neither is optimal.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: With applied math, the sky's the limit. The variety of areas math can be applied to is more than one person can conceive of.
Yes, you can go out and get a real job with a PhD in applied math. Here's a small example for you: <NAME>, whom I think of as Mr. Spline, did a lot of work for the automotive industry in Detroit, using splines to help design auto bodies.
I would not expect an applied math department to hold its nose when considering an applicant who's intending to get a job outside academia after graduating.
If you already have some ideas about what sort of math and applications you'd like to do in industry, share your ideas in your essay.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: You might get several possible reactions.
* That's great, industry needs more people with solid academic training and it's our role to provide the educated workforce that's needed in our competitive industrial economy.
* You're being naive. Do you really think you will be more employable in industry if you have a PhD? They would much prefer to take you three years earlier and train you in relevant skills on the job.
* This is a university, not an apprenticeship scheme. We're here to pursue scholarship and the pursuit of knowledge, not to help our students earn a living. If you don't share those ideals, find somewhere else.
So by all means put forward your motivation, but be prepared to handle such objections.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/08
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<issue_start>username_0: I did a successfull research project for my studies. My team created a software prototype and a promising evaluation therefore. It has potential for further research and eventually for an industry product.
The idea of the overall prototype is mine, but one core component originally comes from my advisor at that time. However, I reprogrammed it in another programming language and did several improvements on it, but the core algorithm is unchanged.
I eventually have the chance to do more about it, e.g. deliver it as a product to a company or get research fundings or a PhD grant. Therefore, I want to replace all code lines (~150) that I copied from my former advisor with own ones and leave him uninformed about what I am doing. Why?
* As I said, the idea for the overall prototype was mine.
* During the work with our advisor, I and my colleagues found him to be a difficult person. He has a tense and controlling attitude, which I think is distrustfull.
* At the end of our project our team wanted to make our code Open Source. He refused.
* He wanted to be informed about everything that I would do about the prototype. Especially, he wanted to have a veto about if regarding further scientific publications can be submitted.
So, things will get complicated if I inform him about my procedure or use his unchanged code.
Do you think this would be correct from an ethical and juristical perspective? What is your personal opinion about my thoughts and behaviour?
Furthermore, do you think my behaviour could have negative consequences for my potential academic career, since my former advisor works at a different chair on the same university? Is it possible, that my former advisor's boss will be notably pissed off by me?
Thanks in advance!<issue_comment>username_1: First of all you should inquire with your institution regarding intellectual property. Usually, there are some strict regulations in place. In my institution, for example, whatever is produced by the university's funding or using the university's equipment is at least to some point eligible to be the intellectual property of the university. Honestly, I've never heard of anyone who got into trouble with these regulations, but they're there, and should a feud arise, the institution will have the legal upper hand.
As you see, even if your code contained nothing of someone else's code (or other contributions - source code is not the only thing that makes a project), you could still expect some difficulties.
Further, is the algorithm published, i.e. could I find a paper describing it and reimplement it to make a similar component as your adviser? If so, that puts you in a bit better position to use it without his consent, but I still wouldn't.
However, you still can't sell this product for your own benefit, without getting the consent and including all the parties that made a significant contribution. (Well, you could, of course, but that would be highly unethical and probably illegal) I do not see any obstacles in continuing research on your project, if you find a suitable department and new adviser whose interests happen to coincide with it. You could even find a way to improve you adviser's algorithm.
Finally, I would strongly advise against antagonizing you adviser (whether you are right or not). Remember, that you will need recommendation letters for your PhD studies. You should always try to maintain good relations with ex-collaborators (including your adviser), it's a lot easier to advance you career, if there are people who worked with you and have nice things to say about it, especially at the beginning of your career.
My advice is not to go behind anyone's back in your group. Your ideas are your own and nobody can prevent you from working on them in the future, so you have nothing to lose there. But, you shouldn't rely on those border cases, e.g. "if I took that and modified it slightly, would they still be able to sue me?. Talk to people, if you can't work things out, it is not the end of the world, you'll have to work on it more and come up with your own methods. As a byproduct you also get additional research material which is never a bad thing for a PhD candidate.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Look, as a general rule in life, if you have to ask someone else whether your behavior is ethical, then you already know the answer: you're at best skirting the boundaries of good citizenship in the group you're in, and you're likely beyond it.
Whether the behavior is *legal* is of course a different question. But, as humans, we rely on the good will of others a lot. You imperil the relationships you have with other at your own risk if you already suspect that your behavior may "piss off" others.
Upvotes: 2
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| 874
| 3,785
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<issue_start>username_0: "Large" includes "health issues", among other things.
I know someone facing this situation. She has successfully used her story in applications to important programs during undergraduate, and it did explain some time she had away from school (I believe this includes broken time during her undergraduate study in total, I also think it was earlier on.)
There are reasons grad school may be different: "Can she finish?" is arguably top concern and this concern is agnostic to reasons and may be as simple as "troubled past, troubled future." And also simply the fact that people discriminate - conscious biases and unconscious biases are both common. There's a reason employment law (and I believe similar laws hold for grad school admission in the U.S.?) protects against asking about stuff like this.
Plus my general feeling is that a personal statement can really only hurt you. It helps them know the person they are evaluating but obviously the rigor of course study and research experience is what counts.
In short, would the professionals here corroborate my instinct? Or does personal story like this sometimes add positive weight to an application? And, often enough that it may in fact be worth it?
I'll specify this is a science field for U.S. schools, I'm guessing that might help understand the circumstances but probably I don't need to be more specific than that.<issue_comment>username_1: My own experience includes the opposite of what you describe. I have evaluated statements of purpose (SoP) with specific stories of overcoming adversity where the story helped me conclude that this was a courageous person worth taking a shot at. This was, of course, accompanied by strong grades (though not necessarily stellar) and supportive letters.
I strongly disagree with your notion that an SoP can only hurt you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: My perspective as a member of my department's graduate committee (who also reads through all of the applications) is similar to @ProfJoseMartinez's: specific stories of overcoming adversity are useful.
I'm not saying this in the sense of the American world of motion pictures where we like an uplifting story for itself. Rather, it tells me something about the applicant: they were down, and they got up. That's something that happens to almost all grad students once or twice throughout the several years they're in a program, and it is important that students have the resilience to make it through these phases during their grad student career.
In other words, a demonstrated ability to get back up when you're down is a positive statement I take into account when reading applications.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: (After 30+ years on admissions committees in mathematics...) Echoing the other two answers: a record of coping with difficulties more-or-less successfully is a plus. Yes, one worries whether past difficulties will recur... but the real point is that many or most grad students will encounter "difficulties" in grad school in any case, if only grad school itself, so a prior record of successful coping with the vagaries of life is positive.
That is, to contemplate the opposite, a smart kid who's never had any difficulties with anything and always been "smartest in their class" may be very unpleasantly surprised by the challenges of a top-tier grad program, where everyone else has the same natural gifts, etc. ... and be completely flummoxed by this situation.
It's not that "suffering/coping is good", but since troubles seem inevitable, it is absolutely a plus to be able to show successful coping with unfortunate difficulties.
(And, indeed, as in other answers, it's not an issue of "like in the movies", but something very practical.)
Upvotes: 3
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2015/12/08
| 431
| 1,968
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<issue_start>username_0: Taking notes based on the textbook obviously helps to organize and summarize info in the textbook. But if I highlighted the most important areas of the textbook, and while revising I only look at these parts, won't it have the same effect as taking textbook notes (as far as summarizing goes)? Ultimately my question is, for students who have achieved good grades by taking textbook notes, what are the benefits of doing it and why is it better than just reading the important parts of the textbook?<issue_comment>username_1: Personally, writing something down in my own words helps my understanding tremendously. It forces me to actually, properly understand the concepts and formulate them differently.
Furthermore I often use graphical aids like drawing diagrams, graphs, etc. This is often hard to do on textbook margins due to space limitations.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to the benefits mentioned by username_1, you might want to include in your notes information that is not explicitly in the textbook, for example alternative ways to think about some of the textbook's material, details that are omitted in the textbook, special cases of the facts in the book, or connections between different passages in the book.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Apart from the features explained by @AndreasBlass and @username_1, there is one more advantage I would like to add concerning customised notes on a textbook.
A textbook author usually try to cover a wide range of readers. Hence what might seem sufficient to some might seem inadequate to others, yet superfluous to some others. Hence an avid reader of the subject would make concise what one is familiar with and expand more in detail on the topics that one feels difficult (probably by referring more references) by separate note-taking on the textbook that may be more efficient than highlighting right on the book itself.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/08
| 683
| 3,100
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<issue_start>username_0: I submitted my paper one week ago to a journal and I want to cancel my submission. Is it possible?<issue_comment>username_1: Any reputable journal will provide some way for authors to withdraw their papers.
* For journals with an online submission system, there will typically be an option within the same online system: if you click on "current submissions" there will be an option to withdraw it.
* If there is no direct online method, then you can email the editors.
While these options are rarely exercised, every reputable journal will have such an option in order to allow for the exceptional cases, such as a group discovering a major error after they have submitted their manuscript.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: It's certainly possible. You can withdraw a submission at any point until it has been accepted and you have signed the publishing agreement. You might upset the editor, but there's absolutely no way they will try to forbid you from withdrawing the paper. The worst case scenario is that they will remember you as a flake who wasted their time with an inappropriate submission. (Of course, that's not a good outcome.)
You should not plan on resubmitting the paper to the same journal, at least not if the social conventions in your field are like the ones I'm familiar with from mathematics. There might not be a formal rule against it, but it would look really strange, and you'd get reactions along the lines of "What are you doing? You had your shot at publishing the paper in this journal, you deliberately withdrew it, and you wasted everyone's time in the process. Now you want to start again?" (Only it would probably be stated less confrontationally.) I doubt they would accept a resubmission unless it was a really important paper.
The disadvantage of withdrawing a submission after just a week is that it looks flaky, like you couldn't be bothered to check the paper carefully enough last week to detect the problem. On the other hand, the longer you wait, the more time may be wasted by reviewers. If you know you need to withdraw the paper, it's better to do it early than to delay.
Note that everyone will assume you withdrew the submission because of a serious problem with the paper. If there's a minor problem, correctable without important consequences, then you could submit a revised version instead of withdrawing the paper. (That would still look a little flaky, but less so.)
If there's no problem with the paper itself, but you just changed your mind about where to submit it, then you'll really annoy the editors and reviewers. You shouldn't do it without a compelling reason, and I'd recommend not pointing out that you merely changed your mind (since there's no sense in adding insult to injury). This would make sense under some circumstances, for example if you discovered you accidentally chose a predatory journal, but under ordinary circumstances it would really look bad. You could still do it, but I wouldn't advise it unless you feel you really made a dreadful mistake in choosing the journal.
Upvotes: 4
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2015/12/08
| 450
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<issue_start>username_0: I am considering applying for PhD degree. Regarding this I contact many professors to see if they are accepting new students or if I am a good fit for their research group. The responses will be different.
For some of them, if lucky, they tell you the instruction, e.g. send your CV, contact me for the research you have done etc. However, you may receive a general email which most of the times means he/she is not interested in your CV. They write a general description of the application process or maybe a rejection to your request.
What should I reply back to these kind of responses from professors?<issue_comment>username_1: If you consider to send just a thank you email- then it is no, it would not make any impact at all. No professor cares about emails which are not substantial from prospective students. They get hundreds of those everyday.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: I would say, write a very brief e-mail in response saying something along the lines of "Understood, thank you very much." It's probably unnecessary, but it takes fifteen seconds to write and five to read and delete.
In particular -- a thank you note has essentially no possibility of annoying the professor, at least if it is not also accompanied by some sort of request. I would say -- if you are contemplating writing a brief thank you, then you may as well do so.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes, it is almost always a good idea to thank people for things they have done. While these professors may not be likely to take you on, you never know when you will meet them in the future, or whether they will review your work or consider you for a position.
Additionally, what you could do if they reject you is to thank them, but also ask for suggestions for another academic with whom your work might be a better fit, or any feedback on what you could do to improve your chance of success in the future.
Upvotes: 1
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| 752
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<issue_start>username_0: It seems that most of the job advertisements for postdoc positions in mathematics (in the US) on mathjobs are named positions (I.e. "Smith visiting assistant professor" or something like that), and each department offers a very small number of such positions (usually between 1 to 4). But when I check the webpages of the relevant departments, it seems that they usually have something like 20-30 postdoctoral researchers, and most of them are not named postdocs.
1. What is the common way to apply for those ordinary postdoc positions? (I can't find them on mathjobs and I know that math postdocs in the US are usually not hired by a PI)
2. When you apply for a named position on mathjobs, does it mean that the hiring committee will automatically consider you also for the ordinary postdoc position?<issue_comment>username_1: I hope it is not true that most mathjobs postdoc ads are for "named postdocs", because these exist mostly at very elite places: I am not aware of more than a dozen of them altogether. Generally there are on the order of 100 postdocs you can apply for at mathjobs.
Anyway, mathjobs is quite good at separating out various kinds of positions. At my institution we currently have four different mathjobs ads including two different kinds of postdocs. Of course you need to read carefully and understand the differences among all these positions (not all of our applicants do so).
1. I can go in and look if you insist (really; it's not a problem), but I strongly suspect that if you are only finding "named postdocs" then you are not reading carefully enough and missing the other postdocs offered by the same departments. The vast majority of math postdocs really are available on mathjobs; I can't even think of another place that advertises these positions in any quantity.
2. It is possible, but I wouldn't assume so. Again, mathjobs allows you to tailor your application to multiple positions at the same place. For instance you may use the same recommendation letters but submit different cover letters, and you might submit a teaching statement for one position and not another.
If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask at the department of interest.
**Added**: Thanks to <NAME>der, who pointed out that the "dozen" above is not accurate. In fact that is the answer to a different question, namely how many departments offer postdocs under the name "Firstname Lastname Assistant Professor". I would be interested to know which departments offer "named postdocs" of one kind or another. I think it is more than 12 and less than 50.
Actually, I just checked, and 36 out of the top 55 math departments have named postdocs. So probably there are about 50 altogether.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: My experience of applying for post-docs through Mathjobs was that the named positions and the un-named ones were often advertised and applied for together. Sometimes different eligibility criteria apply (for example some positions are only open to those who already have a connection with the US). Where there were different positions, a lot of ads would say 'applicants for X will also be considered for Y'. A few said 'applicants for X will not automatically be considered for Y'.
Upvotes: 2
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2015/12/09
| 755
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<issue_start>username_0: **Background:**
I am a PhD student and am one step away from graduating. I have created a [dataset in 3D microscopy vision](http://selibcv.org/3dsem/), particularly 3D surface reconstruction from scanning electron microscope images, and the [work](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352340915003133) has been already published in a highly respected journal. I would like to share the dataset with the research community to draw attention and possibly evaluate the contribution(s).
**Question:**
I am wondering what are the typical channels that scholars use to share datasets?<issue_comment>username_1: You could just host the data on your own university homepage but I would not encourage this. You can not guarantee stable a URL or long-term support. A website of your institute or a project website would be a bit better but still, long term support is not guaranteed.
You may want to check out **Harvard Dataverse** at <https://dataverse.harvard.edu/>. It seems to cover many different fields and provides dois (i.e. permanent links) which make the dataset citable.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Although I think the first thing is to talk to your institute, and if they already have a platform or webpage to share data, use that one in the first place.
You also could use [figshare](https://figshare.com/), [datahub](https://datahub.io/), or [zenodo](http://zenodo.org/) to share your data.
Actually the [OpenData SE site](http://opendata.stackexchange.com) opened a [datahub site for OpenData SE](https://datahub.io/organization/opendata-stackexchange), see this question:
[How do I share Open Data with others on this SE site?](https://opendata.stackexchange.com/questions/1576/how-do-i-share-open-data-with-others-on-this-se-site)
Furthermore, [Open Data commons](http://opendatacommons.org/guide/) has some good information on how to share data, and what licenses to use.
Also see:
[How can I Share my Data Sets Without Worrying About Copyright Issues?](https://opendata.stackexchange.com/questions/5844/how-can-i-share-my-data-sets-without-worrying-about-copyright-issues)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: I've would prefer ResearchGate to make datasets publicly available in addition to your publications. ResearchGate also has the option to generate a DOI for the same. This would hence also increase the visibility of your research.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: You have also [Kaggle.com](https://www.kaggle.com/) where you can publish your datasets. It allows users to find and publish data sets in a web-based data-science platform. On an [early post](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/121407/where-and-how-are-computer-science-researchers-publishing-datasets) you can find more debate regarding a more specific question to it.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/09
| 751
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm curious about how common it is to negotiate for requests/demands that are not necessarily directly related to salary, research, or teaching load during the job hiring process in academia.
Some potential examples that come to mind:
1. Coverage of school athletic facility fees
2. Parking pass / daily commute costs (e.g., bus fare)
3. Financial assistance for relocating for job
4. Specific holidays (e.g., lesser-known religious days)
5. Keys to restricted areas not pertinent to job (e.g., access to music rooms for the professor that used to be an active musician)
6. Coverage for continued learning in unrelated field (e.g., philosophy or theology courses offered elsewhere in the college).
7. Others...
Further, is it advantageous to even negotiate for these requests? Has anyone in the SE community had success with similar requests?<issue_comment>username_1: There are a lot of perks that come with being an employee of a university, so it may not be necessary to make a lot of the requests for the items you've listed above. For instance, many universities (where possible) subsidize public transportation or parking costs for their employees in an attempt to be environmentally friendly (and reduce the need for on-campus parking). Similarly, there may be programs in place that offer reduced or no tuition for "continuing education." And certainly relocation expenses are not unusual in job negotiations (I'd even argue those are standard for anything above a postdoc, and even for some postdocs, depending on the employer).
However, the more unusual your request—the key access to music practice rooms, for instance—the less likely I'd want to bring it up during job negotiations. It's just too unlikely to get anywhere, and you don't want to get off to a bad start in the process. That said, that doesn't mean you can't inquire about such things *after* you've accepted the offer.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: There are a few things I would keep in mind.
The first is whether the person you are negotiating with is able to give you the thing you ask for. For example, the university probably has a fixed policy on whether they charge for parking or for access to the fitness centers, and those are handled by different offices not overseen by academic deans. So negotiating an individual exception to those policies will likely be quite difficult, if the chair and dean have no control over them.
The second is whether the thing you're interested in is sufficiently minor that you can likely handle it once hired. For example, getting access to a music practice room is likely to be straightforward once you are there. Similarly, if you need to be off on certain religious holidays, you can work out a way to handle that after you are hired.
Three things that are more straightforward to negotiate (although they may not always be possible to change) are salary, startup funds, and moving expenses. For those in the sciences, I am told, laboratory space and equipment are often negotiable as well. So, for example, if you want to cover a fitness center membership, it might be easier to negotiate a small salary increase instead.
Upvotes: 2
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2015/12/09
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<issue_start>username_0: Assume there is a young tenure-track professor on a 9-month salary who is a good instructor and manages to get research published at an appropriate pace during the school year for tenure consideration. Could the professor's decision on how he/she spends his/her 3 months each summer affect his/her tenure decision? Specifically, if the professor chose to do something unrelated to teaching summer courses or doing research.
I'll propose two examples:
1. Spend the summers working a completely unrelated (perhaps lower-level) job just to mix things up or out of necessity or delight. Let's say as a cruise-ship tour guide or as a laborer (e.g., painter, landscaper, farmer, mechanic, etc.)
2. Spend the summer vacationing with family / kids.
If the individual got the work required for tenure completed during the 9-months of the school year, they could do whatever they want the other 3 months (since they are *off* contract) without repercussions, right?<issue_comment>username_1: To answer your question literally, if the professor outputs research at a reasonable pace during the academic year, then *flatlines during the summer*, then no, they are not on track for tenure.
Perhaps you meant to ask if they are stellar and overperform during the year. This really raises the question of why they are not at a more prestigious university then, and if they are, I'm really curious which of the 7 or so people in the world capable of overperforming by a couple standard deviations at an R1 school you're talking about.
All-in-all you are asking something that misunderstands what this period of life is like. Being tenure-track but not tenured is one of several extremely demanding periods in an academic's life. "Demanding" and "triple the vacation of a typical industry job" are mutually exclusive.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: This is *really* dependent on your department culture.
Officially (at least for all the tenure systems I've participated in), tenure decisions are based on the quality, reputation, and impact of the candidate's research (and to a lesser extent, teaching and service), and their potential for future intellectual leadership and international stature. (Woo, that's a mouthful.) In particular, the decision is based on **what the candidate has actually accomplished**.
Are they publishing high-quality work in high-visibility venues? Is their work highly regarded in the research community (as described in the letters)? Do they have a solid track record of external funding? Do they have a solid track record of successful graduate student advising? Have they accumulated other indicators of respect within their research community: awards, plenary talks, invitations to program committees/editorial boards, well-placed and successful students? Do they have other evidence of research impact: open-source software, community-standard data sets, or patents?
If this case is strong on these merits, then the day-to-day work habits of the candidate shouldn't matter, and usually don't. In particular, the reference letters, which are by far the most important component of the case, will be written by people who are probably completely unaware that the candidate disappears to a fishing lodge in the Adirondacks every summer. There have been multiple successful tenure cases in my department where the candidate essentially vanished every summer.
More strongly: If their research case is strong, then what assistant professors do during the months the university is not paying them is really none of the promotion committee's business. I work in a field where a three-month vacation in the Adirondacks (with a sufficient supply of pens and paper and reliable wifi) would be **amazing** for my research productivity.
Nevertheless, faculty are apes; we do apey things. **Every department and every field has its own cultural norms, and assistant professors *must* be aware of and sensitive to those norms.** Some departments have a shared belief—which may even be correct in their field—that the research required for a successful tenure case requires being physically present and visibly productive 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Others won't even *notice* when you're in the office being productive, because they all keep their office doors closed, or they work at home, or in coffee shops, or in a shack in in the Adirondacks. Others have a de facto list of accomplishments that are necessary, sufficient, or both. (NSF CAREER? NIH R1? Three papers in *Science*? H-index above 50? IEEE Fellow? Letters from five Nobel laureates?)
Whether or not tenure decisions *should* depend on these local expectations is utterly immaterial. They do. Either you meet them, or you find a job somewhere else. And the *only* way to understand what these expectations are in your department is to ask directly, and to insist on regular mentorship and feedback from senior faculty.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: Everyone has their own opinion about the purpose or benefits of 9-month contracts (which is not to say the history of how they developed). It appears [to some extent](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/31236/number-of-months-a-year-that-faculty-get-paid-in-uk-and-australia/31239#31239) that these contracts are unique to the United States in any case.
Other answers point out the importance of knowing the local culture of your department. I want to point out a few commonly-held beliefs about the role of summer time for research-intensive faculty, which are good to know when you try to assess that culture. These are beliefs that a significant number of research active faculty will have.
* A benefit of 9-month contracts is to allow you time (mostly) unencumbered by teaching and service to work on your research. Of course, you might be able to do this from a cabin in Alaska, but it is not "time away from research" strictly speaking.
* For researchers who need to travel, e.g. those studying the art, history or cultures of other countries, the summer is a time to spend a few months in the country they study, going to libraries and museums to do the groundwork for research. Similarly, those who need to do field work (ecology, geology, archaeology, ...) can use the summer months to gather data.
* A third benefit, in some disciplines, is to allow you to take salary from other discipline-related work during the summer, e.g. grant support in STEM fields or consulting work in business or engineering. For example, many grant agencies will not allow a researcher to take salary from a grant while also drawing salary from the university. The 9-month contract circumvents this by not paying university salary during the summer.
So, from a certain viewpoint, the benefit of 9-month contracts is that they allow you to do *more* tenure-related work over the summer, not less. It would be a mistake to think that many research-intensive universities have a standard that makes it easy for the average tenure-track faculty member to earn tenure while not using the summer in any way for research.
At these schools, the "appropriate pace" for research already assumes that faculty are working on research over the summer, which is why some other answers seem incredulous at the idea that a faculty member would be publishing at "appropriate pace" while also working as a waiter on a cruise ship all summer.
The situation can be very different in departments where research is not very important for tenure. These departments may have a local culture of doing some service over the summer (or not), but in my experience they generally do have more of a culture of taking the summer off. This is particularly noticeable in "transitioning" departments, where older faculty had fewer research expectations, and so developed a culture of "taking off" the summer, while younger faculty are required to do more research for tenure and do not have that luxury.
Upvotes: 3
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| 2,040
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<issue_start>username_0: I use the google scholar alert system which sends me new studies made on a specific saved search. I'm looking for a way to exclude research conducted in some countries (or to only include some countries).<issue_comment>username_1: I do not suspect there is direct support for this in Google Scholar. (One must wonder if this is really a good filter to apply to one's literature search.) However, I have surprisingly good success testing the idea of prefixing `-country` to a search query to exclude results with the keyword `country`.
As an example, if I try `author:[me] -denmark` only two of the papers I wrote while affiliated to my former Danish institution appear, and in both cases I had never indicated on the paper the country of my institution.
This may work reasonably well, because most authors indicate on the first page of the paper the address (including the country) of their affiliated institution. However, you will also get a lot of false positives (as in the two cases I mentioned above), and a lot of false negatives (as you exclude papers that use `country` as an example in the text or that were published at a conference that was held in `country` or where only one of many authors was from an institution in `country`.)
But often when a tool does not support a specific functionality that one wants, it is worth wondering whether it *really should* or if maybe the search filter that you want to apply is only very loosely correlated with what you want to exclude.
*Edit: This is precisely the technique that @user3209815 simultaneously suggests in her/his comment.*
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Try combining the `-` operator with the `site:` operator with the domain suffix for the country or countries in question. So e.g.
>
> `basketweaving -site:.fr -site:.uk`
>
>
>
searches for basketweaving, but not in France or the UK. If `site:` works in Google Scholar, this should be more effective than trying the (English!) name of the country.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2015/12/09
| 2,240
| 9,664
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<issue_start>username_0: Background: I am a fourth year math graduate student in the US.
I currently have three active email accounts: personal (gmail), graduate university (windows live), and undergraduate university (also windows live). Shortly after I began graduate school, I set up the latter two accounts to forward everything to my gmail account. I vastly prefer gmail's interface to that of windows live, so I almost never even sign into the other two.
I coordinate a student seminar within our department, so I regularly send email messages to the department's list of graduate students. In an effort to prevent people from spamming that group, the department secretary must approve all messages before they are passed onto the list. After I sent a message last week, I was reprimanded for not sending it from a university account. This exchange led me to the following questions:
1. Do universities/departments ever a formal policy in place about the use of "non-official" email accounts?
2. Do people find it personally bothersome when colleagues don't use their university account for professional correspondence?
3. Is there anything I absolutely should not send via a "non-official" account? (There's a good chance FERPA could be involved here...)
Any responses to these questions or related comments are much appreciated.
Note: I am aware that options exist within gmail that allow it to send email via another account that I own. It is likely that this will probably be my solution to this problem, but the question I'm specifically asking is about the ramifications of continuing to send mail without the use of this feature.<issue_comment>username_1: I would encourage you to use the university account for all university-related mail, especially when sending mail to other university accounts or lists.
* It looks more professional, anybody who answers to you is sure not to clutter your private inbox (although this does not seem to be a problem for you, the sender does not know).
* The university spam filter should produce no problems whatsoever. This is not true with other accounts. Well, a good spam filter should let a well phrased gmail through, but you never know.
* I've heard that some universities explicitly do **not** allow to forward mails from university accounts to **any other provider**. (In the end the university is responsible to ensure information security and if somebody forwards "business" email to some other account, the "employer" can not guarantee anything.)
The second point can be extremely important. If you send some "notice of removal" or some withdrawal from some exam you really, really want that this message does not end in the spam filter.
Personally, I keep private and professional accounts separated and feel slightly weird if I, accidentally, send a university email from my private account. Since I am aware that this can happen accidentally, it does not feel to strange to receive emails from personal accounts of colleagues but I usually assume that this was by accident. I have very few colleagues who use a non-university account for email communication (I guess less that 1%).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Do universities/departments ever a formal policy in place about the use of "non-official" email accounts?
>
>
>
Yes, at least in Europe most universities seem to at least frown upon using gmail etc. in professional contexts. Whether there is a formal policy against it will differ from place to place. I would not even be able to tell in my current university, as the thought has not really crossed my mind so far. However, our department head is occasionally reminding people informally that they are expected to be using their official mail addresses.
That being said, whether universities with a formal policy *exist* isn't overly important for you. You should primarily care whether *your* university has such a policy, and this we cannot answer for you.
>
> Do people find it personally bothersome when colleagues don't use their university account for professional correspondence?
>
>
>
Yes, I personally find it somewhat unprofessional, although I have no particularly strong feelings on this. I do occasionally wonder why people who clearly *have* an official account of my university specifically choose to send emails to collaborators and students via an account like <EMAIL>. It can't be that they prefer the gmail user experience, because, as you say yourself, it is very easy to use gmail also with non-gmail accounts.
However, note that even *using* the gmail web client as a frontend for your regular university accounts may already be a breach of policy. At least here in Switzerland, universities are not happy about the mailings of their employees being uploaded to Google (but then again they certainly wouldn't use Windows Live either, so maybe your universities care less about data privacy than the ones over here).
>
> Is there anything I absolutely should not send via a "non-official" account? (There's a good chance FERPA could be involved here...)
>
>
>
I'm not in the US, so I cannot comment on FERPA, but in my university basically everything that has to do with students, assignments, tests, or grades needs to be sent encrypted with the certificate that is bound to our university identity. This also automatically excludes sending it over a different mail address. Every "official" communication needs to at least be sent digitally signed using said certificate, which again excludes other mail accounts.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: One area not touched on yet is the open-record laws of wherever you may be. In the US, if you are a GRA or GTA and your university is a state-university and they classify you as a state employee (full-time or part-time), it is possible that your work-related emails could be subject to an open-records request (may be called a Sunshine law in your state).
There's a lot of maybes in there because it depends a great deal on the laws of the state and how you might be classified. But, as a student organization president when in undergrad, I had many open-records requests for my emails by the campus newspaper and a few others related to funding of events and budgets. The campus legal department made me turn over access to my account for review (we knew this was possible and so we maintained our own server/email addresses for organization business). It is possible that as a grad student, similar requests could be made and it is possible that you might be obligated to provide access.
Generally the scope of such requests is limited to content related to work, but having somebody go through your emails to decide what is personal and what is work related may not be desirable, and that may be enough of a reason to ensure all work-related emails go through a university account.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: As mentioned by a few, one of the most important considerations (from an American perspective) is that if you are at a public university your e-mails are often considered to be public record and may be obtained using a FOIA or (or at the state level, FOIA-like) request. Attempting to work around that to avoid public disclosure may itself by a legal violation. If as a student I got an e-mail from a professor from a non-university account with the worksheet, etc, that was needed, I could simply not do it and have relatively easy grounds to appeal a 0.
The annoyance, for me, in receiving e-mail from colleagues from the personal accounts is simply that I have filters to help me through the hundred or two e-mails I get a day. While `<EMAIL>` gets flagged bright red and transferred automatically to a high priority folder, and students' e-mails go into a special folder based on class, an e-mail from `<EMAIL>` for me will be stuck in the murky general inbox that may or may not be read for days or weeks (if ever).
But with FERPA an important consideration is disclosure of academic records. By using an e-mail system that lacks the blessing of the school IT / legal department, you could potentially be leaking those records. The bigger concern is for the flip side, though: sending e-mails to people that don't use their university e-mail account. Consider the e-mail from a student's personal address, we'll say, `<EMAIL>`. <NAME> is in your class. How should you respond? You should not disclose that the student is enrolled in your class, and you should definitely not give grades over that e-mail — you don't know if that *actually* is her account. It could be former abusive spouse trying to track her down, could be a private investigator trying to phish the information, etc. I always a respond to anyone in such circumstances:
>
> Although I read all e-mail sent to me at this address, due to FERPA concerns, your e-mail appears to be one that, if you are a student, should be sent through your official university account to receive a response. If you are related to someone who is a student, you should contact the Dean of Student's office instead.
>
>
>
No one has ever gotten mad about it and all promptly e-mail me back from an official account, often thanking me for showing consideration for their privacy. For students who have had medical emergencies, etc, the Dean of Student's office can handle many things much better, and occasionally if it's an e-mail about an emergency or similar urgent situation, I'll add something to the effect of "but speaking generally, if a student were in X situation, I'd recommend Y".
Upvotes: 1
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2015/12/09
| 531
| 2,144
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<issue_start>username_0: Students enjoy discounted memberships to many professional/academic societies. However, membership renewals rarely align with one's degree date. So when do you switch your membership from a student member to non-student membership? I see two obvious possibilities
* When your degree is conferred, and you are no longer officially a student
or
* The first renewal notice you receive while not being a student
Surprisingly, it seems like very few societies address this issue in their guidelines.<issue_comment>username_1: The [IEEE](http://www.ieee.org/) ([Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Electrical_and_Electronics_Engineers)) mentions this in the [Qualifications for IEEE Membership](http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/qualifications.html):
>
> Graduate Student members, upon graduation or upon reaching the total cumulative eight-year limit as a Graduate Student member (whichever occurs first), will be transferred automatically to member grade.
>
>
>
And the change of membership, i.e. [Member Grade Elevation](http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/membership/grade_elevation.html):
>
> Student elevation is handled twice a year - in June and August. Once an IEEE Student member or Graduate Student member reaches his or her graduation date (based on information provided by the student), IEEE elevates them to the next grade of IEEE membership for which they qualify.
>
>
> The first elevation is done in June (Student members or Graduate Student members with graduation dates between 1 January and 30 June).
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The American Mathematical Society has a program where many institutions pay for their graduate students to be members. The AMS writes on the [relevant page](http://www.ams.org/membership/individual/mem-nominees):
>
> Please contact the AMS once you know that your institution will no longer nominate you. You can choose the appropriate dues level at that time. Special offers are always available for former graduate students.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1
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2015/12/09
| 746
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm starting university soon and I'm going to major in math, and minor, at least, in philosophy. I'm also going to start a new language (I'm Finnish and I'm fluent in English), and the languages I've been thinking are Latin and French. I know that if you study a lot of philosophy, it's good to know Latin so that you can read the classics in their original language, but if I'm going to mostly focus in logic (and philosophy of language, but mostly logic), how much good does learning Latin do? Of course learning a new language is never a bad thing, but does knowing Latin help at all when studying mathematics and logic? In mathematics and logic I'd imagine there isn't that much that can be lost in translation.<issue_comment>username_1: If you're interested in history of mathematics, then Latin would very likely be helpful; until the 18th century or so, most mathematics done in Europe was written in Latin.
For studying modern mathematics, Latin isn't so useful. I'm a mathematician and have studied a little Latin, and it hasn't really been directly useful. Sometimes it helps a little in understanding a word's roots, but not much beyond that.
On the other hand, I do fairly often need to read a paper in French; there's a signficant amount of current and recent mathematics research written in French. However, this isn't too hard even though I've never formally studied French. The vocabulary and language used in mathematical writing, while specialized, is quite limited. And I know some Spanish, which is helpful in figuring out the grammar where needed.
So for mathematics, neither one is strictly needed, but given the choice I'd choose French.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I generally agree with Nate's answer. I was also a math & philosophy major as an undergraduate; I'm glad that I took Latin, and I feel that it gives me a good starting point into any other European language (plus it fits with the fantasy game development I do).
But I've never used Latin directly in any math work. If you think about math graduate school, a preponderance of programs I've seen require something like French, German, or Russian (or more than one). So in this case you may have to prioritize the math or philosophy pursuits, or decide to look medium-term (get French/German for immediate applicability to math research), versus very long-term (Latin as a foundation, and then multiple other European languages later on).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Latin (and related languages) is unusual in being highly structured, without much in the way of irregular formations. It's why much of Europe (and the Church) used Latin to intercommunicate. This may, or may not, help with math; in the same way that programming skill may help with language, as you have to grasp negatives, and combinations, and subroutines etc
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I will point out just one thing: <NAME> wrote 866 papers. Of those 866 papers only 140 have been translated into English. The rest are in Latin.
Upvotes: 0
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| 789
| 3,038
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a postdoctoral scholar at a top ranked US University and I am on a J1 visa. I have received an offer for a position in a company, which should be filled by May 2016. The company told me that they may sponsor me for a H1B visa, but the asked me to check whether it may be faster to apply for a green card with a self-petition as an academic of Extraordinary Ability (EBI-1A). Time is what counts most for them now, and they won't be able to hire me if I don't get this done before May- which I think it will be tough.
I would appreciate to receive your advice on this. I moved recently to the US, and I am still misinformed and very naive on this issue.<issue_comment>username_1: US immigration processes are a chancy and fast-moving target, as well as being subject to arbitrary interference from the political system. I have been peripherally involved with an "extraordinary ability" application before, and my understanding from that process is that it's awesome if you can get it, but highly unpredictable. **I would thus strongly recommend against *counting* on EBI-1A.**
On the other hand, H-1B also has its downsides: [the number of available H-1B visas is capped through a highly complex formula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-1B_visa#Congressional_yearly_numerical_cap_and_exemptions). You also can end up "hostage" to a poor employment situation because [you go immediately out of status if you quit or are fired](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-1B_visa#Departure_requirement_on_job_loss). You also count as a non-US person, subject to export controls and potential limitations on the types of work that you can do---with some companies this is no constraint, with others it severely limits your career.
Instead, the first thing I would recommend is to get a *trustworthy* immigration lawyer involved to help you through the process. See if it's possible to do a "belt and suspenders" approach where you simultaneously aim for the extraordinary ability green-card (since getting a green-card gives you more personal and professional flexibility) and the H-1B route with the company for backup. Even with the company taking charge of an H-1B, it's good to have a US lawyer advocating for you also, because if a random low-level clerical mistake at the company may be "Oops, too bad!" for them but a wrenching restructuring of your life plans for you.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For J1, it will very very tricky to get GC though NIW, unlike F1 holders. For J1, you can get I-140 approved, but to change your status from J1 to GC holder (form I-485), you can get it approved until you satisfy the 2 years rule (if you have it) or waive it (you need a court visit/order). So basically, you can get your I-140 approved in 4-6 months (you need to check processing time posted by USCIS). If you do not need to satisfy the rule, then things might be easier. My advise it to get an immigration attorney to look over your case, most consultations for immigration purposes are free.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/10
| 1,244
| 5,273
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<issue_start>username_0: I am applying for jobs on mathjobs.org, and I regularly refresh the new postings page.
Sometimes I see jobs that I want to apply for right away, but I am not sure if it looks bad. I am worried about coming across as desperate or I am trying for the shotgun effect.
**Does it look bad to apply for a job soon after it was posted?**
What I mean by "soon" is the day it was posted or a few days after.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know how mathjob distributes candidates' applications to schools, but I doubt anyone cares. I put all applications I get for my job postings into a folder in no particular order and never look at the order of application. Someone has to be first. Go ahead! Apply away!
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> Does it look bad to apply for a job soon after it was posted?
>
>
>
It depends. If you start applying for jobs in August and September, immediately after jobs begin to be posted, then that might look strange. In previous years, my department had a position posted quite early, and the earliest applicants were for the most part noticeably weak.
But...
>
> I am applying for jobs on mathjobs.org, and I regularly refresh the new postings page.
>
>
>
You and many, many others. This is very natural and every hiring committee will (or should, anyway) understand it. This time of year, when deadlines for other schools are coming and going and your materials have already been prepared, and it is understood that candidates are very, very eager to find jobs, it is entirely natural to apply right away. Indeed, my department posted a position in November this year and we received thirty-two applications in the first two days.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: **If you see a job you want, apply for it as quickly as you can make a good application.**
I would expect anyone who is actively looking for a job to be regularly checking job posting sites and prepared to apply on short notice when they see one they are interested in. This does not come across as "desperate".
The order applications come in often doesn't matter at all. Depending on the institution, the people making the decisions might not even know this (applications may go through an HR department and be handed over to those hiring in a single pack).
For applications through this site, it seems that the date of application can be easily seen. But it is still doubtful whether anyone will notice or care. **To the extent that it is noticed and signals anything, I would say it is a positive signal.** It suggests:
* You have a high level of interest in this job.
* You are motivated.
* You are organized and prepared.
All of these are positives from a hiring perspective.
**More important than timing is putting in a strong application.** If you see a job early, it might be wise to spend extra time researching the organization, preparing your application, and tailoring your CV to focus on the right things. But assuming you are fully prepared, there is no downside to applying on the first day.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: If you're applying in less than about an hour, you're doing yourself a disservice, but otherwise you might as well just get on with it. The chances of the people who make the hiring/shortlisting decision (a) seeing, (b) noticing, *and* (c) caring that you applied promptly are very slim.
The reason I say you are doing yourself a disservice applying within minutes is simply that you need time to read about the job/employer, check suitability (yes even if you're desperate for a job) and tailor your application.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: If it's not like on Freelancer.com(Those guys have a freaking badge that gets awarded to you if you bid for something within two minutes of it being posted), it'd be better to wait till you have read the whole listing before you apply. You're worried about looking like a post-bot, but it doesn't matter, really. There are too many applications to care about trivial things such as this.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: You should give yourself a few days to prepare the application. If you don't target your application and make up your mind about a meaningful strategy to get an interview you could as well save your time (and the time of the hiring committee) by not applying. So applying on the same day (supposing this position wasn't advertised in a different form) is a bad advice, since it will signalize that you have not spend enough time to prepare properly.
On the other hand, it is a good idea to submit early (say after a few days). There will be several hundreds applications for a single position. So the committee will go over this long list and sort out fiercely in the first round. However, the people in the committee will have a look how the application process started and might notice your application if you have applied early (everybody is a bit curious). Thus, by applying early you might increase the chance that somebody looks more carefully on your application, which in turn might increase your chances to "survive" the first round.
**tl;dr Dont submit on the first day, but an early submission might increase the chances to get over the first round.**
Upvotes: 1
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2015/12/10
| 1,208
| 5,062
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<issue_start>username_0: I have some time now to think about what I want to write for my dissertation, but I just don’t know how to find an appropriate topic. I like what I do and I *could* do a lot.
Some people seem to have really interesting and *specialized* interests and topics for their dissertations. And although I *am* really into what I study, I just always feel like **I haven’t got this amazing topic that hasn't been researched yet** or that I could contribute something to. And I feel like I **don't want to specialize just yet.** I want to know more. But I already have a Masters. What went wrong there?
I basically feel like I have to *make something up* as it were, or even choose something *at random* (from within my general interests, of course). This being said, I will probably like it and do well. But is this just me? Does anyone ever feel like this? What would you do if you had all the time in the world (I do at the moment) to find a good research topic?<issue_comment>username_1: Writers keep a special notebook where they jot down ideas for future projects. You can do this too. Not only will this help you get your PhD research into focus, it will also be helpful in the future. You'll be able to pull out your notebook for inspiration later on.
If you don't yet have an advisor to work closely with on sifting through the things on your list, then finding an advisor will be your Step 1.
A primary role of the advisor is to help the student define a research topic.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Professors usually love to find PhD students in search of topics, since they tend to have ideas that they hope someone will work on. Even students who come with a defined idea often find advisors nudging them in a different direction than what they really wanted to do.
Talk to some professors that you think would be good people to work with as your PhD advisor, and see what thoughts they have on this.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I think this will vary considerably by field, which you haven't specified. In some subjects it is expected that you start with a specific question already settled. In maths, my subject, most people have very little idea when they start about what the final question will be. You start learning about an area, and your supervisor suggests a question, and after thinking about it for a year or so you find out exactly what it is you're going to write your thesis on (and change the title to something super-specific accordingly).
So in general I would say not wanting to specialise at the start of your PhD is probably fine. What you do need to keep in mind is that you should not be in the same position when you get closer to finishing. A PhD thesis does need to be specialised. It's probably the point in your career when your question is most specialised. Once you've got the job of writing your thesis done, and start a post-doc position, you then broaden back out to the questions you would have liked to explore more during your PhD but didn't have time for.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Some people just pick a topic that sounds really good (but then probably get a bit bored with it). (25%)
Some people pick a topic that sounds important and then say they are really excited about their topic, and that everyone else is really excited about their topic, so that people think they are amazing, and this kind of has a snowball effect. (10%)
Some get quite obsessive about their topic to the exclusion of a lot else in their life. (10%)
And yet another bunch of people actually are quite brilliant, and pick amazing topics. (5%)
And then there are a whole bunch of other people who have pretty ordinary topics. (50%)
The choice of topic is crucial however. Don't pick something for no reason, and don't be afraid to change. Look for something that connects with lots of other areas - think of a network diagram - you want to be working on something that is on or connected to a hub node, not ending up as some kind of add-on to an add-on (this is the problem with being too specific). Do (and this is the tradeoff) make your topic tractable - you have to have a good plan about how to get the job finished in the time you have - remember you just need one good paper, where you really nail a single study, to show (and learn) you are capable of really high-quality research. Pick something you find fascinating, or highly important to the world, or that you think is worth the pain, and it will make it easier to finish when you have to go through the pain.
In contrast to the other answer - I'm not sure professors will help you too much. They will mainly try and recruit you to work on a topic they find interesting, but then you will want to refocus your efforts, and your professor will disengage from the project. There's a bit of a power struggle which can be a problem. Instead - present a really clear plan of what areas you want to work in - with all the uncertainties laid out.
Feel free to ignore any and or all of the above as well.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/10
| 1,026
| 4,268
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<issue_start>username_0: What are some useful **sources for investigating common salary ranges** for academics? This would be especially useful if it can be broken down by region, school type, position, and/ or institution.
This information is invaluable for going into an interview or negotiation process being (at least somewhat) informed.
I know some websites across the internet that attempt to generally provide this information, but many do not cover academic jobs effectively (or typically at all).
---
See [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45532/academic-position-salaries-in-the-uk) for a discussion of this topic for UK schools.
And [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/49639/how-to-handle-salary-negotiations-while-negotiating-a-postdoc-position) or [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/4807/how-should-an-academic-negotiate-his-her-salary?rq=1) are two of many SE questions discussing How to handle salary negotiations.<issue_comment>username_1: This topic seems to be already popularly discussed a little more broadly in another question:
[In which countries are academic salaries published?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/26487/in-which-countries-are-academic-salaries-published).
That discussion seems to focus less on online resources, but nevertheless provides a few good examples:
* [Annual report on faculty salaries](http://data.chronicle.com/?cid=megamenu#id=table) produced by the AAUP (through The Chronicle of Higher Education)
* @Christian Clason mentions a promising database linking [Public University Salaries](http://notable.math.ucdavis.edu/wiki/Public_University_Salaries).
An additional good online resource that I've found = [GlassDoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm)
Know any others??
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The broadest survey that I'm aware of across many disciplines in the US is the CUPA-HR (College and University Professional Association for Human Resources) survey. Some summary data is available for free from their web site. However, you'd have to pay for access to the full survey results. Colleges frequently make use of this survey in setting salary targets.
The Chronicle of Higher Education also hosts a database that has salary data for faculty at many individual institutions in the US- I'm not sure of the sources of this data.
Many individual disciplines have salary surveys that are done by professional societies. For example, in mathematics, the American Mathematical Society has an annual survey of salaries of mathematics faculty in the US with extensive results that is freely available on the web. The survey breaks down positions by type of institution (bachelor's granting, master's granting, and three classes of PhD granting institutions.) It also has data for new assistant professors, all assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors.
At many public institutions in the US the salaries of faculty are a matter of public record and can be obtained by doing a simple web search. In negotiating an offer you might find this data useful. However, it's quite common under these circumstances that the institution simply won't negotiate much with respect to salary to avoid upsetting the faculty that already work in a department- they're generally aware of what their coworkers make.
At private universities in the US, the salaries of individual faculty are generally kept secret, except in cases where faculty members are among the most highly paid employees of the institution whose salaries must be reported as part of the annual report to the IRS (typically the five highest salaries go to football and basketball coaches and top administrators, but you sometime find medical school profs listed in these reports.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I think the best source of information are current department chairs. They need to know the market in order to make reasonable offers. They will know salary and startup information about the last few offers they have made as well as the "best" counter offer those candidates have had. They will likely have talked to the Dean and other department chairs within their university and possibly other universities.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/10
| 753
| 3,187
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<issue_start>username_0: Just last month I asked three professors to write me recommendation letters for my graduate school application. They all agreed. Then today I found an internship that also requires recommendation letters.
I am interested in applying to the internship, but I worry whether I would be asking for letters from my professors too frequently, especially since they might need to rewrite the letters to accommodate the nature of an internship.
A related post [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/15226/is-it-appropriate-to-request-letters-of-recommendation-from-professors-a-second), although in that case the two requests are one year apart and the letters are for the same purpose.<issue_comment>username_1: **It is fine; don't worry about it.**
This is a very common situation: many graduates will apply to more than one program that needs recommendation letters. They almost certainly are going to be asking the same few people for multiple letters, because they are unlikely to have a large number of contacts to draw on to ask for recommendations.
I think the question you have linked very much applies to this case. Particularly the [top answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/15228/24098), which points out that this is part of professors' jobs, not some kind of exceptional favor you are asking for.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes and no, as it depends on circumstances.
1. Did you get a good grade in their classes?
2. Did you ask politely?
3. Did you provide them with everything they need?
That last point is especially important. When I was a student, it was understood that when requesting a recommendation letter, you provided all the necessary documentation already filled out as much as possible, in an addressed, stamped envelope. As I got to a point where I was the one being asked for recommendations and dealing with students asking for them, it astonished me how this basic courtesy seemed to have faded.
That said, some things like med school applications have been moving online, but that's not the rule everywhere by any kind of margin as far as I know. Be polite, but make their jobs as easy as possible. I would also give them a copy of your CV and possibly a short 1 page personal statement to give them something to build a letter around.
But for goodness sake, please don't make the personal statement begin with the words "every since I was a child, I wanted to..." Or "when my grandmother got sick..." Because your professors have had it up to here reading those, believe me.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes. Writing letters of recommendation is annoying, because (i) they're difficult to write and much thought needs to go into them, (ii) requests for letters of recommendation almost always come with a short deadline.
So yes, I find it annoying to get requests (and I write a lot of such letters). But at the same time, it's part of my job, and so I'm professional about it and do as asked, rather than complain or take it out on the student. I suspect that that is true for most of my colleagues.
In other words, if you need a letter, then you need to go ahead and ask.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: Do American-educated mathematics PhDs generally have an advantage over natively educated PhDs (in, say, France or Italy) in applying for research positions?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know about mathematics specifically, but in general the Italian academic market is very difficult to get into. There are a lot of budget cuts, so there are few positions available. Moreover, it helps to have a local network, if only to find out which positions are available. That puts foreigners at a disadvantage.
This is not to say that you should give up your dream, but only to warn you that it is not going to be easy.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Do American-educated mathematics PhDs generally have an advantage over natively educated PhDs (in, say, France or Italy) in applying for research positions?
>
>
>
Generally speaking, no: why should they? And for what concerns specifically Italy, take into account that some things that can make an application strong(er) in the US (e.g. stellar recommendation letters or awards), might go totally ignored by a selection committee in Italy. This means that you should tailor your application to the country you're applying to. Let's see why.
A selection process in Italy, both for permanent and non-permanent positions, is usually composed of one to three steps, where each step counts for a fraction of the final mark (details vary across fields and position levels):
1. **CV and publications** (this step can count from roughly 30% to 100% of the final mark). The selection committee, before knowing the candidates, decides how to evaluate each section of the CV. If, e.g., the call doesn't explicitly mention recommendation letters, these are typically discarded; if the committee decides that awards count at most 2 points out of, say, 30, even if you have a Nobel prize, they (probably) won't add more than two points (should they do, in case of appeal from some of the candidates, the call can be invalidated).
2. **One or two technical essays** (optional; when present can count from roughly 30% to 50% of the final mark). Here, the applicants are typically required to write a technical essay on a specific topic in the field of the call. I don't know about mathematics, but in my field one might be required to describe how a certain instrument works (e.g. a spectrum analyzer) or how to perform a certain experiment (e.g. how to measure the fine structure constant). The difficulty of the question depends on the level of the position.
3. **Interview** (optional, depending on the position). Here the applicants are typically asked to discuss technical topics in their field or, for instance, some of their publications. For an associate- or full-professor position, this step can be substituted by a (public) lecture on a specific topic in front of the selection committee.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm in my senior year of undergrad. I messed up a little bit academically this semester - not seriously, but enough to be confident I wouldn't get into a top 20 math PhD program. So I wanted to work on improving my CV for a year or two and then apply to the top 20 PhD programs (kind of like [this person](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2480/advice-ms-in-mathematics-to-increase-competitiveness-for-phd-programs)). I was thinking of this year applying to 2nd-tier schools for either a Master's or PhD program, then if I'm excelling really well in my first semester, applying to 1st-tier math PhD programs at the end of that semester. The main question I have is whether I should apply to the Master's or the PhD programs at 2nd-tier schools.
At first it seemed like a no-brainer to apply to the PhD programs at the 2nd-tier schools in order to receive free tuition and a stipend (which usually don't come with Master's programs). But then I was worrying if it would be looked down upon by both the university I am at and the one I am applying to if I am "quitting" one funded PhD program in order to join another. I especially felt concerned after looking at [this answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/5645/45803), which describes a PhD as a "long-term relationship... an expensive and rare opportunity." Should I avoid applying to one PhD program with the intent of leaving for another (more prestigious) one? If so, should I just apply to Master's programs at the 2nd-tier schools this year?<issue_comment>username_1: **This would be wrong.**
The reason the PhD is subsidized, while the master's is not, is because you are making a longer-term commitment to the university, and they expect to benefit as an institution from your PhD work. You would be accepting this under false pretenses. In my opinion, this is just wrong, apart from whether it harms you or not. You should not enter into agreements where you never intend to hold up your side of the deal.
**It would also not work as well for your plan.**
I think it will be hard to produce evidence, based on 6 months or a year of a PhD program, of your improved academic performance. But you could actually complete a master's degree in a year's time, and that would be something that would really help admission into a PhD program.
**Leaving shortly into your PhD program is definitely frowned upon.**
Universities actively try to stop this from happening. For example, they usually do not allow people in PhD programs to convert their work into a master's degree after a year or two of study, precisely because people would try to take advantage of this loophole to get a free master's.
This will look bad to the institution you are leaving. I'm less certain about how the institution you are going to would view it, but it seems a potential negative there, as well.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: **Practical standpoint:** You do not know for certain you will be accepted after reapplying to the more prestigious program. I'd only go to the second tier school if you would be happy staying there until completion of the PhD. Going out into industry can equally look good on an application. Stay connected to the literature and study a bit each day while working in some research related job. This can often create a very strong application in the future (probably tells a much more interesting story in a personal statement than a masters from a second tier school).
Dan111 says that schools frown upon students leaving (of course this is true, just as a company would frown on you quitting to join another company). However, I think he is overstating the degree to which schools will block you from doing this. Many schools do in fact let you leave with a masters degree after 1-2 years of PhD work (usually after a qualifying or advancement to candidacy exam). Now of course some don't. This is something you should check. It's usually buried somewhere in the departments website (they don't exactly want to advertise it, because as Dan111 said they don’t want to encourage it). A good place to look for it is in the "degree requirements" or "qualifying exams" or "degree timeline" etc. sections. There is actually a good reason for the school to include this information. Strong (but risk adverse) students like to know that if they try their hardest but find out that the PhD just isn’t for them like to know that there is a fall back such that they don’t lose too much opportunity cost.
**Moral standpoint:** There will be a lot of disagreement here. Many academics will say this is morally wrong. Their argument usually goes something like "You owe it to the school that accepted you to finish there because they are funding you and subsidizing your tuition." However, in my opinion this is not a completely fair way of looking at it. Based on this logic, a professor who initially got hired at a second tier University, who planned on using this university as a stepping stone, and then published many prestigious papers due to this hard work and motivation, should also not leave the University that first hired them. The first university made a similar investment in that professor, that the University would make in a student, (arguably a much more costly investment). Students should do what's right for them, and an advisor at a lower tier university should help their student make the decision that is in the student's best interest (this will probably, more often than not, be staying, but when this isn't the case, a good advisor lets their student go).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: A prof with enough clout to be leaving for a top tier university from a second tier one, gives the latter something for the time they hired them: good work, grants, reputation. It is clear that, when they hire him, they may or may not retain him.
A PhD, on the other hand, is still a position where, in general, there is some lead-in period, and the main results are expected only towards the end; starting with an intention to break off is clearly unethical in terms of the investment by university and supervised. Furthermore, it is limited in time (to 3 or 4 years, depending), so the student can be reasonably expected to commit for this limited period with the intention to complete. Failure to complete can be a markdown for universities, so it's a doubly penalising situation for the uni.
The only real argument when a PhD transfer should happen is if the student decides that the topic or the supervision didn't work out for them. This can happen, and, in this case, a transfer is legitimate. But it should be the exception, and not the original intention.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: I want to emphasize a point that was made in some comments and as a secondary point in some answers. The question asks about going to a "2nd tier" program for one semester, then applying immediately to a "top 20" math PhD program. Ignoring any ethical concerns:
**Attending a master's or PhD program for one semester does not seem likely to strengthen your vita very much when you apply to top PhD programs.**
Top 20 math PhD programs are extremely selective. While it might be possible to overcome a poor undergraduate record and earn admission to these programs, it is likely to take more than one semester of classes. By the time you apply, in the fall of your first year at the new program, the professors there will have known you for about 4 months. There is not really enough time to earn the kind of recommendation letter you are looking for, if you want to not only attend a top 20 program but do so after a poor undergraduate record. Moreover, you will have, at best, one set of grades from the new program (from that fall semester).
It seems to me that, if you want to end up at a top-20 PhD program, a more viable plan may be apply to the best master's program that you can get into - perhaps even at a top-20 program, if they accept students directly into a master's program - and then finish the masters and be absolutely excellent while you do it. That will give you a longer record of success at the graduate level, and time to develop very strong letters of recommendation.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: Just to add a point that hasn't been emphasized yet:
A major aid to getting accepted into a lot of programs (after initially getting 'your foot in the door' with transcripts or GRE scores) is having strong recommendation letters.
If you moved to a new program (be it masters or phd) for a year, you will likely run into some major issues with letters. First of all, your goal of using the position as a demonstration of improvement will almost certainly not be reflected in a recommendation letter from a new advisor or instructor. Less than a year is just not enough time to allow them to see you accomplish enough to write a convincingly strong letter. Not to mention, they will still barely know you.
Secondly, you'd essentially be burning bridges at your stepping stone program by leaving under those pretenses (especially if you're 'snubbing' a phd program like you've described) . As a result, you will likely struggle finding someone to write you a strong letter or offering to write you a letter at all. Additionally, the research/academic community is smaller than you think, and burning bridges can have a strong adverse affect on your career (read: people talk and upsetting the wrong folks can get you blacklisted).
Thirdly , if you avoided these above issues by just seeking letter writers from your undergrad or unrelated institutions, it will raise red flags to new programs. Avoiding a rec letter from your current institution would actually raise questions about your efficacy in your new institution, thus negating the appearance of improvement you're looking for (at least as reflected in a rec letter).
Most of this applies to the bailing on a phd program scenario, but depending on the masters program you might fare equally poorly by quitting on them. No one, including large University programs, likes to be used.
Overall, I'd say your abandon ship idea is a poor one. No one will see enough of your abilities your first year to allow you to demonstrate improvement (bc remember, you apply to new programs after less than 6 months in your new school!). In the end, apply to some masters programs with the intent to *finish* them and get ready for the long-haul decade-long trip to the start of your career! Though, apply to one or two of the PhD programs you're interested in, call up someone in the department at those schools and get them to know you (as a person and not just a name on a paper) and wish for the best!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Applying for a Master's Degree makes sense. Applying for a Ph.D. degree with the intention of switching does not.
My only advice that differs much from what others have said would be when you apply for Master's, apply to some first tier schools. There is much less risk involved with accepting a Master's student that doesn't work out than a Ph.D. student, so you might find some surprising offers. However, see my answer [HERE](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/59356/does-stating-terminal-degree-as-masters-and-not-phd-hamper-my-chances-of-gett/59392#59392) about Master's program quality.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: A lot of these low-ranking programs admit people to PhD programs in order to staff their large lecture courses with TAs. This is often the primary reason the university supports you, especially in the humanities. They are well aware of your dim academic job prospects with a a degree from their institution. Chances are you did not get rejected from a top-ranked school because of grades, but because your application materials did not suggest you had a firm sense of direction in your research. If you discover after a year in a low-ranked program what it is you want to do and can compose much better materials, then reach out to the people that wrote you the letters the first time around and see if they would support your effort in reapplying to top programs. Do not feel guilty. This your career at stake and you don't want to be flushed out a low-ranked program after years of hard work and excessive TAing only to find that no universities want to hire graduates from your program.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I have applied to PhD programs in engineering in the US. I have been early in applying to most programs (deadlines range from mid-December to mid-January). I have not contacted any professors prior to applying, as I have been told by many that it would largely be a waste of time. Instead I reached out to several grad students and read/skimmed through many recent published papers by faculty. In my statement of purpose, I talked about at least two professors that I thought had interesting topics for research and why they interested me. I tailored this part of the statement for each program.
My question is, is it appropriate to contact faculty post application submission? I would like to say hello, let them know that I have applied and that I would be interested in working with them if I am fortunate enough to get in, and ask them to keep me in mind if they are looking for students.
I thought it might be a good idea to just put myself out there. Who knows? Maybe they'll recognize my name once they start going through applications and give it another good look. But I also do not want to annoy them. I recognize that these professors are busy and that they get many of these emails every day. I want to be considerate of their time too. I also do not want to come across as being arrogant or silly or needy..
What is your expert advice? Would you recommend that I sit tight? With my application already out of my hands, I understand that there is nothing I can do now to improve my chances. But I am always hoping. Thanks in advance for your advice!<issue_comment>username_1: It is generally ok, and sometimes beneficial, to contact professors before, during, or after the application process. Keep the emails brief and stick to a format. Something along the lines of: "I just finished my application to XXX in engineering program and was wondering if there are any opportunities opening up for a PhD student? I am interested in your project/ publication YYY and would like to explore the tools/ application of the work."
Something that shows you know what they do and that you are looking for a space. It gives you a leg up on getting the best lab space for you and you can figure out if someone has funding for you or not as well. Good luck, and do your research!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: After reading some of the other reponses to your questions, I feel I need to give you fair warning that we receive *tons* of these emails, many of them obviously scripted (e.g., my name is in different font, the area described is irrelevant to me, for female faculty the email starts with "Dear Sir," etc.) My default reaction is to delete. Mind you, this is not to say *your* email would be like this, I'm just letting you know what you're up against.
The only emails that I try to pay attention to are of two types:
1) There's something obviously strong about you by just quickly scanning your email: You are an undergraduate student from a top school, or your grades are super-strong, or you've done some interesting research, or it's obvious that you've read some paper of mine and have legitimate comments about it.
2) Your subject line reads: "Undeterred prospective student." This is actually at the bottom of my [info page for prospective students](http://csl.cornell.edu/~martinez/admissions.html), which is linked to prominently on my home page. The vast majority of email requests I receive is from students that didn't bother to read it, so when I get an email with that subject I make a point of looking at it.
**This is irrespective of when I receive your email**; in fact, one could argue that the closer to the review period, the better.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm first year international graduate student in US and recently I have received an insulting email (for example including "be thankful and keep your mouth shut") from a domestic student who is my teammate in a class project. The email was a follow up to my debate with another teammate, however there wasn't any context for anything like that (I consider all of university email as public records and I'm careful about what I write), and initial conflict was going to be resolved with few email exchange. When I brought up the issue to the class professor, he (the student) claimed that he was angry because of my position in the debate and he was defending the other team member, but overall he (the student) defended his email. The professor tried to calm us down and avoid escalating the conflict.
I have experienced similar but milder situation with other domestic students and in one case a young professor as well. The general hostility pattern is that, they expect me to keep my mouth shut and be second class citizen. I have heard from other international students that our small city/university is not a good place regarding this issue. My question is, can I do anything about it?<issue_comment>username_1: I cannot give you advise on what to do in this situation as it depends strongly on the context, and you cannot give that information on an open forum like this.
However, I can make one comment: in general I would never try to solve such a conflict through email. Email is great, but when you sense that a conflict might start you immediately need to stop using email and try to speak with the person directly. Small misunderstandings that are easily resolved in face to face communication tend to get blown out of proportion very quickly in an email conversation.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Recently I have received an insulting email (for example including "be
> thankful and keep your mouth shut") from an ... American student who
> is my teammate
>
>
> The email was a follow up to my debate with another teammate...
>
>
> I have experienced similar but milder situation with other American
> students...
>
>
> ...and in one case a young American professor
>
>
>
Do you notice the pattern here? It seems as though you a have a problem with many people you meet in a work environment (academia) that is generally tolerant of other cultures, international students and people with different backgrounds. Have you even considered the possibility that instead of blaming everyone else, that the only common element of all those cases is you? If not, you should probably start considering the possibility that you are also doing something wrong. Then try to fix it ASAP.
On the other hand, there are always obnoxious people in every work environment out there, so in those cases try to be professional and limit your interactions with them at a stricty professional level. Not all people can get along and be friends. Limiting unnecessary interactions with people you cannot get along can help you avoid further "debates" in the future.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: If you've made a complaint and aren't happy with the resolution then you can escalate. That's not to say you *should*, though, you should only do that if you're unhappy with the resolution *and* you think the professor handled the incident so badly that a different handling is needed. It's not unusual for *nobody* to be happy with the outcome of an incident like this.
The other student acknowledged he acted in anger. Maybe he'll reflect more carefully about ever doing it again, in which case you have a modestly positive result. But what are you hoping for, an apology? A formal warning to the student? Tarring and feathering? A complete end to American exceptionalism in any form from any person? ;-)
Depending what you want affects what options are available to do something about it. But if what you want is for the other student's wrongness to be formally acknowledged and warned/punished, then really you need to start by going to someone familiar with your own institution's disciplinary system and asking what they would *expect* the outcome of such a case to be.
There isn't anything in the fragment you quote to tie this aggression against you (that you are somehow ungrateful and should not speak) to the fact you're not American. If the context does tie it in (for example if the intention is in context clearly, "you should be grateful to have been allowed into the country, and immigrants should not have the right to speak in this University"), then you might have an example in which the University authorities would take an interest. They take foreign students, they probably therefore don't want them kept quiet. But the professor who's already seen the case thinks it's not that bad, so personally I wouldn't bet on it. It's "just" speech, so I expect has to meet a fairly high bar to be censured, albeit that such principles have been known in some places to be applied patchily and unfairly.
If there's a wide pattern of hostility from certain of the domestic students, against foreign students, then you aren't going to establish it from a single incident. The only productive option really is for you, other people who've experienced it, and preferably allies who don't experience it but would like it to stop, to make a *sustained* attempt to raise awareness that it's going on and to convince people that it's a bad thing. I'm not an experienced civil rights activist and I don't want to advise you how to conduct that campaign. It needn't necessarily be protests and banners and formal complaints. I do want to point out that as long as the narrative is, "these isolated incidents do not reflect the values of this institution" then they will continue. Only by turning the narrative into "the values of this institution are not yet adequate to address these continual incidents and should change" does anything happen.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: I have to say that some of your comments on here are coming across as rather defensive and argumentative.
Sometimes trying to place blame, or argue about who was in the wrong, is just counter productive - you can't change what has already happened. It sounds clichéd, but sometimes the best way to deal with a situation like this is to be the bigger person, apologise for any offence and walk away. Hold you're head high that you're not stooping to the level of sending insulting emails.
But do consider @username_2' advice. Consider the situation, and consider other ways that you could perhaps have de-escalated it earlier. This *isn't* victim blaming, just self-improvement. We can all improve how we behave. Perhaps there is nothing that you could have done, and that's fine, but consider it.
In terms of your general situation, I don't think that anyone here can answer that.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: When asking for an opportunity to do a PhD with a professor at a foreign university, he replied:
>
> As a prerequisite you would need to take care of your own funding to cover the costs of your entire PhD project (4 years, cost of living, housing etc.). If you have such funds I would be happy to discuss with you the possibilities.
>
>
>
However, I don’t have any money to cover the cost of living. How can I answer him politely to impress him?<issue_comment>username_1: Unfortunately, there is not much to say to him/her. Professor, is pretty much clear that responsibility of costs of living is up to you to resolve,
You can ask him if he knows any funds that you can apply, or if uni have special fund for this kind of situations, or to check by yourself if you are entitled to any kind of social benefit, security, welfare? worth checking,
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: By accepting all earlier comments and answer I would like to add that
What is Phd domain? and which country is it? Considering earlier dimensions of conflicts between Iran and West particularly USA, a professor may not want to find himself in such a position where he/she helps a student not only in Phd but for finding funding too.
To impress him and reach almost to a miracle;
you could show how extraordinary you are through some theory developments, publications etc.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Look for a different opportunity
--------------------------------
As the original mail states, they are not offering you funding and own funding is a *prerequisite* - this means that if you can't cover those costs, then the discussion is over, and it is worthwhile to discuss any other details only "if you have such funds", as per the original response.
This doesn't mean that you should abandon the issue - however, it does mean that you should look for PhD opportunities in other universities that may have funding available for you.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> As a prerequisite you would need to take care of your own funding to cover the costs of your entire PhD project (4 years, cost of living, housing etc.). If you have such funds I would be happy to discuss with you the possibilities.
>
>
>
This is the professor's polite way of saying, "We do not have funding to support you as a student. If you obtain your own funding let's discuss further, otherwise there is little reason to continue this discussion."
>
> I don’t have any money to cover the cost of living.
>
>
>
Then the appropriate response is, "Thank you for your time and consideration. Please keep me in mind if a funded position opens up in the future."
>
> How can I answer him politely to impress him?
>
>
>
It sounds as though you'd like to respond in a way that causes him to allocate cost of living expenses to you. I doubt the likelihood of that - *if* there are funded positions available, professors typically allocate them and notify students for them first, then once the positions are filled notify those that didn't make it that they have none available, and self funding would be the only option. So chances are good that he simply has no funding to afford taking you on as an expense for their program. It's also possible that they don't fund PhD students at all in their program.
However, if you have some knowledge that they do have funding and are simply not impressed enough by what you've presented so far to allocate some for you, then your options are limited. You need to sell yourself and help them understand that your ability, talent, and skills are well above average and would be an asset to them that would be worth paying for.
How you would do that really depends a lot on your program and area of study. Further, if you had more to show them, you should have done so well before this point. Trying this now once they've already made their decision has a lower chance of success than impressing them when you first apply.
All that said, there's another option you might want to consider: bring your own funding with you. It's not easy, but you may be able to write a successful grant proposal for them that gets them the funding they would need to fund the first part of your PhD. You may have to do this a few times during your time there to continue your education. Honestly, this method also has its risks, as they would have to cooperate, and they would have to allocate the funds received - not all of which would go to your education.
If this educational institution is particularly important to you and you have to get into their program, you might consider some of these options. You might, instead, have a better chance with a different institution, though. Lastly, it's reasonable to take a year or two off from education, get a job, and save money. Industry experience in your field can be quite valuable to some PhD programs and might give you a leg up on the competition the next time you apply, and if not you should be able to bring some self-funding to the table. In some industries you may be able to make contacts and network with people in a way that makes you more valuable.
Don't get too caught up in having what you want *right now* - getting a PhD later in life isn't a disadvantage. It's more important to have good evidence - research, papers - of your skills than it is to have done it earlier.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_5: As someone who has to respond to similar requests regularly, the statement seems quite unambiguously to be read the following way: the recipient is "happy to discuss the possibilities" - which means, they do not brush you off entirely. However, they do not have the money to fund you, and it is likely that they would have pointed you to a local funding opportunity if they had one they could offer you.
So, either you bring your own money (which means, either being self-funded, which is usually not ideal, as it puts you in a weak position, or getting some studentship from your country, club, network, which is usually better - especially if the studentship involved an element of competition, e.g. nation-wide, as it shows that you were considered worthy of passing a money-worthy hurdle).
There are no "magic words" that would work to "impress"; if you have publications, grants, achievements (e.g. successful participation in relevant competitions), relevant business experience (e.g. tech startup if in a technical field etc.), or similar, these can work in your favour. However, they should have been in the CV in the first place. If you sent no CV on first contact, then a mail highlighting some of these achievements (brief!) may also help to kindle additional interest.
Be careful not to "nag", though. Sometimes, if the biography is strong enough or close enough to their interests, they will ask you themselves to continue being in touch in case a funding opportunity appears. However, make sure you look also for other opportunities, don't lock in on only this one.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: Already well covered.. but I'll throw in my 2 cents.
1) This is probably not a sign that the prof "doesn't want you" as some are saying. If they didn't want you they would not have written to offer to begin with. They simply don't have funding to cover living expenses.
2) The suggestions of seeing if there's any way to get money in the area is the best suggestion I think. Appealing to the professor is unlikely to help, they simply don't have the money or they'd already let you know they could chip in on expenses. But, see the next paragraph -- I would ask the prof what he knows about the available student jobs, most universities have quite a few that pay well enough to cover expenses.
Besides the regular jobs you may find anywhere (or not, depending on the local economy) like waiter/waitress, dishwasher, working at a grocery store or gas station, etc., universities also tend to have their own student jobs. Some secretarial jobs, some laboratory jobs (either directly running the experiments if it's in your topic of study, or washing/trying test tubes, laying out equipment so it's ready to run the experiments, etc. otherwise.) Also TA "Teachers Assistant" jobs, which amount to interacting with a professor's students on the professor's behalf. The professor (almost) always teaches the class... but beyond that, some professors keep extensive office hours to talk to students and rely less on TAs, some professors really want to only do research, do teach the required number of classes but have TAs do literally everything else.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: >
> As a prerequisite you would need to take care of your own funding to
> cover the costs of your entire PhD project (4 years, cost of living,
> housing etc.). If you have such funds I would be happy to discuss with
> you the possibilities.
>
>
>
This response sets off alarm bells for me. The reply does not refer to outside academic funding/grants, but specifically "if *you* have such funds". I had a friend of foreign descent who said that college officials where he went (in U.S.) always assumed that students from the Middle East were wealthy princes by default (e.g., bursar always surprised he didn't pay his bills fully in cash). Also, I had an extended family member (in U.S.) who I think poorly chose to reveal that they didn't have undergraduate debt, and thus in the PhD program was given less support, and ultimately had to leave the program unsuccessfully after several years.
In my limited experience, self-funding does not give the institution the incentive to actually graduate the student, and it sounds like this is what the professor in question may be fishing for.
Some prior questions on self-funding:
* [I am able to self-fund a PhD, how can I use this when applying?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45746/i-am-able-to-self-fund-a-phd-how-can-i-use-this-when-applying)
* [Will self funding a PhD hurt employment chances?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8034/will-self-funding-a-phd-hurt-employment-chances)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_8: I disagree that your professors response is saying 'go away, we dont want you' (it is one of the possibilities, but there are many others).
So, depending on whether you are a **'cup half empty'** or **'cup half full'** kind or person, you can reply in multiple ways.
**(DONT DO THIS!) Cup half empty:** give up and answer: 'I cant afford cost of living, thanks for clarifying'
**But being a 'cup half full' kind of guy,** I would be tempted to look for the positives and do some research into finding a sponsor for your phd (outside of professor).
Have a look at companies that are doing the same sort of research your phd is covering. Even better, what companies would find your research beneficial in business?
Once you find a few, contact them and basically sell yourself and your skills to them. If they finance some or most of your cost of living, they could get you as a employee/future researcher after your PhD.
**That way, you can go back to your professor with a response turning his negative answer into a positive - at worst case, you can show him you have tried to do something for yourself - which will impress him!**
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: Apparently the professor / university is not able or willing to cover these costs.
I would look for ways to fund this myself first.
Depending on countries of origin / study and personal student situation there may be programs designed to help.
If own research doesn't turn up something or if there is hope that the university may provide assistance the professor or university can be involved as well.
They know students are at the beginning of their professional career and have limited funding usually, so the very least they'd be sympathetic and willing to give pointers.
An obvious route is also to take on part time work while abroad.
Upvotes: 0
|
2015/12/10
| 2,982
| 12,290
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<issue_start>username_0: This question is quite specific but I believe it applies to other school of similar rank.
I have the following kind of IELTS English language test result:
>
> Speaking: 8, Listening: 7.5, Reading: 8.0, Writing: 6.0, average: 7.5.
>
>
>
According to Oxford's language requirements, they desire an average score of 7.0, which I do fulfill but also a score of 6.5 for each of the sub tests, which I do not.
With such very subtle mismatch, is it necessary to take the test again? According to the official guidelines, apparently, any offer is conditional until the requirement has been met.
I have four peer-reviewed publications in good venues; will it be of any help? I think the writing test result does not indicate my true level of proficiency.<issue_comment>username_1: Unfortunately, there is not much to say to him/her. Professor, is pretty much clear that responsibility of costs of living is up to you to resolve,
You can ask him if he knows any funds that you can apply, or if uni have special fund for this kind of situations, or to check by yourself if you are entitled to any kind of social benefit, security, welfare? worth checking,
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: By accepting all earlier comments and answer I would like to add that
What is Phd domain? and which country is it? Considering earlier dimensions of conflicts between Iran and West particularly USA, a professor may not want to find himself in such a position where he/she helps a student not only in Phd but for finding funding too.
To impress him and reach almost to a miracle;
you could show how extraordinary you are through some theory developments, publications etc.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Look for a different opportunity
--------------------------------
As the original mail states, they are not offering you funding and own funding is a *prerequisite* - this means that if you can't cover those costs, then the discussion is over, and it is worthwhile to discuss any other details only "if you have such funds", as per the original response.
This doesn't mean that you should abandon the issue - however, it does mean that you should look for PhD opportunities in other universities that may have funding available for you.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> As a prerequisite you would need to take care of your own funding to cover the costs of your entire PhD project (4 years, cost of living, housing etc.). If you have such funds I would be happy to discuss with you the possibilities.
>
>
>
This is the professor's polite way of saying, "We do not have funding to support you as a student. If you obtain your own funding let's discuss further, otherwise there is little reason to continue this discussion."
>
> I don’t have any money to cover the cost of living.
>
>
>
Then the appropriate response is, "Thank you for your time and consideration. Please keep me in mind if a funded position opens up in the future."
>
> How can I answer him politely to impress him?
>
>
>
It sounds as though you'd like to respond in a way that causes him to allocate cost of living expenses to you. I doubt the likelihood of that - *if* there are funded positions available, professors typically allocate them and notify students for them first, then once the positions are filled notify those that didn't make it that they have none available, and self funding would be the only option. So chances are good that he simply has no funding to afford taking you on as an expense for their program. It's also possible that they don't fund PhD students at all in their program.
However, if you have some knowledge that they do have funding and are simply not impressed enough by what you've presented so far to allocate some for you, then your options are limited. You need to sell yourself and help them understand that your ability, talent, and skills are well above average and would be an asset to them that would be worth paying for.
How you would do that really depends a lot on your program and area of study. Further, if you had more to show them, you should have done so well before this point. Trying this now once they've already made their decision has a lower chance of success than impressing them when you first apply.
All that said, there's another option you might want to consider: bring your own funding with you. It's not easy, but you may be able to write a successful grant proposal for them that gets them the funding they would need to fund the first part of your PhD. You may have to do this a few times during your time there to continue your education. Honestly, this method also has its risks, as they would have to cooperate, and they would have to allocate the funds received - not all of which would go to your education.
If this educational institution is particularly important to you and you have to get into their program, you might consider some of these options. You might, instead, have a better chance with a different institution, though. Lastly, it's reasonable to take a year or two off from education, get a job, and save money. Industry experience in your field can be quite valuable to some PhD programs and might give you a leg up on the competition the next time you apply, and if not you should be able to bring some self-funding to the table. In some industries you may be able to make contacts and network with people in a way that makes you more valuable.
Don't get too caught up in having what you want *right now* - getting a PhD later in life isn't a disadvantage. It's more important to have good evidence - research, papers - of your skills than it is to have done it earlier.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_5: As someone who has to respond to similar requests regularly, the statement seems quite unambiguously to be read the following way: the recipient is "happy to discuss the possibilities" - which means, they do not brush you off entirely. However, they do not have the money to fund you, and it is likely that they would have pointed you to a local funding opportunity if they had one they could offer you.
So, either you bring your own money (which means, either being self-funded, which is usually not ideal, as it puts you in a weak position, or getting some studentship from your country, club, network, which is usually better - especially if the studentship involved an element of competition, e.g. nation-wide, as it shows that you were considered worthy of passing a money-worthy hurdle).
There are no "magic words" that would work to "impress"; if you have publications, grants, achievements (e.g. successful participation in relevant competitions), relevant business experience (e.g. tech startup if in a technical field etc.), or similar, these can work in your favour. However, they should have been in the CV in the first place. If you sent no CV on first contact, then a mail highlighting some of these achievements (brief!) may also help to kindle additional interest.
Be careful not to "nag", though. Sometimes, if the biography is strong enough or close enough to their interests, they will ask you themselves to continue being in touch in case a funding opportunity appears. However, make sure you look also for other opportunities, don't lock in on only this one.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: Already well covered.. but I'll throw in my 2 cents.
1) This is probably not a sign that the prof "doesn't want you" as some are saying. If they didn't want you they would not have written to offer to begin with. They simply don't have funding to cover living expenses.
2) The suggestions of seeing if there's any way to get money in the area is the best suggestion I think. Appealing to the professor is unlikely to help, they simply don't have the money or they'd already let you know they could chip in on expenses. But, see the next paragraph -- I would ask the prof what he knows about the available student jobs, most universities have quite a few that pay well enough to cover expenses.
Besides the regular jobs you may find anywhere (or not, depending on the local economy) like waiter/waitress, dishwasher, working at a grocery store or gas station, etc., universities also tend to have their own student jobs. Some secretarial jobs, some laboratory jobs (either directly running the experiments if it's in your topic of study, or washing/trying test tubes, laying out equipment so it's ready to run the experiments, etc. otherwise.) Also TA "Teachers Assistant" jobs, which amount to interacting with a professor's students on the professor's behalf. The professor (almost) always teaches the class... but beyond that, some professors keep extensive office hours to talk to students and rely less on TAs, some professors really want to only do research, do teach the required number of classes but have TAs do literally everything else.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: >
> As a prerequisite you would need to take care of your own funding to
> cover the costs of your entire PhD project (4 years, cost of living,
> housing etc.). If you have such funds I would be happy to discuss with
> you the possibilities.
>
>
>
This response sets off alarm bells for me. The reply does not refer to outside academic funding/grants, but specifically "if *you* have such funds". I had a friend of foreign descent who said that college officials where he went (in U.S.) always assumed that students from the Middle East were wealthy princes by default (e.g., bursar always surprised he didn't pay his bills fully in cash). Also, I had an extended family member (in U.S.) who I think poorly chose to reveal that they didn't have undergraduate debt, and thus in the PhD program was given less support, and ultimately had to leave the program unsuccessfully after several years.
In my limited experience, self-funding does not give the institution the incentive to actually graduate the student, and it sounds like this is what the professor in question may be fishing for.
Some prior questions on self-funding:
* [I am able to self-fund a PhD, how can I use this when applying?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/45746/i-am-able-to-self-fund-a-phd-how-can-i-use-this-when-applying)
* [Will self funding a PhD hurt employment chances?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8034/will-self-funding-a-phd-hurt-employment-chances)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_8: I disagree that your professors response is saying 'go away, we dont want you' (it is one of the possibilities, but there are many others).
So, depending on whether you are a **'cup half empty'** or **'cup half full'** kind or person, you can reply in multiple ways.
**(DONT DO THIS!) Cup half empty:** give up and answer: 'I cant afford cost of living, thanks for clarifying'
**But being a 'cup half full' kind of guy,** I would be tempted to look for the positives and do some research into finding a sponsor for your phd (outside of professor).
Have a look at companies that are doing the same sort of research your phd is covering. Even better, what companies would find your research beneficial in business?
Once you find a few, contact them and basically sell yourself and your skills to them. If they finance some or most of your cost of living, they could get you as a employee/future researcher after your PhD.
**That way, you can go back to your professor with a response turning his negative answer into a positive - at worst case, you can show him you have tried to do something for yourself - which will impress him!**
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: Apparently the professor / university is not able or willing to cover these costs.
I would look for ways to fund this myself first.
Depending on countries of origin / study and personal student situation there may be programs designed to help.
If own research doesn't turn up something or if there is hope that the university may provide assistance the professor or university can be involved as well.
They know students are at the beginning of their professional career and have limited funding usually, so the very least they'd be sympathetic and willing to give pointers.
An obvious route is also to take on part time work while abroad.
Upvotes: 0
|
2015/12/10
| 343
| 1,302
|
<issue_start>username_0: I would like to think of my options for a job outside academia and was hoping to get ideas from others. I feel I'm between fields:
* I studied biology as an undergrad; but never pipetted anything since.
* I did a PhD (and postdoc, with relatively good outcome) in cognitive science/experimental psychology (fMRI, EEG, consciousness, decision making); but I'm not a psychologist and would not be able to do anything clinical.
* I can program/script small things in a few languages; but I'm no programmer.
* I can do some statistics; but I'm no statistician.
I can think of:
* Data Scientist
* Teaching in some university with no strong research agenda
* Consultancy of some sort
I now live in Germany. Can anybody contribute with experience/resources for this 'inbetween' training? I feel I could exploit it as a benefit for an interdisciplinary job, I'm just not quite sure how.<issue_comment>username_1: [User Experience](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_experience) design and testing might be up your alley. UX is often housed in cognitive science departments (when it's not in CS).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Utilize that cognitive science! You're talking $$$$$$. You should try to find Hospitals or Specialty care places that deal with neuro.
Upvotes: 0
|
2015/12/10
| 1,819
| 7,920
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a final year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering. My PhD comprises only numerical work with a Finite Element Method software, and structural optimization with a developed MATLAB code. I have already a good number of publications, and a few innovations in my project, like structures with a new configuration. However, my supervisor tells me that I need to validate my numerical results with an experimental test. Do I really need to validate my results experimentally to have a "safe" work, I mean, work with results that I can trust? I did a mesh sensitivity analysis for every geometry I have tested.I am sure the mesh is fine enough to obtain converged results. Is it safe to assume the accuracy of the numerical results? And if numerical work alone is not enough, is there any alternative to experimental testing, that would delay my thesis defense and is expensive (allocation of funds is very difficult right now due to crisis in EU?"
I am asking this because I don't have any experience in experimental work, and this will delay my thesis defense 1 year or so. I don't plan on working with anything experimental after my PhD graduation. I would like to have arguments to convince my supervisor that I can do my PhD without experimental work, presenting results in my thesis that are accurate, and that anyone can trust.
I am asking for help of Mechanical Engineering PhD graduates, specialists in numerical work. I would also like to know if you did experimental testing to prototypes in your work, and if not, the arguments you had to defend yourselves in the thesis examination, if you confronted with questions like :"why haven't you done experimental work?"
P.S. I know someone that did his PhD without experimental work, but it was in a different field, like Biomedical Engineering, or so.<issue_comment>username_1: It's definitely possible. My Aerospace engineering PhD was entirely numerical, and only included some peripheral comparisons to the experimental work of others. ME and ASE are pretty close in a lot of ways, but this is going to depend more on what your advisor and your committee think than anything else. It's definitely possible to do a numerical-only PhD in engineering, though.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If your adviser says that you need to do, you don't have a whole lot of options. After all, the first one who needs to sign off on all pieces of paper you need to graduate is your adviser, and if your adviser doesn't sign it, none of your other committee members will either.
In either case, it's a topic to discuss with your adviser.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In an industry setting, numerical simulations are often used to rule out bad designs before the prototype phase to reduce costs. But the end product of that process is a prototype, not a thesis.
Validating FE simulation with experimental data is standard for *academic* works in that field. It's going to be hard to argue, on a scientific level, that it is not useful to run experiments.
>
> my supervisor tells me that I need to validate my numerical results with an experimental test
>
>
>
This is a strong reason to believe it's necessary in order to write a thesis that will be recognized as valid in your field. Beside the fact that you probably want to graduate, the purpose of the PhD is to give you the necessary background and credential to pretend to *good* academic positions.
>
> allocation of funds is very difficult right now due to crisis in EU
>
>
>
If your adviser requires you to do more work, then (s)he should arrange funding. You shouldn't be worrying about that bit.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I'm an expirmentalist, and I have worked with FE modeling for a long time now. I have many publications based on tests, validated models and purely numerical "without validation". I can tell you this much, the ones that keeps me awake at night and the hardest ones to publish are those with "numerical models without any experimental tests" to back the numerical predictions up or at the least include some sort of validation.
My MSc (structural engineering) was all numerical (but based on full scale tests done by others), so I did not have to test my own specimens (validated my models against experiments that were already published). I can tell this much, without a validation, your model is just a model! As you know FEA is just an approximation with multiple simplistic assumptions of a real phenomenon.
However, I tend to agree that whether needing to validate your model against measured data (solely by doing your own experiment or simply against other published work) is case specific. I do not know your "thesis problem" and the fact that you have published a good number of articles (if published in high quality journals) and your advisor was fine with that "until now!" leads me to think that you may be able to get away to a "numerical" thesis.
Perhaps you can discuss the following ideas with your advisor/committee;
1. If they insist on an experiment (although they are tight on funding as you have mentioned [not a very good sign in your case since you are trying to avoid that!]), try to find a somehow similar published work, use your model to validate it. I understand that this may not be a "direct validation" but at least your advisor/committee can be assured that your model is capable of simulating a real problem. In other words, your model is "not-directly" more than an FE model.
2. Ask if you can validate your model with some other ways i.e., analytically, hand calculations, published methods etc. (I hope you have done this by now!). You can always do a parametric study (I assume you did already), pick parameters that can relate to an actual problem (either from literature or industry) and see how your model performs. If possible/applicable, contact an industry firm (that is willing to share) and see if they have anything on hand that you can use to validate the model.
3. Discuss with your advisor why did not he ask you to do this long time ago ("usually" one will do an experiment and then develop a model! [that's what I always do, keep in mind this is different that finding a problem and trying to get some funding for in which you will develop a model first to show the feasibility of your problem rather than spending money on an experiment that turns out to be "worthless"]). I understand this is too late to ask now, but if you know the "inside" of whats going on "with your committee (perhaps?)", you will know how to tackle this issue more specifically.
Remember this, you do not have to prepare a 6 months, $ 100k experiment to validate your model. Sometimes, all what you need is a well organized set-up, few strain gauges, loading-inducing actuators and a specimen (of course this is a simplification - but you get my point).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_5: In real-life mechanical engineering, numerical simulations are generally used to **reduce** the number of physical prototypes that need to be built and tested. In some situations, the simulation results are so well trusted that no physical prototype is ever built -- people go directly to production. But, where human lives are at stake (passenger aircraft, automobile crash testing, etc.) physical prototypes are necessary.
There are a few situations where it's not practical (or it's prohibitively expensive) to test physical prototypes. Examples are spacecraft that are designed to function in zero gravity. For those situations, like it or not, numerical simulation is all you have.
But you're not doing real-life engineering, you're writing a thesis. So, in your situation, as others have said, you probably have to do what your advisor says. It's worth arguing for a while to see if you can change his/her mind, but ultimately you are powerless, I suspect.
Upvotes: 1
|
2015/12/10
| 1,464
| 6,289
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm applying to math PhD programs in the US. In my statements of purpose, should I include references to the literature? I haven't done so yet, but I keep thinking I probably should.<issue_comment>username_1: It's definitely possible. My Aerospace engineering PhD was entirely numerical, and only included some peripheral comparisons to the experimental work of others. ME and ASE are pretty close in a lot of ways, but this is going to depend more on what your advisor and your committee think than anything else. It's definitely possible to do a numerical-only PhD in engineering, though.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If your adviser says that you need to do, you don't have a whole lot of options. After all, the first one who needs to sign off on all pieces of paper you need to graduate is your adviser, and if your adviser doesn't sign it, none of your other committee members will either.
In either case, it's a topic to discuss with your adviser.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In an industry setting, numerical simulations are often used to rule out bad designs before the prototype phase to reduce costs. But the end product of that process is a prototype, not a thesis.
Validating FE simulation with experimental data is standard for *academic* works in that field. It's going to be hard to argue, on a scientific level, that it is not useful to run experiments.
>
> my supervisor tells me that I need to validate my numerical results with an experimental test
>
>
>
This is a strong reason to believe it's necessary in order to write a thesis that will be recognized as valid in your field. Beside the fact that you probably want to graduate, the purpose of the PhD is to give you the necessary background and credential to pretend to *good* academic positions.
>
> allocation of funds is very difficult right now due to crisis in EU
>
>
>
If your adviser requires you to do more work, then (s)he should arrange funding. You shouldn't be worrying about that bit.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I'm an expirmentalist, and I have worked with FE modeling for a long time now. I have many publications based on tests, validated models and purely numerical "without validation". I can tell you this much, the ones that keeps me awake at night and the hardest ones to publish are those with "numerical models without any experimental tests" to back the numerical predictions up or at the least include some sort of validation.
My MSc (structural engineering) was all numerical (but based on full scale tests done by others), so I did not have to test my own specimens (validated my models against experiments that were already published). I can tell this much, without a validation, your model is just a model! As you know FEA is just an approximation with multiple simplistic assumptions of a real phenomenon.
However, I tend to agree that whether needing to validate your model against measured data (solely by doing your own experiment or simply against other published work) is case specific. I do not know your "thesis problem" and the fact that you have published a good number of articles (if published in high quality journals) and your advisor was fine with that "until now!" leads me to think that you may be able to get away to a "numerical" thesis.
Perhaps you can discuss the following ideas with your advisor/committee;
1. If they insist on an experiment (although they are tight on funding as you have mentioned [not a very good sign in your case since you are trying to avoid that!]), try to find a somehow similar published work, use your model to validate it. I understand that this may not be a "direct validation" but at least your advisor/committee can be assured that your model is capable of simulating a real problem. In other words, your model is "not-directly" more than an FE model.
2. Ask if you can validate your model with some other ways i.e., analytically, hand calculations, published methods etc. (I hope you have done this by now!). You can always do a parametric study (I assume you did already), pick parameters that can relate to an actual problem (either from literature or industry) and see how your model performs. If possible/applicable, contact an industry firm (that is willing to share) and see if they have anything on hand that you can use to validate the model.
3. Discuss with your advisor why did not he ask you to do this long time ago ("usually" one will do an experiment and then develop a model! [that's what I always do, keep in mind this is different that finding a problem and trying to get some funding for in which you will develop a model first to show the feasibility of your problem rather than spending money on an experiment that turns out to be "worthless"]). I understand this is too late to ask now, but if you know the "inside" of whats going on "with your committee (perhaps?)", you will know how to tackle this issue more specifically.
Remember this, you do not have to prepare a 6 months, $ 100k experiment to validate your model. Sometimes, all what you need is a well organized set-up, few strain gauges, loading-inducing actuators and a specimen (of course this is a simplification - but you get my point).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_5: In real-life mechanical engineering, numerical simulations are generally used to **reduce** the number of physical prototypes that need to be built and tested. In some situations, the simulation results are so well trusted that no physical prototype is ever built -- people go directly to production. But, where human lives are at stake (passenger aircraft, automobile crash testing, etc.) physical prototypes are necessary.
There are a few situations where it's not practical (or it's prohibitively expensive) to test physical prototypes. Examples are spacecraft that are designed to function in zero gravity. For those situations, like it or not, numerical simulation is all you have.
But you're not doing real-life engineering, you're writing a thesis. So, in your situation, as others have said, you probably have to do what your advisor says. It's worth arguing for a while to see if you can change his/her mind, but ultimately you are powerless, I suspect.
Upvotes: 1
|
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| 442
| 1,816
|
<issue_start>username_0: I heard that information technology is a great tool to do research.I have good expertise on Microsoft office (Office,Excel,Access,Power point,Output) and graphical software like Adobe Photoshop.Could I mention these learning skills in my SOP?<issue_comment>username_1: This information would fit better in your CV/resume. But even there, you should only list software that is relevant to your field. For example, if you're not applying to an art or design program, Photoshop is almost certainly irrelevant.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: No, because it does not distinguish you from other applicants nor explain *why* you would a good fit in the program to which you are applying. The expectation in 2015 is that everyone likely to be in graduate school, and even undergraduates, can use the standard desktop software with enough proficiency to get things done. If specialized software, something like Mathematica or SPSS, is needed in your field, the assumption is that you either already know about it or you'll figure it out.
If you haven't already done so, have a look at this: [(Master's Degree) What are they 'precisely' looking for in a Statement of Purpose, and does a SOP matter when one has excellent GPA?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/34616/masters-degree-what-are-they-precisely-looking-for-in-a-statement-of-purpos/34627#34627)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: These can be useful research tools, but **be specific about how your expertise in Office and Photoshop can help you with your proposed research project.** Don't just say that you are good at Office and Photoshop generally. I suspect most people have some knowledge about how to use them anyway and it won't be valuable information for the admission committee.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm ranked as one of top 4% users of Data Science Stackexchange.
I'm applying for a PhD program in related field.
Shall I mention my Stackexchange rank in my resume?
If yes under what title?<issue_comment>username_1: You may mention it, but it's not going to carry a lot of weight. What I'd focus on would not be the particular rank you have there, but that you have been active in the community of Data Scientists for a good while and believe that this has given you a good overview of this area. That's what matters, not what you do in your spare time.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, it is worth including in your PhD application somewhere, if you are applying to a department where data science knowledge would be a significant asset. Don't expect it to receive a lot of weight, but it can't hurt.
Many PhD applications allow you to include a link to your web page(s). I suggest you include a link to your Data Science profile page as one of these links, so members of the admissions committee can see example questions and answers you've written there, if they wish.
I don't know if I'd include rank as a percentage, as it's hard to evaluate what 4% means or how many users there are there. In your case, I would seriously consider listing it as 13th highest-rated user (out of N users) on Data Science Stack Exchange, a question-and-answer site for technical questions related to data science.
I also agree with Wolfgang that rather than merely mentioning your involvement, it might also be helpful to have an explanation or narrative about why you believe this makes you a stronger candidate. To give some examples: Does it provide you with valuable knowledge about how to do research in your area? If so, can you give a specific example? Did your involvement lead you to become enthusiastic about research in your chosen area? Perhaps you are especially motivated by bringing ideas from the research literature to a broader audience and helping practitioners benefit from the research literature, and your involvement in Data Science.SE is motivated by that? Members of the admission committee might not be familiar with this site or why your involvement is relevant to the admission decision. Give them a concrete reason why this makes you a better candidate for admission or what this says about your interests and preparation.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I have seen a grading policy for a course with two midterms. Under this policy, if a student scores better in the second midterm than in the first one, the first test will be "forgiven" and the weight shifts to the second one. For example, if midterm 1 and are 15% each and a student got 60 for midterm 1 and 80 for midterm 2, then the weigh of the two exams become 0% and 30%. I can see the good side of the policy is to encourage students making progress. But I worry that this will cause students complain about unfairness, particularly those who can't take advantage of this policy.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: Here's one fair variation:
If a student scores greater than a 90 on Mid1 they can elect to take Mid2 or not and if taken can only make grade go up. Regardless, both will be greatest grade \* 2.
If a student bombs the first (60). They must take the second. Grades become greatest of the two \* 2.
I think that's fair without getting too mathematical.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The version we use in my calculus class says that we drop the lowest score out of homeworks and midterms. There are 4 midterms, worth 15% each, and the homeworks are worth a total of 15%. The rest is decided by the final. When calculating the final grade, we drop the lowest score out of the midterms and homeworks, and calculate the grade as if each is worth 75/4 % instead.
Some students (the ones who read the syllabus) that have good scores on the first three tests and the homeworks elect to not take the fourth test. Other (less wise) students put all their faith in tests and don't do any homeworks. Most students still do all the homeworks and take all tests.
We think of it as a way to allow the students to have one bad day, without destroying their grade in the course.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Some degree of "forgiveness" is not only humane, but consistent with the purported goal of kids' learning things by the time the course is over, not necessarily on the schedule (a pure artifact) of the syllabus.
One skewing is that presumably the course "builds", so that later exams presume competency in earlier... so a good early score is not at all a substitute for a good later score.
Keeping the latter in mind: in all my teaching, a good later score trumps a bad earlier one, period. Sure, it's not a good thing that people messed up earlier, but if the real goal/issue is acquisition of certain ideas, why do we care what schedule they're on?
At the same time, yes, most assuredly, a too-generous-sounding description of grading system will "confuse" many people, certainly undergrads, and often beginning grad students who've spent the previous four years (not to mention high school) figuring out how to avoid being pwned by The System... as opposed to believing (which is not at all true...) that the system has benign interest in them.
That is, even if not discussed too fully with students... who will often seriously/fatally misunderstand ... think of the genuine goals, namely, imparting some knowledge by the end of the term. That is, adherence to schedule of acquisition is really not essential, though it'd be handy.
All of this changes, of course, if by mischance the true purpose of the class is "filter/weeder", in which case one might contemplate issues unrelated to the course content, or even course structure. That is, if the filter might be to reward "steadiness" (not a bad thing at all!), then don't give a break to people who aren't "steady".
(Sure, there's hubris aplenty in figuring out or caring to speculate what the true purpose of most math courses might be...)
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a U.S. student studying abroad in Canada and also an undergraduate student. I believe my question could apply to graduate students in the same situation, i.e. someone who has not had prior mental health issues and who is unaware how to move forward.
Recently, starting a little before this Fall semester, I've been struggling with most tell-tale signs of depression (no motivation, constantly sleeping, gaining weight, etc). I live with my girlfriend off-campus, and she also struggles with mental health issues. I have been struggling to find motivation to work as hard as I was in the beginning of the semester. I was originally taking a 5 course load, but had to drop one course due to not meeting the prerequisite (I was wrongly advised, but take responsibility for not confirming and sitting down with someone before registering in the course).
Of my remaining 4 courses, only one have I truly excelled in all semester (due to the fact that I have worked with with the content of the course before extensively, and it came naturally to me).
I *started out* well in my other 3 courses (and have also completed all labs and assignments) but have **gone downhill**, to the point where I am worried I could possibly fail the courses if I don't do well enough on the exams (very bad second midterm results).
I haven't spoke to anyone professionally, nor any advisor at the University about this issue. I feel like if I do not email or meet with my professors soon and explain, **they won't take me seriously** *after* the fact my grade has been posted. I wrote one exam the other day and will write the others soon.
What is the best course of action for me to take? Should I email my professors, or meet with them? Should I try to talk to an advisor first? I have read [this question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/48188/how-do-i-tell-my-advisor-about-mental-health-problems) but I feel like I'm on a much more limited time table, and of course this is entirely my fault for not taking action sooner. Does anyone have any suggestions on what the correct steps to take are?<issue_comment>username_1: Get professional treatment.
===========================
That's step one. The rest is details to worry about later.
I actually don't know the answer to the rest of your questions although I am positive seeing a professional *sooner than later* is going to make *everything* go better.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Step one is to get professional diagnosis of your condition. and after that to ask a consent for freezing a year (if you are diagnosed with health issues)
Rest is up to bureaucracy of your university. my advice, something that I would do, would be to take a break due to health issues, I am not sure if you have this option in Canada, but in many other countries you can freeze your academic status until you resolve your health problem.
by freezing, I mean you can keep your status as regular student, but you are not available to study since you have some difficulties or other external task (military service, student exchange, similar) to overcome.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I am fairly confident that your university must have some kind of psychological counseling service for students. These are professionals and also highly experienced in the specific challenges of students. Start there, **today**. They will be able to point to you in the right direction.
Academically, your college's undergraduate office is very likely to be able to reach out to all your professors and advise them that you have a health issue going on that would necessitate accommodations. Do this as soon as you have an appointment with counseling. They may encourage you to contact your professors for arrangements, perhaps not immediately. You shouldn't need to explain the details of your health situation to your professors--they already have the official heads-up and that is all they need to know.
Bottom line, universities deal with this frequently and have mechanisms in place to juggle with all the aspects; there is no need for you to brave the storm alone.
All the best to you.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I've been to many PhD proposals and defenses, but I've yet to give either myself. At every talk I've seen, after the speaker finishes his/her presentation and the non-committee members ask their questions, we're asked to leave the room. I assume the committee then asks the speaker questions.
Are these questions any different from normal questions you would get at a talk or do they function as a sort of impromptu oral exam? Do students prepare for them in a particular way or it is just assumed you'll pick up on what you need from your studies and work on your thesis?<issue_comment>username_1: I didn't do anything special to prepare for the non-public questions during my defense. The questions seemed pretty normal, there were only a few of them, and then the committee asked me to leave the room for a few minutes while they discussed me. Then they came out and congratulated me on passing.
This pattern repeated when I was on a committee. I don't know if others are different, but that's been the pattern at 2 US universities in my experience.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't think there is any universal answer to this question. I just defended about 8 hours ago, in my case there was a pre-defense and a defense. The pre-defense in our program tells the student what needs to be done to successfully finish the program, the actual public defense is largely ceremonial. When I met in private with the committee they just shook my hand and that was the end of it.
I am aware of other defenses, where there is an oral exam after the non-committee members exit the room. But, from what I have been told the questions in this exam are largely for clarification, and to determine what needs to be done to graduate.
I'm sure some others can clarify, but usually your dissertation advisor has your back, and you have already done the work at that point. So the defense is more of a chance for you to share your work, than a second order comprehensive exam.
It really depends on your country, institution, department, and program.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: This may be too discipline specific, but I'm going to give it a shot.
I'm still relatively new to grad school (6 months), but I've been told by several older students to keep an eye out for potential thesis/dissertation topics. I'd like to start a list of potential ideas for myself - I'm sure some will be solved before I start my actual thesis, and others are already solved and I just need to read more. But what are some characteristics of a "good" thesis topic?<issue_comment>username_1: A "good" thesis topic is one that's
* a good research topic in general (moves the field forward, publishable, etc.),
* interesting to you specifically (you'll be spending a LOT of time on it),
* a topic that (you and your advisor believe with some degree of confidence) can be addressed with the resources that are available to complete the thesis.
("Resources" including but not limited to: time, money, lab equipment and materials, supervision, etc.)
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I completely agree with username_1's criteria, but here are some further considerations:
1. A good thesis topic should not be all or nothing. Instead, it should accommodate a range of levels of ambition. There should be fallback options that would be enough to graduate even if things go poorly, moderately ambitious outcomes that you could reasonably aim for, and very ambitious outcomes that would be fantastic if they could be achieved.
2. It should offer scope for creativity and choice by the student. You can only impress hiring committees so much if it looks like your advisor was the mastermind behind your thesis. Instead, it has to be clear that over time you took ownership of the project and played a major role in determining its direction (even if your advisor made the initial suggestion and provided feedback and guidance).
3. Your thesis topic should connect with other topics you'd like to explore in the future. If you spend your entire early career revisiting and elaborating on your thesis topic, it won't set you up for success as a researcher. Instead, you need to branch out, and your choice of thesis topic can really help with this. Choose a topic that is central and well-connected to adjacent areas, rather than one that is isolated. That way you can build on your previous experience as you branch out.
4. Your thesis advisor needs to care about the topic. Sometimes people are willing to supervise theses on topics they don't particularly care about. They do this in an attempt to be helpful, but it can end up working against you when you graduate and discover that your advisor's lack of caring translates into a lack of support on the job market.
5. For a multi-year project like a thesis, it's generally best to pick a topic that seems to be becoming more popular and influential over time, rather than less so. This sounds obvious, but it's surprisingly subtle to figure out. Beginners are sometimes a little behind the times and can get excited by topics that were hot a few years ago but have since been thoroughly investigated and are already in decline.
6. It should be something you like doing, not just something you would like to have done.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: The answers by username_1 and username_2 have great advice on how to evaluate a thesis topic.
As another approach, start by considering advisors that you think you may like to work with. Don't underestimate how important it is to find the right advisor. This may help you to explore what *they're* interested in and how it overlaps with what *you're* interested in.
And once you have an idea about the advisor and a topic, reach out to them! They should be more than happy to discuss potential projects with you and this will definitely help in your search for a topic that you really want to do!
Finally, I have to object to this concern in your question:
>
> I'm sure some will be solved before I start my actual thesis
>
>
>
Problems in academia are rarely 'solved'. If you find a topic that you think has been solved, speak with the advisor for the project and I'm sure that they will already be considering ways to extend the topic. There is always more work to be done! Sometimes it's better not to start from scratch, although this may be discipline specific.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: After an interview, I was offered a pre-doc grant for one year. Although I'm very interested in the research, I have other reasons to prefer staying in my current position: I think it would be easier for me to pursue the PhD I want from here.
Is it possible to kindly refuse the proposal and still hope to work with that group in the future, or would I burn bridges this way? If it is possible, how can I refuse the proposal without offending anyone?<issue_comment>username_1: I assume this is for the UK because of your profile and the fact that you call it a "grant." I don't know how it works in the UK and much less the specific dynamics of your case, but I can tell you that in the US people turn down offers all the time based on their interests at heart, and although it's of course disappointing we acknowledge people's desire to pursue their own happiness (hey, it's in the Declaration of Independence).
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: Professionally, they should understand, if explained to them in a polite and respectful way. After all it is your life, and they need to respect your decision. Yes, it is disappointing, but it should not burn bridges - good people are not easy to find and they should be happy to keep in touch; who knows what the future brings.
However, if they were so disappointed that they would be indeed offended by your decision, then it is likely that there are other problems lying in wait for you at that group, anyway.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I have got the first revision of my paper from a journal in Elsiver. Despite, all 3 reviewers' comment are very positive and accepted the paper the editor is so tough. He is questioning the originality of the proposed method and also saying the paper is not very much in the scope of journal.
If so, why did you hand it to reviewers?!!!
Any idea to answer him/her?<issue_comment>username_1: In many reviews in a variety of fields, including the Elsevier life science journals for which I've reviewed (maybe a half dozen to a dozen), the authors are not made privy to the the recommendations of the reviewers. Reviewers are specifically asked to refrain from including any direct recommendations for acceptance or rejection in their author comments.
In an environment where there's just so many pages that can be printed, the bar can be pretty high, and only the top of the top might make it to print in very competitive journals. There are often reviewer assigned scores that you never see, like "novelty", and "importance"
Another possibility is that the editor feels that while the paper might be received well by people in your field, but not to the broader audience of a widely read journal. Often reviewers must answer a question about their opinions on the appropriateness of a paper for that particular journal. It sounds like this may well be the case here, and your reviewers might have given you mediocre scores along these lines, even though their written comments on your work were encouraging.
Also, many reviewers will try to put as positive a tone as possible on a review, particularly for young investigators. The risk is that a young investigator might not have developed the skill to read between the lines.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I really think that you are looking at things the wrong way. The key fact -- your paper has not been rejected! -- was left unsaid in the question itself but got pulled out of you in the comments. What makes an editor "tough" or not has virtually nothing to do with the words he uses to describe your paper. A truly tough editor will reject your paper based on flaws that you disagree with or feel are very minor. A moderately tough editor will require drastic revisions (perhaps in multiple rounds) that take up your time and delay the acceptance and/or publication of your paper. That's about it.
You don't sound very well informed about the process. What you received were not "revisions" but "reports" or "reviews". Moreover it is not for a referee/reviewer to accept or reject a paper. That is up to the editorial board. Rather, a referee/reviewer should recommend acceptance or rejection -- I have just learned that in some journals and fields this recommendation is made confidentially to the editor; that is certainly not the case in mathematics, and I think it is a poor idea to keep this information from the author, but let me not digress -- and then the majority of the report / review should contain **support** for that recommendation. (So if a report is thorough and well written, the author should be able guess immediately and accurately what the recommendation will be. Thus hiding the recommendation seems pointless.) A report which just says "Accept" is worthless, and many editors would just discard it.
>
> He is questioning the originality of the proposed method and also saying the paper is not very much in the scope of journal. If so, why did you hand it to reviewers?!!!
>
>
>
The alternative would be to reject the paper immediately. Obviously the editor's reservations about the paper did not rise to that level. It doesn't make much sense that you are complaining about that.
>
> Any idea to answer him/her?
>
>
>
Yes. Your answer should come in the form of a revised paper that at least addresses all of his suggestions (which, by the way, can probably be addressed with relatively superficial changes, mostly to the introduction and the conclusion, if present). If you don't understand a suggestion, you can write for clarification, but I would be careful about that since the editor's impression of your willingness and ability to make the changes is part of his assessment of the paper. If you are really new at this (it sounds like you are, honestly) then I highly recommend that you consult at least one advisor, mentor or senior colleague about how to perform these revisions.
The one worrisome part of what the editor said is
>
> The present form does not have sufficient results to justify the novelty of a high quality journal paper.
>
>
>
If the editor (or the editorial board) really feels that the results are not strong enough to merit publication in that journal, they can and probably will reject your paper, no matter what any number of referees says. I have seen this happen as a referee: I wrote a quite positive report, but the editor (a former mentor of mine) called me up on the phone to tell me that the paper was not going to be accepted. However, it is a bit strange to say that while still asking for a revision. Reading between the lines, the implication is that he finds the work of the paper a bit borderline, so he really wants the presentation to be otherwise impeccable.
Of course you always have the option of *not* revising the paper, and starting fresh with a different journal. But I don't recommend that: when you are asked to revise, revise. The vast majority of time, that means "accepted with some penance".
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I worked as an RA and a TA with a professor, therefore I am hoping for a solid recommendation letter. However, I am concerned if the admissions committee would run a background check on the professor who wrote the recommendation letter, mainly:
1) Would they be looking at the students opinion of that professor? Examples of student's opinions can be found at websites like ratemyprofessor.
Or
2) Will the admissions committee just check his research history and research related accomplishments?
And if they found something like bad student ratings, or a gap in the professor's research history, how would that affect the recommendation letter he wrote on my behalf?<issue_comment>username_1: While the idea of basing any important decisions on ratemyprofessor reviews is laughable, the answer to the spirit of your question is yes. If someone's writing a letter about your research, their reputation as a researcher matters a great deal. How am I supposed to judge someone's research potential if I have none myself?
As for teaching recommendations, in my field (math) this depends on what kind of position you're applying for. Having a teaching letter from someone in a teaching-oriented role (like a calculus coordinator or, if you're lucky, the Director of Undergraduate Studies) is always nice, but this matters a lot more when applying for teaching positions. In fact, I've heard that teaching letters from research superstars (or people who aren't specifically known for caring about teaching) don't get you very far at small liberal arts colleges.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: A recommendation letter is a specific type of **expert knowledge**. The recommender is asked to evaluate you because one or (preferably) both of:
1. He is an expert in the subject of "you", having first hand knowledge there.
2. He is an expert in the subject of teaching/research/whatever his expertise is especially pertaining your interactions.
If you are asking the person to write your reference letter and he has agreed, presumably the first condition is satisfied. They impact the letter will have on the admissions committee comes mostly from the second.
1. If you are thinking about a teaching letter, a letter from someone who is demonstrably a good teacher is treated more favorably then someone who is 'merely' a top tier researcher. (How do you demonstrate good teaching? Someone who is active in modern pedagogy, who has won teaching awards, or simply someone who is, by word of mouth, a good teach. [Word of mouth meaning conversations with other academic professionals, not ratemyprofessor or any of those websites.])
To help ameliorate this process, it helps if your recommender has access to documentation that can factually and objectively demonstrate you are a good teacher. (If the recommender explains that you have won such and such award and this award is prestigious because so-and-so, that's a lot easier to accept than just 'because I say so', especially in the case where the recommender is not well-known to the committee.)
2. Similarly, if you are thinking about a research letter, then a letter from a research star who happens to be familiar with your work is usually better than a letter from a research superstar who only knows the surface of what you do.
3. People tend to take opinions of people that they personally know and have a good opinion of more seriously, compared to people whose name that they have heard of, compared to complete strangers. So part of the selection of recommenders that you are doing should be trying to maximize impact by optimizing between "the people reading the letter will have heard of the recommender and respect his/her opinion" and "the recommender can say something insightful about the aspects of you that he or she is commenting about."
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In addition to the recommender's reputation for research and teaching, his reputation for letter-writing may be taken into consideration if the readers of the letter know about it. If every letter from Professor X says that the student is in the top 5%, then people who know that won't be so impressed when he says that you're in the top 5%.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: When I read admission application letters of recommendation, I certainly do care who the letter writers are. I do not look at student-oriented, commercialized, ad-click sites like "rate my professors". If I do not already know the letter writers by reputation, I might look at the math genealogy project to see where the letter writers went to school, who their advisors were, and what PhD students they've had if they're at a PhD-granting institution.
Yes, some particular small liberal-arts colleges manage to establish a reputation for producing students with a certain outlook. Some such outlooks are better in grad school than others...
In contrast to some other answers/comments, no, I do not think that everyone with a not-so-new PhD is able to assess future potential. And I do not think that the percentage demands in grad-school forms are sensible... considering that maybe it's not all linearizable, totally order-able? Srsly?
I absolutely do not assume that all letter writers are capable assessors... I don't necessarily assume that they're incompetent, either, ...
What a student would want to maximize might be a "product" of (1) familiarity of faculty person with your work/ability/interests, and (2) the visibility/credibility of the person in the research community.
This "visibility/credibility" is not at all easily determinable, not by beginners, certainly not by the commodified "impact factor" and other silly things. It's by something more like "lifetime achievement" and prior mentoring of PhD students (if any).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: Is it worth it (about $1000) to go to the JMM without any in-advanced-scheduled interview invitations?<issue_comment>username_1: Are you going just for jobs? If you are there you should at least attend some of the talks, network with folks in your field, go to the poster session, get some free swag from the vendors....
But if your only goal is to get a job or develop connections for getting said job, you should at the very least find out if the people with whom you need to talk are going, and if they are, when and where you can meet with them, even informally. If you made zero plans and are just hoping to show up and see how things go, then you should forget it: it is not going to work.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, the JMM is a lot of fun, you can learn from all the talks and meet mathematicians in a lot of different areas! It's a great experience if you are not on the job market at all. If you are, it can be much more stressful.
It is *possible* that attending might be beneficial in your job search. I went to the JMM twice when my department was hiring and I was on the hiring committee. Each time, I e-mailed out of the blue a candidate who had applied for our position (and whose special session talk I had gone to without first introducing myself), and invited them out to lunch. In each case I was very impressed with the candidate and let the rest of the hiring committee know.
In the end it didn't make much of a difference; we did not end up hiring either candidate, and they ended up getting jobs which were at least comparable to the one we were offering. The real benefit of these meetings, both to me and them, was that we made friends with each other and learned something interesting about each other's research.
So, the bottom line is -- it might help you to attend, especially if you are already a strong candidate, but only a little bit and even that is kind of a longshot. But figure out lots of paper sessions you want to go to, and make plans to go for dinner or drinks with old friends if you can. If you go to the JMM specifically hoping to line up interviews, and without a full slate of other things you want to do there, you're unfortunately likely to be disappointed.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Unfortunately, you really will not know until January 2 whether you have any interview requests. In my past experience, only about half of the JMM interview lists have been determined by Christmas, and some are not determined until right before the meeting.
Some departments are willing to do Skype preliminary interviews instead of Joint Meetings preliminary interviews, but Skype interviews can be hard to schedule, and a department that has already talked to a number of excellent candidates at the Joint Meetings has little motivation to schedule such interviews.
You should be aware that, for many jobs, a JMM preliminary interview isn't worth much. I have heard of departments interviewing as many as 80 people for 1 position at JMM, though 20-30 is probably the usual number, and a few departments prefer longer interviews with only 10 or so candidates.
Finally, essentially zero research universities interview at JMM, though some of the top liberal arts colleges do. If you are not interested in positions where teaching plays at least as important a role as research (and for most of the positions interviewing a much more important role than research), don't bother.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I am burned out and exhausted and need a place to rant and get advice. =(
I am an undergraduate student majoring in Information Systems who was hired a few months ago to work in a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research lab at my university. My job consists of reviewing academic papers before submitting them for publication, conducting experiments using a variety of HCI equipment, giving lab demos to classrooms, as well as working on my own research paper that is to be submitted to an academic journal in a few months.
When one of the professors in my department asked me to take this job, I was hired to assist in the lab for 10 hours per week. About two weeks later, she increased my weekly hours to 20 because there wasn't enough time to complete everything she was giving me. I was flattered that she was happy enough with my performance to continue giving me projects to work on. Sometimes the work was very boring (performing a literature review on a topic you have no interest in is a nightmare) but I thought it would be a good experience.
As the semester went on, the professor (she's in charge of the lab) just kept giving me more and more projects. She went to HR and increased my weekly hours to 29, which is the maximum amount allowed for students at my school and it's only given in special circumstances, without even asking me if I was OK with it. However, there are many weeks where I have worked much more than this. The worst was last week, which was the week before finals, when I was in the lab 42 hours conducting experiments for her. I only got about 4 hours of sleep each night that week and could barely concentrate on my schoolwork. Since it is against HR policy to have students work more than 20 or 29 hours in one week, she told me to arrange my time sheet to make it look like I worked only 29 hours that week and then claim the additional hours later. I'm pretty sure it's illegal to do this.
While I am flattered that she is pleased with my work performance to continue giving me these projects, I feel like she is taking advantage of me. On the rare chances that I had a few hours of free time this semester, I usually used them to catch up on much-needed sleep or tried to do some sort of task that would get the research work out of my mind. It's been very difficult to enjoy myself. With winter break coming up, I thought it would be a great time to recover. However, she has already given me enough projects that will take about 30-40 hours per week throughout the break, with deadlines for each one.
I realize that the simple solution is to tell her that the work is too much and that I cannot handle everything while focusing on my classes. But at the same time, I do not want to disappoint her. She is the most prestigious professor in my department (in terms of publications, awards, experience, etc.) and is very happy with my performance. She would be an excellent reference to have and I do not want to risk harming that relationship. It's hard for me to determine if this amount of stress is worth getting a (hopefully) better job in the long run. Every company I've talked to has been very impressed by what I've been doing in the lab.
FYI, I am purposely trying to keep my job responsibilities vague to avoid revealing too much information. However, hopefully this example will give a better idea of the types of projects she gives me: In September she introduced a new research area to me (it was also new to her). She gave me 1 month to perform a comprehensive literature review and write an extended abstract to submit to an academic conference. I struggled a lot with it because she gave me no training and could not provide support due to being new to the research area as well. After submitting the abstract, she gave me many other projects to work on, and I never had a chance to work on that research again. Today the extended abstract was accepted for the conference, but the reviewers criticized it quite heavily. She told me that in the next 1-2 months I will need to come up with a research question and hypothesis, improve the literature review, create a methodology, conduct experiments to collect/analyze data, and finish writing the majority of the paper. Then, next summer, she wants me to miss out on my internship to attend the 1-week conference and give a presentation on the research. I feel like this is unrealistic for an undergraduate student. It might be a little different if she had some experience in this research area and could assist me, but she does not.
I've always wanted to go to graduate school, but if it's going to be anything like this, I'm not even going to bother applying.
Someone please tell me this is abnormal advisor behavior.<issue_comment>username_1: According to what you are describing it seems that they are by all means abusing your performances, which is not to be allowed especially when creating discomfort for the people in question (you, in the case at hand). The simple reason why this happens is that you are much *cheaper* than a PhD student or a PostDoc doing the same things you are currently doing. It is evident that the supervisors need research (or whatever other project it is) to be done and want to have it done sparing as much money as possible: this translates into addressing the job to undergraduate students who demand little (if not even none at all) pay per hour. It is unfortunately common behaviour.
Especially if you are passionate about your field do not allow such attitude; it will end up draining you out and you will associate the discomfort to science, whilst instead science is what you love and the discomfort is being caused by your advisor.
As an undergraduate student your own responsibility (for yourself) is to complete your master thesis in a affordable limited amount of time: all the rest is superfluous. Only then go into research and start doing it properly: you will have a decent salary (i. e. you will be at least paid decently for all the work you put in) and everything will be fully documented.
The above said, doing research is nevertheless complicated as it asks to conciliate your personal life with (in general) a lot of pressure of strict deadlines, lack of funds, lack of time and so on and so forth. Despite so, I believe that whoever is passionate about their topics should try to pursue the academic career.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: One of the skills you have to learn is work-life balance. You feel that your job takes up a better part of your life, and this needs to be addressed. Cut down on the job you are doing and work on that no more than 30 hrs/week. I believe you'll still have duties to get you solid 60 hrs/week total workload.
I would only advice working more than that in case of emergencies, that is, life-changing deadlines. Even then, it shouldn't last for more than two weeks.
As for the relationships with your advisor, a reasonable person should not object to you setting up your work/life balance. It might be that your advisor is pushing your limits to see if you have found this balance. It might be that you are being taken advantage of. Either way, refusing to take more tasks than you are comfortable with is a good thing to do.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: If this behavior isn't abnormal, sadly, it is certainly abhorrent.
It is not acceptable for your boss to expect you to do more than the maximum allowable hours and then lie about it on a time sheet. Your university's human resources department would take a very dim view of this if they found out about it, I expect. You are being taken advantage of and I suggest that for the same of your health and academic record, you put a stop to this behavior. It is essentially an abusive power relationship.
I fully appreciate that telling the top professor in your school/department that you won't do all the work demanded of you appears suicidal. But unless you set the boundaries, and demand they are respected, this isn't going to stop.
Your first duty is to yourself and your studies. If you feel that you need some backup, go talk to your faculty/school/department head prior to laying down your boundaries to your boss. No head of department will do anything other than take your side if he/she hears that one of their students is being asked to work beyond their contracted hours and then to lie about it.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Your health and well being is the number one thing you should look out for in all circumstances. If you are not getting 8 hours of sleep a night, whatever is causing that is extremely seldom worth it. You can get into grad school, or get a good job, or do WHATEVER you want without that specific job. Unless you need the money to live (in which case, I'm sure privately tutoring or working a nonacademic job would be better), you do NOT need this job.
That doesn't mean you should give up on the job. Talk to your adviser and explain the situation. Be firm if you need to. Either they don't know what the job is doing to you, or they don't care. If it's the former, then talking with them will remedy the problem. If it's the latter, being firm will likely remedy the situation.
If they don't care and even after talking to them and being firm, you have a few options. You can either stay and put up with it, ruining your health. You can quit. You can talk to someone higher up.
If all else fails (which it shouldn't. Most professors are reasonable. It's likely that they just don't know), I personally would put in the hours I agreed to (which is 20 in your case) and not a minute more. No matter what project doesn't get finished in time, no matter what crumbles, no matter how badly they need me, once I put in 20 hours I'm done. If a super important deadline was approaching and I just needed 20 hours and 30 minutes, that deadline just wouldn't get met. I would either get fired or they would take the hint. Either way, it's better than ruining my health. I'm not saying to do this right away of course. But if nothing else works, this is always an option.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: *Have you discussed this with your supervisor?*
An alternative perspective could be that your supervisor sees you as a highly driven, promising young researcher who deserves opportunities commensurate with your potential. The work that you are doing will indubitably help your career: industry is taking notice *and* you're producing publications. It may very well be that your supervisor is impressed with your level of work and your work rate, and willing to push you as far as you want to be pushed. She may simply not see that you may both be over-reaching.
**You should arrange to chat with your supervisor about your career ambitions and what is needed to realise them.** That would be the open, communicative, constructive way to show her that your workload is too high, but that you genuinely wish to continue in a scaled-back format. If she really is trying to abuse you for cheap research labour, it would become clear from such a conversation, but more likely you will come to more mutual understanding of each other's intentions.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: The very first thing you need to do here is stop being flattered. Seriously. The professor is mopping the floor with you and is not considering you enough of a human being to even ask before bumping your hours. And she is telling you to lie about it, and it is your ass that will be the line for your lies, because there will only be a written record by *you*. You have no written proof of her conversations, and because it's your neck on the line for lying about your hours, you will not get recompensated for it either in money or in time: this professor will *not*, I repeat *not* give you *any* time off while you are being paid since she obviously has limited amounts of funds (or she would not be leaning on an undergrad in a haphazard manner like that) and an overallotment of work. She will not give you backpay when she has nothing more to gain from it. Particularly since she has *no* respect whatsoever towards you as a person.
So stop being flattered *immediately.* You let yourself be maneuvered into a situation of complete exploitation and you need to stop this or you will never finish your studies. So sit down and make a reasonable plan of what time you need for studying and getting your *real* work done, the work for which you are paying *tuition* either in cash or by meeting targets that allow for your studies to continue.
This is your first priority. Then figure out how much time and energy that leaves you realistically to work on this professor's tasks.
Then schedule a talk with your professor. Tell her how much hours you can put in for her work since she did not bother asking. That's the number she can hire you for and that's the number you can deliver and sign for.
Be prepared that you will not get compensated for your "overtime" so far. Be prepared also that you might lose your "job" picking up everything after behind the professor on the spot and lose her goodwill. Someone as self-absorbed and egoistic as she is may well retaliate in absurd manners and pick up her next chew toy of which there seems to be no shortage. But you should be able to continue your studies in a sensible manner. Either because she accepts what you can offer, or because she declines it.
Even if she accepts, it will be your task continually to ensure you only work the times you are paid (or at least in reasonable relation to them) and to tell her "no" when some tasks she wants to throw at you cannot be done in the time you have available.
Don't put too much importance to what kind of reference she may or may not give you: undergrad references will not interest *anybody* at some later time. They are a possible talking point for future interviews, but a talking point not worth prolonging your studies significantly.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: Say **no**.
There is really nothing more to it than that.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: As a fellow undergrad, I can relate to you. I got to an ivy league university and have family needs, and severe anxiety. I do not go announcing this to the world, but I make it known that I am very interested in opportunities to work with certain faculty and what hours I can work and if I can work more, that I will. So far having approached, and sought out people who are very well known on campus has let me have more control over the situation. It seems it may be the other way around for you. Never in any case should you kiss butt. I'm telling you that's a one way ride to no respect land. One job is not worth your life. You literally have NO life. Your health is deteriorating. And I don't know what you program policy is, but students at my university cannot suddenly go from an A+ to a B- in one semester without their advisor asking them what's up. Your grades should be a top priority alongside your health. The work you've done so far has gotten your name out there and people will be more than willing ot work with you in the future. If your advisor truly values you, they will work with you. I work with the head of the crop and soil sciences department and he literally trusted me from day 1 to work with his colleagues on major research projects and the more I showed him I could do the work, the more he let me work on anything I asked and when I could. He never dictated my work schedule and I could work from home if need be because he respects and trusts me. This is the type of relationship you want. I realize your tasks are less independant and require a lab, but ideally you should be left alone to work at your own pace. Not hounded for more and more hours. Considering it costs probably $2 an hour to hire you (I'm assuming you use fed. funded work study), I also would errr on the side of caution that this may be the case. My boss was very upfront that if it were not for me, his side projects would never get done because he has NO time and can't afford another full time worker in his department. So hiring me is cheap, but he treats me well, and I have no issues maintaining an A+ average and having time for my partner, friends and family. Sleep is crucial for mental and emotional well being and without it, I'd probably go crazy and kill someone :P so I don't know how you're doing it. I mean I would have literally collapsed due to anxiety attacks. So take my advice and put your foot down. If they aren't concerned about your academics...they're very selfish in my opinion. My boss is ALWAYS asking me how my semester is going.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: Looks like riding her students till the last drop of blood made her the top professor at the faculty.
I found myself in similar situations a couple of times. My way out was to find a reason **beyond my control** why I can't go on like that. The best "excuse" that worked for me was saying that I was feeling sick and the doctor I visited said I have to slow down, get 8 hours of sleep per day, etc. Another one was saying that I had to prioritize some other work (my personal research project, internship, finals, another job, etc.) because my family presses me to do so or because I had set a certain goal and I made a promise to myself to reach it no matter what.
It would also help a lot if you could find or recommend another student to take a part of that workload from you. Then you will be approaching your boss **not** with a **problem**, but with a **solution**.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_9: >
> The worst was last week, which was the week before finals, when I was
> in the lab 42 hours conducting experiments for her. I only got about 4
> hours of sleep each night that week and could barely concentrate on my
> schoolwork. Since it is against HR policy to have students work more
> than 20 or 29 hours in one week, she told me to arrange my time sheet
> to make it look like I worked only 29 hours that week and then claim
> the additional hours later. I'm pretty sure it's illegal to do this.
>
>
>
Work as a graduate student can be trying, the hours long, the remuneration poor, and the value of a successful outcome is increasingly suspect. However, that is not the problem here. You are presumably legally an adult at this point in your life and if you decide that working outlandishly long hours is acceptable then the opinion of no one else matters.
No, the problem here is that you are being asked to knowingly utter a fraudulent document. And that is, quite beside being the antithesis of academic integrity, a criminal offence. You are in a position where you have no choice but to refuse this demand/request. Because if you do not then you are completely compromised with respect to future requests or similar, and perhaps more exploitive/illicit natures.
Frankly, I have some doubts about your judgement in this matter. Forty-two hours in the lab doing somebody else's research during the week before finals? What were your results like?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_10: As an undergrad, I did absolutely crazy schedules, sometimes even worse than you described (yes, sometimes down to 2 hours of sleep, sometimes none at all). But it was **my** decision. And, when I realised that, on the long run, it was not such a good style of life (I did that for about a year), I pedaled down.
What I do not think is that I would have run for such a long period on such an **externally** driven pressure. You're an absolutely admirable student, one that anyone would like to have. However, I strictly send my group members into weekend, and never, unless it is an emergency, I call or contact them on the weekend with the expectation to respond (I may send off emails on Sundays if that's the time I have to process them, but I do not expect a response before Monday). And, when I do actually need their help on a weekend, I invite them to a dinner afterwards or let them take a day off during the week. Accepting the need of one's people rest is essential, no matter how ambitious one may be.
If you decide, on your own, to work far over hours, that's fine. But self-destruction is not, and even less so when on external behest, ambition or not.
I suggest saying that you need to increase focus on your studies and will have to reduce the workload at this stage until it's over. But don't promise you will increase it later on if you have no intention to or are not sure whether you would do it.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_11: Who do you submit your time sheets to? Is there a departmental secretary who handles them? I would recommend going to her/him for advice. They'll likely know how your supervisor would react to you telling her that you can't handle the work load and could potentially give you advice on how and when to have the conversation with your supervisor. If that doesn't work or isn't feasible, consider going to HR.
I've been in this situation recently, so here's what I ended up saying.
[Name], I appreciate how pleased you are with my work. I am really grateful for the opportunities that this job has given me. However, I am concerned that this recent increase in my hours is interfering with my ability to perform well in my courses. I can only work X hours a week. I understand that things need to get done by a certain time, but I cannot work Y hours a week. I am uncomfortable with not reporting my time accurately.
Upvotes: 1
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2015/12/11
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<issue_start>username_0: Does anyone know if there exists a tool to generate the trend of interest in a particular research field over time?
I am particularly interested in wearable computing. I know this field has been hot for the last few years, I would like a measure of this “hotness” using academic publications relating to this area. i.e. the number of publications related to the keyword *Wearable Computing.*
Is there a tool that shows the trend of publications in an particular topic similar to how Google keeps track of keywords that people searches for?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/dE0Ne.png)
Note: I am specifically interested in technical research field, such that papers that would get published in IEEE or some computer science journals.<issue_comment>username_1: It's not a tech-heavy corpus, but JSTOR's DFR does exactly what you want for the JSTOR collection.
<http://dfr.jstor.org/?cs=any%3Awearable+&fs=ktm1&view=chart>
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0NK4w.png)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I use [Scopus](http://www.scopus.com/) quite a lot and it provides the ability to analyze keywords (there is a link to 'Analyze search results'):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BNjTw.png)
I was able to quickly obtain this plot for publications per year for the keyword 'wearable computing':
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0XERz.jpg)
It can also be restricted to particular sources. For example
this one for 'wearable computing' in 'IEEE Pervasive computing':
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OEd47.png)
Unfortunately you need a subscription to access Scopus.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2015/12/12
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<issue_start>username_0: I just started my Ph.D. in fall 2015 in a very good, high-ranking school in the United States. However, my advisor and I were not able to work together and I did not like her way of advising, since she uses negative reinforcement. She was harsh, annoying, and trying to get into my personal life. I do not have a co-supervisor.
I started to think about changing school because of her and I applied to different schools but for some reasons I think she got in the middle, because the schools I applied to have raised many questions about why am I transferring! On one occasion, before I applied, I found an advisor and I told him my situation and he agreed to take me (not in writing, though), but then suddenly I received a rejection letter from the school.
I am not sure what to do, I like studying and I like working in research, but my advisor make me sick. She destroy my positive side and now she is in the middle between me and other schools. Hence, I told her that I am not working for her anymore. What should I do in this situation.<issue_comment>username_1: Doing a PhD is not just a meeting of trained minds over an academic problem, it is a meeting of two personalities. Sometimes the relationship falters on this count. What you're experiencing is not uncommon.
Like any relationship, it takes time to learn about the other person. You stated in fall, but you've already decided to quit, telling your advisor you won't work with her. That was perhaps a little hasty. It might be possible to patch things up, perhaps with a mediator. This way you could express the difficulties you're facing with your advisor's style. Getting into your private life is almost always unacceptable, for instance, and you could express this.
Whether you choose to attempt a reconciliation or to move on, you need to have in your mind a clear expression of the reasons why you couldn't work with this advisor, and they should be specific, concrete and clear. Because the questions you are now getting from other schools are completely reasonable and you have to answer them. Just telling a potential new advisor that you just didn't get along with your old advisor, is going to raise alarm bells. Why then should the relationship be any different between you and the new advisor, especially when things don't go right at times with the research?
I'd be careful about claiming your old advisor is getting between you and new advisors without definite proof. The sort of questions you are facing are probably the ones I'd be asking you in the circumstances. In the case you mentioned in your comment, I think you are justified for asking for a reason for the sudden reversal.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: To be perfectly honest, **if a student came to me wanting to transfer, with the complaints you have stated above, I would want to hear the other side of the story.**
Yes, there are bad advisors out there, and sometimes personality clashes just happen. This can be a reason for switching to a different advisor. However, there are several things that would cause me to be concerned here.
* **You are giving up on the program very quickly.**
* **You seem to be immediately going to the option of changing institutions**, rather than the more common approach of changing advisors within the institution. Why is this? Does it mean people closer to the situation don't agree with your take on it?
* **You have lots of very bad things to say about your advisor, yet few specific complaints.** What are the actual inappropriate things that your advisor did?
+ **Many of the complaints seem to be about style**: "negative reinforcement", "harsh". It can be quite hard to work with someone whose style doesn't match yours. However, in all but the most extreme situations, this is something you should learn to work around, rather grounds for refusing to work with the person.
+ **Many of the complaints are attacks, without any substance**: "[she] makes me sick", "[she] destroyed my positive side".
+ **The one concrete complaint you have, that the advisor is "trying to get into my personal life", is potentially a serious breach of professionalism**. But again, without specifics, the merit of your complaint is hard to judge. Has she crossed a line, or are you misreading an attempt to be friendly (e.g. chatting about non-work subjects)?
* **Your initial stance is to 100% blame her for the situation**, but after further discussion in the comments you admitted that you were not fully prepared for the program.
I'm not saying that you are wrong. Maybe you are right and the advisor is just terrible. Terrible advisors do exist--but people who wrongly blame others for their situation also do exist. Someone who doesn't know you is not just going to take your side of the story at face value. They will also want to find out more about the situation.
**The new institution contacting your current institution and current advisor would almost certainly be part of any transfer during a PhD program.** This doesn't imply that your advisor wrongly inserted herself in the middle of the situation. It is normal. If there was a sudden switch from verbally agreeing to accept you, to your application being declined, this may well explain it.
Upvotes: 3
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2015/12/12
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<issue_start>username_0: I recently presented at a conference abroad (my first one), and the entry fee was $50 USD. Now, as this was my first conference, the concept of paying to present at a conference is still a foreign one to me. I can't really wrap my head around submitting an abstract, it getting accepted and then paying to present about the work mentioned in it. So my question is fairly straightforward. What is the purpose of a presenter paying for a conference? Isn't it for the greater good not to have barriers for showcasing research?
**Edit**: I see this question has generated of a lot of discussion. Let me explain some of my reasoning in choosing the accepted answer. In the region I am from (the Caribbean), due to economic hardships finding the money to pay for conferences deters many young scientists from even thinking about attending. The conferences themselves generate a fairly significant audience from graduate students, faulty members and the general public wishing to understand the scientific concepts presented (all of whom enter for free). I can't help but think how much more productive the scientific activity in the region would be if the people wanting to present didn't have to pay. Many of you are saying that $50 USD is nothing, but are neglecting the various exchange rates it takes to obtain said money. At an exchange rate of 121 to 1, $50 USD could buy me food for 2-3 weeks in my home country. I asked this question without any mention of these things because, in the most general sense, paying for conferences seems, to me, to only provide barriers to sharing results and boosting academic (read scientific) activity, and I wanted to have an idea of what others thought about a (somewhat one dimensional) version of this idea.<issue_comment>username_1: It costs a lot of money to put conferences on. Generally, the fees are to help cover this.
In many fields, the majority of people attending are also presenting. If they didn't charge people to present, they wouldn't be able to generate enough revenue from attendees to make it work.
Note that $50 is very cheap for an academic conference--in my experience, most cost hundreds of dollars. Even then, in many cases the conference fees don't cover the whole cost of the conference, and the difference has to be made up with sponsorship or from other sources.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: Some journals do not seek a fee from you to publish your paper, even though they might incur costs in the processing of your paper or in its publication. However, a paper presentation at a conference is quite different because, aside from the costs in the processing of your paper or in its publication (in the conference proceedings), the conference organizers also have additional costs (for the venue, the food, the honoraria paid to the invited speakers, etc.). Think of it as paying for your attendance to the conference, that is, payment is required for everyone attending the conference, including those who present papers (except of course, the organizers and the invited speakers).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: I had your same reaction at my first conference. Now, I have just finished helping to organize a small conference (computer science). As @dan1111 wrote, conference *really* do not come for free.
These are typical items you need to cover with the registration fees:
* Room costs (if the conference is held at a conference center / hotel; credits @Andrew)
* Welcome reception
* Coffee breaks
* Lunches
* Social dinner
* Water for the speakers
* Accommodation for keynote speakers
* Printed proceedings (common to have them in CS)
* Excursions (small excursions are often included in the fees. Sometimes they are partially covered by the fees to offer a discount to the participants) including transportation
* Best paper award
Some conferences cover the registration fees to the organizers, as well (not in our case).
Also keep in mind that for small-to-medium conferences, you can never guess the number of participants with high accuracy. If you pay for 80 participants to the catering service but only 50 participants show up, you lose the money.
Finally, sometimes you just have a wrong guess and make some little profit out of the registrations. That money often goes back to the organizing university (or the societies) to hopefully cover up for other research-related expenses.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: As the other answers say, conferences cost money to present, and so they have to charge to recoup their expenses.
But there's another thing to think about. You paid the $50, right? If you didn't believe you were getting at least $50 worth of value from the presentation, then you wouldn't have paid.
If I offered you the opportunity to present your talk in my living room, while my kids played video games around you, you presumably wouldn't have paid $50. (If you would, then please email me. We'll talk.) Less ridiculously, there are many other conferences that you wouldn't pay $50 to present at, because they're not relevant to you (landscaping golf courses? String theory?) or because they don't have the right people, or are in the wrong place; you've made the decision that they don't offer you $50 worth of value, while this conference does.
So it's not merely your presentation that you're paying for. You've made the decision that presenting your abstract to the people at the conference, with the attendant benefits of exposure, conversation, feedback, or whatever else it was that you value, was worth $50.
We don't know everything you consider in this choice, but it was a choice. The point is that you've already made the decision that you're getting at least $50 worth of value out of this.
So the simple answer to your question, "Why do we pay to present at conferences?" is that there's been a general agreement that the presenting at certain conferences has value to us.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: The fact, that why are you supposed to pay and where does that money go, has been covered at most in other answers. It definitely justifies the fees from the perspective of an organizer. However, the other perspective is probably more related to you as well as of greater importance for the participants, especially the presenters of their work. In other words, what does one get from a conference which can not be achieved otherwise? hence, justifies the money paid, agreed?
This is more about the essence of the conference. The simple most answer is, it's the opportunity that conferences provide. Moreover, conferences are favored over journals because of the valuable instant feedback from fellow researchers in the field. Getting an earlier feedback is vital for the initial stages of research which can be best accomplished through conferences. Another important factor is to have an opportunity to grow your network, which is not only beneficial in research and collaboration but also is fundamental to getting job in academia.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: First off I would like to say: apparently my experience is not normal. From most of the answers/comments on here it seems most people pay to present at conferences. I guess I'll recognize that in fairness.
However...that has not been my experience with conferences in the computer programming field. Yes, conferences cost money to put on...which is why people **attending** them pay money. A person **presenting** is *part of the conference*...what the people *attending* are *paying* to see! That's like charging an actor admission to their theater performance...they **are** the performance!
I have not personally paid to speak at conferences.
---
EDIT: Many in the comments have said this is academic vs. business. I do not think this is correct. I believe it is field vs. field. In the last conference I presented at the only presenters that weren't actively in academia at that moment were myself and a representative from Adobe. In fact it was neat because it resulted in myself getting to invited to speak at some colleges...which I also did not pay to do :)
I think at this point, mixing my experiences with the experiences explained on this thread, it would seem that if you're in a field with enough people attending conferences where you can have a distinct set of "presenters" vs. "attenders" then the presenters will likely not pay. If the community in your field is small enough that getting together enough people for a conference pretty much means most of the "attenders" WILL be "presenters" then you're likely gonna have to pay your share of setting up the conference. I'm sure there's also fields in-between where you may pay a lesser rate or here it's hit-and-miss from conference to conference on whether you'll be paying to present.
In the end it seems experiences vary WIDELY on this subject.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_6: Paid by the particular niche commnunity
---------------------------------------
The way many academic conferences work, it's a gathering made by a certain circle/niche of researchers for themselves. The conference is not for showcasing research to outsiders, it is for exchanging research between themselves.
One way or another, having such a gathering costs some money. Generally, no one outside that niche community is interested the conference. This means that the research community itself is going to pay for it one way or another is they want this event, and the simplest and possibly fairest way is to have all participants chip in to cover the expenses.
The other alternative is if some organization of that research niche is able and willing to sponsor the expenses for everyone - in many cases a host institution will provide facilities and/or organization&hosting labor for free, so that the participation fee is needed only for things such as food/catering and invited speakers and thus can be very low such as $50 per participant.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: I can think of a couple of factors
1. At many smaller conferences most of the attendees will be presenting something.
2. It's often easier to get your university to pay for you to go to a conference if you are presenting and very difficult if you are not (which leads to point 1)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: Apart from paying to attend a conference, it is increasingly common to pay for submitting an abstract.
Why? Because processing abstracts incurs costs on organisers. There is computer infrastructure, more than one person will read the abstract, abstracts may need to be typeset to fit into a printed abstract book and/or on an online system, etc. As submitting an abstract is typically a necessary requirement for presenting at a conference, an abstract submission fee is effectively a conference presentation fee, *on top* of the regular conference attendance fee.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I have not read many of the answers, but I am pretty sure I present a unique point of view, which needs to be said my way.
Just like my above mentioned emotion, my research has something unique to say. Most Journals in the Finance area where I publish continue to charge fees , in obvious disparity to other fields for entertaining your paper and allocating time and resources of an editor and reviewer. These two asides are required to understand the context of my answer. I understand the answer could have been structured with the main idea presented first but apparently most readers also like to factcheck parts of an answer before reading it. Allowing journals and conferences sto charge for presentation does not imply we are paying indiscriminately for editorial arbitrariness as below mentioned comments would read. The payment significantly reduces the workload of the editors and allows the submitter to a journal or conference confirm he is worthy of the paper as he pays the fees. That he does not do so or the editor does not follow his given brief that leads to no guarantees from this fact alone does not reduce the merit of this argument or its empirical results. Most paid journals are higher ranked.
I think conferences force you to pay so that they are relatively sure that your paper has something valuable to present to the world. Given that others have paid to hear you , the content of your presentation need to be vetted . This is assured by using a single/double blind paper review but due to the presence of alternate views and because of the human ness of any reviewer, the peer review process is inadequate to test the veracity of the rpresented research. However, in combination with the fact that as a researcher I have to scour for funding for every conference submission, and the peer review process from a known researcher, I make the attempt to produce Original research with enough facts to relate and appeal to an audience which may not be my objective if I was engaged in just pure research which could get published in home school research journals without any conference inputs and wihtout verifying it with researchers.
The second reason we pay to present at conferences is entirely logistical. It is difficult for a conference to pay for the location and various arrangements without participants defraying expenses of the conference / association. Of course the base rate for the conference is usually highly related to the reputation of the Conference and thus reason 1 is much more important.
Also I can relate to the researcher posing the question as it is entirely impossible for me to pay for any conference out of pocet and I have to arrange for funding every time I travel.
On the flip side of course, there are conferences where quality material is foregone as the pnumber of paying researchers is limite but that is just a function of still not having enough conferences in the world to present your research given the number of researchers joining ranks every year and getting aware of and using research methods effectively.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: So I had my phone on me while taking my final and one of the TAs asked if I did which I admitted to having it; he then just asked me to place it on the desk next to me and leave it there for the rest of the test, which I obliged. Then, once I turned in my final, the TA set my test aside from the rest of the other tests.
After looking at the test solutions that were given after turning the test in, I can confirm that I only got one right.
Do you think that I will be referred to the dean of my school for allegedly cheating as I got caught with having my phone on me during a test (which is obviously prohibited), yet if you look at my test, I still had failed?
Like would my professor feel the need to after seeing that I only got one right?
* *I was sitting in a way where my phone lay on the seat within the gap between my legs, which is how I always sit. With this I do tend to look down and start to tap the seat through my thigh gap (hopefully it's not to hard to visualize) which may look suspicious. The TA caught me around the last 45 minutes of a 3 hour period. And with my phone resting on the other desk, I still sat the way I did and still did the whole tapping thing, to which I knew he saw because he was within my peripheral sight - probably checking up on me specifically. (if this help paint the scenario better)*<issue_comment>username_1: **Updated after clarification from OP**
Your performance on the test will be irrelevant. If you failed the test while cheating, it would just suggest you didn't do a very good job of cheating, but that hardly negates the action.
From the way you relate what happened, your actions are indistinguishable from someone cheating. In fact, I'm very skeptical of your story... you were in an exam and had your phone hidden on your seat between your legs and you just happened to be looking down and tapping. This is very odd behavior in an exam since you must realize it is indistinguishable from cheating. Also, it makes the idea that you forgot you had your phone implausible since you had it out and on the seat right where you were looking.
I would certainly expect at least a zero on the exam, and depending on the professor/TA a report to the dean. You must realize how implausible your story sounds, right? Your typical exam taking behavior is to take your phone out, hide it on your seat between your legs and look down and tap on it? No professor is going to buy this story.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: The most reasonable assumption is that you *were* trying to cheat, but still failed (or got caught before you had a chance for the cheating to do you any good). And yes, you should be reported, though some TAs may not feel it is worth the hassle.
The reason you *should* be reported is, if you have a history of doing this but it has never gone on record, then when you get caught a second time (possibly in a situation where it *does* make a difference), it could be treated as a first offence when it is, in reality, anything but.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: It's been a long time since I've seen exam rules that did not include a prohibition against use of electronic devices. So, you were presumably in contravention of the exam rules whether your phone contained answers or not.
If electronic devices were prohibited, you *should be* referred for violating the rules. Even if there was no rule, you *could be* referred for cheating because of your suspicious actions.
Whether you *will be* depends on the TA's tolerance for hassle. Since the TA took note of your actions and took action, it would be a good guess that you *will be.* And you will deserve it whether you were cheating or not because you gave the appearance of cheating.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I don't think it's possible to say whether you will be reported to the dean. There also seems to be doubt as to the truth of your intentions with the phone. I don't think it's possible to know your intentions from what you posted.
But, lesson learned. Next time, turn off your phone, put it in your bag, and keep it out of sight. TAs and professors aren't OK with the constant intrusion of phones into the learning environment...especially during tests.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I understand most parts of the hiring process for an academic job, except for the reference check. How do they check it, who checks it, and when do they check it? Do they check what we write in the cover letter, cv, teaching/research statement, etc.? Do they run a background check, credit score check on you?<issue_comment>username_1: At my institution in the United States, reference checks are done by members of the search committee for the position, who call those people the candidate has listed as references. We use a structured list of questions, ending with, "is there anything we should know that I haven't asked you?"
We verify academic credentials by requiring official transcripts, including those from undergraduate institutions.
The institution separately does a criminal record background check, handled by the university police department. The candidate must explicitly authorize this, in writing. But, of course, we cannot consider candidates who will not agree to the background check. As far as I know, there is no credit check for faculty jobs. There probably *is* a credit check for anyone who handles money.
Finally, the institution does a driving record check every year. This is because we are covered by the university's insurance when driving university vehicles or driving our personal vehicles on university business.
What I've written (except the bit about the driving record) applies to people being *hired* into a tenure-track position. Applications for promotion or tenure for those already on the faculty are much different.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't *think* I'm the least-aware of bureaucratic activities at my university, but, for faculty or even postdoc positions, I have not been aware of any transcript-checking (either grad or undergrad) or phone-calling references or criminal background or driving record or credit checks.
It is conceivable that some of this is happening, but I've never heard a peep about it, while I know that some people who were hired had some credit problems, driving issues, and so on, so I don't know what, if anything, the central administration is doing with whatever info they do check.
I think essentially all the people we've hired for the 30+ years I've been here have had PhD advisors well-known to at least one of my colleagues... which, while not guaranteeing credit or driving virtues, guarantees something about mathematical competence.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Before we hire anyone for a tenured position, we not only consider the letters provided by the candidate's chosen references but we also request letters from additional experts in the candidate's research area. These experts are chosen by our department's personnel committee without consulting the candidate. No transcripts are involved; by the time someone is qualified for a tenured position, transcripts are ancient history. As for information in the candidate's CV, we generally presume that it's accurate unless we encounter evidence to the contrary. I believe the university conducts a background check, but I don't know how much it includes; my guess would be that they only look for any criminal records, not credit reports or driving records.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I'm the chair of my (US public computer science) department's recruiting committee. At my university there are a few types of checks:
* **Recommendation letters.** For assistant professor candidates, we request letters only from names that the applicant suggests in their application. But for anything more senior, we also request letters from people the applicant does *not* propose; in fact, a strict majority of the reference letters must come from people *not* suggested by the applicant.
* **Public academic record.** We definitely look at the applicant's actual publications, but we may look at externally curated records of your publication, citation, and/or funding history. For example, in computer science, essentially all publications are indexed in [DBLP](http://dblp.uni-trier.de/), and citations are most accurately tracked by [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/); we may check those sites. (Other fields use different databases.) Similarly, for tenured applicants, we may directly consult [NSF's database of funded grant proposals](http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/). If an applicant has taught at an institution that publishes [teaching evaluations](https://hkn.eecs.berkeley.edu/coursesurveys), we may also look at those. We don't do these checks to *verify* factual information in the cover letter, CV, statements, and so on, but rather to get an independent and more consistent view of the applicants' records that helps us make direct comparisons.
* **Criminal background check.** These are conducted by the state police on behalf of the university after an applicant accepts a contingent offer.
We do not request transcripts (even for assistant professors) or credit checks. Also, unlike username_1's department/university, we do not *call* references for tenure-track faculty positions; we require all recommendations in writing.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I’m working on a paper and I realized I do not have an adequate dataset (for reference, this is in a subfield of machine learning), nor do I have the time to personally go and create one. A colleague and friend of mine offered to collect the data and give it to me, as it would be useful as a benchmark for some of his own experiments later.
In this case, “collecting data” means finding and equipping participants with technology to monitor them perform a simple task for a brief amount of time (5 min).
Since this colleague is a personal friend whom I’ve worked with in the past, I have no qualms about listing him as a coauthor (and will most certainly do so, unless it is unethical for some reason). I am curious as to the general case of whether providing someone with an unpublished dataset is insufficient, sufficient or should guarantee coauthorship. I should emphasise that in my field, data is not something that begets the results but rather serves as a test to determine if a proposed technique or algorithm is well-suited to the task outlined by the data.
To put it simply: is providing data enough of a contribution to warrant coauthorship? Would it be unethical to list someone as a coauthor if they only created the dataset?<issue_comment>username_1: Obviously standards vary across fields. In some physical sciences, providing the data might not rise to authorship if the process of obtaining them was not considered significant creative work. Something similar would hold in many of the social sciences unless the data were really something special. In biology, my understanding is that providing new unpublished data would *certainly* warrant coauthorship and that providing old published data is often enough to clear the bar.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The [Vancouver protocol](http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html) gives authorship according to the following criteria:
>
> Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the **acquisition**, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
>
>
> Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
>
>
> Final approval of the version to be published; AND
>
>
> Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
>
>
>
So collecting data fulfills the first criteria. Therefore, the nice thing to do is to offer a co-authorship for your colleague. It is then up to him or her to decide whether he or she would like participate, which would entail fulfilling the other three criteria as well.
>
> In this case, “collecting data” means finding and equipping participants with technology to monitor them perform a simple task for a brief amount of time (5 min).
>
>
>
Be careful not to underestimate the amount of time needed to recruit participants. The recruiter usually has to write several emails and advertisements, answer phone calls, brief and debrief the participants, prepare and take written informed consents, etc.
In answer to the comment, if your colleague accepts the co-authorship, ask him or her to write about the data collection, participants, motivation and possible limitations of the test, how the results can be interpreted and so on. [Machine learning that matters](http://icml.cc/2012/papers/298.pdf) should communicate something back to problem domain. This would be sufficient to fulfill the second Vancouver criteria.
Anyway, some fields have very different conventions, so your mileage may vary.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I have had some discussions with a director of mathematics at a local 4-year college, and he has verbally offered me a teaching role. We've gotten closer, and he has sold it pretty aggressively to me.
My guess is that, without my having a PhD, I would probably help teach anything from pre-calculus up to linear algebra, and probably even real analysis - I've seen some PhD students at this college teach analysis, which is perhaps a warning sign that the infrastructure of this department is perhaps not so good. A quick check at the faculty directory lists a great deal of adjunct faculty. I would likely be added to this list.
So, my question is: is it unheard of to get "tenured" without a PhD? To be specific, I wouldn't mind teaching at this college for the rest of my life; I love math, I get along with this professor, and I get to live in a big city that I plan to grow old in. Do I have any real shot at getting a salary, plus benefits?
Note that I will likely have at most my Master's degree in math -- from a top-ranked school. I know that I will eventually ask these serious questions to him directly, but I would love some general knowledge from this community in advance.
Thanks,<issue_comment>username_1: If the offer is a *full-time position*, then yes, you can count on benefits including retirement, health, and dental, that's a given. If it's part-time, it's unlikely.
You could get tenure, but you would need to be hired into a tenure-line position which are less and less common these days and, excepting fields lacking terminal PhDs, you would almost certainly need a PhD. Math would not be one of these (but art, for instance, would).
In full-time lecturer/instructor positions, you can get multiyear contracts, especially after a few years, but that will be highly dependent on individual policies (and some schools may in fact offer tenure to non-PhDs, I'm just not personally aware of it). At my institution, you get promotion: *lecturer* (one year contracts) to *senior lecturer* (three year contracts) to *distinguished lecturer* (never known anyone to get it).
As an part-time adjunct, you are generally hired on an as-needed basis each semester, and depending on enrollment numbers, your courses may be cancelled with little warning shortly prior to the start of the semester, so income can't be well guaranteed.
If this guy wants you, just ask him the questions (or take a look at policies which ought to be on the website of the college).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Do I have any real shot at getting a salary, plus benefits?
>
>
>
Possibly, if you get them immediately. Since the director you mention seems to really want to hire you, I would certainly try to negotiate for this. You *guess* that you would be adjunct faculty, but it's kind of strange to try to guess. You should ask for details about the position for which you're being recruited, including benefits and approximate pay.
I would certainly not accept a job offer, even verbally, without knowing how much I would be paid and what the benefits were. I would also not accept employment there if the starting pay and benefits were terrible; unfortunately, they're likely to modestly improve with time, at best.
If the compensation offered ends up meeting your expectations, then congratulations!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In my experience, very few 4-year ("university") institutions in the United States still offer tenured positions to faculty without terminal degrees in their field (except in very unusual circumstances). In mathematics, the terminal degree is a PhD, and you will find that virtually all schools require a PhD in their job advertisements for tenure-track faculty. Sometimes an EdD is acceptable or even desired for teacher-preparation positions.
So, if you want to go into university teaching with only a master's you need to be aware first and foremost that you are not on the "usual track".
### History
In the past, it was not uncommon for non-research-intensive institutions, such as regional comprehensive universities, to hire permanent faculty with a master's degree and give them tenure. This was partially due to a focus on teaching, rather than research, and partially due to difficulty attracting candidates to more remote, rural locations where these institutions are often located. Some institutions still have older professors who were tenured under this system, perhaps hired in the 1970s.
The historical factors are no longer as pressing. Even at non-research-intensive schools, there is more pressure for research than in the past. And there are so many new PhD graduates each year that the job market for tenure-track jobs is already saturated with them, even at non-prestigious schools. Institutions also have some pressure from accreditors to have courses taught by faculty with terminal degrees.
### Options for master's degree holders
There are still two realistic options for finding mathematics faculty positions with only a master's degree:
* Some institutions, particularly larger ones, hire a number of full-time "instructors". These positions are usually not tenured, but they are often full-time (w/ benefits) and on renewable contracts.
* Community-college still often hire faculty with master's degrees, in my experience. These institutions often have their own version of "tenure" (which may go by another name).
To maximize your chance of getting a position at these institutions, you need to focus on building a strong vita in teaching. Community colleges, in particular, are often looking for a very different skill set than 4-year universities.
There are also part-time ("adjunct") jobs, where you are paid by the course. These typically don't have benefits, often do have lower salary, and according to many accounts they are a very difficult way to make a living.
### Things to consider
In the job market, you have to watch out for yourself and be your own advocate. The director mentioned in the question may genuinely believe he is offering you a good position, but he probably has other pressures as well, such as finding instructors for all the courses. So be careful to do your own research into the department. If the department has faculty without a PhD teaching real analysis, that is not a deal-breaker, but it is a red flag that needs to be investigated.
You always need to pay close attention to the salary and job security in these positions, which vary greatly between institutions. For example, some institutions have strong unions, which lead to job security that is comparable to tenure. Others have essentially no job security. Salary also varies widely (it won't ever be extremely high, but it could moderate or extremely low). Beyond your starting salary and benefits, you also want to investigate whether the institution has a regular policy for raises for non-tenure-track faculty, if you are planning to keep the job for a while.
If you are also considering PhD studies, you should be aware that teaching for several years with a master's is not likely to help your odds for admission to a PhD program later. The job options for a PhD are also very different, which is not to say that they are always better. So you should take time to decide what track is best for you, before making a commitment to either one.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: The Overleaf website has a LaTeX template IEEE Transactions. Does it fully support the format as desired by IEEE?<issue_comment>username_1: According to Overleaf, **yes**. The top of their [gallery page](https://www.overleaf.com/gallery/tagged/academic-journal) states:
>
> Here we provide a selection of academic journal templates for articles and papers which automatically format your manuscripts in the style required for submission to that journal.
>
>
>
For what it is worth, the IEEEtran template looks identical to the one that one would [download from the IEEE](https://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/authors/author_templates.html) for the Computer Society. Given how easy it is for Overleaf to keep the template file up to date and the loss of users they may suffer from providing invalid templates, there isn't really a strong reason to suspect that they do not have the correct version for use there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: These are the templates tagged as IEEE Official: <https://www.overleaf.com/gallery/tagged/ieee-official>, but I also recommend to download the latest LaTeX template from IEEE's website and upload it to Overleaf as a zip.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: For the proofreading of my thesis I've used the help of a paid lector.
My question is, if it's normal practice to include this person into the acknowledgements of the thesis?<issue_comment>username_1: I acknowledged my two volunteer proofreaders, but probably would not acknowledge a paid lector unless he went above and beyond what the fee covered.
In the case of acknowledgments, I think a safe rule is if you're not sure, put it in. After all, you could type, "Thanks to <NAME> for proofreading," faster than asking this question.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If you're happy with the lectors work, you should also be happy to give him this reference.
The only thing in your thesis that will likely ever be read again are abstract and acknowledgements.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: We’re currently publishing a preview of a paper we’ve just gotten accepted to a conference and of the five of us, one member started an Arxiv submission application first. This means that the rest of us were not able to submit an application in lieu of his, even though he did not have the final version of the paper. In submitting the work to Arxiv, he actually switched the originally alphabetical authorship so that his name went first.
How can you force someone to remove their submission? We keep texting him, but he is ignoring us, and if this continues, this falsely authored version will be what is published and out there, but different from the legitimate version of the paper.<issue_comment>username_1: **Make sure this is actually malicious. If so Contact arXiv.**
For co-authored papers every author should be an owner of the paper. Usually, the person who submitted the paper gives the other authors the password. It sounds like that will be problematic in this case, but you can [claim ownership](https://arxiv.org/help/authority) of your paper without the password through the arXiv system. (This will require manual intervention from someone at arXiv.)
On the contact form there you should probably explain exactly the situation. They are going to be the only ones who can properly address and sort through what is going on.
Needless to say, you should make absolutely sure that this rogue coauthor is intending to do this and it is not some sort of mistake. It seems like extremely odd behavior since the paper is already submitted with the correct authorship, so it's quite easy to prove he has changed the order. Also, once you bring this to the arXiv's attention it could have consequences for this coauthor, such as getting banned from submitting papers, etc, so make sure the act really is malicious before doing this.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I see two possible ways:
* Wait until the “real” paper is published and contact the ArXiv.
* Try to obtain the paper password. Every author gets such a password after a successfull ArXiv submission to share with their coauthors. One function is that coauthors can officially register themselves as authors; the other one is that authors can update the paper, including the order of authors.
Two notes:
* The situation you describe is ripe with escalation. I suggest by all means to carify the situation before acting, as the latter has a high potential to exacerbate matters.
* I am not aware of any case where ArXiv author order matters in lieu of the order on the actual paper. The main incentive I would have to fix such things is to avoid confusion, as papers are often identified by their author order.
Upvotes: 3
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2015/12/13
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<issue_start>username_0: I had written to a well know professor in my field of study regarding a possible PhD position. He responded and asked for references. I was dumb enough to respond to this mail after 4 days. It has been two weeks since the last email and I never heard from the professor.
1. Is it a good idea to send a follow up email?
2. Do you think the delay in responding to his mail would have spoiled my chances?<issue_comment>username_1: No, the delay didn't spoil your chances, and no, don't write a followup.
The prof wasn't waiting for your reply, and didn't expect it to come the next day. If he is "well known", he may get dozens of applications *every week*, plus hundreds of other emails. He likely didn't notice the delay, but just processed the daily flood of messages.
Even if he did remember when your first mail came, he knows that compiling a good application with references takes time. You usually have to write a reference yourself and find a professor who knows you at least by sight to sign it. You could have been out of town for a job interview, ill, etc., there are a million very legitimate reasons why you didn't have it ready by the next day.
If he actually has an open position in which you might've fit, he has surely checked your references, and didn't like them. If not, there is little you, or he, could do.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Well I was in a very similar situation. I applied to Germany and X offered me a position. I had two interviews from Y and Z coming up the next week, so I decided to wait till I got them over with which turned out to be a very very bad idea. I sent a mail to X mentioning I need some time to think over the offer. The interviews gone bad. I decided to take the position offered by X. I sent a mail and the response was
>
> We decided to give the position to another applicant. Good luck in your search.
>
>
>
I have every reason to doubt that you are in hot waters. Replying late unless you really had strong grounds to do such an act will seriously affect your chances of getting admitted. **First**, there are others like you who have applied. **Second**, its unwise to expect them to wait this long for a seemingly simple reply.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Good question.
Yes, the delay may have affected your chances, but I wouldn't worry about it either way, as you can never know. The professor might not even have noticed as he was away. Alternately, he may be very attentive to such things and ruled you out. Even if he did notice, it might only have made a slight impact on his views - it is not implausible that he would assume that you had to contact referees about references, for example. With this said, I have the impression that fast replies are the way to go, so you should probably try to ensure you reply faster in future situations of this nature.
I think that you should contact him as you have nothing to lose, and much to gain. Plus, you signal that you are very interested by following up. In terms of how to do it, I would start by politely apologising for taking his time (i.e., sorry to bother you...). I also apologise for taking so long to respond to his initial reply and explain why this happened. I would then ask if he could let me know about the likelihood of getting the position, given my follow up email, explaining that I am am very interested in the position, and would like to know if I might be able to acquire it before I consider applying to other positions (or something to that effect).
Upvotes: 0
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| 531
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<issue_start>username_0: Does a B in a class look worse for graduate school admissions than an audit, given I'm not expected to have the class in the first place?
More specifically, I'm studying abroad and taking five math classes. When I go back to my home institution, by the time I graduate I'll have exhausted all the math courses there, so the maximum math courses I'm "expected" to have is those plus four (four classes being a typical semester).
I have the opportunity to change a class to audit, even after I know my grades, so my question is, if there is a class I might get a B in (functional analysis, if you care), do you think having a B would look less impressive than not taking the course (or does audit risk the same sort of judgement)?
Does my question make sense? Does a B look "weak" when applying to grad school (even in comparison to nothing)?<issue_comment>username_1: First, this depends on if you plan to apply to the #1 ranked graduate program in mathematics or a un-ranked program. Second, although the "audit" may not carry the burden of a grade associated with it, it is often associated with a student who enrolled in the course but did not do any of the assignments, tests, etc. So, this is a double-edged sword. Keep in mind that one course will not make or break a graduate school application!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: It's better to have documentable (whether in transcript or by letters of recommendation) *exposure* to more substantial mathematics. Especially in the U.S., the default undergrad curriculum in mathematics is far too thin for grad school. Without taking initiative, which necessitates not-the-routine channels, you'd not be ready for grad school. Naturally, the irregularities in the not-routine channels generate grades whose meaning is unclear, and so on. (And, no, summer "research experiences for undergrads" do not typically add much to one's scholarly preparation, although they may fire one's enthusiasm.)
So, for me, when I see "functional analysis" on a transcript, I don't really care what the grade is, nor whether it's "audit" or not. Just the initiative to engage with it.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: There is a job search in my department. The department is extremely divided on the candidates. As new faculty, should I abstain from voting? Is this a prudent choice?<issue_comment>username_1: It could be. It could also be a disastrous move. There is no way an outsider can judge just how messy your department is. Your best bet is to find someone in your department that you trust and ask them. I personally think just abstaining for a hiring vote is a little weird. If you go down the abstain route, you may be best off abstaining from all votes.
The keep silent strategy can work, but in really divided departments, at some point before tenure review you are going to have to take sides.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: It all depends on WHY they're divided. If it's about the overall direction of the department, then that suggests a different course than if they're divided on the candidates' qualifications and body of work.
There's no real way to give a concrete answer. Is the dispute pedagogical? Ideological? Personal? Affirmative-action-y? Is it old-guard vs. young-lions? Is your future tenure committee firmly on one particular side?
Bear in mind, in candidate searches it's also valid to vote "none of the above."
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I suppose to some extent, this depends on how new you are. You were invited in to the department to participate as a faculty member, and that has to start eventually.
I suppose it also has to do with whether you understand the issues surrounding why the department isn't coalescing on a single candidate. If the reasons concern long-standing departmental issues that you don't have a grip on yet, you might choose to listen, to bring yourself up to speed, instead of talking.
If you feel that you are in a position to have a UNIQUE VIEW that the rest of your faculty can't have -- like maybe you're the only faculty member in the same professional organization as one of the candidates, and every time the candidate gets up to speak in front of colleagues, the attendees start laughing uncontrollably because the ideas advanced are so silly (this is, of course, an absurd case, before the downvotes roll in). If this is the case, you have insight that your faculty doesn't share, and you owe it to them to chime in.
If you don't have any strong views, and think you can work equally well with either candidate, you might say so, then sit back and watch how things work out.
Another tack you can take is to not go public, but just send an informal note to your chair summarizing your views, or just a note saying what professional interactions you envision personally for each candidate, without endorsing either, to give the boss some more info to be used for a decision. Of course, you can't assume that your email won't be shared. You could also just have a conversation with your chair.
Lastly, consider the environment surrounding the recruitment. You're a new hire, and your department is making another new hire. Your department is expanding. Is the cluster of hires *intended* to create strength and depth in an area of research in which you are involved?? If so, I think you need to chime in, as this new recruit is being brought in as *your colleague*, and your opinion may be central for consideration.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Every open expression of opinion, can be considered an "investment of reputation". That investment can pay off, or it can be lost. Reputation can be invested purely for political reasons (e.g. to increase your own, which however may be considered questionable), or to improve a faculty-level decision in a strategic way which you consider favourable to you. As a new faculty, you probably do not have a lot of reputation points yet, so you should be sure that you invest wisely.
So the importance of the decision and the quality of the investment should be balanced with your information about the case (departmental strategy, candidate, etc.) whether this is an investment you intend to make. If you do not have enough information, as in a business investment, staying away from it is a perfectly reasonable decision. Just work on acquiring more information for the future.
Note that, also, if you are a very new faculty, some departments may regard that as premature for you to join in with hiring decisions - you would have to find out whether this is the case; as a plausible rule, if this hire takes place essentially in the same "batch" of hires in which you were brought on board, it probably would be good form to not interfere with the hires.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: [***Note:*** The OP's original question is extremely vague, so let me clarify that I'm answering the question as it was interpreted by later editors]
In my opinion a key question here is whether the vote on the search is done by a secret ballot. The goal of secret ballots, in faculty votes and more generally, is to allow people to vote their conscience. If the ballot is secret, then I would advise you to vote for whatever option seems to you to be preferable for the future of the department, and not to be influenced by any political considerations. If you are genuinely unable to decide which option is better, due to being new at the department or for any other reason, then you should abstain -- this is precisely what abstentions are for.
If the ballot is not secret, then *it should be*. Faculty votes on sensitive decisions pertaining to hiring and promotions should always be confidential and anonymous, precisely to allow people to express their honest opinions without fear of repercussions, and to prevent well-known negative phenomena such as groupthink and factionism. What I suggest in that case is to go to your department chair and express concern that you are unable to vote according to your true opinion without fear of being seen as taking sides in a politicized, divided debate, which is untenable given your status in the department. Tell the chair that therefore you will be abstaining unless the vote is held as a secret ballot, and ask for the chair's help in ensuring that the abstention is understood by other faculty members and does not antagonize any of the factions.
I think this approach minimizes the risk of offending people, although it may not completely eliminate it. Furthermore, although I am incredulous that some departments even hold non-secret ballots on hiring decisions, I have a feeling that in some places where this happens there may be a policy that says the ballot *can* be made secret if this is asked for by one or more faculty. In that case, going to the chair can actually make a difference in ensuring that the vote is held as a secret ballot, thereby resolving your dilemma.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I will be doing an Honours in Commerce next year at a [GO8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_of_Eight_(Australian_universities)) university.
This is essentially a stepping stone into a pathway to academia (or sometimes a resume booster for getting into industry).
It will be my first time getting an exposure to reading and researching academic articles, and I was wondering if there was some sort of guide or standard to researching and reading academic papers, particularly in finance and economics.
In essence, I was hoping to find something of a similar nature to this guide on [studying university level mathematics.](http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major/dp/0199661324)
I feel this question may be received as vague, thus I will give an example:
suppose I am looking for research inspiration, for instance. Then, in searching it would (perhaps obviously, or perhaps I am entirely wrong) not be the best idea to read articles and thoroughly understand every single detail of each and every one of them, but rather, read articles and see where there are knowledge gaps and potential for future research.
* there is surely a methodology to roughly follow or guide or book out there which helps you become/build the skills to be a good/more efficient/effective researcher?
any help is appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: Before reading an article, you should know some information about journal where is this paper published, this means, that you know from what field is that article ( applied, basic, innovative), and to conclude via IF rating or scimago position of that paper so you can predict what amount of foreknowledge is necessary (most of the time(not always) higher reputation of paper, more complex and innovative research could be found).
Than, you should read abstract, introduction and discussion. Abstract and introduction will tell you about amount of knowledge that you acquired during your student life ( or life in general, either formal or informal)-this mean it is clear to you what is origin of that paper, how researchers come to point of conducting that research. if you dont have sufficient understanding, than you will need to read previous papers also!!!
Discussion will tell you if you can recognise patterns and methodology used in that paper, order to get to some conclusion, (new finding, to prove hypothesis, etc) So when you know introduction, than you should have idea in your mind what method and research plan they will use or implement,
next you should move on methodology and results and see how is their design different from yours, and you should try to understand why they use that methodology, is it adequate for their purpose and critically to evaluate importance of every step in their work, as whole work, of course.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: These are things I found useful
I don't have enough reputation for links, but you will be able to find them
**Standalone articles/talks/papers/blogposts:**
You and Tour Research by <NAME>
<http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/YouAndYourResearch.html>
10 Things You Should Know Before Starting A PhD from Next Scientist
<http://www.nextscientist.com/graduate-school-advice-series-starting-phd/>
especially the point that your job is to write papers
The care and maintenance of your adviser by <NAME> and <NAME>
The illustrated guide to a Ph.D.by <NAME>
**Advice books for scientist**
Advice for a Young Investigator by <NAME>, Old but good and everything written there is still relevant. Mostly about important mindsets, personality traits and skills for success in science. It's good to realize that in 1897 common concern of new grad students were that The most important problems
are already solved.
Crafting Your Research Future: A Guide to Successful Master's and Ph.D. Degrees in Science & Engineering By Ling and Yang, Has very concrete guides for finding a research gaps, branding yourself, reading papers etc
**Books not necessarily for scientist**
So Good They Can't Ignore You by Call Newport, about developing valuable skills
**Valuable blogs**
Next scientist
<NAME>
Thesis whisperer
[Fumbling T<NAME>](http://drbecca.scientopia.org)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I have found "The craft of research" to be a very well written book. <http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo5821939.html>
It has a few chapters which guides the thought process of research, along with interesting written examples of different ways to frame a hypothesis in an academic setting. This is valuable as it shows there is a difference between making a statement and arguing a hypothesis in the context of your field.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: So, I've edited the question to hopefully give more clarity on the situation:
I've recently learned that my friend **( A )** assisted in plagiarism for another student **( B )** by completing the vast majority of a final-project in a class I also take with student **B**. I know **B** doesn't deserve the almost-perfect grade he will receive because of **A**'s work. I feel terrible because I know how much effort I and others personally contributed to our own projects and it makes me feel like everyone else's work has just been invalidated.
I know, beyond any doubts, that this is what occurred:
**B** has struggled in this class. **A** is experienced with the class, the professor, and the subject matter. **A** has been helping **B** with other assignments, sometimes assisting more than he should, but otherwise not at any level I would deem "plagiarism."
**B** asked for help with the final project in this class. **A**, of course, obliged. After helping for a little bit, the due date was imminant and **B**'s project was still in the beginning stages. At this point **A** realizes that he has basically been completing the project himself, but feels morally obligated to not "leave him stranded," so **A** fully completes **B**'s project out of a personal, moral obligation to himself. Personally being friends with **A**, I know that this was a momentary lack of judgement, and I know he knows much better than to cheat.
**A** has done *all* of the work on the project and **B** is going to pass it off as his own work.
Looking at the College's plagiarism policy, the worst that will happen to the student **B** is:
`Failure in the course in which plagiarism or dishonesty occurs.`
For my friend **( A )** that knowingly plagiarized: `Loss of all credit for that semester and suspension for the remainder of that semester.`
My friend **A** has struggled this whole semester, academically and financially, to attend the College and it would be horrific if he had to leave and all of his work be for naught. I find it also unfair that, for what **A** found as a moral crossroads (helping his friend), and a momentary lack in judgement, will cost him so much more than the punishment **B** will receive.
I want to report it, but if I do (even anonymously), **B** will only tell the administration that my friend helped him. I can't be responsible for that.
What can I do in this situation? Report it? Keep it to myself and hope the professor knows? Meet with the professor and have an honest discussion about how I feel and how I know my friend knows the ethics of cheating but became morally confused in this instance?
I guess the overarching question here would be: *what outcome provides the best result for **A** while simultaneously reporting **B** for plagiarism?*<issue_comment>username_1: I suggest a middle ground. Even granting that the facts are exactly as you stated, it seems to me that you don't know for sure what communication there was between A and B. A may have provided some sample code, intending that B would at least rewrite it. And, unlikely as it seems, B may have studied the code and rewritten it. So this *could* be a borderline case. Even if A complained to you that they had to "write B's assignment for them", that *may* have been an exaggeration.
So I suggest that you go to the professor and explain that you think that B had an excessive amount of help. Explain that someone was tutoring B, and may have crossed a line without intending to. I don't think you need to name A even if you are asked. And if the professor does find out who A is, well, professors are people too, and will probably exercise some judgement.
Of course, I'm not excusing what A or B did. I'm just pointing out that you don't know exactly what happened (even if you're sure you have the facts straight), so report what you know, but be careful not to overstate it.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: One possible way out: If **A** were to go to **B**'s professor and claim that while **A** was *helping* **B** (like tutoring for free as a friend), it was never **A**'s intention that **B** would turn in the work that **A** did to help claiming it was **B**'s original work.
Here are the challenges with this plan:
* It has to be believable that **A** did not intend the work to be turned in by **B**.
* **A** will have to be willing to probably not ever be **B**'s friend again, since this will be pretty bad for **B**.
* It will be **A**'s word against **B**'s and in the end it could end up that both are punished exactly as you don't want, if **A** is not 100% believed.
* You'd have to convince **A** to do this in the first place.
It seems likely that whatever you do may hurt your friendship with **A**. On that note, keep in mind that while **A** may be a friend and good student, that doesn't change the fact that **A** has knowingly done something they shouldn't have done.
It's also possible there is **no good way out of the situation for you**. This is the kind of problem where sometimes the best you can do is look deep into your heart and decide what is really most important to you. You may have to choose between academic integrity versus putting your friends first. When you choose, one thing to consider is how you will feel twenty years from now when you look back on this situation. Also, you should check your institution's integrity policy for anything related to students who know about cheating, even if they were not directly involved, and whether they have to report it. If you are required to report cheating, then you have to consider whether this will ever be discovered if it is never reported.
If you are required to report, then it might be wise to go with **A** and change the story slightly. You could say that **you** realized that **B** had stolen **A**'s paper, then you informed **A** and then you both came to the administration to accuse **B**. Again, this is likely to make **B** dislike both you and **A**.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Rare cases notwithstanding, cheaters usually don't get very far. As a postgraduate student I deeply regretted having to relearn, redo, resolve undergraduate problems that I did together with friends while relying too much on their input. Doing yourself is in my opinion a prerequisite for understanding. If it is only a final project for an undergraduate class, I would talk to **A** and tell him that he isn't really helping **B** by doing work for him. To graduate **B** will have to put in more work of his own and the fact that he didn't have the chance of testing his abilities (and getting feedback) in this final project is only bad for **B**.
You told us that it was more a lack of judgement on **A**'s part rather than **B** controlling or emotionally blackmailing **A**. In that case, you could opt to let fate take its course, because if **B** doesn't change his way of working, it will be reflected in his final degree classification.
To make this different from just turning a blind eye to the whole situation you could talk to **A** or **B** or both, explaining in one way or another that **A** isn't really helping **B** by doing his work for him (even if **B** might think so). I can't judge the situation, so depending on the situation this might sound false/fishy/stupid/whatever, but even indirect comments like "Gosh, I'm so glad I got a go at doing this project now. I hope our thesis will be like this!"
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am writing an article which include some complicated figures.
These figures are networks with different colored nodes. About these figures, for example, I want to say:
Red nodes show XX, blue nodes indicates to YY, and Yellow nodes show TT.
Currently, I do not know where I should indicate to the details of figures, only in text, only in captions, or in both of them?<issue_comment>username_1: The usual practice (in *at least* my discipline (Physics)), is to try to add these details in the figure *legend*. That makes the figures most easily understandable.
However, situations where this can not be done are not particularly uncommon. The easiest case to imagine is when it is not possible to add a *legend* into the figure simply because the graphics do not leave enough space in the figure box. In such cases, the right place to put that information in, is the figure caption.
DON'T put this information (*solely*) in the article text. No one would want to read the entire article just to make sense of a figure!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Somewhere during my studies I have learnt that a figure and its caption should form a self-contained element. That means, if I isolated a single figure together with its caption from a random publication and gave it to you, you should from those bits of information be able to deduce what this figure is about and what you see there. That does of course not mean, that a physicist must be able to *understand* the full implications contained in a figure drawn by a chemist or vice versa, but they should be able to understand that "fancy stuff" is in the top left, "other fancy stuff" in the center is indicated with some arrow annotations and a drawn overlay indicates the mechanism that makes them do whatever is interesting.
So in your special case, either make a legend containing the meaning of your different colored nodes or, if that is not possible, describe that in the caption. You can repeat that in the text if you feel it's necessary, but you're not obliged to do so in general. Also, it's no obligation to put into the figure caption the full interpretation of the implications you draw from this figure – this should go to the text. Hence the figure caption could be something like
>
> Figure 1: Process scheme of the process of doing fancy stuff. Yellow nodes indicate XX, red ones show YY and green ones TT.
>
>
>
In the text, there can then be the interpretation of the figure, for example:
>
> The process scheme of this is shown in Figure 1. As can be seen from the arrangement of the red, yellow and green nodes, everything is very colourful – which is very good in our case – and the guys at management would love it. However, a closer look at the connection between node "foo" and node "bar" reveals, that there could be some problem in [whatever fancy stuff you want to say]...
>
>
>
**TL;DR:** Put the stuff that is necessary to understand what's in the figure either directly into the figure (legend) or into the caption. The discussion of the figure can go to the text.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: Towards the end of one particular semester, I had some health issues which forced me to travel in order to get treated. This resulted in me missing the last two weeks of courses and all my final exams. I arranged so that I got grades of "incomplete" in all my courses, until I took the exams and finished my coursework after my recovery. I ended up doing okay, but I did get a B+ in a very important course. It's hard to say whether this was the reason for that, though. Should I mention this on my graduate school application, or will it look like I'm just making excuses?<issue_comment>username_1: I think it is worth mentioning. Of course, you don't need to say "my health issues caused a B+". Just mention the health issue at that particular time, and what you had to do to complete your work.
Besides explaining your performance that semester (and a single B+ isn't very much to worry about), this shows your ability to overcome adversity and still succeed.
Here are some other questions about explaining lower grades for non-academic reasons, and the answers largely seem to agree that it is a good idea to mention the circumstances:
[Will one 'C' grade due to health issues ruin my chances of admission into a top grad school?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/10621/will-one-c-grade-due-to-health-issues-ruin-my-chances-of-admission-into-a-top?rq=1)
[Trauma affected my grades while in undergrad, how will it affect me getting into graduate school?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/29003/trauma-affected-my-grades-while-in-undergrad-how-will-it-affect-me-getting-into?rq=1)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In my view, an outlier in the marks is always possible and, unless you apply for a very competitive position, supervisors will account for some slack; often, the most creative people may have blips, and good supervisors know that.
Since you clearly state that you cannot even be sure that the B+ is due to your illness, it may indeed radiate an element of "excuse". However, as dan1111 says, depending on the illness, it may signal your ability to overcome adversity.
Perhaps the cleanest solution is to just mention just factually that you missed your 2 weeks because of the illness, postponed the examinations and retook them after recovery, with the results shown and leave the conclusions to the readers.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: There isn't even a need to make excuses for ONE B+ in your undergraduate work -- even in your major. It would be different if you had earned several B+'s in a master's program. Please don't mention it or give it another thought. Just concentrate on celebrating your recovery, and enjoying your studies. And congratulations!
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I have come across a publication by a set of well recognized professors that has been published in both IEEE and ACM in two different years.
I know that IEEE punishes scientists who publish material which [uses more than 25% of the content from another publication](https://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/crosscheck_portal_users_guide.pdf). Accordingly, I cannot think of a reason how the later publication, which is just a copy of the first, could be ethical. What am I missing here?
Could someone please tell me if this type of academic publication is doable? If so, how do I get permission to do something like this?
The paper was first published in 2014 in the [ACM SIGMETRICS conference](http://www.sigmetrics.org/sigmetrics2014/), and in the journal that automatically publishes those conference proceedings. The second version of the paper was published in 2015 in the [IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications](http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=49). The list of authors is identical on both. The changes (which I think are minute) are:
* The second (journal) paper has some additional results (a few figures and explanation) that were not in the conference paper.
* The second paper also has a short appendix with proofs that were omitted from the conference paper, which refers the reader to an online technical report for the proofs.
* The second paper lists the conference paper first in its list of references.<issue_comment>username_1: Generally, a publication is an unethical dual publication if
* the editor didn't know about the previous publication (i.e. the authors did not disclose it), or
* the author didn't cite the previous publication (and policy requires them to do so), or
* the authors have violated the "dual publication" or "extended paper" policy of the journal, which may have its own specific requirements. (For example, many, but not all, journals in CS and EE have a policy that conference papers republished as journal papers must contain 25% *new* material, a determination that is made by the editors based on the reviewers' assessments.)
In your example, the authors *do* cite the previous publication in their reference list. There is no way for you, the reader, to know whether the editor was aware of the previous publication during the review process, but it seems likely (since the authors cited their previous work.) If you're concerned that they didn't know about the previous publication, you can always send the editors an email and ask them.
The policies of IEEE, the IEEE Communication Society, and JSAC, all permit conference papers to be re-published in journal form, as long as it's cited and properly disclosed to the editor at submission.
The [document you've cited](https://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/crosscheck_portal_users_guide.pdf) from the IEEE is about using CrossCheck, a plagiarism detection tool that finds "similarity" between a submitted document and previously published material. It says:
>
> ### Interpreting Matching Percentages of Individual Sources
>
>
> It may seem that any source of matching text should be a concern, but in fact many matching sources are likely to not be the result of plagiarism. For example:
>
>
> ...
>
>
> >25% match - This level of similarity from a single source should raise serious concerns about inappropriate reuse, and should be checked very carefully
>
>
>
which is probably why you believe that IEEE punishes authors "who publish material which uses more than 25% of the content from another publication." That document then it goes on to say
>
> **Factors to Keep in Mind when Reviewing Individual Sources**
>
>
> **Is the similarity to the authors’ own work?**
>
>
> This can often be the case. Authors build upon their own previously published work, and will often reuse portions of text. While this would not be considered plagiarism, it may still indicate a potential problem if the reuse of previously published content is not cited properly.
>
>
>
The plagiarism discussion with the ">25%" guideline is not about authors who reuse their *own* material. A separate "self-plagiarism" policy applies to them. The policy on authors republishing their own work (in identical or modified form) is called the "dual publication policy." The [IEEE Communication Society](http://www.comsoc.org/ieee-communications-society-policy-plagiarism-and-multiple-submissions)'s (JSAC is a ComSoc journal) dual publication policy is:
>
> The guidelines recognize that it is common in technical publishing for material to be presented at various stages of its evolution. As one example, this can take the form of publishing early ideas in a workshop, more developed work in a conference and fully developed contributions as journal or transactions papers. This publication process is an important means of scientific communication. The editor of a publication may choose to re-publish existing material for a variety of reasons, including promoting wider distribution and serving readers by aggregating special material in a single publication. This practice continues to be recognized and accepted by the IEEE. At the same time, the IEEE requires that this evolutionary process be fully referenced by the author.
>
>
> Authors submitting manuscripts must disclose whether there are prior publications, e.g. conference papers, by the authors that are similar, whether published or submitted. They must also include information that very clearly states how the new submission differs from the previously published work(s). Such papers should be cited in the submitted manuscript.
>
>
>
In other words, they permit re-publishing as long as the editor agrees and:
* On submission, the authors disclose that the work is previously published, and state the specific differences between the new submission and the previous publication.
* The previous publication is cited in the new submission.
This is consistent with the general [IEEE policy on author originality](http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/author_originality.html).
The journal's [specific policy](http://www.comsoc.org/jsac/author-information) is also consistent with the IEEE and IEEE ComSoc policies:
>
> With respect to authors' previously published or to-be-published work, material which has been previously copyrighted, published, or accepted for publication will not in general be considered for publication in J-SAC. Exceptions to this rule include an author's prior publications that have had limited distribution, have been printed in abstract form only, or have appeared in conference records or digests. All papers are considered on the basis of their individual merit alone, and the fact that a paper may have been accepted for presentation at a conference does not ensure its acceptance for publication in J-SAC. In many cases, a conference paper must be substantially revised to meet the technical standards maintained by J-SAC. A manuscript identical to or largely based upon a conference paper must be so identified. Please refer to IEEE's policy on originality of content for more detailed information on the use of previously-published work as the basis for a J-SAC submission.
>
>
>
Specifically,
* Work that has only appeared in conference proceedings may be considered for publication.
* Authors must disclose at paper submission time if they are submitting a paper that is "largely identical" to an already published conference paper.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Generally speaking, computer scientists are allowed to publish the "same" paper twice: first in a conference proceedings, and again in more updated/generalized/polished/complete form in a journal. **This is NOT considered dual publication. These are just two versions of a single paper.**
Many journals require a significant addition of new material to be added to a conference paper before it can be considered by a a journal, but the necessary fraction of new material varies widely between subfields and even between individual journals. In particular, for some journals, the de facto necessary fraction of new material is 0%. However, regardless of any changes or lack thereof, any journal submission *must* cite any previous conference version.
The same paper/result can also be published as (part of) a publicly available MS/PhD thesis, as a technical report, as an arXiv preprint, as a set of slides for a talk, as a blog post, and/or as a video for a talk. None of these are considered prior publication that would forbid submitting the result to a conference or journal.
Even in computer science, publishing the same paper in more than one conference, or in more than one journal, is strictly *verboten*.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I contacted a professor for PhD study, and discussed the project. I would like to make a formal application: should I first ask would it be competitive?<issue_comment>username_1: You can ask us but this is a very difficult question to answer for faculty members.
On the one hand, we don't want to say "yes" and make you feel as though you've been guaranteed a spot when we have no idea of how competitive the pool is this year (see multiple questions/rants on academia.se that reflect just this kind of misinterpretation) -- nor do we want to say "no" and shut you down prematurely.
So you end up with a qualified "maybe" which doesn't help you (the student) much.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: 90% of the time you will get the professor to tell you that he/she doesn't really make the decisions (a committee does) and that the degree of competitiveness is always dependent on the particular applicant pool for that particular year. This is all true; it is also a gentle way to tell you that if you want to know, just apply.
Now in your case you've "discussed the project." Does that mean that he/she has already expressed that he/she would be willing to take you in to work on a particular project? If that's the case, I would assume he/she has already checked out your credentials?
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<issue_start>username_0: My problem is pretty weird to describe. This semester I didn't keep track of student attendance in classes because the university system didn't become functional until two weeks before the end of the semester. Now this student comes up complaining that he wants to fail due to *absence in classes* (which by the way he didn't attend at all) and not because he didn't do any assignments, and he argues that I cannot give any grade because he didn't do any assignment! That's because, for some warped logic, failing to attend classes isn't as bad as failing due to a bad grade: somehow the "system" cleans up attendance failures (but not grade failures) in the future school transcript. It is as if the student had never been enrolled in the course in the first place. Anyway, the "system" does not allow for failing students on both grounds either (that is, someone who hasn't attended enough classes *and* didn't achieve the minimum grade to pass). Moreover, this is an optional class and about half the students canceled their inscriptions in the first weeks.
So, the question is: should I bow down to this logic and fail the student because he missed classes (thus cleaning up the slate for him), or fail because he didn't do any assignments?<issue_comment>username_1: Since you were not keeping track of attendance, it does not sound like you were making attendance a component of students' final grades. If this is the case, then you can't fail him for lack of attendance, and must fail him for his low grade.
If, on the other hand, you *were* counting attendance in students' final grades, then I guess it's a coin-flip, but the student's argument that he lacks a grade, as opposed to having a grade of 0, seems like nonsense to me. I don't see any reason you should do this student any favors by failing him on the basis of attendance, but that's up to you.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Agreed, this is pretty weird. It sounds so predicated on the (weird) particulars of your university that your guess is as good as and probably better than ours. Anyway:
>
> That's because, for some warped logic, failing to attend classes isn't as bad as failing due to a bad grade: somehow the "system" cleans up attendance failures (but not grade failures) in the future school transcript.
>
>
>
Figuring out exactly what that means is probably the key to treating the situation properly...at least if we assume that "properly" means according to the practices of your university, which sound pretty screwy. Maybe let's take it this way: under what circumstances would it be appropriate to give a student a "failure to attend" grade which is subject to future white-washing? As far as I can see, the most sensible case for this is for a student who neither attended the course nor attempted any of the course work, including homework and exams. If so the registration for the course looks like some kind of mistake.
Does that describe your student? I.e., did he *never* come to class -- had you seen him before?!? -- or do any of the assignments or exams? If so, then just based on what you have said it sounds to me that this policy could reasonably be applied to him. If he attended a bit at the beginning, turned in an assignment or two and then just stopped entirely then indeed it looks like he was a non-accidental attendee in the course who just did very, very little work and the other kind of failing grade would be appropriate.
Perhaps you should consider talking to someone in your university's administration to get them to explain this screwy policy? If the policy makes sense in the minds of others -- especially, if the students have a consistent understanding that has largely been supported by the policy -- then even if you think it's stupid (and even if you're right!) you could be inviting trouble by calling it as you see it.
Anyway, good luck.
**Added**: OK, here's another, completely different interpretation. Your university is in the process of adding a new, very formalized (you mention something about implementation coming up in the last two weeks of the semester; is *that* what you mean, a system for tracking attendance?) mandatory attendance policy. If so, maybe the attendance failure works sort of like an "incomplete" in US university systems: it's a placeholder for future work on the part of the student. Maybe the student makes up *the class attendance* in the future and they get....I don't know. Either the grade they got the first time around or the grade they got in the new course, in which case indeed failure to attend is an easy loophole to get out of any poor grade. Anyway, there are any number of curious policies that a university might have, and for sure I don't know what's going on in your case.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: In the real world of real universities that have actual buildings with classrooms and stuff instead of browser windows, what you describe is called an "administrative fail" , or commonly AF or WF (withdraw-fail). In brick-and-mortar universities there's typically a date cutoff, usually halfway or three quarters of the way through the semester. Ask your virtual registrar if they have an faq on this.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I do not think it is all that strange to have a way to enter "registered but did not attend" as one of the possible outcomes of course and to treat that differently from "performed poorly". Our university does, as did every other university I am familiar with (small sample size, obviously). We are on a pay per credit system, so a "registered but did not attend" entitles the student to a refund of tuition.
However, I have never entered a grade of "registered but did not attend" of my own accord, Typically this request comes from the registrar's office to confirm that the student did not do any work in the course, has no attendance record, etc. In other words, instead of coming to me to plead his/her case, the student goes to the registrar's office first. And if I do have any evidence of the student contributing even a single assignment, then the inference is that they did use at least some of the course resources, are not entitled to a tuition refund, and hence should not be given a "registered but did not attend" grade.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I'm surprised that people here are offering callous advice such as "I don't see any reason you should do this student any favors" and "Since he badly failed on both grounds, the worst wins: fail him for bad grades." Guys, have you heard of compassion? The student is failing either way, so no decision would be "doing him any favors." From an ethical point of view, since according to the OP he in fact did not attend any classes, both grade decisions are equally valid and equally in line with the spirit of the university's (admittedly, pretty stupid in my opinion) policy. So, it all comes down to whether you are a vindictive type who wants to inflict maximum pain on a failing student to teach him a lesson he'll never forget, or whether you have some compassion and understanding for human failings.
Personally I'd go with the compassionate approach. Pedagogical research also suggests that people learn better from positive reinforcement than from negative reinforcement (*citation needed*, but I don't have time to look it up right now) so if your goal is to teach the student some kind of lesson, I think the attendance fail will also be better from that point of view.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: As a relatively recent student, my university's policy would have been to fail the student.
It was understood that it is the student's responsibility to complete the withdraw form at the registrar's office prior to the drop deadline. Reviewing the few course syllabuses I still have, the policies related to absence are:
1. Absence exceeding 6 class hours of instruction: Instructor may submit a grade of F immediately at their discretion.
2. Absence for a scheduled test: Grade of 0 for the test, most classes have a make-up exam or a policy where the final grade may be used in place of the lowest grade.
3. Absence for the final exam: Policy is an F. Instructor may intercede on the student's behalf and record an I. An incomplete grade must be completed during the following semester or it will automatically be changed to an F.
Absences are defined as non-attendance without approval from instructor or university.
---
I have exactly one syllabus where the policy was that if the student disappeared for an extended period of time prior to drop-date, the instructor would submit a grade of "W" on the drop date. The instructor explained that this was her way of covering for a student who had mistakenly forgotten to drop the course and implied this was due to a prior incident.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: Ask an Administrator At Your Institution
----------------------------------------
I honestly think there is only one answer to give here: you need to talk with someone at your University who understands the policies of your particular institution. At all institutions I am personally aware of (having attended or read through their student handbook), there is no such thing as a difference between failing because you didn't show up and failing because you showed up and got everything wrong. But given the extremely large variance between institutions, and especially between countries, your institution may have it's own unique rules.
* If at your institution there is no such thing as "fail by absence", then of course you cannot comply with the student request.
* If your institution provides a policy of "fail by absence", then you need to look at the definition of what this and whether or not this student qualifies. If indeed the definition is "did not complete X% of assignments or tests, or did not attend at least Y%" of classes", and your student meets this guideline, then you absolutely should mark "fail by absence" in accordance with your University policy.
One needn't actually agree that there is any difference in "not trying" and "trying and failing", and one need not even agree that one is not as 'bad' as the other. If your institution honors such a concept, and asks you to indicate which occurred, it is your duty to answer honestly and correctly.
The student might be a nuisance or annoying, or give you no good reason for their failure to attend - and the reasons might very well be none of your concern. But if your system distinguishes between attendance-related failure and exam-related failure, then you should too. Problems with the policy should be addressed to policy makers, not enforced willy-nilly on students.
If you wish in the future to go against such policies, and assuming you have the authority to do so, you really must place this in your syllabus at the beginning of the semester so that all students necessarily understand that policies normal to your institution will not be applied to that class. You should of course check with administration to ensure you have such an option.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_8: I write LMS software and have done a lot of university work. Most fall into the following categories:
* courses are wiped based on a cut-off date. This is the most common. Most universities allow one week, some two, some more (not as common). If the student decides they want out before the cutoff their transcript is wiped clean even if they have graded work.
* course can be wiped clean due to medical or financial problems. This is basically ad hoc and student would have to work with school administrator to get the sign off for this. Administrators team would go into my system and individually take care of this.
* have schools that based on the first graded assignment the teacher records, then they are a student of the class. If no scores then they can be wiped.
I can try to think of a few other cases since I am sure there are a couple I am missing. But for your case, he never turned in anything, he didn't go to class... then he should be unenrolled for transcript purposes. Your university cannot validly say this student can pass the class or not. You cannot state that they are unable to do the work or not. A university class is not about expressing your knowledge, not about meeting criteria.
Therefore the only logical thing to do is exclude this class from the transcript. If you don't have records of attendance or grades then you have nothing to say against it. Think about if a student went to half your classes, never turned in a paper... he just lost his mom/dad in an accident, suffering from depression, has some other issues, is it right that this student gets a failing grade when you don't have any idea what their knowledge level is?
Note: That some universities handle this right. If a student opts out like this student would the require that the class is retaken within the next calendar year to keep the old class wiped. (of course the university ensures paying for another class too)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: The student is correct. Its not his/her fault that the system is stupid. The expectation was created by the system. Not your place to try to change it or to punish the student for the expectation. If you do think its a stupid system, then voice that opinion through the proper channels.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: Oh, come on, just **Fail him the way he asked for** and don't sweat it.
The system is silly/weird/stupid, the reporting system didn't work, he wanted to drop the class mid-semester and forgot, whatever. You're not giving him academic credit for something he hasn't done, so be kind and help him/her.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_11: I'm writing a very late answer, partly for the edification of other readers, to support the OP's situation, and to highlight the [academia varies more than you think it does](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/4471/academia-varies-more-than-you-think-it-does-the-movie) principle.
I'm at a large U.S. university (CUNY) that currently uses a similar menagerie of final grade codes, that record different situations for not-passing, and handle them in different ways. A non-exhaustive list includes:
* WN: Student never participated in class.
* WA: Student was administratively withdrawn for immunization non-compliance.
* WU: Student was withdrawn unofficially by virtue of stopping attendance at some point.
* W: Student officially requested to withdraw from the class.
* INC: Student had some component of work incomplete, and is expected to be able to complete it outside of class with instructor before end of next term.
* F: Student completed the course but did not succeed at passing, due to failing-level work.
In addition to this, there's also a "refund period" of about the first week where a student can drop a class, get their tuition back, and have it be entirely expunged from their record.
I think that all of the W-type grades avoid having any impact on the student's GPA. The WN grade gets reported by faculty about two weeks into the term (and has monetary impact; I think financial aid gets clawed back by state/federal agencies). The WA is assessed by administration about one month in. W's are accepted at any time up to and including the last day of class. WU's are assessed after final exams are given.
The evolution of this system has (over the nearly two decades I've been at the institution) evolved to make it more and more likely that failing grades are kept off a student's transcript. For example, when I started, to receive a "W" grade, the student needed to be currently passing the course, had to get an instructor's approval signature on a form, and could only do so up to about the halfway point in the term. At some point that faculty sign-off form went away, as well as the requirement that the student be passing the course. Then the deadline was pushed further into the term, and now one can withdraw (at will, by web portal) at any time, including on the last day of class.
Moreover, the "WU" grade was introduced so that students are presumed to have withdrawn even if they don't ask for it -- and this is broadly what the OP is dealing with. If a student simply stops attending class, they are expected to get a WU grade. If a student attends class for the entire term, submits all assignments, and just skips the final exam, then the assumption is now that they should receive a WU grade (and so avoid reducing their GPA).
So: As others have advised in the situation, someone like the OP should read their school policies carefully. In our case, we have a very formal multi-page memo that everyone consults for the decision process on which flavor of grade should be assigned. In our case, the school really, really wants instructors to be assigning WU's instead of F's, because (I presume) it boosts student GPAs, likely increases retention, and lets the school retain their current and future tuition payments.
There's a piece of fine print in our policy that says instructors *may* instead opt to assign an F grade if students submitted more than half the work for term and received failing grades for it; but almost no one (faculty, students, administrators) is aware of that clause, so one needs to be cautious about using it. E.g., students who are failing late in the term will likely just ghost the course, not request a W, and be surprised if they get an F instead of a WU. Previously there was a window where W's were not available, but WU's still were, and in that era I would get some students requesting the WU from me instead of an F -- exactly like the case of the OP. (Now that W's cover the whole term, cognizant students use that option instead, so I haven't received these requests in a few years.)
In summary: The school likely has a formal recommendation/decision-process for the described grade zoo. The instructor in question should find that and read it very carefully.
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in the final stages of my PhD in pure math, and have been submitting applications to positions. Most of these have been through mathjobs.org but some positions of interest to me don't use that site.
When applying through mathjobs.org, I have a standard AMS cover sheet (generated by the site) giving my personal address, the address of my department at my university, my email address, and my phone number.
I've also written a cover letter for each school that requires one. Following advice of professors at my school, these cover letters give the university address as the return address, not my personal one. Apparently this makes it clear that I can actually be contacted through the school I'm saying I attend, and that I'm not some crazy person pretending to be getting a PhD. But in reality I am not in the habit of getting mail at my school. Also in the midst of sending out many applications it slipped my mind that some non-mathjobs.org applications have now been sent with only my school address, since they don't have the AMS cover sheet. Is it really not appropriate to have my own address on a cover letter?
Where would a response from a hiring committee typically be sent? Should I get in the habit of checking for mail to me at my department? Is this usually done by email? Or would a job offer be sent to my personal address? Would they call me on the phone?
While I'm at it, how long should I expect to wait before receiving any responses? I know this depends highly on which job it is, but just a rough idea of this would be helpful.<issue_comment>username_1: When I applied for postdocs a couple years ago, everything important came by email, with a couple follow-ups by phone.
A couple schools sent their official offer letters via snail mail, but these arrived a couple weeks after I got an email offer and I had already seen an identical pdf. I think there is little risk of missing anything important if you don't check your school mail every day.
Not much will happen until after the NSF announces their postdocs, with the exception of a few elite programs. As a not particularly star candidate, I think I got my first offer by email during the JMM in early Jan, continuing through March or so for places where I was not the first pick. I think there is another thread here discussing the timing in more detail.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You'll typically be contacted by email (you did include an email address in your applications?) In search committees that I've been involved with we also contact applicants by telephone if we don't get a prompt response to our emails- many times emails are lost to spam filters.
Some search committees will be conducting in person interviews at the upcoming joint mathematics meetings in early January. Other search committees will do initial screening interviews by telephone or skype. Either way, most search committees for positions in the US will have application deadlines around January 1 and be doing their first round of interviews some time in January.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Based on my job search experience from a couple of years ago, there are three kinds of communications you might get by snail mail:
1. Equal-opportunity questionnaires, asking your race, gender, etc, for statistical purposes (usually not shared with the search committee). Responding to these is optional, and certainly not time-critical.
2. Rejection letters. Obviously these don't need any response at all, and they usually don't tell you anything you didn't already know; often they aren't sent until long after the search was obviously finished.
3. Formal offer letters. You'll know when these are coming, because you'll already have been informally offered the job by phone or email. (And in some cases, you might have also had to negotiate what the offer letter will contain, though for postdocs it's more likely to be "this is our offer, take it or leave it".) At that stage, you could ask the employer to be sure to send the letter to your home address.
All communications that are actually relevant to whether you get hired or not will take place by email, phone, Skype, or in-person interview. Time is of the essence in hiring, and nobody wants the delay of snail mail for something that needs a quick response.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I've recently sent out an article for review. I've been in email contact with the editor from journal #1 from the start, and was quite up-front that I wasn't sure whether or not my article would be a good match for their journal (in methodology, yes; in century and author focus, not so much). Today, I found a special issues CFP in journal#2 where my article would be *extremely* relevant. Their deadline is end of January.
I'm considering contacting journal #1 to see if they've started the review process, explain that I've found what may be a much better match for my article, and ask about withdrawing my submission if the review process has not begun.
Is this frowned upon?
Of course, I feel like I'm playing with fire here. What if I withdraw, resubmit to journal #2, article does not get accepted, then... go back to journal #1 with tail between legs.
Any advice?<issue_comment>username_1: Special issues are a bit outside of the standard journal review system. Typically, they will have guest editors who are in charge of recruiting and managing the submissions and getting them through the review process as efficiently as possible so that the entire issue can be published according to schedule. They are also typically responsible for having a certain number of articles in the submission, so the stringency of acceptance criteria may be somewhat relaxed for a special issue.
That said, given that the focus of journal #2 is so much closer to your field, I would lean towards withdrawing the submission from journal #1 and submitting to journal #2. If, for some reason, the article were rejected from that journal, I would use the editorial feedback to revise and improve the manuscript, and submit a different version of it to journal #1.
If the journal is pretty far through the review process, though, then I would not tinker with things, as that would represent a much bigger inconvenience for all involved.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I would suggest the following steps:
1. Ask journal #1 if the review process has started.
2. If it has not yet started, ask if it can be kept on hold for a few days.
3. Meanwhile send a pre-submission inquiry to journal #2.
4. If journal #2 seems positive about your paper, send a request to withdraw the paper from journal #1.
5. Be honest about your reason for withdrawal, and add a word of appreciation for the editor's cooperation and understanding.
6. Submit to journal #2 once the withdrawal is confirmed.
If the review process has started, it would be advisable to let things be and not withdraw from journal #1. If your paper is rejected from journal #2, you could consider submitting it to another journal rather than going back to journal #1.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I will be finishing my PhD in pure math next semester, so I'm applying for jobs. I've noticed that on Mathjobs.org, listings for tenure-track positions do not say that one must have experience beyond completing the PhD. In some cases it will say this is preferred, but I have not seen any listings saying it is required, and most don't even mention it.
According to my adviser, one of the first things done by a hiring committee for a TT job, is to toss out an annoying quantity of under-qualified applications. He said I should not bother applying for most of those jobs. Yet he also said that my teaching qualifications are above average, so that I would actually be considered for some "teaching" tenure-track jobs. I asked him how I identify these jobs, and he said they will be at small colleges and have little research activity. But it can be hard to tell if this is the case just looking online.
Is there some good indicator that a certain position might consider me for a TT position, even though I'll be a new PhD? On the one hand it costs me nothing to submit applications to TT jobs, but on the other hand I don't want to waste people's time. I'll include what I've been going by: if a TT position does not require a publication list, I've been considering it worth applying to.
I also wonder why this state of affairs exists. If hiring committees are in fact burdened with such a quantity of under-qualified applications, why don't they filter some by clearly delineating what they are looking for in the job listing?<issue_comment>username_1: You've gotten solid advice from your advisor. At the math departments at many research universities, it is very rare to seriously consider an applicant straight out of a PhD. However at most teaching jobs this is not rare at all.
These are rules of thumb, not absolutes. Eleven years ago in my department (UGA) we hired someone straight of a PhD program. This was a joint hire with engineering. Sixteen years ago we seem to have done something like this: we hired someone to be an NSF postdoctoral research fellow and an assistant professor. Nevertheless I think the chance that we would hire someone straight out of graduate school in 2015/2016 is essentially zero, and when someone decent applies only for an assistant professor position who is still a PhD student, I sometimes write to them to tell them that they should apply for a postdoc instead.
The number of postdoctoral jobs is safely smaller than the number of tenure track jobs at research universities, so we can conclude that some research universities *are* hiring tenure track faculty straight out of their PhD. For top 50 departments, this is very rare, but not impossible. On the other hand, you should feel free to apply to any university without a PhD program straight out of a PhD.
If you are not sure whether you are too junior to be seriously considered, what should you do? You should apply anyway. I've been on the "seeing hundreds of applications" side of it, and yes it is slightly annoying to see an application from someone who is too junior to be seriously considered. But that's ten seconds of annoyance, and it carries no lasting stigma against the applicant. In fact, often my reaction when reading the application is "Definitely not this year, but..."
I will risk a personal anecdote. When I was a graduating student, I was so naive about things that I assumed that even departments that didn't advertise postdocs nevertheless had postdocs to offer. (Oops.) In one case I got a reply, from a professor at an Ivy League school thanking me for my application for a tenure track job but telling me that they would go for someone more senior. (I will not name names, but suffice it to say that he wrote *the book* on elliptic curves, then wrote its sequel, and has written several other seminal texts in the years since.) He was remarkably gracious. About ten years later he visited my department, and during a group lunch I told this story. His response: "You never know who the young student will turn out to be in the years to come. So you might as well be nice." (Which was *really* a nice thing to say!) Anyway, clearly I had burned no bridges with my silly application. You shouldn't worry too much about this.
>
> I also wonder why this state of affairs exists. If hiring committees are in fact burdened with such a quantity of under-qualified applications, why don't they filter some by clearly delineating what they are looking for in the job listing?
>
>
>
Job postings are heavily scrutinized for EEOC issues. If what you wrote last year got approved and worked decently enough, it is easiest not to mess with it. Here is a line from this year's job posting in my department:
>
> A Ph.D., or equivalent foreign degree, in Mathematics or a closely related field is required.
>
>
>
I have asked in the past what a "closely related field" means and been told "Maybe nothing; we'll know it when we see it." I think I was involved in adding the "equivalent foreign degree" part: I believe that in Russia the degree is not called a PhD...The idea here is that if you list something as a requirement and then hire someone that doesn't meet the requirement, all hell could break loose. So even if we think that the chance that we'll hire someone without post-PhD training is 0.01%, that's still probably enough not to make that training a **requirement**.
**Added**: <NAME> points out that the possibility of taking multiple postdocs shows that the "we can conclude" above is not a watertight proof. I think a more protracted analysis of the number of tenure track jobs versus the number of postdocs and the number of postdocs one can take and still be competitive for a tenure track job would lead to the same conclusion.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I will answer your second question first:
>
> I also wonder why this state of affairs exists.
>
>
>
In a math department at a research-intensive university in the U.S., the quantity and quality of research that one needs to have published in order to be seriously considered for a tenure-track position is such that in practice, 99% of qualified candidates will have some postdoctoral experience. However, this is not an absolute rule, and every once in a while there will be a new graduate who is sufficiently impressive to be worth hiring (this has happened a couple of times in my department, and is an option that is occasionally discussed). In any case, it seems virtually impossible to delineate a minimum set of achievements, since neither the number of publications, nor a specific set of journals one might have published in, is either a necessary or sufficient indicator of the quality of a candidate's work.
As for your first question, I am not aware of an indicator that guarantees that you would be considered seriously for a tenure-track position. But you needn't feel too sorry for search committees (hint: MathJobs has some pretty good filtering mechanisms...), so if in doubt, just apply.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Is there some good indicator that a certain position might consider me for a TT position, even though I'll be a new PhD?
>
>
>
Not really - this is one reason that many people apply so broadly. If you knew ahead of time which schools would like you, you could apply in a much more focused way.
The other answer(s) are correct that most "R-1" schools look for more experience than just a PhD. So, you may be able to deduce you are *not* likely to find a position at one of these schools. But, there are many schools that are not R-1 schools. The [Carnegie classification](http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup_listings/standard.php) is an imperfect tool, but it can help you tell the general level of a school. Of course, some schools may have a few doctoral degrees (e.g. in education) but not have one in mathematics.
You mentioned in the question that you were considering only schools that do not require a publication list. This might be because your only publication is your dissertation? I think you may be setting the bar too low. Many programs will ask for a publication list, but that does not mean it absolutely needs to have more than your dissertation. And your publication list will be on your vita anyway, so it is no secret. I think that some schools may ask for a separate list (duplicating your vita) just to make their job easier.
Unfortunately, it seems you have waited until now to begin thinking about the type of school to apply to. That is a little late. Fortunately, your advisor thinks your teaching is above average - and can presumably write something to that effect in a letter. That can only help.
Two kinds of schools to consider for a tenure-track position directly after your PhD are:
* Public comprehensive universities - including many of the "directional" public schools such as fabled "Northeast Idaho University". Not all of these have states in their name (e.g. James Madison University). Look for programs with the maximum degree being a master's or bachelor's degree. The U.S. News magazine on undergraduate colleges has a comprehensive directory at the back with info at your fingertips.
* Non-elite liberal arts colleges - there are a lot of small liberal arts colleges you have never heard of. Some of them are exceptionally selective, others less so.
These types of schools often look for very different things, so you should talk to advisors about how to tailor you application for each kind of school.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: If you're submitting information for an article, and you have no institution affiliation, what should you use? I was asked for an address and all I have is an home address. That seems a bit weird to use, however.<issue_comment>username_1: Based on some previous answers, it seems that you may pay a price for not having a university affiliation. But what are you going to do? Invent an address? Maybe you could create a consulting company (which should be registered if you ever plan to derive any income from it). That line of "ClearBlue Solutions" thrown into your home address may just do the trick.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: I did a quick search to see what other independent researchers do for Nature journals, which include an author address.Specifically, I searched Google for
>
> site:nature.com "author details" "independent researcher"
>
>
>
I found that authors who are independent researchers sometimes list just their city for their address, or
>
> Independent researcher, City, Country
>
>
>
See for example [here](http://www.nature.com/articles/srep10432#author-information) and [here](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v487/n7408/full/487432e.html#author-information). Some do appear to give their home address, e.g. [here](http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v4/n10/full/nclimate2373.html#author-information) and [here](http://www.nature.com/articles/srep17556#author-information).
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: Some job ads of US schools require a "statement on diversity". I am not based in the US, and have never written one before. What should one say in a statement on diversity anyway? Am I supposed to state how I would increase the (ethical, scientific, or with regards to other aspects) diversity of the faculty? Would something like "Since I come from Africa, I would make a big contribution to your diversity since currently all faculty members at your department are white" usually be expected?<issue_comment>username_1: This should not be a statement about your personal diversity ("I am from Africa"), but rather a statement about how you can contribute to creating a diverse academic community, and how you can help students from diverse backgrounds succeed at the university. As <NAME> rightly points out in the comments, your personal diversity would be an obvious thing to include here with a discussion of how that will help you further the goal of attracting and retaining students from diverse backgrounds. If you have no relevant personal experiences, then this should be a discussion of how you plan to further the university's goal of attracting and retaining students from diverse backgrounds.
UC San Diego, which requires such a statement, maintains a webpage describing what should be included. The entire page can be found [here](http://facultyexcellence.ucsd.edu/c2d/index.html).
A few bullet points from their document:
>
> **What is the Purpose of a Contributions to Diversity Statement?**
>
>
> * The purpose of the statement is to identify candidates who have professional skills, experience, and/or willingness to engage in activities that would enhance campus diversity and equity efforts.
>
>
> **Are there any guidelines for writing a statement?**
>
>
> * The Contributions to Diversity Statement should describe your past experience, activities and future plans to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, in alignment with UC San Diego’s mission to reflect the diversity of California and to meet the educational needs and interests of its diverse population. Some faculty candidates may not have substantial past activities. If that is the case, we recommend focusing on future plans in your statement. A more developed and substantial plan is expected for senior candidates.
>
>
>
As candidates may not have particular past experiences, there is also some advice on "planned activities:"
>
> **Planned Activities:**
>
>
> The first step is to gather information on activities you would like to pursue while at UC San Diego and how they might fit into the research area, department, campus, or national context. You may consider but are not restricted to current or ongoing campus activities.
>
>
> For each proposed activity you include, describe the role you envision having and what you would like to accomplish in the next two to five years. Who would you like to engage in your efforts, and how would you plan to engage them? Be as specific as possible, but realistic in terms of your effort and time commitment.
>
>
>
In addition to the quotes above they have more information, including several example statements, and additional resources. They also have a section on how such statement are considered.
Of course, all of this is specific to UCSD, but I imagine it generalizes to other institutions reasonably well.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Here are some good resources on what to write in such a statement, in addition to the excellent UCSD website in the other answer:
[Making sense of the diversity statement](https://chroniclevitae.com/news/266-the-professor-is-in-making-sense-of-the-diversity-statement) from "The professor is in."
[Writing Diversity Statements](http://tacdiversitystatement.wikispaces.com) from the University of California, Davis.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I'd like to say something about your specific situation.
It seems to me that your being from Africa gives you a rich experience with diversity, since Africa is so diverse in languages, ethnicities, socio-economic levels, political points of view, and on and on. Diversity brings many challenges, and I'm sure there is a lot you could share about the challenges you've faced or observed and what you have learned about how those challenges can be effectively surmounted.
On the flip side: there is a special tension in the U.S. between African blacks and African American blacks. It might be helpful for you (not just for the statement you need to write) to do some reading and reflecting about this. Here is a good introduction to this tension: <http://www.npr.org/2013/06/27/195598496/americanah-author-explains-learning-to-be-black-in-the-u-s>
The more a candidate can connect personal experience to political beliefs and pedagogical good intentions, the more effective the statement on diversity will be.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: A conference I have submitted to asks for an "extended abstract" of up to 10 pages, which amounts to pretty much a full paper. Why is it then called "abstract"?
The conference is in the crossing between computer science, biology, and mathematics, so it may be following any of their traditions.<issue_comment>username_1: I am guessing you are talking about RECOMB, one of the most important computational biology conferences. The story behind this is a little complicated and can show you some of the difficulties faced by a relatively new interdisciplinary field.
Since computational biology has both computer scientists and biologists, it needs to answer the needs of both cultures. For computer scientists, presentation and publication in the proceedings of an important conference is considered excellent. In biology, however, publication is mainly in journals. A second difference between cultures is that in computer science it is standard to publish extended versions of conference papers in journals. In biology, this is usually not acceptable unless it is a low-tier journal.
So what do you do if you want to get submissions of great work from computational biologists of both sides? This is a challenge that computational biologists have been dealing with not just in this conference but also in other conferences. There have been all kinds of proposed solutions - I will not list them here.
RECOMB organizers have tried different solutions and decided to call the accepted manuscripts "extended abstracts", and these are published only in the conference proceedings (which are not freely available). This way, computer scientists consider it published in the conference and biologists consider it unpublished so they can still submit it to a high-tier journal.
Actually they usually also have other "submission tracks" such as coordinated submission to a specific journal in parallel with the conference.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I disagree with username_1's conclusion that this terminology is primarily due to a unique situation between Biology and Computer Science. In my experience (mostly TCS), the term "extended abstract" is very common to denote the ~10page conference submissions.
While 10 pages will typically suffice to present the results of a (T)CS paper, e.g. proofs often have to be omitted to make the page limit. This leads to an extended abstract (with no/only sketched proofs) at a conference, and then a full paper including proofs on the arXiv and/or in a journal.
Upvotes: 4
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm planning to apply for a Master course in the area of computer graphics. My goal is to conduct research in this area in the future.
However, I'm not sure I will be able to apply for the course this year due to my personal circumstances and I may need to wait a year before I do so.
Having said that, I would like to prepare for this by building a skill set that will help me one year from now in the course. However, I'm not sure whether this skill set should be in my ultimate area of interest or general skills like learning scientific writing, for instance.
In summary, I would like to know what are some important skills that can ease my way into research if I study well in advance before I get into the MSc programme.<issue_comment>username_1: I am guessing you are talking about RECOMB, one of the most important computational biology conferences. The story behind this is a little complicated and can show you some of the difficulties faced by a relatively new interdisciplinary field.
Since computational biology has both computer scientists and biologists, it needs to answer the needs of both cultures. For computer scientists, presentation and publication in the proceedings of an important conference is considered excellent. In biology, however, publication is mainly in journals. A second difference between cultures is that in computer science it is standard to publish extended versions of conference papers in journals. In biology, this is usually not acceptable unless it is a low-tier journal.
So what do you do if you want to get submissions of great work from computational biologists of both sides? This is a challenge that computational biologists have been dealing with not just in this conference but also in other conferences. There have been all kinds of proposed solutions - I will not list them here.
RECOMB organizers have tried different solutions and decided to call the accepted manuscripts "extended abstracts", and these are published only in the conference proceedings (which are not freely available). This way, computer scientists consider it published in the conference and biologists consider it unpublished so they can still submit it to a high-tier journal.
Actually they usually also have other "submission tracks" such as coordinated submission to a specific journal in parallel with the conference.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I disagree with username_1's conclusion that this terminology is primarily due to a unique situation between Biology and Computer Science. In my experience (mostly TCS), the term "extended abstract" is very common to denote the ~10page conference submissions.
While 10 pages will typically suffice to present the results of a (T)CS paper, e.g. proofs often have to be omitted to make the page limit. This leads to an extended abstract (with no/only sketched proofs) at a conference, and then a full paper including proofs on the arXiv and/or in a journal.
Upvotes: 4
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| 757
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<issue_start>username_0: Is any of you aware of studies that show how a Qualifying examination affects things like success in an Academic career, publications, etc.
As many of you know, there are many countries that do not have Qualifying examinations in Graduate school. I just would like to know if there is solid research on this topic.<issue_comment>username_1: In the institutions that have qualifying exams, 0% who fail them go on to earn a degree. I joke, but it is true!
I can't speak for all disciplines, but for those that take an apprenticeship (as in the sciences), quals are less about the exam and more about the process. It is often (but not always) the case that quals are taken very well into the graduate process, and by the time you get there, your committee already has high confidence that you will pass. Rather, the quals are meant to force you into a period of intense scholarship, reading, and reflecting that will shape the rest of your career.
I don't know of any research on the relationship between qual exams and academic success, but I suspect that the process of having quals does at least two things: 1) provides for an objective system to weed out students who should not progress forward and 2) provides a platform for successful students to focus for an extended period.
Remember, the prestige (of the university) standing behind your degree is connected to the quality of people who hold it. Having high standards and a difficult process (quals) only strengthens the reputation of the institution and by association, your degree.
So perhaps the better question is whether or not places that do not require qualifying exams award degrees to less prepared students?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It seems that a [project](https://sites.google.com/igenetwork.org/equity-in-graduate-education/research/doctoral-qualifying-preliminary-exams) along these lines was proposed some time ago. The project website notes that "surprisingly little research exists on understanding the evaluation process to Ph.D. candidacy" and proposes to fill this gap. Some of the authors later published [this article](https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2021/05/04/need-reconsider-qualifying-exams-phd-candidacy-opinion), perhaps the most interesting conclusion from which is that quals are U-shaped: the best and worst schools have been abandoning these exams (the top schools see no need for them given how competitive graduate admissions is, while the bottom schools have nothing to lose by dropping them), while the schools in the middle have generally retained them. The authors raise the concerns that these exams may be psychologically harmful, poorly correlated with long-term success, and may disproportionately weed out minority students.
Unfortunately, I don't see any published papers by these authors on this work, so they provide more questions than answers. Thus, the answer to your question seems to be **no**: grad schools have certainly been reexamining the role these exams should play, but there does not seem to be any published scholarship or other "hard data" that could inform this conversation, at least as of now.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a teacher in an institute and I teach English as a foreign language to students in an 8\_week session. At the end of each session, the students are required to give their opinion about the class and the teacher.
One of my students who attended all the classes and I corrected at least 20 writings for her has written something horrible and of course has ruined my rating by saying: "What we learn depends on the teacher. I recommend teacher X, but I absolutely and strongly reject this teacher who does not know anything about teaching (meaning me)." She has also written her name on top of the paper.
She never, ever, complained about my teaching method during the time we had class together and this sudden unfair comparison has gone on my nerve. I have taken a photo of what she has written about me and it is in my mind to email it to her and ask for her explanation.
I have signed no contract with that institute and I have received no teacher training courses. I have teaching experiences somewhere else and that was why they invited me to teach. But their unfair system of evaluation at the end of each session will definitely have effects on my payment and if it continues like this, I will no longer be able to continue teaching there.
I am REALLy thinking so deeply about what I could have done wrong. My last session assessment was 20% higher than an old teacher who is teaching there for 3 years. Another serious problem I have with this issue is the "comparison". I teach Reading and Writing and my colleague teaches Listening and Speaking. Of course, I have never met the other teacher. But, he has read this bad comment about me. Why should I lose my face in front of a colleague, because of an "unfair" judgement?
Is it good to react like this, or I should keep silent about her unfair judgement?<issue_comment>username_1: Are you supposed to know that it was her? Does she know that you know? Only if the answer to all of the above is Yes would I even *consider* approaching her to seek clarity on the subject. Even then, be mindful that you're in a position of power over her and it's easy to come across as a bully if not careful. (Mind you, I'm not justifying her approach.)
You didn't tell us what the consequences of "ruining your rating" might be.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I feel that you should keep silent or at least not ask her for any explanation. You thought her the best you could. Maybe she could not actually grasp whatever you taught. You should see it in a manner that the rest did not say in the same way she did and so as every other person needs to improve you too need to. But one comment or a bad rating does not make you a bad or a weak teacher.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You said,
>
> this sudden unfair comparison has gone on my nerve
>
>
>
It sounds like this negative feedback has provoked some strong emotion in you, and understandably so.
But asking for an explanation is not likely to be helpful at this point. This isn't a *constructive* comment that can potentially lead you to improve your teaching - it's just an insult. Students take out all kinds of frustration in their teaching evaluations. If you ask a frustrated student to explain a comment they made (most likely) out of frustration, you are unlikely to gain anything constructive. The most likely outcome is that she'll unload *more* frustration on you.
The best reaction to this kind of feedback (assuming it's an isolated incident, and the rest of your feedback was reasonable) is to re-read the positive feedback you've received, remind yourself that you're a dedicated teacher who works hard to help your students, and put the non-constructive feedback out of your mind.
If this is an isolated incident, I wouldn't worry about its effect on your ranking within your institution. All instructors will occasionally receive some negative reviews, no matter how good they are at teaching.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: You will always (assuming that you did your job generally well) have the odd student giving you a low rating. Assuming that the rest give you a good feedback, this is an outlier and usually will be seen as such.
If there is no concrete and reasonable criticism in the evaluation, you can always - if it is used against you by the department - emphasise to them that no concrete problem was pointed out; on a concrete criticism, you would be happy to improve certain aspects or else, you would stick with your model because of this and that reason.
I understand "reasonable criticism" to be one that can be amended or else, whose amendment would trade-off against other aspects of the course which would suffer instead - in the latter case it is your call as a teacher where you believe the balance should be or you can consult with the programme tutor.
I recommend to not attempt to engage the student. The student has not given you a chance to fix the problem while there was still time, you do not need to give them the chance to fine-tune their criticism to harm you further. If no concrete (and reasonable) criticism was made against you, it is likely the student just poured their own frustration and anger on you; there's nothing you can do about that. Don't let yourself be infected by it.
That being said, I usually try, early in the course, to engage the students into informal feedback to get a gist of what they need - more speed, less speed, more detail, less detail. At the point when you get the official feedback, it's too late for them to profit from it.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: `Is it good to react like this, or I should keep silent about her unfair judgement?`
It's not unfair judgement. It's just judgement.
If a student thinks you're a bad teacher and you had no idea they felt this way, then maybe you **are** a bad teacher. You need to have more awareness of your students, and don't try to blame them for not speaking up about how they felt. That's not how most people, let alone students, work.
Maybe you should take the criticism as an opportunity to evaluate yourself. Taking some actual teaching classes would a good first step.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: I would also suggest that you really try to not take it personally, because it may not truly be anything personal, but rather a reflection of the student's character. Looking back at the time when I was a freshman, I recognize I was a complete self-centered, entitled idiot in so many ways. I remember writing a terrible and long-winded (anonymous) review of an otherwise skilled and attentive English teacher (or so I can say looking back on it) purely on the basis of my having had a particularly rough and stressful week, combined with my teacher having given us about 5 times more writing assignments than all my friends got with their teachers. And so, feeling strongly resentful at this extra workload, and not caring about learning in those days, I took it out on this teacher. It was in no way personal, but only a sign of my own immaturity and stupidity while having a bad day. I still feel bad about it. Consider that your review might be something similar.
Were all your other reviews good? Perhaps wait and see if this bad review negatively impacts your pay or assignment, and if so, only then bring anything up about it, and contrast it with your otherwise good reviews. And if nothing comes up, forget it. If you have a regular pattern of unhappy students though, then there may be reason to reflect on your own teaching style, and perhaps even ask this student what she would have preferred you do differently to improve the course (don't ask what you did wrong).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: I find this part intriguing: "She has also written her name on top of the paper."
Did everyone write their names, or is she an exception?
If the latter, you have to consider the possibility that she did not write this review at all - that someone else wrote it, and signed with her name as part of some elaborate trolling against both you and her. (I'm assuming you can't recognize her handwriting).
Whether this observation actually helps making sense of the situation, I don't know.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: >
> She never, ever, complained about my teaching method during the time
> we had class together (...) it is in my mind to email it to her and ask for her explanation.
>
>
>
Can you talk to her instead? Emails can get misunderstood and you cannot read her expressions and feelings about your classes. If she didn't even miss one class, never complained before and you didn't notice any contempt from her part, there is probably something else going on...
Do not accuse her, you can simply ask her what or where you did wrong and you're likely to have a more positive feedback. From that new feedback you can act accordingly (e.g.: further explain the situation to the school management).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: Do not confront her, especially when you are upset about it. She has finished the class (likely has left the school entirely if it's a short-course language school). Your relationship with her is over. It is simply not appropriate for a teacher to pursue a student demanding an explanation of her review of you: feedback should be mediated by the school.
Unfortunately, the review itself does not contain any information you can act on. "Does not know anything about teaching" is probably intended as an exaggeration for emphasis. None of your other students formed this opinion. No doubt your employers think otherwise or they would not have employed you. If *they* want to request that the student give further details about her unusual opinion, and perhaps ask whether she would like to make a more formal and detailed complaint about your teaching, then they can do so (and if she wants to she can say no). That's not so bad as you chasing the student down on your own to complain about her opinions, demand more information, or try to persuade her to admit that she's wrong.
>
> their unfair system of evaluation at the end of each session will
> definitely have effects on my payment
>
>
>
Then your dispute is with the employer, not with the student. If they unfairly deduct your pay as a matter of rote, and not based on their own fairly-conducted assessment of your teaching, then they are the problem.
>
> if it continues like this, I will no longer be able to continue
> teaching there.
>
>
>
Perhaps so. If the school is using negative reviews as an excuse to short-change you, rather than as a means to get detailed information to use to improve your teaching (and hence also theirs), then perhaps you are much better off without them. But you should be looking to the *school* to improve its processes, not looking to the students to help you avoid the consequences of its poor processes.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: You could email the picture to her tutor/future employers (cc'ing the student in) so they understand how rude and unhelpful she was.
I don't agree with this "let's be nice to students no matter what they say or do" nonsense. They should understand that actions have consequences.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_11: This was a painful experience for you. Use the helpful answer from username_3 to reduce the level of pain... and then do something constructive:
Think about how you can improve your effectiveness and your responsiveness to student feedback.
Keep in mind that effectiveness is a two-way street. Communication and teaching involve TWO people -- a great deal depends on the receptiveness of the student, and the fit between the two people.
You can provide informal opportunities for student feedback throughout the course; and you can provide formal opportunities at various points.
For example: in the beginning of the 8-week session, ask the students to share with you, and each other, both in writing and in class discussions, what *they* would like to get out of the class.
And finally... seek out opportunities to improve your command of your subject, and to improve your pedagogy. One good way to do this is to observe classes, and reflect on what *you think* works best in teaching.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: When transcripts are submitted as part of your graduate admission's package, how can the graduate admissions staff consider your junior/senior grades, when your applying to the program a year in advance? Basically, when you submit your transcript, you will only have your freshmen, sophomore, and junior grades listed. How do the committee estimate your senior grades when they have not been completed?<issue_comment>username_1: You're right, most programs simply don't take 4th-year grades into account. If you want, you can send them an additional transcript once Fall semester grades are released (some schools will request that you do this), but for the most part that's just how admissions works.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It is true that spring semester of your senior year will not be reflected in admissions to grad school (unless, heaven forbid, some disaster occurs...) Fall semester is a different matter. Indeed, you yourself cannot have a formal transcript sent at the common U.S. grad school deadlines, ... but this transcript should be sent as soon as possible after the fall term.
Your letter writers and you (in your statement of purpose) will be expected to comment on and/or refer to your fall term courses, which will mostly continue into spring term (in mathematics, for example). Most often, one or more of your letter writers will be the instructors for your fall-term courses, whether or not they were your instructors or mentors earlier. Thus, although contemporary fashion for deadlines makes things awkwardly early, these senior-year courses matter a great deal. Especially for students in the U.S., very often the sophistication of courses taken senior year vastly exceeds that of anything earlier, even perhaps of summer projects. Students' encounters with this more-substantive mathematics, and their reactions, are very, very important in gauging their reactions to graduate programs.
To exaggerate only slightly: if in an application to math grad school a student has taken the usual somewhat-thin U.S. undergrad curriculum, I (as grad admission committee person) will scarcely *care* about what they did *before* senior year, nor what the grades were. In some cases, too-good grades in dull courses can be a back-handed compliment. Mathematical reality is often only distantly approached by senior year...
Perhaps other fields have a different pace...
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm in the second year of a master's program, working on a thesis. I am not getting enough help from my supervisor because he has a different methodological background from me. I am also not finding enough evidence to complete the thesis, and the topic has been very difficult to research because almost nothing is written about it. I am dreading completing this degree. What are some constructive ways I can deal with this issue and complete the degree? Is it possible at this point to make it through the degree and succeed despite my poor choice of topic and supervisor?<issue_comment>username_1: A few tips: try to go to conferences of that topic. If your supervisor likes you, he will support it. Interacting with other people in the field can be liberating and inspiring. "Go to conferences" was the single most useful advice I got during my PhD. Spend your own money if necessary and possible, but try to identify the relevant ones, don't waste time and money on side tracks.
Make contact with experts on the topic and see how they see the field.
Else, see whether there is an alternative direction that you can develop. It is rare that you get just the results you aimed for originally. It is ok to vary the direction (of course, after consultation with your supervisor). Some topics can be very hard, and need to be attacked from the back-entrance which you have to find first, but you won't if you try the same things again and again. Vary your approach.
Finally, how far are you? If you have already some considerable material, map out what is missing and plug through. If you are at the beginning, reorientation (possibly even with the current supervisor) may be an option.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I know how you feel, I have been in similar enough situation. From your perspective now it maybe looks dark but it's not. You are almost finished, just one step and that masters degree is yours.
First, I assume you are from USA, so different system than in mainland Europe where i studied, so take that in mind.
If you find your thesis dull and mentor unhelpful, easiest way is to switch thesis, but better yet, switch both thesis and mentor. If you opt to do this, best way is to approach your mentor, tell him how you feel about your thesis and politely ask if it's possible to change theme of your thesis. You are still stuck with the problem of not very helpful mentor. Most faculties have on the website written rules and regulations, there should be something about changing mentors for master thesis. If they don't there is always student service or somebody in administration who can tell you how to do it. For example, in PhD program on my faculty, it is explicitly stated that you can change both PhD thesis and mentor once, no questions asked. It is wise to assume yours has similar rules, even in masters program. Even if you have to pay for additional semester, it would be worth it since you are clearly unhappy with current situation.
I have changed both my mentor and master thesis since midway into it, our ideas parted and his were highly unappealing and boring. I thanked the professor for his time and parted ways with him since further cooperation wasn't possible (and at that time i was kind of angry at he prof for wasting both his and my time). Change did set back my graduation for about 6 months, I had to pay for additional semester, but in the end I did thesis on the subject I liked with the great professor who backed me up and help me out lot more than previous one.
Last thing, if you can't change anything, don't give up. You invested a lot of time and effort to get to where you are now. Don't throw it away. Write what you can, submit it to the mentor and see if you can defend it even if you think it's sub par by your own criteria. Once you get the diploma, you can bury that thesis and forget about it.
Best of luck :)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Both my partner and I felt exactly the same way towards the end of our respective master's programs (in totally different disciplines, at different institutions). I was advising her, and vice-versa, to just stick it out for a few more months and complete the program. We'd both put in so much work and effort up to those times, it would have been a shame to just totally wash out with nothing to show for it.
Now here we are a decade or two later, and both of our careers have been completely predicated on having those degrees as door-openers and a foundation for success. I really love my job in academia, and it wouldn't be possible if I hadn't completed that program. I just asked my partner if she could go back in time to that very difficult period, how she'd advise herself, and she said "Definitely, stick out! Get that diploma!".
In both cases it took us about 5 years to mentally "wash off" that feeling of desperation. But we both feel so much better off, skill-wise, to have that under our belts. Best wishes; it does get better.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: There are some great answers here! To add, I might suggest trying to find help / support from other professors in your department. If there's no one who uses your approach or might be able to offer some helpful input, you could also consider contacting other, more senior graduate students or scholars elsewhere who do work in your area. If you do either of these, I would strongly encourage you not to bring up problems with your adviser. If you can indicate that you find the (other) professor's work engaging it might help your chances of hearing back in a timely manner. The conferences that username_1 talks about can be a great way to find like minded people to approach.
Overall, I agree with the 'stick it out' advice you're getting. I think it applies to your situation. In case others are reading this, I'll say that there can be a time when sticking it becomes increasingly foolhardy. This would be a more common problem for students pursuing a PhD who, despite being many years 'in,' are encountering ongoing problems (unable to get approval for a defense date or to get feedback of any kind, for example). Reconstituting a committee at this stage is an option, but one that is sometimes seen as risky to other professors who might take you on - not least because they do not want to be seen as 'crossing' your existing adviser. Pursuing administrative options can also be difficult, especially if the people you are talking to are professors or former professors who locate blame with the student and not the larger situation or the existing adviser. These can be gloomy times - particularly if you're having to take out student loans against an already grim professional future to fund an endless cycle of revisions.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I just realized that I referenced my desire to go to school A in a letter to school B (in fact, I did this by mistake for 2 schools!). Most unfortunately, I have already submitted the applications for these 2 schools so I can no longer change the letters. How damaging can this mistake be? The annoying thing is, I mention specific professors I want to work with from both schools, and these names are correct, but it's just the school name that was mixed up in the editing stages.<issue_comment>username_1: Not an uncommon mistake. Good for a little laugh. Harmless.
**Edit:** I've read some of the comments to my post as well as other people's responses. If it were indeed true that someone might hold this against the student, I would find it naïve at best. Do we not know that students apply to multiple schools (if they know better)? Do we expect some sort of early allegiance from them? Do we measure a student's level of commitment, never mind his/her research abilities, by a small oversight buried in the SoP? None of this is very sensible.
The OP clearly states that he tailored his SoP to each school, so he did his due diligence and as a result the SoP is presumably informative as to the candidate's fit. No matter how you cut it, the application will (should) be accepted or rejected based on the qualifications of the student and the strength of the application package, this **for the sole benefit of the graduate program**.
The only case where I could even conceive this being harmful is if the package were marginal (for the school's standards) to begin with. I can't remember a single case (out of thousands) where I made a recommendation/decision based on something like this.
Read username_3's careful [response](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/60144/44978): Harm ranges from "a bit" to "minimal." I'd argue that, when the chips are down, it is very close to zero or just zero.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The statement of purpose is very important, but if your CV is rock-solid, with great undergraduate scores and strong references, the importance of your SoP gets a bit lowered. So, yes, what happened is embarrassing, and can reflect negatively on you, but don't lose hope. And it's probably more common than you think.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: As a long time graduate program director, I've read thousands of these essays; this mistake happens in maybe 1 in 50 or so. I have already seen one this year, for example.
Here's the deal: If it's a generic statement of purpose that is not tailored to the school in question, yeah, it hurts a bit. It's an added signal that you're not all that serious about this particular school. If your statement of purpose is well tailored to the program -- or if you've created other contacts there, e.g., talked extensively with a faculty member interested in recruiting you -- the harm should be minimal.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: It also depends on the pool of applicants. If it is a competitive program with many applications, trivial mistakes can carry more weight. A redeeming quality is that the facility's names are correct. Hopefully the committee will keep one eye closed.
---
Edit: sad to see downvotes without comments. Disliking my answers is absolutely fine but I welcome and would love to know your thoughts. This is, after all, an academic board.
I myself have been serving in different admission committees for more than 3 years and I have to say, as naive as another answer pointed out, rejecting an application for writing the wrong school name has been one of the contributing reasons. It's never the sole reason, but it's definitely a negative trait.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: To add to the existing answers, I think it is a good idea to find out who the graduate director is for School B, send him/her a very short e-mail apologizing for the mistake, and note that you really are interested in School B as is hopefully clear from the rest of your letter.
These applications go through various layers of bureaucracy, but (at least in the cases I'm familiar with) the decision-making is done my the department in question. If your e-mail doesn't ask for any commitments from them, and doesn't demonstrate that you haven't read their application instructions, then (in my opinion) it is more likely to be helpful than annoying.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I have recently completed a Multivariable Calculus class. I struggle a lot with math, and failed the first and second midterms and I feel that I failed the final exam as well. The first midterm was worth 25% of my grade, the second was worth 30% and and the final was 35%. I am absolutely convinced that I failed the final, yet I passed the course with a C, although homework was worth 10% and I maintained a 96% on it.
My question is, how often do professors alter their grading scale such that they don't fail someone? My professor did mention that if we do very poorly on the final exam, he would just give us a 'C'. How often does this happen?<issue_comment>username_1: There are some very high reputation schools where they still will have very loose pass criteria, for a basic pass (i.e. a C). However, what is very hard to achieve there are the high marks.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> My question is, how often do professors alter their grading scale such
> that they don't fail someone?
>
>
>
I cannot easily answer this for the whole world as the frequency may differ wildly across universities as each may have different policies. However, based on studying in three different universities in three different countries, I can tell you that I think that this practice is very common as many professors (at least those in the institutions I attended) are required to have a certain pass rate for their classes. If, therefore, too many students fail, then they will find some way to ensure that a sufficient number pass.
Do you have a more specific follow up question that you would like to ask?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Teaching is hard, and writing exams is hard. Anyone who thinks they can set the exact criteria in advance is probably being arrogant. At Chicago (at least in the 1980s) every single course is graded on a curve so essentially every course had its criteria set by the performance of the students. On the one hand this compensates for mistakes in teaching or in writing an exam, on the other hand your performance is partly determined by how good your classmates happen to be.
One of the professors at MIT I tutored under was very angry that students had demanded (so the Institute regulated) that the percentages given to the various midterms and exams were set out in advance, because before that "innovation" he'd been able to adjust the percentages if he'd written an exam not up to his own standards, something you can often only find out after you've given it.
In the UK, these sorts of practices are banned. Every student is supposed to be marked to criteria set up when the course was approved. To make this work, UK universities require the exam to be written very early in the term, checked by a colleague, and then checked again by an external examiner. Then at the end of the year there is something called an exam board, where a panel decides if something went wrong in a course and moves all the marks for the whole course up or down in response. This is better than marking on a curve because the students can help each other learn without hurting themselves, but in other ways it's worse in that the professors cannot innovate and it can be very difficult to update material.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: The Predetermined Minimum Scale
-------------------------------
In general, at least in the US and according to my experience with a few institutions, grading often goes like this:
1. The professor sets up a grading scale (generally percentage to letter grade conversion) and puts it in their course syllabus at the beginning of the semester. This commonly goes something like 94% >= A, 90% = A-, 87% = B+ ... < 60% = F.
2. The syllabus also includes an outline of weighting of grades - for instance 10% "attendance and participation", 40% assignments, 50% midterm + final.
These guidelines as noted in the syllabus reflect a "guaranteed minimum grade". This means that if you get 90% in this course you are guaranteed ***at least*** an A-. However, this also means that the professor generally reserves the right to adjust grades upwards, especially in borderline cases. If you got a 93.7% and participated actively in class, they might bump it up to an A solely at their discretion!
In this scheme, students are protected against wanton harshness, like a professor suddenly decides the final wasn't hard enough and so suddenly anyone with less than a 95% gets a B.
Please be aware this is not the only grading system!
Forced Curve Grading
--------------------
Another system uses what is sometimes called a "forced curve", and is designed such that - for instance - only 10% of students can get an A of any kind. It doesn't matter what your score is - just that your relative ranking is compared to other classmates that semester. I'm told the Airforce Academy uses this system extensively (or at least use to), among other institutions and sometimes even individual professors choose this system.
So you can theoretically bomb the final and get a miserable score, and if everyone else did too then your grade might still be excellent.
Hybrid Grading Systems
----------------------
Bespoke systems implemented by various professors abound across the USA, which is part of the reason most graduate schools take GPA with at least a few grains of salt (it is understood that a 4.0 in one program might be equivalent to a 3.5 in another, to say nothing of whether or not a 4.0 student in one program might be otherwise inferior to a 3.5 student in the same program due to different student focus).
One system I've found somewhat common is using the predetermined grading scale, setting the scale strict as shown above, but then giving very difficult exams where they note that even they themselves would not be able to score 100% if they didn't have their answer key at hand. In these classes getting even a 90% is truly difficult. The goal is perhaps to be more discriminating, and a score of 100% isn't very informative in this outlook. I found math professors much more likely to fall into this category!
So what the professors do is at the end of the semester they plot out all the grades (in a histogram, scatter plot, or sorted-by-grade spreadsheet), and then take a look. They find some sort of 'gap' in the actual grades, and decide anyone above that gap gets the maximum score of A. The next 'segment' gets the next highest grade, on down to the end. No one gets bumped down to a lower grade, but many students can/do get bumped up.
Discounting Aberrant Grades
---------------------------
Many professors also compare the grades on a final exam to scores in the rest of the course, and adjust grades up in certain cases. One example is if you did well all semester long, then somehow did poorly on the final. If this seems like a weird aberration and you participated and clearly worked hard in class, sometimes a professor will think the grade is a poor reflection of your understanding of the material and will lower its weight - effectively giving you a better grade than your final would indicate.
Other professors look at the final as the most important/difficult test, and if you did significantly better on the final than in the rest of the class they will assume you must have learned the material (or you wouldn't have done so well on the hardest test!) and bump your grade up - effectively discounting your earlier less-spectacular grades.
Of course, some professors do none of this. Some give lots of extra credit, or "easy A" assignments so you just have to turn something in, etc. In the USA professors usually have a tremendous amount of independence in determining grades, and they often just have to have a sensible system they can defend if 'challenged'. But some don't really care and pretty much do what they want. YMMV.
Your Specific Case
------------------
In your specific case of wondering how you got a good grade even though you thought you bombed the final, it's possible you did not actually bomb the final - and it's also possible you did and got 'curved' up, or the professor discounted your grade on the final because you otherwise did so well in the course.
If you are really concerned or wondering, you can generally ask the professor or meet with them to share your concern that you bombed the final, etc. I personally wouldn't "look a gift horse in the mouth" (question someone who graded you kindly), but if you really feel uncomfortable with the grade then by all means you can politely ask to go over the final with the professor or discuss your grade more generally.
One final note- I have known a number of people exhibit a mentality I like to call "reverse paranoia": the belief that people are secretly out to help you even though you don't deserve it! It's very possible you did better than you think or even that you earned the grade you got (I know, crazy right?), and the professor just gave you the grade you deserved. This may or may not be related to the impostor syndrome, or just a past experiences that were negative. But this is just a pet theory/observation of mine!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: I don't know if you're going to be able to get an answer for "how often". I would assume this varies heavily by country, university culture, department culture, and individual differences in teaching styles.
From my experience as a TA and other TA's I've worked with, it is fairly common in the department to modify the grading scale a little bit if necessary - a practice similar to curving. Whenever I've been involved in these discussions, there has always been a lot of very careful deliberation before the choice is made. Why? Because teaching and learning both have an element of subjectivity and imprecision. No question is absolutely perfect, no exam will perfectly represent the material, and sometimes it's difficult to know the problem is the students or the inability for some concepts to sink in.
Some other reasons:
1. **Equalizing between two different classes**. In theory, both classes should have the exact same grade averages for all exams and for the final course grade. This never happens in practice. Sometimes the grade cutoffs need to be equalized between both classes to make up for this.
2. **Poor performance on the final exam**. What if students are doing well the whole semester and they do poorly on the final? It's very difficult to know if this is because the exam was problematic or if the students were taught poorly or if they were lazy or a number of other reasons. Sometimes the exact same final will have totally different grades between two classes even if the material taught is the same.
3. **Unforeseen issues**. Five years ago, I taught a course in which the fire alarm went off during an exam. As a result, we had to postpone the exam and give the students a make-up one week later. But then the other class that didn't have the fire alarm, complained incessantly and became rabid in their attempts to grab free points by badgering the TAs and arguing answers on test regrades. They claimed that it was not fair that the other class got an extra week. The average for the exam between the two classes was unequal by a large margin so adjusting cutoffs seemed fair.
4. **An alternative to curving**. Many professors curve their exam in some way to alter the grade distributions. Some professors think this isn't necessary until the end of the semester and "curve" by altering cutoffs rather than adjusting final averages.
5. **Sometimes you, as a student, deserve the grade you got**. I am always asked by my professors if the students I TAed really deserve the grade they received. What if a student comes to my office hours every week, does well on all the homeworks, participates in discussions, clearly knows their stuff, but performs poorly on exams? [I was one such student for my early undergrad so I can sympathize] And what about the student who crams the night before but understands little of the material and makes a really good grade on the exam because they are good test takers? Sometimes you need to adjust cutoffs for students who are on the cusp that deserve to be one letter grade up.
6. **The aim of Freshman courses is not to weed-out but to instruct**. I find this is more common in Freshman courses. Freshman year is hard and just because you don't perform amazingly in your first semester doesn't mean you aren't cut out for your topic of study. Sophomore classes and beyond tend to be much more weed-out courses. If it's clear that that you understood the material then maybe you deserve to pass the class. The point of teaching is to encourage and not discourage. And if a student passes that shouldn't, it will catch up with them eventually. They will reach a course where a cutoff can't save them or they will find their upper-division courses are far harsher when it comes to passing students.
Summary: **the overall aim for adjusting cutoffs is to strike a balance between creating a fair course for the students and ensuring the students learned the material.** However, It is wholly unethical to only alter individual grades or cutoffs for specific students. The most important thing to ensure is that whatever changes you make **apply to the entire class**.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: **How often does this happen?** I have a feeling this happens quite frequently based upon my one personal experience/data-point that I have. This took place at a very well known, high-rep, American university. Most of the students in the class were probably engineering students.
I was taking a junior/senior level probability class. The class averages on the exams we utterly horrendous. We're talking in the 25%, 35% range. The averages showed the entire class to be in a state of utter failure. The professor was almost universally considered to be terrible...with the exception of one student who kept obliterating the exam averages by getting in the 90s each time. I knew that student personally. She was superb.
According to the class averages, I was in the "C" range. If a student had an "A" going into the final exam, they weren't required to take the final. Unfortunately, I had to take the final exam. I bashed my brains in preparation for that final.
Would you believe I ended up with an "A" for my final grade? It is the most undeserved "A" I ever received. You should have seen the totally confused look on my face when I found out! That "A" still stands out on my transcript as a diamond amongst coal.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: I submitted a theoretical paper to Physical Review Letters, and the editor answered that it can be published in Physical Review but it seems not suitable for a Letter given the Referee responses.
Basically, one of the Referee recommends a Letter, while the other recommends a normal Physical Review.
I would like to answer the editor/referee, in order to try to get published as a Letter. What is the best things to do in this situation? Of course, in any case, we should answer all the comments and try to convince the Referee. But is it useful to ask the editor for a third Referee in this case? Is it really hopeless to try to convince the Referee? Will be the third Referee a kind of a lottery?
More details about the specific situation:
One of the Referee praises our work for the interesting results, and for the clarity and readability of the manuscript. Also they say that it would stimulate new experiments, and recommend the publication as a Letter, after some minor points are addressed.
The other Referee however has a different opinion. They say that it is difficult to understand, cumbersome, and even raises a fundamental problem about our main result, which in their opinion is in contrast with the existing literature. Also, they say that the measure proposed will not stimulate the experimental community, since that, in their opinion, the measure seems not easy and there is no qualitative advantage in this proposal, compared with other methods.
Now, I and the other coauthors have fixed the manuscript, and we are able to show that our results do not contradict existing literature, and that the measure is possible (a very similar measure has been already done). I should remark that the topic of our manuscript is a phenomenon which has been confirmed very recently in 2 papers using the same experimental technique. Our proposal refers to a different signature of the same phenomenon.
EDIT: I don't want to appeal, since I think that the Refereeing process has been fair, at least so far. Appealing should be reserved only in the case that one has the impression that the Refereeing was kind of unfair, biased, or fundamentally wrong.<issue_comment>username_1: The situation you are describing is not uncommon at all. Acceptance of an article in the prestigious [Physical Review Letters](http://journals.aps.org/prl/authors/editorial-policies-practices) *is* a big deal, and that is also the popular perception regarding it, primarily because of the high reviewing standards. Having personally attended a talk about this issue from one of the journal editors, I point out the technical correctness of work is not sufficient to guarantee publication in PRL - how much captivating is it for the Physics community is also a big factor. (Some part of this is hinted at, in the [*Acceptance Criteria* of the journal](http://journals.aps.org/prl/authors/editorial-policies-practices).) Unless both the referees strongly recommend that the article qualifies to be a PRL on all eligibility counts, the decision is generally unfavorable. It is important to note that not all articles rejected by the journal are necessarily incorrect - some can rejected only because they were not deemed to be interesting enough!
In your situation, you can definitely *appeal*. This has been treated in the journal's [Editorial Policies and Practices](http://journals.aps.org/prl/authors/editorial-policies-practices), under a separate tab of **[Appeals](http://journals.aps.org/prl/authors/editorial-policies-practices#appeals)**, from where I quote:
>
> Authors may appeal a rejection of their paper by the editors. In the case of a formal appeal, the paper and all relevant information, including the identities of the referees, will be sent to a Divisional Associate Editor (DAE). The DAE may review the case on the existing record or may seek additional expert opinion. The DAE will present an advisory opinion to the editors, which will be sent to authors and/or referees with the DAE's name.
>
>
> Authors may suggest those DAEs they feel are appropriate (or not appropriate) to conduct the review, but the editors are not bound by such suggestions. If there is no suitable DAE available, the editors may appoint an appropriate scientist to consider a paper under appeal as an ad hoc DAE.
>
>
> The author of a paper that has been rejected subsequent to a DAE review may request that the case be reviewed by the Editor in Chief of the American Physical Society. This request should be addressed to the Editors, who will review the file and, if appropriate, forward the entire file to the Editor in Chief. Such appeals must be based on the fairness of the procedures followed, and must not be a request for another scientific review. The questions to be answered in this review are: Were our procedures followed appropriately and did the paper receive a fair hearing? A decision by the Editor in Chief is the final level of review.
>
>
>
Please note that the above form of *appeal* is more of a fairness measure from the point of view of the journal - just in case the authors feel they haven't got a fair review. You must note that the official statement here is "*In the case of a formal appeal, the paper and all relevant information, including the identities of the referees, will be sent to a DAE*". So, the report by the second referee (as well as info as to who this guy is) shall also be sent to the DAE. Thus, he can also uphold the second referee's verdict if he considers it appropriate, i.e. if the reasons appear genuine. But, of course, he may also rule otherwise.
Quite obviously, this *appealing* does not guarantee that the paper makes the cut in the journal, it is only like a half shot more at it. It may also happen that the DAE may not feel that it makes a very strong case for a letter, even though there may not be any fundamental flaw with the results. If that happens, and even otherwise, don't feel very bad about missing out on a PRL. It is much more important that the contents of the article are correct, and the *Rapid Communications* section of Physical Review A/B/C/D/E might be a safe bet too. And of course, you can always opt for other letter journals. But if you think it makes a strong case, PRL does offer you a procedure for *appealing* too. Avail it if you wish.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Space is so competitive in top journals that they often take *any* bad review as sufficient cause to filter out one of their many submissions. You are unlikely to persuade the editor unless you can show a real problem with the bad review. I recently convinced an editor to look again at a rejected paper by revising it along the lines of the positive review and then resubmitting it. The paper got rejected again, but we needed to do the revision before submitting to another journal anyway, and I was impressed the editor at least reconsidered their decision.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: Six classmates and myself have been in the same program for the past 2 years and one of them just informed me of another classmate that sits beside him of cheating on exams, so I informed the professor, and now that person may be kicked out of the program.
Did I do right?
Why did that classmate inform me of the other persons cheating? I felt an ethical obligation, because of the program we are all in too disclose this information to the professor and did not want the burden of knowing on me.<issue_comment>username_1: Please don't take this negatively, but perhaps "your friend" was too sure about your ethics, and he/she knew that if that information was given to you, it would reach the teacher. So, he/she made *you* do, what he/she believed was ethically correct to do, but didn't want to do it himself/herself, for whatever reasons. Not having first hand info of the ground reality, I/other users on this site can only speculate about those reasons, so I better leave that part out. :)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: For many types of moral situations, university rules actually *require* that you inform a superior as soon as you find out yourself, or you are also in violation. It may be that the classmate who informed you didn't have the civic courage to report it but knew that you did. It is precisely to break cycles of no one saying anything that the rules are set up in the way I just described.
Or of course it may be that they were lying. As long as you passed the full information to the professor about how you knew what you knew as well as what you believed you knew, it is now the professor's responsibility and not yours. If there's anything you *haven't* already told the professor, I'd suggest contacting them again.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: >
> ...one of them just informed me of another classmate that sits beside
> him of cheating on exams
>
>
>
And why did you believe him? If your classmate told you that the guy behind him is a thief, would you go to the police without checking it? You refer as to your confidant as a "classmate" and not even a friend. Do you believe everything that other people say without checking facts first? How can you be sure that your classmate does not have some kind of animosity or vendetta towards the other student? You should not be that naive.
Regarding ethics, you should go to the professor and tell the absolute truth, i.e., that you did not witnessed first hand the other guy cheating and you naively believed the words of another classmate. Let the burden of truth lie to the one that provided you the information. And next time check your sources first before jeopardizing the future of strangers without solid proof. For all we know, the poor guy might be innocent and you just might be a naive pawn in someone else's vendetta. As is well known in criminal law: "**It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer**".
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I enjoy that Google finds things I've written that I would never bother to link on my own web page, just because it's nice to have all my writing collected *somewhere* given I've made the effort. But given that academics often assess each other from Google Scholar, I'm worried that my "year" index is getting cluttered and makes it look like no one cites my recent work. Of course, some people allow Google to automatically list discovered works and have their indices full of articles that aren't even theirs, but that's obviously unimpressive.
If you are the kind of person that clicks "year" on Google Scholar to see what an academic does lately, and you were checking the Scholar page of someone you were thinking of hiring, funding, or working with, would you be put off by fluffy articles like book reviews, conference abstracts, and popular science mixed with good ones?<issue_comment>username_1: Caveat: This is necessarily quite subjective.
Personally, I wouldn't necessarily downgrade my opinion of someone who had produced some really good work simply because they had also produced some other work that was comparatively less exciting. However:
* I would be slightly concerned if their other work was actively wrong, rather than just unexciting -- it would make me wonder if there were also mistakes in their exciting work that just hadn't been spotted yet.
* I might well view the person's Google Scholar page as less useful when it came to finding out what they'd been doing lately, and start searching for their research page instead.
I'm currently too junior to be assessing people for academic jobs, but if I were assessing someone, I wouldn't change a hire decision to a do not hire decision (or vice versa) based purely on the look of their Google Scholar page (or web page). I'd base any decision far more on things like the quality of their research (I'd read their publications), their ability to teach (I'd potentially get them to give a mock tutorial), their commitment to both research and teaching, and their overall attitude to other people and to learning.
On a separate note, it wouldn't surprise me much if very recent work hadn't received many citations (due to the inevitable lag time between when you publish something and when it gets cited -- people have to read your paper, do their own work and get it published before they can cite you).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Personally, I think that it is *important* to let one's Google Scholar index all of one's work.
When I am assessing a colleague, I will often *exclusively* use their Google Scholar page, since every other search method I am currently aware of is either a) badly cluttered with not-their-work or b) tends to leave out significant "non-traditional" works such as white-papers, standards documents, workshops, and books. I use both the "Cited By" and "Year" orderings, the first to see if they have made an impact and the second to see how active they currently are.
When I see a lot of recent publications, I do not expect them to be much cited, particularly given potentially long publication delays and the fact that most scientific work draws little citation, even if it is good. Many publications, after all, are "bridging steps" that are important for building the foundations of high-impact publications but which may not be of interest outside of a very narrow group indeed.
What I would expect to see in a highly active researcher, then, is a couple of recent "hits" and a lot of recent publications with minimal citation. If, in fact, I saw a person who seemed to *only* have "hits" in their Google Scholar record, then I would find it very curious and think they might be engaging in strategic non-publication.
Obviously, I apply these standards to myself as well. Even if somebody can't be bothered to scroll down far enough to get to last year, they're at least likely to notice the recent citation statistics bar chart. Bottom line: I think that it is a good tradeoff to risk giving a mis-impression those few excessively careless readers in favor of giving a better impression to the more careful ones who are likely to actually be interested in the full list.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I use GS in a couple of different ways but neither is really about assessment.
I am in one of those interdisciplinary areas where people who are more discipline focussed may have a couple of papers that are relevant to my work, but most of their research is not. So if I am using a reference that is say 5 years old, I will often use GS to have a look at everything that person has written to (1) identify whether they have a relevant research thread or just a couple of papers and (2) find the relevant papers. This is because a researcher's official website will typically list the papers that are important in their discipline, but may not list the 'random other ideas' type of paper. That is, the website is set up to present their main research, particularly if it is uses a department template.
From the other direction, I never allow GS to automatically add my papers and I don't necessarily permit everything that GS finds even it is mine. I obviously allow journal publications, but I only have more significant working papers, reports and conference presentations. Even those, I might combine (for example, if a conference paper is an early version of something then I might combine the two records so that someone following the conference paper can immediately find the more complete / later paper). In some sense I am trying to direct any searchers to what I think is the best description of my research.
So, back to your main point - would I get put off? I would get put off if someone had lots of minor work, even if they also had the major work. To me, this looks like padding. However, I came from a government/industry background, and many academic CVs look too long to me. Twelve pages of publications gives me the impression that the person has no ability to assess relevance or is too lazy to customise the CV. So I may not be the best judge.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: My rule of thumb for Google Scholar is that any piece of writing that is available in full goes on the Google Scholar profile. That includes working papers, newspaper articles, book reviews, etc. However, it does **not** include conference abstracts: in my opinion, those are teasers of work to come and so aren't substantial enough to be included.
In hiring decisions, I think the CV still trumps a candidate's Google Scholar page. With easily 100 applications for one position, it's just not feasible to look up everyone's profiles. If an article is not on the CV, it's the candidate's loss. There's really no cost to having a section at the end of the CV on non-academic writing, for example. Just as long as these articles are not mixed in with peer-reviewed publications. If someone's work lends itself to being grouped into different domains, then organizing publications into subsections seems sensible. Maybe that would also address the comment by @username_3 about CVs that are too long? That is, maybe the objection is to clutter rather than length?
Upvotes: 2
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2015/12/16
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<issue_start>username_0: I just got my PhD 2 weeks ago. Last April I discussed with a professor about an offer to join her team. However, this offer was pending a certain project acceptance (I was supposed to work mainly on that project).
The project got accepted on July and I accepted to start working beginning of December. Since September I sent 3 emails asking when can we start with the official procedures of preparing and signing the contract. I always received the same answer 'whenever you want', I would reply that I need to start it early so I can settle and finish the boring paperwork, then I receive nothing back.
Until 2 days before my PhD defense when she suggested to start the procedures of preparing a contract (these procedures would take at least 3 weeks). Meanwhile this professor asked me to do minor tasks for the project, I did it. But when she kept delaying the official procedures, I felt worried. I thought maybe she is not sure yet about hiring me, so I made other interviews and already received two much better offers and I'm comparing between the three offers now.
My question is, how rude, professional-wise, my situation is? I already talked to her by phone and described that I'm deciding between various offers and that I will finally decide in two days but she wasn't ok with that at all. She said you are already committed with me (even without a contract). I really don't want to burn bridges.<issue_comment>username_1: It boils down to how sure are you that it was she who delayed the procedures, and why. Did she delay by lack of organisation or intentionally? Some people are not intentionally delaying procedures, but just disorganised. Or it may be possible that she didn't think you would finish at a certain time and the procedures require a completed defense.
If you have grounds to believe, however, that she may have done that intentionally, then you probably will have a snapshot of how your collaboration may look in the future when even more critical issues are at stake (publications, credit, funding, references).
What you need to make sure is that it was not you that, somehow, by negligence, caused the delays. If you are confident that this is not the case (BTW, nothing in your mail indicates this, I am just suggesting to make sure), then it is necessary to identify her responsibility in the situation. "Burning bridges" is not the right term to use here, but rather whether the fair and justified interest of the parties involved was respected. Did you keep your side of the bargain? Do you feel the other side upheld their side of the bargain?
The whole appearance of the story is that she wanted to be in control of the situation, and now circumstances (and your talent) put you in control instead.
You ask how rude you would be to take advantage of that. Yes, you may be "rude" (in some sense), and end up happy or be polite and end up unhappy. It is your life, and, unless in your country spoken agreements count as contracts (there are places where this is the case), you can legally pull back. Even if it is an agreement, you could make the point that she didn't uphold her part of the bargain.
In any case, if you decide to go for the original offer, after all, don't let yourself be tempted to turn down the other, better, offers until you have got your contract in hand, though.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In my opinion neither party has behaved very well. You received an offer and accepted it. Then you asked for a contract and it was not provided in a timely manner. However, from your descriptions it doesn't sound like you conveyed how important it was to you to sign the contract at a certain time.
>
> I would reply that I need to start it early so I can settle and finish the boring paperwork
>
>
>
This is not very clear: *early* and *late* are entirely subjective terms. It is plausible that the professor thought she was acting early. You should have said "I need to sign the contract by Date X, or I will have to consider other offers." Yes, this is a somewhat strongly worded statement, but step back and took a look at the situation: is being firm about getting a contract on a job that has been offered and accepted going to place the job in any jeopardy? Almost certainly not, and if it does then perhaps you're dodging a bullet by not taking this job. Also, interviewing for other jobs after you've accepted a job offer is a **significantly more precipitous action**. It is understandable but only ethically watertight if you made best efforts to nail down the job you've accepted, and it's not clear that you did. Moreover, having the professor find out that you interviewed elsewhere -- which is extremely likely in most academic communities, by the way -- risks annoying her much more than a "Please stop dragging your feet" email.
Moreover, doing work for a job before you've signed a contract is a very bad idea. How do you signal more interest in a job than *actually starting the job*? If you pull out after doing work then the professor is almost certainly going to be surprised and a bit miffed (unless she has been playing games with you all along). On the other hand, if you end up never signing the contract and not taking the job, the work that you've done goes down the drain. Good luck getting paid for it, and good luck maintaining an academic collaboration with the professor. But for the record, I blame the employer more: a ~~wizard~~ professor should know better. She is not behaving professionally.
In my opinion this is not the start of a beautiful friendship. If you have another job offer that you think is significantly better, in my opinion **yes**, you can take it. You haven't signed anything, and you made inquiries about signing which were not handled in a timely manner. You should expect that if you pull out of this, the professor will be displeased with you. But that happens sometimes, and it should not stop you from acting in your own professional best interests. Still, you should be thinking about how not to get into this same situation in the future.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> I sent 3 emails asking when can we start with the official procedures of preparing and signing the contract. I always received the same answer 'whenever you want', I would reply that I need to start it early so I can settle and finish the boring paperwork, then I receive nothing back.
>
>
>
Based on what you've written here, it sounds like one possible explanation for these event is simple miscommunication: the professor told you that she was willing to start the procedures any time you wanted, but you never replied with a specific date, so she just assumed that you weren't quite ready yet, and that you'd tell her when you were.
If you did, in fact, want to start immediately, you should have told her so; instead, you used vague expressions like "early", which the professor may have interpreted as "soon, but not yet".
That said, even if this is the real explanation, I wouldn't call it *entirely* your fault; the professor *should* have become concerned when you told her that you wanted to start the procedures early, and then never followed up with a "let's start now", and she should have written back to you sooner to explicitly ask you whether you still need it done early, and if so, to name a specific deadline. Still, it's quite possible and understandable that she may have been distracted by other, more pressing matters, especially if you weren't in frequent communication and if there was no particular deadline involved for her.
---
Regarding what you should do now, I agree with the other answers that the damage is basically done already. One option, if you want to take it, is to simply walk away and take one of the other offers. You may be leaving a burned bridge behind you if you do so — but that bridge is already aflame, and there's no guarantee that you *can* put it out at this point.
If you do want to try and mend your relationship with this professor, what you need to do is sit down and talk with her. Explain what you believe has happened, from your viewpoint, and ask her to explain how *she* sees the situation, and be willing to accept that those two viewpoints might look very different, and that the misunderstanding may not be entirely her fault.
Before you do that, it may be a good idea to make up your mind on which postdoc position you want to choose, and make that clear to her from the beginning. If you're going to take one of the other offers, make that clear from the start, and say you're sorry — don't give the impression that you're trying to make the professor bargain to make you stay. And conversely, if you do want to stay and work with her, also let her know that from the start. Either way, make it clear that this isn't a negotiation, but that you just want to figure out what went wrong and how you can avoid making the same mistakes again.
(That's not to say that you should *irrevocably commit to* a particular choice before the discussion; it *is*, after all, possible that some new information might come up during or after the discussion that *could* legitimately make you re-evaluate your choices. But do at least *make a definite choice* first, and make it clear that you're not *expecting* to change your mind unless something truly unexpected comes up. The point is that you're not sitting down to bargain, but to clear the air and figure out how to move on.)
Upvotes: 3
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2015/12/16
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<issue_start>username_0: There were several discussions on this website about the importance of academic rankings. Opinions seem to range from "very important" to "completely meaningless". My question, however, is a bit different: Out of the different available rankings, which one is the best to consult when considering post-doc opportunities?
Of course, ranking is not an exact science. If one ranking claims university X is 23rd in the world, and the second ranking claims it's 27th in the world, there is little point in debating which one is "more reliable". However, the differences between the different rankings are sometimes huge.
Since I am a mathematician, let us consider for example the [QS ranking](http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2015/mathematics) and the [Shanghai ranking](http://www.shanghairanking.com/SubjectMathematics2015.html) in mathematics. The "glitch" of King Abdulaziz University, which ranks 5th on the Shanghai's ranking, is well known (apparently they employ some very dubious practices). But Pierre and Marie Curie University for example is ranked 5th in the world by Shanghai, and is not even in the top 50 in the QS ranking. So as far as an academic career is concerned, is a post-doc position in this university amazing or terrible?
The situation seems to be similar for american universities. The University of Minnesota ranks 11th in world according to Shanghai, Texas A&M is 14th and the University of Washington is 18th, but none of these universities are in the top 50 according to the QS ranking. So, for a future academic employer (say in the US), is a post-doc position in Minnesota roughly comparable to such a position in MIT, or not even in the same ballpark? Is the University of Chicago much better than the University of Warwick (as indicated by QS), or is it the other way around?
I know that the different rankings use very different methodology and are based on different criteria. But I think this is exactly what makes the question meaningful - out of these criteria, which are the most relevant to post-docs?<issue_comment>username_1: **None of them**. At the postdoc level, you should already be familiar with the people and research groups in your field, at least at a basic level. Go where there is someone you want to work with, and maybe a good active research group, irrespective of the ranking of their university. That ranking could have been achieved because the university is great in a completely different research area, or because it has good conditions for students (as a postdoc, you don't care about this). And, as you state yourself, at high detail level many rankings are bullsinaccurate anyway.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: It's more important to work with a well-known advisor (in your area) than at a well-known university. Ultimately, your supervisor, not your university, will write your recommendation letters and talk you up to colleagues. There are multiple criteria more important than university ranking when choosing a post-doc. Do you want to live in the city/country? Do you think you'll be a good fit with the research group? Does the advisor support his/her students and postdocs? How much funding does your prospective advisor have? What facilities and support are available to you? Can you apply for grants where you are named as an investigator? Will you have to write grants for your advisor (where you are not named as an investigator)? Will you have to spend a lot of time in admin/maintenance duties or be free to focus on your research?
On the other hand, 'highly-ranked' universities are more likely to have faculty with significant grant income and better facilities and support than 'lowly-ranked' universities. For example, if you are an applied mathematician, engineer, or bioinformatician, then having access to a High Performance Computing cluster might be advantageous (or even necessary).
Ultimately, having FancyPants University on your CV will mean nothing if you don't back it up with quality output. Thus, your main concern should be finding an environment that will enable you to produce quality work, regardless of whether that is at a 'highly-ranked' or 'lowly-ranked' university.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: The importance of a university ranking is next to meaningless. For example, the quality of undergraduate teaching is not relevant for postdocs, and even the research ranking might not be relevant to you as it is likely averaged across all fields. The most important outcome of your postdoc, at least in biological fields, is how productive you are in terms of publishing quality articles. This is strongly associated with the productivity of the supervisor (and his/her lab) whom you work with. This also relates to your ability to collaborate successfully, which is why the research group is so important. There are so many other factors to consider, such as location, funding, facilities/equipment, that you will rarely have a choice where these are mostly equal and it comes down to university ranking.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Choose an institution based on academic and personal fit. A post-doc is primarily an opportunity to build up your publications list. Focus on that.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/17
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<issue_start>username_0: Years ago I was diagnosed with leukemia and fortunately I won at that time the battle. Beginning of last year I started a PhD and after 1 year, my old illness was again knocking the doors and I had to stop the PhD asking for a Leave of Absence to start my treatment.
I've got a LOA but unfortunately, 6 months later and although my treatment works fine, it seems I'll need around 6 months or more to recover and I'm afraid to have a long year gap in my CV. Moreover, there is a total lack of support and communication from my university and academic committee and I was thinking to quit my PhD.
Therefore, and seeing this gap won't help me, I decided to make a step back in my career, apply for a MSc. in a related area of my PhD and later, apply again to other PhD program in a different university.
I understand is a big step back, but it seems I'll need around a year to recover (if everything works fine) and I don't think I'll get a rec. letter from my supervisor. I also need to refresh again my background and be humble about my situation, so I don't think it's really bad. However, I'd like to hear from you suggestions or ideas.
Thanks in advance for reading and all your comments<issue_comment>username_1: If you have had a very serious medical problem like cancer, most PhD programs will take you back after you have recovered without much trouble. If you contact them now and tell them that your recovery is taking longer than anticipated, they will probably tell you to get better and come back when you are ready. I think withdrawing and moving to a master's program would be a very poor idea, unless you have gotten specifically negative information from your doctoral program, indicating they are unhappy with your extended absence.
You say that there has been a total lack of communication and support from your graduate program, but you may be expecting more than was reasonable or likely. When a student takes a leave of absence for a medical reason, the faculty and administrators may not follow up very extensively, unless you keep in regular contact with them. This is not necessarily because they do not care about how you are doing, but because they are trying to respect your privacy. If you have not shared many details about how you are doing with other students and the faculty, they may feel that your medical status is none of their business.
I have observed that once a student leaves graduate school, for any reason, there is a good likelihood that they will never come back. This is particularly true for students early in their graduate career. So your advisor and other faculty members may not be expecting you to come back, particularly if you have not been in touch with them during your cancer treatment. However, I would guess that they would probably be very happy to hear from you and would welcome you back when you were fully recovered.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If you decide to go the M.Sc. route, I would think you could potentially turn your Ph.D. work done so far into a viable M.Sc. thesis at your current institution without much work? It is not uncommon for Ph.D. students to cut their losses by graduating with a M.Sc. from the same program.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Please get in touch with the student disability office at the Ivy League institution you were attending. That office provides the safety net you need. They will help you navigate the rocky waters in your department.
In the United States there are extensive protections for students in your situation. However, the professors in the departments are experts in their fields, not in disability rights. That's okay; the student disability office is there to guide them.
Upvotes: 2
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2015/12/17
| 503
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<issue_start>username_0: The academic review process is usually supposed to be blind, in that authors are not told the identity of the reviewers. But frequently it is possible to guess who has reviewed your work, or the reviewers themselves may let you know informally.
Say my manuscript is rejected from journal A after one very positive and one more critical review, and I think I know who the reviewers were. After some revisions I submit to journal B, who ask me for a suggested list of reviewers. Is it ethical to list the reviewer whom I suspect gave the positive review the first time, but replace the one I suspect has a negative opinion of my work with another reviewer? What if the positive reviewer is someone whom I did not originally suggest to journal A - is it ethical to suggest him/her to journal B in the light of their previous review?<issue_comment>username_1: There are ZERO ethics involved. First, you suspect, but do not know, who the original reviewers were. You may be right, you may be wrong.
Next, suggestions for potential reviewers are just that -- suggestions. It is the responsibility of the editor to pick appropriate reviewers, and your suggestions are just one potential source of information in the process of doing so.
I'd say even if you recommend people who you respect to referee your papers, they'll surprise you regularly with critical reviews (if they're doing their job).
The biggest ethical quandry you can get into in the process of recommending referees is probably some sort of pre-arrangement with those you suggest. This is to be avoided as less than stellar behavior.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You could, but with the following caveats:
* Some journals will ask potential reviewers if they have reviewed the material before and ask them to decline if they answer in the affirmative.
* Even without that specific guidance, many reviewers will decline to re-review material that they've reviewed for another journal
I think that this is a good principle to have, especially in small fields. It prevents certain scholars from being gatekeepers to the discipline.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: *if* you have to ask if it is ethical, then it probably **is not**.
Upvotes: -1
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2015/12/17
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<issue_start>username_0: In England, in principle, there are three [pathways](http://www.bristol.ac.uk/hr/grading/academic/pathways/) to professorship, or in general to teaching permanent positions at universities. The third one is *for academic staff whose responsibilities are primarily to cover essential teaching, educational needs and, for more senior grades, pedagogic research.*
But, in practice, scientific faculties do not allow almost anyone to get a professorship that way. In Bristol, in particular, I only know of people in the Graduate School of Education having become professors through pathway 3.
*Is there in Europe a real possibility, in disciplines like physics, mathematics, engineering, to work in academia as a university lecturer primarily?*
One way of rephrasing this would be:
**Are there in any European countries any teaching-oriented positions in scientific disciplines at universities?**<issue_comment>username_1: Many places in Europe try to follow US examples, and that involves promoting research first, as a way of educating the faculty itself. Of course a acclaimed handbook author like [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_H._Cormen) would almost always get the job anyway.
It is noted that there is [many more postdoc positions than professorial positions *worldwide*](https://www.smartsciencecareer.com/become-a-professor/).
Even if there are professors that focus mostly on teaching, they would not be advertised by universities trying to [attract research funding](https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/economic-impact-on-the-UK-of-eu-research-funding-to-universities.aspx).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: In Poland, it is possible to work at a university primarily as a teacher, including STEM areas like physics or engineering classes. Such people are often not required to conduct scientific research at all, or they only need to contribute a little scientifically. However, they are not considered full professors and do not receive the same salary, even if their positions are permanent.
Unfortunately, if you are a researcher from another country, it would be probably quite difficult to find such a position. They are not very common (universities tend to prefer research-focused posts in order to attract more funding) and fluent Polish is practically always a requirement.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/17
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<issue_start>username_0: I have recently successfully completed my PhD Viva (oral exam) at a UK university. This means that my PhD project is formally over and I have a formal promise from the university that I will be awarded a PhD, under the condition that I submit a corrected version of my thesis, adding those corrections requested by the examiners, in due time.
How should I list this state in applications eg. for postdoc positions? Given how different university procedures are in different countries and faculties, will it be acceptable to state “viva passed with corrections” for applications elsewhere in Europe, or are there better and clearer ways to phrase this?<issue_comment>username_1: I was advised by my supervisor that on completion of the viva, I would be informed immediately (orally) of the outcome, and from that point I would 'officially' hold the PhD qualification.
The corrections/amendments and the committee/Senate meetings are effectively rubber stamps, providing you actually submit the corrected version.
And so in your position I would state that I have achieved my PhD on the date of the viva within my CV.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't know if there's an "accepted form", but when I was in this situation I simply noted in brackets "Viva passed, graduation expected $date".
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I would do it after you have defended the thesis and have submitted final paper document (approved). I don't think you need to wait until month on the diploma. For example my school gave the the formal degree semiannually but obviously people finished all during the year. That really was just a diploma getting mailed to me. Ideally you really should have the thesis turned in as well.
I am a little leery of asserting you are :done" if there are still corrections being done. Even worse if corrections have to be reviewed by someone other than you, but even if you are the only arbiter, I don't see how you are "done" if you did not actually complete the work. Usually this stuff is pretty simple so I would just jam the document through. If it's not simple and takes much time than that's another argument you're really not done.
Of course you can still apply for jobs even if final paper thesis not turned in, but I would use some parentheticals to explain. Wouldn't just assert done.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: The way you describe your status in your CV should probably depend on where you are sending it. If you're applying to a UK institution, you can explicitly say that you "passed the viva with minor corrections"; for a European institution or a private company you'd say something more vague like "defended the thesis".
Now, depending on where you're applying, they may or may not be able to hire you before you make the corrections and get your official award. UK universities will normally hire postdocs that are still waiting for their award, but will pay them a smaller salary. In France, on the contrary, you normally need to be awarded your PhD before you can sign a contract (but thankfully, you don't need to wait for the award ceremony). Private companies, obviously, can do whatever they want, but I don't see a reason for not hiring someone who has defended and does not have much else to do.
For the overseas students, there's also the question of correctly switching from the student visa to a work visa, but I don't have up do date knowledge on that.
Upvotes: 2
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2015/12/17
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<issue_start>username_0: I was mentally ill for the first three years of my undergraduate studies (altogether, I had the diagnoses of severe depression and anxiety disorder for about five years). The diseases delayed my progress considerably. However, I recovered, and have done extremely well after that.
Two programs, both top-ten globally, are interested in hiring me. I have not listed my grades on my CV to avoid giving a bad first impression; I have instead highlighted my achievements: publications, prizes, research experience, etc.
How / when should I mention this? My BSc is average and MSc very good. I hope they do not care about the undergrad grades. If there is an "other information" box in the applications, should I state something along the lines
>
> My performance during my undergraduate studies was not good due to severe illness. However, I have fully recovered, and done very well since
>
>
>
I know there is a previous question about getting a bad transcript past admission committees. However, I think my qualifications are really good without the bad beginning. Also, I would like not to mention I was mentally ill. What to do here?<issue_comment>username_1: I would advise you to be upfront about it in your SoP; the level of detail as to the cause is up to you. I think if I read in a statement of purpose that someone had gone through clinical anxiety/depression; that it affected his/her early grades; that he/she tackled the problem head-on; and that he/she is doing "extremely well" (backed up by his/her academic record), I'd likely be impressed.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You do not need to disclose the nature of your illness if you do not wish to. It was your illness, and you get to decide how you handle it.
The short explanation you propose is fine. You might want to specify that it was the first three years:
>
> My performance during the first three years of my undergraduate studies was not representative of my abilities, and was due to illness. However, I am glad to say that I have fully recovered, and as my transcripts show, I was able to overcome those early difficulties.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I agree with aparante001 about what you might write and would add that it is important that at least one of your letters of reference corroborate what you say.
When preparing to write letters, I often ask students if there is anything that would sound better coming from me rather than from them, such as that their poor grades one year were due to working 20 hours/week in addition to being a full-time student.
Your advisor's assurance that you heroically overcame your problems, which are now fully behind you, would be a big help.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 2
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2015/12/17
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<issue_start>username_0: I have a new PhD student who needs a rather large number of letters of recommendation for a fellowship. Normally I would not agree to write such a letter without knowing the student for a longer period of time, but at this point she has exhausted her list of other potential letter writers and has no other good option. Also, I do genuinely believe in this student's potential (otherwise I wouldn't have hired her!), and have had nothing but terrific experiences with her so far.
**Question:** How do I write a compelling letter, given that I have known this student for only a short amount of time (less than a year)?
Obviously the fellowship is remunerative for me as well, since I wouldn't have to pay her out of my own grants for a few years. A cynic sitting on the review board might say, "of *course* the advisor wrote a good letter—they want the money!" What kind of tangible information might help dissuade a person with this kind of attitude?
(For reference, the fellowship is a big federal graduate fellowship in the US.)<issue_comment>username_1: Several months, if you worked with the student, is plenty of time to get an informed impression, and especially so if your impression is good. This is how I would proceed:
Write how you know/met the student. Explain why/how your interaction developed. In your case, how did the student capture your attention, why you hired the student, what were the motives for this.
Then write facts. You say the student is terrific. What are the facts that support that? For instance, "the student solved a difficult problem in short time. The student very quickly understood the material you gave her to read. The student has produced a publication. The student is going to submit some research proposal earlier than expected. The student is extremely effective in running studies". Or, whatever is relevant in your case. At this stage, only list facts which are relevant to support the case of the student. If the student did not yet work with you, but you know the student from teaching her in class, you could go for "top 2 out of 50", "best coursework I have seen" or whatever is relevant there. Don't be tempted to write about things you do not know. If you have few, but promising, facts, limit yourself to state these and make them compelling.
In the next section, most references are expecting a few words outside of the concrete scientific facts, e.g. team work abilities, presentation skills, or something else of relevance that makes clear that the student has potential. Sometimes, hobbies are mentioned, but I typically make that dependent on whether it is relevant to the position/grant.
Now summarize your impression about the student, supported by the facts listed above. If you are delighted/looking forward to work with the student, do not hesitate to let that be known.
Of course, you would want the money - but, see it from the point of the funding agency: it is, of course, more likely to feel more confident giving the money to a student whose supervisor radiates the message that she is enthusiastic to work with that student. It is perfectly legitimate to support one's own student, and your reference will, of course, be completely open about that.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: What I do for these is to summarize the main points that led to her receiving a positive decision from the admissions committee:
* She graduated from the top undergraduate program in my field with a senior thesis that dealt with XYZ
* She had a stellar letters of recommendation from A, a leading scholar in X, one of whom supervised her thesis closely. Her second letter was from B who worked with her closely during her junior summer research.
* In the few months she's been here, she's been working in my lab on X project and has been making fantastic progress. Her project is particularly valuable to my field of R because it'll potentially lead to a significant contribution to our understanding of E, F, and G which will impact N and O.
* etc.
Upvotes: 3
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2015/12/17
| 1,595
| 6,648
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<issue_start>username_0: Background:
After an academic dismissal from an undergraduate program, I have been working towards improving my GPA (as well as my own academic habits) at a community college, in hopes that after receiving an associates degree, I can move forward with to earn a bachelors and hopefully enter a graduate program. I know that I still have a ways to go before I am prepared enough to re-enter a university, but I feel that it's something within my grasp.
Grades for the fall semester were posted today, and in two out of the three classes I took this semester, I got an 'A'. This is a pleasant surprise, since I have had to miss a few classes and was worried about my performance on assignments overall. However, I got an 'F' in my third class. This makes me a little distraught as well as confused. I know my shortcomings, and I believe that I should receive the grade I deserve, regardless of the extenuating circumstances that tend to pop up in my life. I've earned my fair share of poor grades - 'F's included, and I have never disagreed with it because it reflected the work (or lack thereof) I put in.
That being said, I am uncertain that my performance deserves an 'F'. I don't think that I should be getting an 'A' or a 'B,' and even a 'C' seems excessive if I did not meet what is required, but the failing grade doesn't sit right with me. I am considering emailing my professor, and if it comes to it, following the procedures for a grade appeal, but that makes me more worried than another 'F' on my transcript.
The Question:
Is going through a grade appeal, or even just emailing the professor to inquire about how the score was reached, worth it? I'm worried that the mere mention of being incorrectly graded will hurt my future. **If I try for an appealed grade and fail, will that be reflected on my transcript**? Given my already rocky academic history, I'm worried that I will come off as indignant and that I do not possess the skills required of me.
In the broadest terms and applying to students of any level (ranging from undergraduate to graduate to everything else): **Can a grade appeal that is not granted affect a person's transcript, reputation and/or perception throughout their academic career?**<issue_comment>username_1: You should ask your undergraduate office about this; I suspect the answer will be that the appeals process won't be reflected anywhere, since this is not an academic integrity issue.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: **Of course emailing the professor is worth it!**
Mistakes happen. Talking to the professor seems like the first step. In my experience, professors are happy to help students understand their grades.
If it wasn't a mistake, you still need to know why you got a bad grade so that you can learn. What is interesting though is that you are shocked by your grade. Did you not get any feedback or any grades throughout the semester? Did the professor give you a syllabus with information about how grades are calculated?
If you think there was a mistake, then talking to the professor should remedy that (bring any evidence you have, such as all your graded homeworks, quizes, and exams). If that doesn't work, then each university has their own appeal process and you should look into that and find someone to talk to (e.g., the chair of the department or the dean of students).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Can a grade appeal that is not granted affect a person's transcript,
> reputation and/or perception throughout their academic career?
>
>
>
I have never heard of a school that lists grade appeals on a student's transcript, and to me that sounds about as logical as listing on your transcript that you wore the wrong shirt color. But that doesn't prove that such a school doesn't exist, so only a professor or staff member at your school can give an authoritative answer to that question. Why don't you ask them?
As for affecting your reputation or people's perception of you: well, any interaction we have with other people has *some* potential to affect our reputation or people's perception of us, so the literal answer to your question is "yes." It's reasonable to worry about that a little bit, but on the other hand if we all spent too much time worrying about such things, we'd never get very much done. In your case, what I suggest is that you go to your professor (or email him) and explain that you are surprised by your grade and would like to understand why you got an F, among other reasons so that you can learn from the experience and do better next time. Ask if you can review your final exam and possibly go over it with him to understand what you got wrong. Don't sound like you are assuming that you deserve a better grade or that the F grade couldn't possibly be correct, since that could come across as entitled, arrogant, and possibly delusional. If you ask the question in such a way, I don't see how you can possibly leave a bad impression with the professor -- this is a reasonable request that most professors hear all the time and are usually happy to help with.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Take the list of problems to the dean and ask that your F be converted to a W (withdrawn).
I made this request once, on behalf of a young man in my community who was having severe personal and family problems, landed in jail (long story), and flunked all his classes for that semester. I did this so that once the young man got to a better place in his life, he would be able to try again with school if he wanted to. Naturally, the young man wrote a letter authorizing me to work with the dean on his behalf.
Your justification for the request would be quite different from the one I presented on the young man's behalf, but it would be quite justified.
Leave out all the stuff from your first paragraph. It's not relevant to this request. Just say that you found the course frustrating due to all the problems that you outlined, and were dismayed to find that your gpa and transcript suffered as a result of many things that were beyond your control.
Rationale for my answer: the department and the community college are responsible for the quality of the teaching. If you wanted to be really assertive about this (which I don't recommend in this case), you could even ask for a partial tuition refund.
Community colleges are a wonderful institution. But sometimes they need a little nudge towards getting better organized.
What you will be showing by advocating for yourself in this way: that you care about your education. That is nothing to be embarrassed about.
Upvotes: 1
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2015/12/18
| 858
| 3,518
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<issue_start>username_0: I could not find any guidelines on how to plan¹ and conduct a research project. Because it seems like when I have just a goal, i.e., a specific hypothesis to check, and passion in the beginning, the passion go away in a while, and without a specific plan and deadlines, I start digging into every little problem or new field of study and often reformulating the initial hypothesis accordingly. In the end, I just have a bunch of partially read papers and not-working or partially working tests or proof-of-concept code that gives me some insight into how things work (if I was lucky enough), but does not lead to any publishable results.
Why can’t I just “focus on checking a single hypothesis”? Well, because in most cases first implementation does not seem to work at all, so what I do is just keep reading stuff and testing subroutines or sub-hypotheses – and never end up in having an entire thing working.
(I'm a grad student only, so I do learn a lot of stuff still)
**tl;tr**: is there any “GTD: researchers guide”?
---
¹ not pro forma, but rather to keep on track<issue_comment>username_1: At least for me, writing a research plan was very useful for my actual research. I found this article helpful: <http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2002_07_26/nodoi.4611149009600202486>
The book "A PhD is not enough" has some good advice for writing research plans as well.
The introductory chapters to the book "An Introduction to Scientific Research" by <NAME> will probably be helpful to you too. Specifically the advice on literature searches is good. Start with general accounts (encyclopedias or survey articles), and then move to research papers. Advice from experts in your field is usually (but not always) helpful. Applying new methods to old problems can be fruitful, although in the long run it is better to be problem oriented; ie to aim to attack specific problems by whatever means necessary.
Polya has several books on problem solving that are quite good, but fairly general. "How to Solve It" is definitely worth reading, and "On Mathematical Discovery" is very interesting as well. You should definitely look at the first chapter of "Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning"---it's short and free on archive.org.
Another general piece of advice when carrying out your plan is to try to make a minimum working example/prototype. Avoid prematurely optimizing and instead cut the shortest path towards something that works. (Think like this: to get to high ground, always walk in the steepest direction; to prioritize the steps in your plan, look for the fuzziest parts, or the parts that would kill your argument.)
You'll probably waste a lot of time and explore a lot of dead ends, although later on that experience might prove useful.
If you feel aimless, try to discipline yourself to use a notebook and state your hypothesis explicitly, then record the essential facts of your plan to test your hypothesis/solve your problem etc. It's important to record your intentions and try to make your hypotheses explicit, so that you don't keep exploring the same dead end. Pretend you're doing lab work, even if you're not.
Anyway, these are a few things that I found helpful from time to time. Good luck! Keep at it :)
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Some good advice is in The Craft of Research by Booth, Colomb and Williams, though oriented more towards Social Science and Humanities.
Upvotes: 2
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2015/12/18
| 3,041
| 12,873
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<issue_start>username_0: I have recently finished my PhD and am currently considering my options. I have come to the conclusion that the teaching or the "publish or perish" nature of academia isn't really appealing for me.
I have been talking to several people regarding my thoughts and I have noticed an interesting difference in opinion; senior academics have been stressing the value of doing a post-doc before a potential move to industry, whereas industry contacts say that it's much better/easier to do the move to industry within two years from dissertation. I inquired further asking whether or not the postdoc years would be valued by companies, and the answer was essentially that:
>
> unless the postdoc years are immediately relevant to the applied job, it wouldn't really give any seniority, as companies want to nurture their own culture and staying in academia for "too long" might lead to certain "habits" not appreciated in corporate world.
>
>
>
I want to get further opinions on the matter; is doing a postdoc valued by industry in general? The field is life sciences and bioinformatics, if it makes a difference..<issue_comment>username_1: In life sciences and bioinformatics, more experienced you are, more employable and attractive to recruiters you will be.
EDIT:
These informations are based according to my university Alumni organisation, and department tracking of employability of their student.
More suggestions what organization are responsible for tracking such a records I added in comments below
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: Typically: no.
Sometimes it can be valued a bit (if you have learnt skills relevant for the job), but usually you would have learnt more working directly in the target industry. (Key phrase: opportunity cost.)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: There certainly is no "correct" answer to this question, as it depends on two factors: (1) the company (some will see it as useful, most probably won't), and (2) the type of postdoc (with or without management tasks? project lead? PI on a small project? independent or highly dependent of a professor?).
However, at least here in Switzerland and for Computer Science, the rule of thumb is that as soon as you are 100% that you won't stay in academia, every further month spent as a postdoc is inefficient in terms of career development. Yes, some companies *may* count your years as postdoc as some sort of relevant leadership experience, but most won't, and even those that do will consider a similar candidate with the same number of years working in industry to be much more attractive.
There is also another angle to look at this - you are currently looking to move into industry, and you have differing opinions from people that are *already working in industry* and people that *are not*. In absence of any other information, you should probably give more weight to the information provided by the insiders.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: At some level this strikes at the heart of the question 'what is a post-doc good for'. I manage a research group at a national lab. So, I hire post-docs, and I hire staff members (physics, materials science, chemical engineering, related fields). What value proposition do I tell the new post-docs, and why do I value post-doc experience for staff hires?
For the new post-docs, the story goes something like this. You just spent 5+ years doing a PhD. In the process, you learned how to do research, and did enough of it to have a body of work suitable to receive a PhD. Congratulations! Now you get to do it again. And again. And on a short time line.
A successful post-doc will pick up a project, and have presentable/publishable results in 6 months or less. (Note that my strong preference is that the first project will not be intimately related to their dissertation work.) They will then add another project, and again be productive on the second one within 6 months or less, while continuing with the first. By 18 months they will have multiple results, over multiple projects, and be able to give a great interview talk solely on their post-doc work. So, they must show that they can get involved in something, come up to speed quickly, and have impact on multiple on-going projects. Post-docs from the group have gone on to have successful careers at national labs, industry, as well as academia coming out of my group.
For staff hires, I strongly value somebody with a post-doc background that shows this. Why? Well, guess what - over the next 30+ years you will not continue to do what you did in your PhD research. Being able to show that your PhD was not a fluke and that you have the skills and desire to keep learning new things and be productive in new areas is a great story to tell. For industrial R&D positions this has resonated quite well with the hiring managers that I've talked to (had people hired by) - it really reduces the perceived risk for the hire. Similarly, for national lab hires (internal or external) it again makes a great story - staff that can move rapidly in new directions are very valuable. If the post-doc is aiming for academia, I will make more of an attempt for the various projects to more clearly related into one 'bundle' that would be a visible area of research interest and grant funding opportunity. Still, the principle applies - you show that you truly are capable and talented.
How important is it for you? I can't say. The more applied an industrial position is, likely the less that they would value the post-doc experience, even in the hiring process. They may even devalue it since you would be too 'research-y' for them. But I would maintain that even there, being able to tell a clear story demonstrating that you have the skills to jump on to a project and be productive very quickly should be appealing to them. Now, if they will hire you directly out of grad school, than there isn't much value to the post-doc. If you want the industry job, take it. But realize that you will be expected, and should be able to talk about in the interview, your abilities to jump in to something and make it work.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: As always, it depends.
I have seen some pharma/biotech ads that specifically request candidates with a few years of postdoc experience; these mostly seem to come from the larger companies. I suspect you might have a hard time even getting through the HR screening without the word "postdoc" somewhere on your resume.
For the vast majority of positions, a postdoc probably isn't valuable *per se.* You'd be better off working in your target job--if you could land it. However, if you're not competitive for it that job, a postdoc would let you develop both technical (lab techniques, coding, etc.) and "soft" skills (proposal writing, managing) that would be beneficial when you reapply.
I've heard that some companies do look askance at candidates with lots of postdoctoral experience, particularly ones making an abrupt change in fields (e.g., biology to finance). This is supposedly motivated by concerns that you might have been terrible at your initial field or that you're going to be "stuck" in a academic mindset.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: I think this is highly dependent on the industry and the position within the company.
I worked in small company and we provided technical solutions for heating, ventilation and solar energy in commercial buildings and homes. So, no R&D. In that environment, post doc experience doesn't give you any edge or benefit, since it is pure engineering — no science, no research.
My mother works in research lab for a pharmaceutical company. They recently hired a guy who didn't have a day in industry, but he had years of post doc experience on different projects. He had an impressive CV and he got a job. Now, instead of doing research for scientific benefit, he does same thing but for the clients who need to know if their compounds and drugs are safe etc.
If the company has any kind of R&D department, post doc experience can be a bonus. But if candidate A has 5 years of post doc, candidate B has 3 y post doc and 2 y in industry,and candidate C has 5 y in industry, candidate B is probably best for position in the R&D department since he has both scientific and industry experience. This was the logic of one hiring manager in one of the few companies here that still have R&D departments.
In some cases a post doc can even damage your chances for getting a job. My cousin had 2 y of post doc in biotechnology. He was turned down by a biotech company because he was overqualified (here, by law, if you have a PhD you need to be paid more than someone in the same position with a MSc). He removed PhD and post doc from his CV and he got a job (he re-applied for a similar position in same company).
So, the bottom line is this, the closer the job is to scientific research, the more beneficial post doc experience is.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: I think that a postdoc can be useful to get some experience in a new field. Suppose you did a Phd in Differential Geometry or Theoretical Physics and that now you want to work in the financial sector. A postdoc in a finance related field may help you with the transition.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_8: “Valued by industry” is very vague and not really relevant to the decisions you have to make. Everything else being equal, time spent in industry will make it easier to land a job (or a more senior job, better salary, etc.) but a post-doc is better than nothing!
So if you know you want to move to industry and only care about your career, there is absolutely no point in postponing the move and specifically seeking a post-doc. But if you can't find a job (or perhaps can't find a job where you are and don't want to move right now, e.g. for family reasons), a post-doc beats being unemployed.
I personally moved to industry after a post-doc and several of the things I did during my research years (including conducting empirical studies, writing and managing EU-funded research projets) were specifically mentioned during the recruitment process and helped me land my first industry job. So a post-doc can be valued, especially for R&D positions for large companies or when your topic of research is directly relevant to the business.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I think this really depends what you have done and learned in your phd.
If you want to move to consultant or finance after PHd, you really dont need to publish or learn any lab skills in your PhD.
But here, if your goal is to get an industry job in a biotech or pharm and working there as a scientist or senior scientist, you need to know all your stuff you learned from your Phd and you must be able to offer your lab skills as an asset to the company.
However, some Phd students may not have the types of skills that the company is looking for. In that case, you need to do a postdoc to learn more. If you have the skillsets, go for an industry job should be your choice. You dont need a postdoc.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_10: As per my personal experience, nobody can answer this question for you, but yourself. The reason is that the answer greatly relies on your research area and what you have been doing in your post-doc.
Today, in almost every post-doc interview, you might be asked about industry experience and how you can get engaged with the industry stakeholders (basically that is one way for you to make money and get your research going). So, the industry experience can be quite useful for post-doc applicants.
However, things are drastically different in the other world (industry). Industry recruiters have a very pragmatic view and only value the experience that can help you bring profit/development to the company. The profit and development in industry is usually narrowed to a company’s agenda (better products and services). As long as you can push the company towards that agenda, you are valuable. Of course, if your post-doc experience can help you, then it will be valued.
You should also consider if your post-doc experience will decrease your value in industry or not. That would put you in a really bad position. Post-doc is a different experience and may make you develop working styles that are not applealing to the industry. This is most of the time the case, even for universities who hire administration staff.
In short, if your aim is to go to industry and work for others, the sooner you do it the better. But if you are not sure, you’d better think about it carefully. Having said that, there is no dead-end for a smart researcher. You can always change your mind and switch back, but the options may not be optimal (don’t have to be, as you are not certain what is going to happen).
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/18
| 5,419
| 23,574
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<issue_start>username_0: I've learned that academics can ensure that their papers can be freely distributed, even when those papers are published at places that require transferring copyright, simply by granting a nonexclusive license to distribute the paper *before* signing anything with the publisher. Why don't academics use this method to enable broader dissemination of their papers by evading the restrictions that publishers try to impose?
---
Premise: In the conventional (non-open-access) publishing model, the situation is as follows:
* Researchers write papers.
* Papers get published by publishing companies.
* Publishing companies generate revenue by granting paid access to the papers they publish.
The last item works because ways to get access to a paper without the paid subscription with the publisher are sparse. To ensure this remains so, in return for publishing papers (item 2 in the above list), publishers usually restrict alternative ways of distribution for the paper. For instance, they require exclusive distribution rights, or they require authors to agree to limit redistribution of the paper (e.g., only via one's personal website or in direct communication with other researchers).
From the point of view of researchers, it is certainly counterproductive to restrict access to published works. In cases where this access restriction was coupled with significant subscription fees, this has given rise to initiatives such as [*Cost of Knowledge*](http://thecostofknowledge.com/). Hence, it seems the publication model of allowing publishers to restrict access to papers is more of a "necessary evil" than an optimal situation.
---
In [another question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/56984/do-publishers-simply-waive-their-exclusive-rights-without-any-resistance), it has transpired from [an answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/57035/14017) by [ff524](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/11365/ff524) that in the U.S., there seems to be an easy way to avoid the aforementioned "necessary evil" and evade publishers' restrictions:
>
> there does seem to be a legal basis for the idea that a license granted to the university will persist even if an author later signs a conflicting copyright transfer agreement:
>
>
> Section 205(e) of the Copyright Act provides that a prior nonexclusive license evidenced in a writing signed by the right holder prevails over a subsequent conflicting transfer of copyright ownership, so the answer appears to turn on whether permission mandates satisfy the requirements of § 205(e).
>
>
>
Concretely, [Section 205(e) of the Copyright Act](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/205) reads:
>
> (e) Priority Between Conflicting Transfer of Ownership and Nonexclusive License.—A nonexclusive license, whether recorded or not, prevails over a conflicting transfer of copyright ownership if the license is evidenced by a written instrument signed by the owner of the rights licensed or such owner’s duly authorized agent, and if—
>
>
> (1) the license was taken before execution of the transfer; or
>
>
> (2) the license was taken in good faith before recordation of the transfer and without notice of it.
>
>
>
This seems indeed like a simple enough way to circumvent the distribution restrictions imposed by the publisher.
Note that while [that particular question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/56984/do-publishers-simply-waive-their-exclusive-rights-without-any-resistance) referred to a university-wide open access policy, such an arrangement does not seem necessary to invoke § 205(e). For example, a simple signed declaration such as "I hereby grant perpetual public and unrestricted access to this paper.", or even a printed and signed version of one of the common permissive open source licenses such as a [BSD License](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSD_licenses), or one of the [Creative Commons Licenses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons_license) should suffice, if signed before agreeing to grant any rights to a publisher.
Restrictions by publishers on prior publications do not conflict with this, either, because authors can sign a non-exclusive license without making the work immediately available.
---
This leaves me with the following facets of what I perceive as one big question:
If it is so easy to "disable" distribution restrictions imposed by publishers,
* what do authors gain from agreeing to transfer exclusive rights to publishers without preventing that rights transfer?
* why hasn't everyone (at least everyone subject to the respective jurisdiction) preemptively disabled these exclusive licenses to publishers for years?
* why hasn't the whole traditional publication market in the U.S. collapsed already?
As a bit of a clarification: This question is *not* asking why researchers publish in particular (e.g. highly reputable) venues. This question is asking why researchers accept the licensing restrictions imposed by such venues, even though there seems to be an easy way to avoid these restrictions without switching publication venues. Hence, while *prestige* or *reputation* of publication venues are valid answers to [questions that deal with *changing* publication venues](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/51730/452), they cannot possibly be an answer to this question.<issue_comment>username_1: The main reason is **inertia and lack of information**, I think.
* Researchers are not really aware of the costs their institutions have to face to subscribe to journals. From their perspective, publishing and reading are mostly free. It is not always easy to tell whether you have access to a PDF file because of your university's subscriptions or because it is open access. As long as they can download the file, they are happy, regardless of its origin. So, when they publish articles, they sign the copyright transfer agreement form without reading it, as they do not consider the publishing industry as a problem.
* Universities are unaware of the existence of rights retention policies (or even open access policies, in fact), or do not take the time to adopt them because they fear it will incur an unpopular burden on the faculty. Moreover, implementing such policies is complicated. To make sure researchers liberate their papers, you need a research information system keeping track of all the publications, their compliance with various policies. Shameless plug: we are building [dissemin](http://dissem.in) to solve that problem.
* Publishers leverage this inertia and laziness to secure a steady stream of income. They lobby to convince stakeholders that open access necessarily implies high charges at publication time. They also polish their image, by sponsoring conferences and learned societies. They give free subscriptions to Wikipedia editors and Article Processing Charges waivers in poor countries.
To answer the OP's comment: if you, as a researcher, simply release your paper in CC-BY (say) before signing the copyright transfer agreement form, then you consciously sign a form granting exclusive rights you cannot grant anymore: it does not work. That's written in section 205(e) (emphasis added):
>
> (2) the license was taken in good faith before recordation of the transfer and **without notice of it.**
>
>
>
That is why you need an institutional policy granting these rights automatically for the researcher. For instance, [the University of California has contacted as many publishers they could](http://osc.universityofcalifornia.edu/open-access-policy/publisher-communications/) to give them formal notice of their policy, which allows researchers to sign the CTA forms without amending them.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Because they don't care.
------------------------
The majority of their relevant readership has access to their work via institutional subscription and they value journal quality and prestige over the business model or copyright policy. Sometimes they upload preprints or send them to colleagues who ask politely.
>
> what do authors gain from agreeing to transfer exclusive rights to publishers without preventing that rights transfer?
>
>
>
This administrative hurdle being done, the paper can be published and they can go back to science.
>
> why hasn't the whole traditional publication market in the U.S. collapsed already?
>
>
>
Probably because the monetary incentive to curate for quality and impact (an incentive absent from OA models, and reversed for author-pay OA) results in journals that are more prestigious.
---
On a side note, I wouldn't worry too much about "traditional" publishers should subscription fall out of fashion, they already cater to authors who absolutely wish to spend research funding on article processing charges. Also I suspect they perfectly know that the potential monetary gain is huge, especially if editorial rejection gets less and less fashionable (infinite papers!).
Over the last 5 years, buying Elsevier stocks would have been a much better use for one's money than article processing charges:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ebU9m.png)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: **One important thing to bear in mind is that a policy like this is not a silver bullet. Simply solving the copyright question won't actually mean people then go on to make material available.**
The proposed approach would allow authors to distribute the "original" (ie preprint, postprint, author's version) - text, formatted as they wish, without page numbers, journal copyediting, etc. Those pretty shiny journal PDFs would still be out of reach.
This is actually more or less the situation that exists in the UK right now - there is the important distinction that an embargo period is involved here, but otherwise, something like 95% of academic articles *can* be posted and redistributed by their authors in this way. To do this, we've used funder mandates (and pushing the publishers into agreeing embargos) rather than hacking at copyright transfers on an institutional level, and it's generally worked okay.
The problem is, the articles don't get made available. Or, at least, a lot of them don't. Many institutions are finding it difficult - even with someone paid to chase academics and hold their hand through the process - to get more than about 50% of eligible papers made available through a repository. Indeed, for some institutions, even identifying those papers to begin with is challenging.
In the event that every university in the US overnight made every researcher sign a pre-emptive copyright license like this, I suspect you'd have the same problem. Yes, it could technically happen. But inertia would limit what actually does happen.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: How about access to appropriate peer reviewers and a credential that somebody has checked that the paper is not complete rubbish? It also allows better indexing so that papers are easier to find.
If researchers simply put up their results, how would other researchers be able to identify papers they should read? After all, anyone can draft and post something that looks like research. At the moment, almost all the junk (and unfortunately some of the quality) gets filtered out. I already have a large task keeping up with the relevant literature, if I also had to scan everything to assess its relevance, I would never get anything done.
Of course, journal publication is not a perfect indicator of quality but it's a bit like a medical test that is mostly correct.
**UPDATE**
Two commenters (including OP) have asked how this answers the question, so I appear to have been a little brief.
As an author - I gain access to a reviewer pool and a badge of credibility. That is, the editor and/or publisher maintain a database of contacts with a wide assortment of expertise who the editor can ask to review the paper and reasonably expect that the person will review the article in a professional way. Having gone through that process, publication confers credibility on the article that cannot be achieved by sticking it up on my personal website.
That badge of credibility combined with the various indexing processes (which only search through journals and potentially conferences etc) means that other relevant researchers can easily find my work. Compare the returns you get from google scholar against the returns from google using the same search terms. That indexing helps enormously.
In return for this, I sign over some rights and I don't try to break the publisher's business model.
This is not to say that I think journal publication is the only solution or that the current process could not be improved. But the question asked what authors get in return for signing over IP. This is what I get with my author's hat on.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: ### This "legal loophole" is trivial for journals to close.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if most journals hadn't, in effect, already pre-emptively closed it.
Basically, any publishing agreement vetted by a halfway competent lawyer will already have a clause requiring the author to assert that they in fact do have the authority to grant the journal the rights that the agreement says they do. For exclusive copyright transfers, this is likely to include an explicit or at least implicit assertion that the author has not granted any prior conflicting licenses to the article.
For example, here's a quote from [a sample publishing agreement](https://www.elsevier.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/98619/Sample-P-copyright.pdf) I found on the first page of Google results:
>
> *Author Representations/Ethics and Disclosure*
>
> I affirm [that...]
>
>
> * Except as expressly set out in this Journal Publishing Agreement, the Article is not subject to any prior rights or licenses and, if my or any
> of my co-authors’ institution has a policy that might restrict my ability to grant exclusive rights under this Journal Publishing Agreement, a written waiver of that policy has been obtained.
>
>
>
If it turns out that the author has, in fact, previously granted a non-exclusive license to the article to a third party, in a way that is not covered by the explicit permissions described in the publishing agreement, then the author will have violated the publishing agreement, and may be considered to have negotiated in bad faith (since they presumably knew about the previous license when they signed the publishing agreement). What happens next may vary, but *at least* the journal has perfectly valid grounds to retract the paper if the publishing agreement is breached.
---
### Of course, all this is negotiable.
If you do, in fact, want to both publish your paper in a traditional journal and also distribute it through alternative channels (like, say, arXiv, an institutional repository, your personal website, etc.), you can just tell the journal that you want to include an exception for that in the publishing agreement. You may even, if you like, grant such an alternative distribution license already before submitting your paper to the journal, in which case it's basically a "take it or leave it" deal for the journal — they can't force you to cancel the earlier license, but they *can* just decide that they don't want your paper.
In fact, many journals *do* already expressly permit, or at least implicitly tolerate, various forms of third-party article distribution. For example, the same publishing agreement I quoted above also explicitly permits "Scholarly Sharing", which is defined as:
>
> ***Preprint***: Sharing of Preprints by an author on any website or repository at any time. When the Article is accepted, the author is encouraged to include a link to the formal publication through the
> relevant DOI. The author can also update the preprint on arXiv or RePEc with the Accepted Manuscript.
>
>
> ***Accepted Manuscript***:
>
> **(i) immediately on acceptance**: sharing of the Accepted Manuscript by an author:
>
>
> * via the author’s non-commercial personal homepage or blog
> * via the author’s research institute or institutional repository for Internal Institutional Use or as part of an invitation-only research
> collaboration work-group
> * directly by providing copies to the author’s students or to research collaborators for their personal use
> * for private scholarly sharing as part of an invitation-only work group on commercial sites with which the publisher has a hosting agreement
>
>
> **(ii) after the embargo period**: an author may share the Accepted Manuscript via non-commercial hosting platforms (such as the author’s institutional repository) and via commercial sites with which the publisher has a hosting agreement.
>
>
>
While this is *not* a *carte blanche* to let you license your paper to just anybody under any terms, it does allow you to e.g. submit your paper to an institutional preprint repository, like the UC open access policy mandates. After waiting out the embargo period, it even lets you submit the accepted version of your paper to such a repository, too.
Of course, journal publishers don't grant such generous permissions just because they feel kind and altruistic — they do so because authors have actively insisted on such permissions, and because they judge that any potential loss of income from such non-commercial paper distribution will cost them less than the loss of manuscripts from boycotting authors, and/or the PR cost of sending lawyers after respected academics who are just doing what they consider to be reasonable and customary sharing of scholarly information. The publishers know that they can only go so far in demanding exclusive distribution rights without risking a major backlash, and they're generally smart enough to adapt and make the best of the situation by explicitly releasing those rights that they couldn't practically enforce anyway, and making it look like benevolence on their part.
So, in short, there is no legal trick to "disable" distribution restrictions by publishers — at least not one that would work more than once per publisher. What *does* have a chance of working is politics, media and activism: publicizing the issue, exerting pressure on publishers, and voting with your feet. A CC license grant in your back pocket, however, isn't going to be a silver bullet.
---
**Addendum:** So what *is* the point of an institutional Open Access policy, like the University of California has recently enacted, then, if it's not a legal trick to get around publishers' agreements?
The way I see it, this policy accomplishes several things:
* **Making free preprint distribution the default** rather than an exception. For a long time, many publishers have already permitted such distribution, but since it involves extra work for authors (both figuring out whether such distribution is permitted, and then actually uploading the papers), a lot of them may not have bothered. By making preprint distribution the institutional default, and requiring authors to get an explicit waiver to opt out, submitting papers to the repository becomes the "path of least resistance" for authors.
* **Centralization**: Even when authors do make their preprints available, it's often on their personal web pages, where they may be hard to find and which may or may not persist. The UC policy requires all preprints to be submitted to a single centralized repository, where they can be reliably stored and indexed.
* **Building up a critical mass**: If an individual author e-mails a journal that doesn't normally allow preprint sharing, and asks for an exception to their standard publishing agreement, the publisher may be tempted to just brush them off as not worth the trouble. With an institutional policy, publishers with restrictive publishing agreements now face a choice between a) relaxing their terms to make them compatible with the policy, or b) requiring all authors from UC to obtain waivers. As more and bigger institutions adopt such policies, option (a) starts looking more and more attractive to publishers.
* **Institutional support**: At institutions and departments with no prior tradition of doing so, an author who wanted to upload their papers to a preprint server may have been essentially on their own — they'd need to figure out all the legal and technical details themselves, and if they needed to negotiate the matter with a publisher, they'd basically be one person wrangling with a big corporation. If they asked for help from colleagues or admin staff, they might be met with shrugs and blank stares.
With the new policy, authors now have the whole university behind them, both in negotiations and simply in dealing with the technicalities. They can also have confidence that, if they should happen to accidentally violate an ambiguous publishing agreement by uploading their paper to the institutional repository, the university will support them in negotiating a settlement with the publisher.
* **Establishing a presumption** of preprint sharing. Arguably, by setting up the open access policy and announcing it widely, the university is creating a presumption that publishers *should* know about the policy, and thus know that they need to ask authors from UC to submit a waiver if they don't want to allow institutional preprint distribution. If the journal accepted a manuscript from a UC author, without clearly communicating the need for a waiver, they *might* be argued to have implicitly consented to the preprint distribution, especially if the situation was otherwise ambiguous. This *is* a legal trick of sorts, but it's not really a loophole so much as simply stacking the playing field, and it's only possible because the university is big enough that publishers *might* be reasonably expected to be aware of their general policies.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: The vast majority of young mathematicians with substantial publishing activity do indeed grant the arxiv such a license. This was a slow cultural adaptation and took over a decade. Some other disciplines are the same (it's even more universal in physics), but others aren't as far along in this process. Finally, the big tabloids (Science, Nature, etc) have embargo policies, which can scare authors off from posting preprints in some fields. (As pointed out in comments, this is more due to confusion and fear than to the actual terms of the embargo policy.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: Academics, by and large, do bypass restrictions. I hardly ever come across papers I can't find a PDF of just by googling their titles, and when once in a while that doesn't work I can always just email the contact author; every published paper specifies one.
This question strikes me as propaganda. The gold open access policy discourages people from publishing by putting a price on publication, and it is enriching academic publishers more than ever. For example, here are numbers about how much money is being spent by UCL on "gold open access" / bribing to publish. <https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/open-access/statistics>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: "Why don't they bypass restrictions?" ... well, they do. Lots of us/them do. We just make sure to distribute copies well enough before ever getting into any discussion about transfering rights. Then those publisher types can't fault anyone for continued dissemination of those copies.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I suspect a student misread an exam question worth 10 points (exam out of 120). Aside from this one student, the rest all understood the question and the average grade was 8.2/10 for this question. One student did something entirely different and got 0.
After staring at their answer for a while, I realize he / she had confused "map generalization" and "general purpose map". I suspect English is this student’s second language. Now, this question awards 3 or 4 times the points of a typical multiple choice question as it is of a higher level.
I do not like the thought of giving this student a zero on this question when it may be a language nuance issue. They are very close terms, the one I used and the one they misunderstood if for. This student has had issues all semester though with handing work in, attending class, completing assignments, etc., (hence, why this is important as it may have implications for their grade, major, graduation).
The student is on an important grade boundary and it could make a difference to their final grade even a difference to if they have to take the class again / can graduate on time / or even stay in the major.
My thoughts are one of:
1. Give them another stab at it with more language context, ASAP.
2. Give them some consolation points.
3. Stick with the 0 for this question.
4. Grade the question they answered and not the question asked.
5. Give him / her the lowest grade anyone else got (or 1 lower) for
this question.
The semester is over but I have a few days before grades are due.
What to do?
---
UPDATE
The Department Chair recommends removing this one question from this one student's exam and the Associate (sub) Dean applying the "rest of the exam average" to this one question. This is two ways of saying the same thing really as the outcome is identical. Either way you do it applies this one student's average grade for all the other questions to this one question. The Chair and Dean (both whom I highly regard) have no more information than this board aside from the student's name. So if the student averaged 70% on the other questions this would be identical to giving them a 7 out of 10 on this question (this 7 is close to what would happen). Hmmmm. This has not come up in all the answers or comments below.
What to do?<issue_comment>username_1: If the grade boundary is at stake, one possibility is to give them a (short) viva on a few topics (something around 10-15 minutes) to break the tie. Of course, you should coordinate it with/get agreement from the program tutor (or whoever is responsible at your place for consistency of assessment).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: At my institution the default way to handle this is *(3 Stick with the 0 for this question)*. Essentially, every student is required to handle the teaching language well enough to be able to work on the test. In practice, many teachers will fall back to *(2 Give them some consolation points)* if giving 0 points seems too harsh. If *(1 Give them another stab at it with more language context)* is an actual option, that seems like a senseful way, too (e.g., in a short verbal exam). However, in practice this is often not possible in my courses, either because it would be very impractical or because the course regulations do not allow it.
Both, *(4 Grade the question they answered and not the question asked)* and *(5 Give him / her the lowest grade anyone else got for this question)*, seem like relatively weird ways to handle this situation. With (5), you are essentially decoupling the grades for the student from what (s)he has actually written on the test. (4) breaks a fundamental exam concept, i.e., that the instructor chooses the question that the student should be answering, and not vice versa.
As for this:
>
> The student is on an important grade boundary and it could make a difference to their final grade even a difference to if they have to take the class again / can graduate on time / or even stay in the major.
>
>
>
As bad as you may feel if "your" grade is the tip of the iceberg that leads to bad consequences for the student, you should be aware that it is the sum of bad performances that has gotten the student into troubles. Your grade is just the last in a series, and your grade is as much "at fault" as any other bad grade the student received. Hence, I feel you are not required to take the larger picture into account.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: **How do you do partial credit normally?**
(Or if relevant, what is your institution's standard policy on partial credit?)
There's a number of different philosophies in assigning partial credit. One general approach is to take an absolute correct-or-not approach, either for the question as a whole or by parts.
Another is to treat an answer as a process, and give students credit for those parts of the answering process which they did correctly and take points off just for those steps where they made a mistake. That is, if they mess up an early step, they aren't penalized in subsequent steps which proceed correctly from incorrect results they've already been penalized for.
Different have their benefits and drawbacks, and their proponents. You need to figure out which philosophy you ascribe to and why. If you don't have an "official" partial credit policy (e.g. on your syllabus), think back on how you've approached awarding partial credit in other situations.
*So how does this apply to this particular situation?*
Answering the wrong question is similar to other mistakes made during solving the problem. But instead of getting partway through the solving and making an error, they made the mistake out of the gate. If you're an absolute correct-or-not person, things are clear: they get no credit, because nothing is correct.
But if you're the type of person who views answering as a process and gives credit for steps that are done correctly but from an incorrect starting point, then you should probably give the student partial credit. In the process of answering the question, the student made only one mistake - they misread the question. If your philosophy is that mistakes shouldn't cascade, then that mistake in reading shouldn't cascade to the rest of the answer.
That's not to say you can't take off a large number of points (or even all). How many is a judgement call and depends on how severe the misreading is. How important the distinction between the two for your class? Were there any red flags which should have told the student they were incorrect? Was the pedagogical point of the question the understanding of the term? Would swapping the two terms give a reasonable question? How severe would an answer to a different question be if the student were to have the correct meaning, but simply wrote the wrong term for it?
My main point is that you shouldn't necessarily think of this as "answering the wrong question", especially if you take an "answer as a process" type approach. Instead, you should view it as the student making a single mistake in the process - that of misreading the question. If you frame this as a "brain fart" type situation, you can fairly and consistently apply your established partial credit policy.
That is, if you're a process person, take points off for misreading the question, and then fairly grade the rest of the answer on an "assuming the question *was* written how the student interpreted it ..." basis.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Stick with the grade deserved for the question. I don't understand the concepts you're referring to, but I suggest the possibility that if the student had attended class regularly, then the student might have been aware that "map generalization" and "general purpose map" are two different things. You should not be surprised that poor attendance can impact an understanding of a topic in interesting ways.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: Obvious zero points. The student didn't misread the question, but just didn't know the term. He or she made a wild guess at what it meant, and guessed wrong.
I have been grading exams for a long time (since 1988 or so), and it is not uncommon for a student who doesn't recognize a term to guess its meaning, and get it more or less wrong. Map generalization means (as I just googled) decreasing the level of detail on a map so that it remains uncluttered when its scale is reduced. That is a technical term from cartography, and something that I had to look up. I assume that by "general purpose map" you just mean a map that isn't specifically designed for a certain purpose. I didn't have to google that, and if you have no idea what map generalization means, it is not an entirely unreasonable guess that it has something to do with general-purpose maps.
(This answer may sound a bit arrogant, but I *do* have many years' experience trying to figure out, from a few hard-to-read words scribbled on a paper, not just if the answer is right or wrong, but if the student has understood the subject or not. Also, the only reason I am posting here right now is to get away from the exams waiting to be graded.)
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: Do students have an opportunity to come to you if for any reason they don't agree with how their exam was rated? If they do that would be an excellent opportunity to find out what the student knows about the *actual* question, and then you can go from there. If you asked question A and he answered question B, then you would want to know if he actually knows the answer to A or not.
So if that is the case, then you can rate the question at zero point. If the student honestly believed they were answering the right question, he will come to complain about the rating, and then you see what happens. If he intentionally answered the wrong question because he didn't know the answer to the correct one then 0 points is correct and he likely won't come to complain.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: I think the central issue here is that the paper is graded consistently with the rest of the exams.
If you have been awarding points for things that are correct even if they don't necessarily address the question that was asked, then give this student the appropriate number of points. Otherwise, I think you should not.
I think it is a very slippery slope to try to *guess* why a student got something wrong. I don't want to live in a world where, say, an instructor makes judgements about which students have disabilities and/or are at a disadvantage, and treats students differently as a result. (I'm not saying you are such an instructor.)
Having compassion and advocating for students is, of course, good. I have "saved" two students from disastrous exam performances by talking with them privately and recommending they speak with Health Services and Disability Services. But I only gave them make-ups after the appropriate office at the University told me that such a make-up was warranted.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: The point of grading an exam is to try to give you, the instructor, *objective evidence* of the skills developed / knowledge gained by the student in their course. In the end, you should give the grade that the student deserves; and the exam/homework/attendance etc are all factors that play into your evaluation.
Most of the time, students will complain bitterly about "unfair" grading if they feel that they did well against the objective criteria, and didn't get the grade they "deserved". It is very rare that a student will complain about unfairness for being given the benefit of the doubt.
The question you have to ask is this: is there an "injured party" if you decide to grade this one person leniently on this one question? Are you sending a future employer a false signal about this student's competence? Does passing this student mean you have to fail another? If the answer is "nobody is hurt", then your next question has to be "what is the right grade for this student?". The fact that you say "he/she" either means you want to cloak the identity (thinking that one might answer differently for a male or female student), or you genuinely don't know this student personally. I hope you do know your students personally, and that you are able to draw a reasonable conclusion about their competence based not only on their written work, but also on interactions in class and outside.
If the Department Chair thinks it's OK to not grade this question, and base the final grade of the student on their percentage score of the remaining questions, then that is a kind and generous solution; but make sure that doing so doesn't debase the effort of others - and that it doesn't falsely give an incompetent person an appearance of competence. Would the student benefit from taking the course again? From getting additional English help?
Personally I think too much emphasis is given to exams, and not enough to learning. Exams are often a poor measure of learning... which ultimately is the goal of an education.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_9: Either -
A) give no points. Part of taking a class is learning what the terminology means.
B) Ask the student to come in and talk to you. Rephrase the question to the student and go through it orally. If the student demonstrates an understanding, then score that understanding appropriately. If not, then 0 was the correct score to begin with.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_10: As a professor at a degree certifying institution, you have a responsibility as a gatekeeper.
Your compassion needs to consider more than one individual's plight; A bad representative injures reputation more than a good one improves it.
A question you need to decide:
Is it fair to the rest of your students and the institution to help an inferior student pass?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_11: Bouncing off @username_3 's answer, another way to award partial credit is to look for elements of the student's answer that actually would fit in to an answer to the actual question.
It's not clear in which direction the student's error was, but let's assume for the sake of example that the question asked the student to perform a Map Generalization on a map given in the question but the student actually drew a General Purpose Map derived from that map instead. Does *any* element of the student's General Purpose Map fit in with what a student would have done when performing a Map Generalization? If so, those elements or steps can count for partial credit.
If the error was the other way, ask yourself whether any element of the student's Map Generalization produces elements that would be found on or appropriate for a General Purpose Map. Assign partial credit for those elements. Deny, or possibly deduct, credit for any element that is not in keeping with General Purpose Maps, whether or not they represent proper Map Generalization best practices.
To make an analogy: Suppose a student was assigned a project of building a lighthouse out of brick but they actually built a jail instead. What did the student do *right*? They probably mixed their mortar correctly, or at least mostly correctly. They probably poured an appropriate foundation. They may have been able to take a plan and compute the correct number of bricks necessary to execute that plan (even if the plan they drew up was the wrong one). They set at least three bear traps in the building in keeping with Smith (2017)'s Best Practices in Brick Buildings Under the Hypertext Quantum Trans-Paradialectic and posted the No Smoking sign. They can get partial credit for all of those. What they do *not* get credit for are placement of the lamp, alignment of the lamp in conformance with applicable Coast Guard regulations, and filing Form 55-E with the Department of Lighthouses.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_12: It sounds like you would like to help the student since you do not want them to fall just short of an important grade boundary due to them having possibly misunderstood a question because of language issues. You have thought of a number of ways that all seem reasonable and have asked for additional advice. Your department chair and Dean both suggested the same solution that is not wholly inconsistent with your desired goals. That would be enough to sway me. I would just go with their suggestion. Then I would email them and say *I took your advice, thank you very much*.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_13: *Grade the question they answered and not the question asked.* But if this happened in part (a) of the question and then later part (d) leans on part (a), don't hand out additional benefit-of-the-doubt marks for part (d) even if you suspect the same misunderstanding is still at work. The chain of charitable interpretation has to break somewhere, otherwise everybody deserves an A. (Which is a philosophical point to be debated elsewhere.)
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: I have received the acceptance of my paper from Editor board. However, the print charges is much higher than I expected. My original manuscript contained only 12 pages but the proof (final version), which was sent to me contains 24 pages. So the print charges are doubled.
Now I want to withdraw this paper. Is it ethical/acceptable/legal?<issue_comment>username_1: You **can** withdraw the paper.
That said, it is expected that you are informed about the rules before you submit. Unless those prices/editing practices were hidden upon submission, it would not be professional to have your paper reviewed by 2-3 experts, evaluated by an editor, perhaps multiple times, and then withdrawn because you do not agree with the publication policies.
Your particular case makes me think that your submission was within the declared costs, and that the editing process made it longer than required.
What I can recommend to you is to explain your situation to the editor and to the publishing staff. You might obtain a fee waiver, or a discount.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: The question is whether you could reasonably know that the editing process extended the length of the paper. A factor of two is drastic.
I personally would check (on the web) whether people have complained about such practices of that journal before (i.e. whether it is something they play regularly) or whether the particular structure of your manuscript is especially prone to expand.
If you are a postdoc or a PhD student, you might argue that you expected a certain charge +- some corrections, but that you cannot possibly afford a complete doubling of the cost. As mentioned in the other answer, check that this is not something you could have known before, just to make sure. Nevertheless, if you indeed did not have access to their formatting styles prior to submission, I would consider it questionable practice by the journal if does not permit you to approximately estimate the cost prior to the whole process.
Assuming you could have not reasonably estimated that the page number is going to double, I do not see a problem to ask for a waiver of the difference to the expected cost or, if that's not possible, to withdraw.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: You can absolutely withdraw the paper. Predatory pricing is wrong; paying to publish is wrong. You should not be charged for producing academic content. The readers should be willing to pay if your work is worth reading, and the review process should have made certain that it was worth reading.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: Is there any research/study/survey that looked at how often academic inventions have already been in private companies (or public but secretive organizations, e.g. the RSA cryptosystem was first discovered UK intelligence agency GCHQ)?
I am most interested in the field of computer science.<issue_comment>username_1: I expect that such a study cannot, in fact, be effectively done.
The reason is that academic re-invention of a closely held secret will be virtually impossible to reliably document except in particular anecdotal high-profile cases, such as RSA.
* Most secret information probably does not become public at all: I suspect that most obsolete trade secrets in companies eventually simply end up in the trash or shredder, because why would anybody bother doing anything else?
* For any secret that does become publicly available, there generally will be a long delay before that occurs. At that point, the relationship between two independently invented decades-old technologies will be difficult to detect by anybody not specifically motivated, since they likely would have very different terminology and specifics.
As such, I would expect that it is impossible to do any general study on the frequency with which academic research is a re-invention of secret work elsewhere.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There are plenty of documented instances of excellent computer science research done in private industrial research organizations. For instance, [IBM Research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Research) is the largest R&D organisation in the world in the general area of computer science .
In particular, some of these are:
* [Fast Fourier Transform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Fourier_transform)
* [Fractals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal)
* [Relational Databases](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_database)
It happens and has happened often, historically.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: Reading about a journal A, I understood that authors can submit papers free of charge to this journal. I have submitted a paper and received a letter of acceptence **with a bill**. The editor said that I have to pay print charges in order to publish my paper.
What should I do?
Can I withdraw my paper?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, you may tell the editor that you were unaware of the author fees, and that since you can't pay it you are going to withdraw the paper. (They may agree to waive the fees, but if they don't, you certainly have the right to withdraw your paper and submit it elsewhere.)
In the future, you should check a journal's [own instructions to authors](http://pphmj.com/journals/jpfpta_author_information.htm) rather than (or in addition to) third-party sites, which don't always have complete or up-to-date information about the journal.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: There are some sneaky journals where you do not find out about the fee until after submission. I wonder how often authors pay anyway, and how often they decline to pay.
Upvotes: 0
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2015/12/18
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<issue_start>username_0: So, I previously repeated an undergraduate course and I am graduating next semester with only two courses left to take. I recently realized that if I repeat another course from my first year, I can bring my GPA up from 3.85 to 3.90 and graduate summa cum laude, but I wonder if repeating too many courses for GPA (two in this case) would reflect badly, so is it worth it?<issue_comment>username_1: No. It is not worth it.
If I were reading your application, the difference between a 3.85 and 3.90 would be invisible. If I caught you repeating a freshman course you'd already gotten a decent grade in, I'd peg you as a tunnel-visioned gradegrubber and look for excuses not to admit you.
On the graduate level, gradegrubbers are usually Not Admired. Personally, I do my best to avoid them as students or advisees.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: As an admissions-committee person for an R1 math dept, this would look to me like an obsessive-compulsive waste of time.
For most people the years they're in undergrad school are an enormous transition, and things that happen freshman year are (hopefully, and, mercifully) not strongly related to what happens later. People understand this, and often look with some interest on the very contrast between "freshman year" (and maybe sophomore) and what happens junior and senior year.
While it might seem virtuous to "go back and repair" a bad performance early on, this is a vastly sub-optimal investment of one's finite time and energy. Look forward, not back. Learn new things, don't worry about perfecting things that really don't need perfecting.
And, indeed, grad admissions people exactly try to appraise candidates' sense of "forward" rather than "back"...
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Repeating courses should be left to the following:
* Courses where you failed
* Courses where you received a C or lower
* Courses that have no followup course to hone skills
* Courses relevant to the field you are applying to
It is much more powerful to take an additional followup course that shows that you mastered the information than to retake a course. In general, **it is bad practice** to retake multiple courses during your undergrad, as the other posters have mentioned already.
Upvotes: 2
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