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2016/02/02
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a mid-career scientist at a government research organisation, and I am considering a move back into academia. My current employer is looking after me very well and I know I am valued, but I have a hankering for more intellectual freedom and more opportunity to work with students, especially graduate students. I've enjoyed the little bit of teaching that I have done.
I have 15 years post-PhD experience and have reached a fairly senior level - equivalent to a level D academic in Australia (perhaps equivalent to a newish full professor in the US). But I have much less teaching experience and a lower h-index than I would expect from an academic at my level. (My h-index is 14 and I am in the environmental sciences). Instead, I have spent a lot of time working closely with clients and government departments, managing people and large projects within my organisation, and working to demonstrate the real-world impact of my applied research. **In short: my current employer has asked slightly different things of me than a university would. If I move back into academia, will these things be valued, or should I expect to take a demotion initially?**
Finally, I am considering applying for a fixed-term (3 year) full professorship that I have recently seen advertised in a nearby research-intensive university. This would be a promotion if I were successful, but would come with a loss of job security. **How would this be viewed on my CV if I were looking for another academic position in 3 years' time?** Better or worse than staying where I am for those three years, and getting an internal promotion later?<issue_comment>username_1: I can only answer for the situation in Germany (where fixed-term full professorships indeed exist). There are two different situations:
1. In engineering your route is basically the default route to a full professorship. You do a PhD, go working in a company for five years or more and then apply for professorships. (You may also do a postdoc before working at a company.) In other fields it is not very common to return from outside academia (the only field I know for sure is mathematics and there I don't know anybody who returned back to academia).
2. For professors at "Fachhochschulen" (often translated as universities of applied sciences) it is similar but not only for engineering but also for other fields. Do a PhD, work in companies, apply for professorships at Fachhochschulen. In fact, for professorships at Fachhochschulen it is even required to have working experience outside academia. However, Fachhochschulen are not exactly research institutions but focus more on higher education in science and technology, preparing people to work in companies. For example, they do not grant a PhD (but this may change in the future).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In the US, it is highly common that researchers move back and forth between national labs and universities in almost all the fields I know or know of. *Sometimes* national lab jobs are also considered a good starting point of one's career than a usual tenure-track position that comes with lots of teaching, administrative duties and stress of getting the tenured in the end. National lab jobs being non-teaching positions by default gives more time to get serious research done during the early part of one's career. Hence he or she can project themselves better for a senior level (associate or full prof) positions at universities after 5-10 years. The national lab jobs are also usually permanent right from the beginning (I am not talking about postdoc positions or other junior and non-permanent positions at national labs), hence one can escape the tenure-track process for 5-6 years and usually can enjoy better work-life balance. Again all this is arguable from both sides of course. I believe this should also be true in Australia up to certain extent. However, the tricky thing in your question is the '3 years position' in academia. In this case, most things would depend on the possibility of transferring this position into a permanent position after 3 years. Such a position indeed looks good on cv specially if it is an endowed chair level position as you mentioned to get the next job. However, I am not sure how the job market in Australia is in your field. The good looks of the cv matters if there are jobs available to which you can apply.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I know this is a bit old now. However as you have mentioned Australia in the title -I will gove you an Australian perspective.
Don't leave a full-time continuing position in Australia for a contract position (even at professor level). You are likely to be out on your ear after the three years, unless you can bring significant dollars through the door. Given the behind the scenes cut-backs that take place in Australia government funded research, you will be struggling to get any funding if you are new to the system.
Cheers
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/02
| 3,165
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<issue_start>username_0: Allow me to first give some context. A friend and I have been discussing a business idea involving a technical device that I need some guidance on how to perfect. My friend just told me he is taking a class with a professor that founded a company with a device similar, but distinctly different from mine, and I would love to talk to him about this during his office hours. If he is willing to share I would like to ask about how his device works. I would also like to ask him how to do a few of the things I am struggling with. Before I tell him all the details of my idea, I would like to somehow protect my idea, since I do not know this professor at all.
So, I am asking all the academics out there, how would you feel if a student asked you to sign a non-disclosure agreement given these circumstances?<issue_comment>username_1: Let's see: you want the professor to freely give out their trade secrets on their real device, so that you can build a potentially competing device; and you want the professor to sign an NDA on your non-existent device, so that they can give you free technical advice on it?
I think that's going to get you a "ha ha ha ... no".
I also think you need to adjust your expectations.
To understand why NDAs are annoying to academics, and to find a better alternative, do check out the Professional Academic Alternative to Non-Disclosure Agreements [PAANDA](http://matt.might.net/articles/paanda-nda-for-academics/); here's a snippet:
>
> ... academics regularly extend and expect to receive a professional confidentiality during peer review of unpublished research and grant proposals.
> I am more than happy to extend the same professional confidentiality to you ...
>
>
>
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to EnergyNumbers' answer, even if you got him to sign, it would be pretty much useless. An NDA only offers legal protection. This means that it is only useful if he steals your idea **AND** you realise it **AND** you have some evidence **AND** you are willing to pay for lawyers and possibly go to court **AND** convince the court that it was indeed your brilliant idea, and not the professor's work in his area of expertise.
Which means that if he wanted to steal your idea, NDA or not, he would, and he would get away with it.
Now, he knows ethically, he is not supposed to disclose trade secrets; and if he is an ethical person, he won't. And if he is not, see above: NDA is useless here.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I don't understand most of the current answers, which mostly assume you want technical advice without paying for it, but requiring an NDA. If this is indeed what you want, I agree it's a bad idea.
**However.**
You write that this professor has already gone into business. This implies that he has a certain basic understanding of how business works. He probably has signed his fair share of NDAs, as well as requiring others to sign his.
It appears perfectly reasonable for you (or your friend) to set up a short meeting with this professor, say of 30 minutes or so. Quickly present your idea in a rather general manner, in an "elevator pitch" - at least outlining what problem you want to solve. Think beforehand how much you are comfortable revealing. Tell him that you'd like his advice, and be frank that you are not comfortable giving full details without protection for your intellectual property. (I'd also look for protection if I knew this professor, not only if he were unknown.)
Have a proposal ready for possible next steps, which would include him signing an NDA and his investing a little time for a discussion. Ask him explicitly what he'd expect from you in return for investing his time. Professors are busy people, and more so if they run a company on the side.
You may actually have a good chance that he'd be happy to mentor you to a limited extent *pro bono* - most academics are idealists at heart, otherwise they would be in industry from the very beginning. However, if you want more in-depth advice, be prepared to offer hourly rates, possibly conditional on your idea getting off the ground.
Always keep in mind that professors are busy, just as are other businesspeople. Don't come with a mindset that you are *entitled* to advice, but ask politely, and things may go well. If this professor is active in a similar line of business as you are, this may be a very good opportunity - he may have contacts in the industry and/or to funders that may very well be invaluable.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: My interpretation of the situation is this:
**This is not an academic issue since you are approaching somebody who leads some business with some business-related issue.**
The fact that that somebody is also a professor and that somebody who you know has a class with this professor seems unrelated. So my advice would be:
**Handle this as if it were a business meeting and not an academic meeting.**
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: ### You should decide:
### A: Do you want a favor from a friend?
Then it should be friendly, no strings attached. He is doing you a free favor on his time without any benefit for himself
### B: Do you want a professional service from a business partner?
Then you get your NDA, but you should also offer reasonable compensation for his time and help.
Why should he give you free advice and help without knowing you, without any benefit? Furthermore you are designing a potential competing product to his own business - and an NDA may negate him ideas for his own business which he may find himself, but if you present them first he cannot use them later on. So he gains nothing from your meeting, but has to invest time and risk.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: OP states that where as the devices are similar, they are also distinctly different, which leads me to believe that we could be talking about the possibility of something component based. With this in mind I assuming the OP has a scenario where he has an idea for a device made up of components A+B where A is something original from him and B is something that he is struggling to perfect. The professor has a device made up of components B+C where B (and possibly C though this doesn't matter to much) is something the original from the professor. The difference between the two devices is component A and C (this makes the devices distinctly different, and non competing) with component B being the subject of OP's question.
If this is the case then an NDA may very well be useful not just to the OP, but to the professor as well. It could allow both parties to discuss their components without legally allowing either of them to steal each others ideas. This could help to reassure the professor and encourage him to be more open when discussing his device with you. (Agreed NDA's can be costly to take through the courts but they will, most of the time, be even more costly to the losing side if it was to get that far, thus a moderately significant deterrent to either parties.)
It may also be worth considering a licensing agreement between yourself and the professor in the future which would allow you to legally use his component in your device for a fee based on the license terms if anything has been patented.
>
> In a typical licensing agreement, the licensor grants the licensee the
> right to produce and sell goods, apply a brand name or trademark, **or
> use patented technology owned by the licensor**.
>
>
>
(<http://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/licensing-agreements.html>)
Mentioning this could also help to convince the professor to discuss his device with you in greater detail; mutual gains and all that?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: I think asking the professor to sign an NDA is fine, using the approach written by Stephan.
However, I think a better solution would be to have a meeting to determine whether the professor has the expertise needed, then offer to hire the professor as a consultant if she's willing.
Tell the professor up front that the meeting is about consulting on a project for your business. During the meeting, keep the discussion focused on questions about the professor's knowledge and experiences.
If the professor is interested, a NDA would be the next step. After the NDA is properly executed, get all the project specifications and pitfalls (even potential pitfalls) out on the table so the professor can make an informed decision about doing the work.
Your consulting contract should include a clause for what happens if the work is not completed, a detailed specification of what is to be delivered, the terms for payment, and an assignment of intellectual property (that is, any work the professor does belongs to your company). If you don't have cash to pay for the services, consider offering equity.
Please keep in mind that a NDA is a good start, but it isn't a cure-all. You still have to know if someone breaches it and you have to pay the legal fees to enforce it.
BTW, you can always go out and learn enough to make a prototype, then HIRE an expert to be your Chief Scientist if you still need them later.
**Edit:**
The OP hasn't formed a company and isn't sure about how to proceed. This answer would only apply in the case that a company exists and the development direction is relatively clear.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_8: Speaking as a former professor, I think this is fine. However, no one likes these kind of things sprung on them. I would recommend bringing the NDA up before the meeting. In the email/phone call you have with the professor requesting the meeting mention you would like an NDA. E.g. "As you've done similar work in the past, I'd love to hear your thoughts on certain aspects of this process. If this is something that interests you, would you be willing to sign an NDA?" You know... be forthright and nice about it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I think this would be a good time to learn you generally shouldn't ask advisors in any capacity of any degree of formality to sign NDAs.
In a "business" context - where the purpose of an idea is to turn the idea into a product, garner users, turn a profit, etc. - executions matter, ideas don't. Ideas are cheap. You can't steal ideas because ideas don't matter. You can't steal executions because whatever you execute is *your* execution by definition.
[This is my favorite article on the topic](http://blog.codinghorror.com/cultivate-teams-not-ideas/), by <NAME>. I can't distill this further. I've worked in industry for several years and this is the perspective I've been immersed in. It's possible I am wrong for domain-specific reasons but I would try to understand that this is the operating culture of business presently.
And socially I think it's like saying "We are enemies, but I need something. Truce?" so it does more harm than good.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_10: >
> My friend just told me he is taking a class with a professor that
> founded a company with a device similar, but distinctly different from
> mine, and I would love to talk to him about this during his office
> hours.
>
>
>
NDAs have their use and their place, but don't take it personally if this person categorically refuses to sign your NDA.
The more a person is an expert in an area, the more he's likely to have consulting jobs/advisory roles with companies in that same technical area. Also, the more a person is an expert in an area, the more he has heard similar ideas to your idea, or the more he will work with others with similar ideas.
So for an expert, signing an NDA related to his field of expertise usually has not upside whatsoever (unless he's getting paid for it), since through no fault of his own, it may limit the kind of paying projects he'll be able to accept in the future, or it may increase his potential legal exposure.
I speak from experience here. I am not a Professor, but I am a technical expert in my field. And I have no problem signing an NDA if it's about molecular biology for instance (since molecular biology is a field I know little about), but if it's something that is too close to the kind of work I am doing, or too close to the kind of work I may doing in the future, I'll stop the person right there.
Like I said, NDAs have their use and their place. But if you're about to approach a possible competitor of yours to tell him your entire idea. Then please don't. Don't do it for your sake (in case he's not trustworthy), but also don't do it for his sake as well. By not telling him your idea, then you can never accuse him of having betrayed your confidence or having stolen your secret sauce.
Instead, patent your idea, protect your idea, or get it started on your own. Once your idea is patented, or once your idea is publicly out there already, then you can go to him. Or if you want to go to him before that happens, then go to him with cash in hand and pay him for his advice. Paying him for his advice is the only other way he may be willing to sign that NDA for you.
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/02
| 945
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<issue_start>username_0: I am working as a full-time research assistant at a university. I recently wrote a paper almost entirely independently. The contribution of the professor I work under was limited to telling me the topic that the paper is to be written on, and providing minimal inputs on the drafts (things like changes in grammar, or the inclusion of another aspect of the topic).
Now he is presenting the paper at a conference, and is listed as the sole author of the paper. As far as I know, I am not even noted in the acknowledgements. Am I incorrect in thinking that I should be listed as at least a co-author on the paper?
The only reason I am confused is because I am paid for my work at the university. However the work that I have done on the paper goes far beyond my professional responsibilities. Furthermore, I was hired to work on a completely different project altogether, but am helping the professor with most of his research.<issue_comment>username_1: If you have written the paper, you certainly have the right to be at least a co-author. In fact, from what you said, it seems to me highly dubious that your professor should a an author at all.
Being paid as a RA does not waive your right of getting credits for publications you wrote. Your professor is also paid by the university.
**EDIT**:
If you would like to talk to your professor about this, I'd suggest that you talk **politely**. To be honest, I don't know how to do this, but I am sure this is important (and possible).
Thanks to Captain Emacs for their very valuable advice in the comment.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I had a part time research position that resulted in a research paper going to the IPENZ conference. I gave my supervisor my wads of summarised rough notes. He wrote it up nicely; he is dead now but he is a much better writer than me. Our names went on the paper along with the technicians that helped make it possible. My supervisor presented the paper and I took the questions. This was all very fair and I would have thought very normal. I think that somebody is not being fair to you.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: You definitely deserve to be at least a co-author. In fact, if I have understood the situation correctly, you deserve to be the lead author with the professor as the co-author. It does not matter that you are paid by university. That does not in any way go against your right to receive credit for the work you have done. Instances of senior researchers using their position of power to take undue advantage of their juniors are not new in academia. For junior researchers, it is very difficult to take any action against their seniors, more so because academia runs on a strongly hierarchical system.
However, you should definitely try to at least talk to the professor. Politely explain that you feel that you deserve co-authorship. You can refer to the [ICMJE authorship criteria](http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html) and specifically point out the areas where you have contributed.
I have recently written an article about such kinds of unethical behavior that is rampant in academia. You can read it [here](http://www.editage.com/insights/foul-play-in-scientific-publishing-the-phenomenon-of-academic-papers-being-held-hostage).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: You deserve to be co-author. However, because the professor is senior to you and because I assume you want to remain on good terms and perhaps ask him for a letter of recommendation in the future, make sure to go about this conversation politely and respectfully. I am sure it is very stressful, but think of it as similar to asking your boss for a well-deserved promotion. You worked hard, you deserve it, but it is still up to you to respectfully but assertively make the case for you to get the recognition.
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/02
| 572
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<issue_start>username_0: One Professor In economic said: If a student works with concentration only 40 hours per week (8 hours for 5 days) on his PhD project, he should be able to finish his PhD during only one year. What do you think about that? Then, what is the minimum period of time needed for a PhD project to be completed?<issue_comment>username_1: It varies wildly by country, institution, department, and subject matter. There is no "minimum period of time" to complete a PhD. In Europe, the average is around 3.5 years (+/- 2 years depending on institution, subject, etc.). In Canada, the average is 6 years (+/- 2 years depending on institution, subject, etc. In the USA, the average is 4.5 years (+/- 2 years...) [UPDATE: My estimate for the USA might be a bit low, probably because I'm including joint Master's/PhD programs. See [these statistics for more accurate data](http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf06312/) provided by @PeteL.Clark in comments.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what that professor says at all. It depends entirely on your PhD supervisor & committee and the nature of your research (different methods bring with them different time scales) along with the publication standards in your field (how long does it take to get a peer-reviewed publication? Do you need to publish before you graduate? Etc.)
I'd encourage you to not think about these things and just focus on your work. You'll be done when you're done. Spending energy on this sort of comment by professors will just stress & depress you. Not worth it.
Good luck! :)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: A PhD says you know how to do research. If you know what you are doing, you can finish it in minimum time; at my university, this is 2 years. To all those naysayers above, assuming you have a PhD, if you were to do another PhD in your current area, how long will it take to finish? I bet it's not going to be 3+ years.
I have had students who took two years to finish for the above reason; e.g., a very bright student without a PhD who has worked in the industry as a researcher for many years. At the other end of the spectrum, there are those that took 5+ years and still don't finish.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]
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2016/02/02
| 611
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<issue_start>username_0: If I need to version control my thesis, which contains my latex report and code, should I create a Group with two separate projects (code and latex) or should I create one repository called thesis with two directories in the root (code and latex)?<issue_comment>username_1: For most cases, it doesn't really matter and you should do whichever one makes most sense to you. There are, however, some exceptions.
* One significant reason I know of to split the two is if one will contain a lot more data than the other (e.g., you might have very large image files for figures in your thesis or large output logs from your code), in which case you'll have a faster and nicer time managing the smaller repository much more easily if it's separate from the large.
* Another reason to split the two is if you might want to later release the code but not want to encumber it with the thesis source.
* Your professor might also have requirements for people they work with in order to promote code reusability, in which case you'd need to follow those.
There are probably other exceptions as well, but for most cases, either combined or separate is OK, and you can always do surgery on the repositories later if you change your mind.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I've generally made two different repos for the following reasons.
* By submitting to most publications, you have given them exclusive permission to publish your work. Posting to a public git repo likely violates this. Academic code, on the other hand, is usually published under a very friendly and open license.
* Code and thesis/paper commits will not necessarily relate. Especially with papers, you'd like to check-in results, and track it by conference. To anyone but you, these records will be useless. Don't burden everyone else having to download your entire test set, and every result you've had in your 6 years as a PhD student.
* Finally, there are a few unscrupulous PhD student who will not pull their weight, then use your hard work to write their own paper. You don't want to give every potential collaborator your life's work.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Another reason in favour of splitting them: my manuscripts' repo is filled with minor commits, rewriting here and there, my supervisor's own corrections, conflict resolution from the aforementioned... A long history that is really no ones business, nor interest.
On the other hand, I am usually the only one that touches my code repositories, so the history is much cleaner. Furthermore, this history *may* have relevance, and it may be of interest tracking the development of the project.
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/02
| 2,437
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<issue_start>username_0: My university is about to roll-out a Lecture Capture system (Panopto in this case), and I am in the business of promoting and supporting it. In case it makes a difference, I am in the UK. I suppose there might be some degree of cultural specificity here, but my suspicion at this point is that the technical environment is a more significant factor.
In principle (being something of a hardened technophile by nature) I have no problem with championing this kind of system, but I want to be able to anticipate both the opportunities AND the challenges that it represents.
Therefore I am interested in people's direct experience and/or theoretical observations concerning the real-world consequences of adopting such a system, AND in the real enthusiasms and anxieties (even if they are ill-founded) that such an adoption tends to raise. Those will be real and must be managed positively, whether or not they are initially well-informed.
For example, I am pretty sure that such systems can be used *poorly*, just consuming effort without observable benefit. I can imagine them generating perceived requirements that achieve little, imposed for political reasons by administrators who neither use nor understand them. (I am not at all prejudiced against university administrators as a group: I am a long-time administrator, and only more recently an active teaching academic as well.) In turn this might conceivably increase the pressure of fee-paying student demand ('I want you to do it like *this*...') perhaps without really benefiting anyone at all.
On the other hand, I can also easily imagine the possibility of enhanced and enriched educational delivery, presumably with a suitably tuned sort of preparation.
Most broadly, my immediate instinct is that use of this kind of system will *necessitate* at least *some* extra considerations (and presumably effort) in preparation... but that a well-planned implementation *could* pay off in terms like scaleability of provision and replicability of material.
Then again, that also seems automatically to raise the idea of maintenance. In a way it's rather lovely to think that a 'captured' lecture could just be presented over and over again... but in practice both the subject matter and the institutional context (course structure, audience, whatever) will change over time. Surely there will be conflicting pressures to create material that will last through many presentations, but also to update it dynamically from one presentation to another. Even if we have the time and resources to do that, how do we do it with credibility, when (for example) I might go grey from one year to the next (that happened), or might simply no longer possess *that* jacket?
So... As a long-time technogeek (I have built all of my own PCs, for 25 years) I am vividly aware that simply adopting a potentially clever system does not intrinsically produce cleverness, and might in fact produce nothing but headaches. At best, it seems inevitable that niggles like my guesses above will arise. At worst, decommitting from a poorly-conceived implementation and its associated expectations can be costly and even catastrophic.
Pretty much the whole point of asking this group this question is that I am bound to have missed *loads* of issues or possibilities; and the ones that I have thought of so far might not be the most important ones at all.
Any observations specific to Panopto would be splendid, of course, but I am also interested in the cultural effect (and/or comparisons) of any analogous systems. I will welcome both idealistic and suspicious assessments, anything from hymns of praise to bitter war-stories. In the end, the well-being of thousands of students will depend on us getting this right, so we need to get it right for staff from the beginning as well.<issue_comment>username_1: I was involved in the installation of lecture capture systems in many of the classrooms on our campus with funding from a grant from the US Department of Education. Overall, this has been a very positive addition, and both students and faculty seem to be happy that we've introduced the technology. However, there were and are some concerns.
Student concerns. The lecture capture system records in-class discussion. Some students have been concerned about their privacy, but a policy that the lecture capture recordings will only be used for the current semester and be made available only to students in the class takes care of most of this concern. A related privacy issue is that instructors should be careful not to have sensitive discussions with students (e.g. about grades, absences from class, etc.) while the system is turned on- this could easily lead to FERPA violations.
Faculty concerns. Some faculty were concerned that students would stop attending class if recordings were available. Our experience has been that having lecture capture recordings available to students has little or no effect on attendance. Faculty have also been concerned that the recordings would be used in ways that they didn't approve of (e.g. for administrative evaluation of teaching or to offer the course to other students without paying the faculty member to teach the course.) You should have clear policies in place to address these concerns.
A major faculty concern had to do with how they present written content in the lecture. For practical reasons, video recordings of material written on a blackboard (with chalk) or a whiteboard (with dry erase markers) simply don't work well with lecture capture systems. Some faculty simply use prepared slides for their lectures. An alternative (the one that I use) is to write the lecture material on a tablet or digitizing display. Some folks use a document camera and write notes on pieces of paper that are displayed by the document camera.
Distance ed concerns. Instructors and students can use lecture capture recordings as an informal way to have distance education courses without official permission. This might not be acceptable to your administration or your accrediting body (or the US DoED- such a course would count as a "correspondence course" because of the lack of two regularly scheduled two way interaction with the student) but there's no good technical way to prevent it from happening.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In my institution, lecture capture, though not with Panopto, has been going on for many years. We have policies in place to address such concerns. There are, as you note, also opportunities.
Issue 1: availability of the captured lectures to students
If students are enrolled in a traditional face-to-face (F2F) course, why do they need access to captured lectures? If your institution is (or plans to) offer distance education courses to off-campus students, make the captured lectures available only to them. Of course, if you have instructors who would like to try the flipped classroom model, where F2F students watch the lectures before class meets and then do the work (assignments, group projects, etc.) with the faculty member facilitating during class time, there would be exceptions.
Issue 2: Maintenance of recorded lectures
We have developed policies and purchased professional recording equipment to help ensure quality. In addition, faculty are not allowed to use captured lectures for longer than 3 years. Some subjects, such as computer science, for example, change so frequently that 3 years is much too long. Those might be re-recorded each semester. Alternatively, these faculty may tailor most of the lecture to more timeless topics, then record "update" videos to include the latest news and research in their subject area. This is possible in our institution because we provide recording studios for faculty use, so F2F students don't have to watch the "canned" version of the lecture. Since we use our recorded lectures for distance students (except for the occasional flipped class - I can think of only one of those currently offered, off the top of my head), they get both the "canned" or generic lecture plus the freshly recorded update videos. We provide "re-development" stipends to faculty to offset the additional time required to re-record every 3 years.
Issue 3: Quality
Because few of those who will be capturing their own lectures have education or experience in lighting, design, and the like, it is most helpful to provide them with training and/or "tip sheets" on the best recording situations. We've had more than one professor capture lecture using a webcam in a dark room with a bright sunlit window behind the instructor, resulting in very poor quality. They may also be too far from the on-camera mic and produce low-quality audio, which is also frustrating to students, and rightly so.
Another quality issue to consider is length of the video you provide to students (for whatever reason). Research on instructional video favors segments of 10 minutes or less. Sign up for a free Coursera course and you'll likely see this in use. If you're capturing live lecture in a classroom setting, breaking the lecture into 10 minute segments is jarring for the viewer unless the lecturer has prepared for it. He or she should locate stopping points at the end of a topic, sub-topic, or example, and employ a transition (pre-communicated to the video team) to switch topics. One research-backed way to do this is to stop and ask a handful of review questions to increase student mastery. Panopto, according to their website, allows the addition of interactive quizzes quizzes to facilitate this practice for online learners.
Issue 4: "Replacing" faculty
Our institution does wish to use the video of a professor who is no longer at the institution. Our instructional videos are primarily used for online/distance instruction, which is delivered through a Learning Management System (LMS). The instructor is the primary developer of the online course, with support from staff and teaching/graduate assistants. Student evaluations have shown that students are confused and frustrated when "<NAME>" is the instructor of record, but retired "<NAME>'s" lecture videos are utilized in such a course. Because we host our own video on our own servers, video is deleted when no longer needed. I presume you could do the same on Panopto.
One opportunity related to the implementation of this system is increasing offerings and enrollment in distance education courses (or, if your institution doesn't offer such courses yet, implementing such a program). This could be a most helpful source of additional revenue for the university and for non-traditional students who cannot attend F2F courses.
I'd recommend joining an organization like the Online Learning Consortium to have training and discussion opportunities about such topics with other administrators of online learning programs. This will help shorten the learning curve.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2016/02/02
| 685
| 2,757
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<issue_start>username_0: I have been chosen by my university (where I am a professor in science) to be part of a task force determining the undergraduate general education requirements. To be a better informed committee member, I am trying to understand the general situation at colleges in the country (the US) and the debates that have concerned this kind of questions. (To circumscribe a little the question, let us say that by "college" below I mean the top (e.g. top 100) liberal arts college and the top 100 colleges integrated in a university (Harvard college, etc.))
More specifically, I am trying to find good books that
1) describe the different types of policy that the colleges have.
For example:
a.-- Some colleges ask students to choose a *major* and a *minor*, other two equal *concentrations*. Are there colleges that require nothing of that sort? Which college do what? How many?
b.-- Some colleges force students to take classes in a variety of fields (science, humanity, arts, etc.). How widespread is that? What form does these requirements take?
c.-- Some colleges strongly encourage or force students to take a large number of courses where they would read about the "great books" of the Western Culture. See for examples the "core curriculum" at Columbia and Chicago. Other don't have that requirement, and some on the contrary require students to take a minimum number of courses directly concerning non-Western Cultures. Again, I'd like to know examples, and statistics.
d.-- Some colleges require student to know or learn at least one foreign language. How general is that? Are there schools that require two foreign languages? or one ancient language (like ancient Greek, Latin, Biblical Hebrew, Old Arabic, Hittite, Sanskrit, etc.)?
Etc.
2) Either neutrally explain or take a side with detailed arguments in the vigorous debates that have taken places in the academic community and beyond about those issues. (For example, my haphazard research with google led me to *The Closing of the American Mind*, which takes a vigorous position in factor of the first option in 1c above)
I am very thankful for any suggestion of readings on those subjects.<issue_comment>username_1: The American Association of Colleges and Universities has recently published a survey of chief academic officers on recent trends in general education. The survey and some related resources are at:
<https://www.aacu.org/resources/general-education/publications>
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There should be a number of articles in the [*Chronicle of Higher Education*](http://chronicle.com) on such topics. If you are a subscriber (or probably if your library is a subscriber?) you can search by keyword on their web site.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/02
| 2,621
| 11,284
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<issue_start>username_0: The business school I am currently at faces a very difficult situation. After a scandal involving fraud around the president a few years ago, in combination probably with fallout from the financial crisis and all, our public image is ruined. We have barely enough students applying to the open undergraduate seats, meaning that almost no selection process can take place. As a consequence, students are walking the campus that barely made it through high school and are, by any standards, not fit for academic career, not even undergrad studies.
As a research assistant, I assisted my chair during the previous and current year with a first-year course, aiming to teach foundations of investments, Markovitz framework, CAPM and APT, and the like. Without going into too much detail here, I can say that this course is not a university level course. The exams are advertised to the students as consisting only of questions they know from tutorials with different numbers or asking for a different variable. No out-of-the-box thinking, no mathematical proof or derivation of one of the financial concepts.
This alone would lead to no necessary problems, and perhaps my own perspective is distorted, as I did my undergrad studies in natural science, but there are additional problems.
Every year, less and less students are coming to the professor's lectures. The tutorials from my colleague and me are visited by 2-7 students out of 35. During longer explanations or examples, they often interrupt without respect and ask "is this relevant for the exam?" Students still perform horribly on the exam, but we cater them by adding an offset, based on at most 15% of the students failing the exam (in reality, around 70% fail the first round). With another incredibly generous offset such that no more than 20% of those in the second exam round fail, there is virtually no selection any more, which is horrible, because we are a small private institution and once were one of few leading business schools in the region, which is no longer the case.
My explanation, which I have presented to my boss, is that the students hear from the previous year's students about the generous offset, and that the university does not want to throw out that many students. Based on this rumor, they study less, so that we are forced to give the offset they expect. Why are we forced? Because the professor admits that he will not be able to explain to the university management if they inquire as to why that many students fail. He claims that many colleagues are wondering where many of our students came from, because it certainly does not seem to be high school, and that only the management, which consists of business types, not academics, know the answer. Probably, we are dependent on the cash flow from the students' tuition fees, but this is a short-term solution at an invaluable long-term cost.
I would believe that a rigorous filtering process should be in place, and rather in the second semester than in the fourth or six semester. But compared to other chairs, we already have a rough reputation, and most of the undergrad program consists of electives in fields like marketing, where I have supervised some exams and had to observe that those exams consist almost entirely of reciting definitions and giving examples that were completely mentioned in the learning materials the students had access to. This is absolutely not worthy of a university, but a degree mill instead.
We are now treating students more and more like customers; many of our best colleagues in the examination office have left us during the past year; officially for personal reasons, but I believe that students claiming "I pay a lot of money, I can demand a good grade" might also be a factor.
Nobody wants to fail the students, but instead hopes that other courses will do this uncomfortable job; and my boss and me are often giving grades in the range 3.5-4 for Bachelor Theses, because "even if they pass, they will not have a good career anyway". Another professor in the department replied to this with: "Well, I would not worry, because the employers will realize quickly the quality of these graduates, and put them into some fixed-income positions or similar where they cannot do any damage." However, I already heard first-hand from professionals that there are complete firms out there that do not even invite our students for interviews any more. Since I am not only doing my PhD here, but also have a Master's degree from this place, you can imagine this gives me a funny feeling.
The off-campus behavior and image of our student body in the local community is disastrous. One and a half weeks ago, a student drove drunk and crashed into a fence in the neighboring village (the fact that we are not in a large city does not help). Everyone in the village knows that it was a student (the car is a quite "unique" one), and there was a newspaper article indicating the BAC of the driver. But since there is no official affiliation between the accident and the university, and the newspaper did not mention that the driver was a student, there is nothing that can be done, as my boss, who is also in the judicial board, says. My boss also says that he is involved more and more often in heavier and heavier cases of students that break rules of common sense, morals and even criminal law worldwide during their exchange semesters.
Last week, I had an internship report on my desk, which is really not a piece of work a student should fail. But it should have; the text was full of language mistakes, typos, even spelling (not typing) the place in his address wrong, formatting was bad, and when describing the $\beta$ in CAPM as "the relative volatility of the asset compared to the market", the paper screamed at me "I don't care about this and have no respect for higher education" at such a volume that I gave a failing grade. (This was the second try; the first one was failed deliberately in summer, as the student claimed not to have enough time to work on it anyway.)
Then, after the student calling me frantically and the examination office and the program director contacting me, I gave a passing grade, because I had to admit that some parts of the work were presented, in their unprecedented shallowness, "plausibly", hence ticking off the "plausible presentation" checkbox on the examination sheet and finding good sub-grades for a work that, in its entirety, was not worthy of a sixth semester students. During this process, I was kindly reminded from my boss to "keep in mind that you are ruining his entire career, as he will be ex-matriculated and barred from studying business studies again" - a little too much to not be influenced, I would say in hindsight.
I ended by inviting the student into my office, rubbing every single error in the file into his face, demanding an explanation for the horrendous work, and telling him that only the static examination sheet saved him, while any employer would have fired him on the spot.
The reaction was not understanding at all, and as my colleague pointed out, did not even once say thanks for me taking the extra time to go through the work again, after the failing grade was practically set.
And now, having let the work pass, I think I have become part of the problem. What should I do? How can I prevent myself (and others) from doing what I did, and falling into this abyss?<issue_comment>username_1: Sad to say, as an individual (moreover a low-level position one, like a graduate student) is very unlikely to make a difference in any reasonable time. Only a concerted effort by faculty and students can make a difference here. And it looks like administration/faculty have all but given up, by what you tell.
An Arab proverb says that reputation grows like a tree, and falls like a fruit.
It is much more likely that your continued stay there ruins your reputation than you making any noticeable difference in the reputation of the school (how many schools are you aware of whose reputation rests on some student?).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Oh dear, what a sad story. To address your question, the rot in large institutions usually starts at the top, and it's only the people at the top who have the power to stop it, if anyone does. The key word is *leadership*, and it sounds like your school has a very poor excuse for one at the moment -- a sad irony, since it's precisely business school types whom you'd expect to have a firm understanding of the principles of leadership and sound management.
As for what you can do, I'm afraid I agree with the other comments and answers: you as a graduate student are simply not in a position to effect change. Your school is poorly run and seems to be stuck in a negative feedback loop of worsening outcomes. If this were a Hollywood movie, you'd use your personal charm and talents to convince a rich patron to buy the school, oust the entire management team and let you run the place yourself, gradually restoring sanity. Sadly, life is not a Hollywood movie. My advice to you is therefore either to "run away," as <NAME> says, and transfer to a better school if this is at all possible; or to suck it up and hope that you can make it out of there with your degree before things get much worse than they already are. Good luck!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Things seem bad and you may have to leave but why not try do something first .The changes needed are obvious to someone outside academia but you must try to get some changes through despite your modest position .You must convince your more senior peers that if nothing is done the whole show will go down the toilet and it will be an academic exercise blaming each other when virtually everybody that worked there are now working twice as long for half the money in the service industry. My father who is a retired known bussiness consultant would say . Do you have a problem ? we know that the answer is yes . Then he would say .If you do nothing will it go away ? We know the answer to this is no .Then he would say .Do you want to put up with it for the next 40 years ?Well the answer to this is NO! .Right you can hopefully call some of your peers to action .Now you with thier co operation can do what has to be done which you already know but I will leave some tips .Dont treat repeats any differently if you dont want your college to be a joke .Make A grades real hard to get while still letting lots of C grades through .This will make employers still have interest .Make your exams 60% parrot and 40% out of the square so plodders will still get a C and clever lazy people will also get a C but to get an A you would have to be clever and dedicated.Put some really easy parts in your exam questions making it really difficult to get an E but also put some real hard parts in so its almost impossible to get an A+ .Now format your entrance exams more like IQ tests so there wont be any really stupid people in the later years .This means that people with degrees from your college will have a minimum IQ even if they get Cs and even if they repeat .I would really like to help you more but my fathers background would be more suitable .
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/02
| 2,095
| 9,023
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<issue_start>username_0: I am the grad student on the hiring committee, and I have been tasked with gathering feedback from grad students about our faculty candidates. All of the grad students were invited to attend each candidate’s job talk and an open meeting between the candidate and students.
My first attempt was to simply have the department send out a mass email telling the grad students to email me with their feedback. The next thing I tried was asking a handful of students from various labs to attend the talk and meeting then email me with feedback. So far I have received **zero feedback** on any of the candidates.
I believe my problem is that these talks are often sparsely attended (e.g., only people in the same field as the candidate) since many students have no motivation to attend and my feedback requests have been too open ended (e.g., feedback on what??).
**How can I improve this process?**
My ideas:
* A rubric of what aspects to give feedback on
* An organized committee of students that provide feedback and try to get other students to attend<issue_comment>username_1: As someone who was a graduate student until recently, I would have no idea how to respond to a request like this. Even if I were qualified to judge potential faculty hires (which I very much am not, even now, as a postdoc) you've simply asked for "feedback" without giving any specifics. Do *you* know what kind of feedback you're looking for? You have to answer that question for yourself first.
It sounds like this task was thrust on you. Can you get anything more specific from whoever put you in charge of this?
This whole thing sounds odd to me. In fact, I suspect it's really all for appearances, to make the grad students feel included or to appease some high-level administrator who thinks it's a good idea. If you think that's the case, my advice is to provide free food for grad students after the job talks (without the free food, no one will stay) and hand out evaluation forms with a few questions about the content/style of the talk. The forms are unlikely to be read by anyone, but you'll accomplish the task you were given and the students will get free food. Everyone wins.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Ask Faculty in the candidate's area to task a couple of their Ph.D. students with gathering feedback from the other students in that area and then sending the summary to you sanitized/anonymized.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: Radical but very likely effective: have a grad-student representative on the search committee, non-voting if that's the only way to make it work.
It's a win-win: the committee gets at least one grad student perspective, the grad student has the job-search process demystified somewhat.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: As @user37208 says, most graduate students have no idea how to respond to a request like this. More importantly, I think expecting anyone—graduate student or faculty—to truly engage with a faculty candidate only through their talk is hopelessly naive.
In my department, all faculty interviews include a one-hour meeting with a group of PhD students in the candidate's area. No faculty are allowed in this meeting, so that the students can speak freely, without worrying about whether their advisor likes what they say. Typically the same group of students meets with all candidates in each particular subfield, so that they have some basis for comparison.
After the interview(s), someone on the recuiting committee contacts those specific students to ask for feedback, either by email or (if possible) in a face-to-face meeting, again (if possible) without the advisor present. As with faculty, it's important to ask more detailed questions than "So, what do you think?" For example: How do you think the candidate would be as an advisor? Would you consider becoming their student? How well do you think they would teach? How interesting/strong/deep is their research record? (Yes, at this point the students have read a couple of the candidate's papers.) How interesting/creative/realistic/far-reaching is their research vision? Would they bring new expertise/visibility that the department currently lacks? Did they ask you good questions? Did they seem interested in you and your work, or did they seem bored or distracted?
I almost forgot: It's vital that the recruiting committee actually take the student feedback seriously. If the students have any reason to think that their opinion doesn't actually matter, they'll check out (as they should).
Including the students as first-class participants in the interview significantly increases their engagement with the process; the feedback we get from students is surprisingly insightful. It also does a much better job of showing the faculty candidates that the students are mature, thoughtful, independent, creative, and the like—all the qualities that faculty hope for in their own students—than just taking the word of the faculty. It also provides some training for students who might be going on the academic job market themselves soon.
Yes, this system requires a significant amount of trust in the students.
(But if you don't trust your students, why on earth did you admit them?) It also takes a few years to reach a steady state where the senior students understand the process and can explain it to the junior students.
[I'm the chair of the faculty recruiting committee in a top-5 American computer science department.]
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: It's too late now, but briefing the students in advance on the very broad type of feedback you'd like would be helpful.
From where you are now, a questionaire approach might work best, for example:
* Rate the candidate's lecture/seminar delivery out of 10
* Please comment further
* How would the candidate fit in to the social side of the group?
* If you were assigned this candidate as your supervisor, how happy would you be (out of 10).
* Please comment further
etc. as appropriate.
I've done a couple of things here to make it easy to get more feedback: The fairly lazy will just answer along the lines (5, they were OK, OK, 5, [blank box]), though a very good or very bad candidate will still stand out. A decent few would give you proper responses to at least some of the questions for at least some of the candidates.
I'd do this as a reply-inline email, giving a few blank lines as a gentle hint of how much to write; your admin team would probably cook up a form in word for electronic return.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I found these questions in [Emmanuel College's Search Committee Chair's Guide to the Faculty Interview Process](http://www.emmanuel.edu/Documents/Human_Resources/Supervisors%20Guide%20to%20the%20Interview%20Process-%20Faculty.pdf):
**Lunch interview:**
* Did the candidate ask you questions about your experiences at Emmanuel College?
* Did the candidate demonstrate knowledge of Emmanuel College's mission, vision and culture? Did the candidate seem committed to working with a diverse student and community population?
* Did you discuss the candidate's subject area? Please comment.
* Please add any additional comments.
**Evaluation or presentations:**
* Was the presenter well prepared?
* Was the learning objective clear?
* Did the presenter attempt to establish rapport with the audience?
* Did s/he demonstrate mastery of his or her subject?
* Did s/he present the subject matter in an effective manner?
* Were his/her handouts or other learning aides useful?
* Did s/he use them effectively?
* Did s/he handle questions well?
* Did s/he engage the class and hold its attention?
* Did you learn something worthwhile from the presentation?
* Additional comments
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Good job for seeking student feedback.
I strongly disagree with the other posters saying graduate students do not know how to give feedback on a faculty candidate. I was invited to give feedback on faculty candidates when I was an undergraduate, and I thought it was quite obvious at the time. All students know the difference between a terrible professor and a good professor because they have recent experience being students. In fact, students may know better than faculty, who may have forgotten what it is like to be in someone else's classroom/research group.
Feedback should be solicited in advance. You should explain to students the nature of the job opening. What are the duties? Not all professors do the same job. What are the hiring criteria? What are the goals of the department? Ask the students to comment on the candidate's ability to meet the criteria.
Students should interview the candidate. Note that "meeting" and "interview" are not the same. You will need to inform students about local discrimination laws before the interview. No faculty should be in the room when this happens. I have found that candidates think it doesn't count if there are no faculty present, so they start to say stupid things.
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/03
| 2,174
| 9,140
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a first-year undergraduate finishing up a course that I've done very well in with a professor whom I have a great relationship with. I'd like to ask him for a letter of recommendation, but it's not "for" anything in particular. Rather, I'd like to have it "on reserve" so that I can use it whenever I need letters of rec (internships, jobs, or eventually grad school, although hopefully by then I'd have professors to ask other than this one).
Is this kind of thing normal, or are rec letters supposed to be tailored to specific applications? What exactly would happen once the letter of rec was written? I assume I wouldn't be able to look at it.<issue_comment>username_1: No, you can't. Here are some reasons that this would not be a reasonable request [in the US].
1. Your professor is not going to show you the letter, so they will need to send it to every internship, job, or grad school themselves. Therefore there is no benefit to them to having a letter "on reserve".
2. Letters are written very differently for internships and industry positions than for grad school applications, so a general letter does not make sense.
3. There is no reason for a professor to waste their time writing a letter now that might not be used at all.
4. There is no reason to write a letter that will be outdated. It is unlikely that a letter based on a freshman class would be useful for grad school applications, for example.
**Instead**, what you can do is ask your professor "I don't have a position in mind right now, but would you be willing and able to write me a strong letter of recommendation in the future for internships, jobs, REUs, or eventually grad school?" If they say yes, say something like "Thank you, in that case I would like to use your letter when I do. Is there anything I can do, now or then, to make it easier to write?" This gives them a chance to let you know what they need (what materials, how much advance notice, how much reminding); it also gives them a chance to make notes to *themselves* about your performance, to remind themselves when they do go to write the letter.
(You asked "...or are rec letters supposed to be tailored to specific applications?" In my field almost everyone writes just one letter for grad school applications, there aren't usually different letters for different schools; however letters for REUs or internships would be very different.)
It's wise of you to start thinking about this now, and you'll be glad to know you have someone who can write you a strong letter; they just won't write it until there is actually a position you're applying for (and not until the night before the deadline, if I'm any example).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: In general you should ask for a letter of recommendation for a particular purpose at the time you need it. That purpose might be as generic as "admission to graduate programs in my field" or "to get a job as a software developer", and the same or similar letter might reasonably be sent to several places. However, it's not appropriate to ask for an all purpose letter of recommendation that will be valid indefinitely.
For example, you could get an A in my class this semester and then fail a class that I teach next year. At that point I might no longer be willing to write a letter of recommendation for you.
As another example, you might have taken undergraduate mathematics courses with me and then decide to study Victorian English Literature at the graduate level. It would be inappropriate for me to recommend you for such a graduate program since I have no expertise in the area and I have no way of telling whether you'd be well suited for it.
It's reasonable to discuss with a professor whether that professor might be willing to write a letter of recommendation for you in the future, but the professor will have to make a final decision at that later time, taking into account what they have learned about you in the intervening years and who the letter is going to and for what purpose.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: No, that isn't how it works. A letter of recommendation should be:
1. tailored to the recipient, or at least to the type of recipient (grad school, job, internship, etc)
2. written (or updated) by the professor at the time it is sent
3. sent directly from the professor to the intended recipient, without passing through your hands
Your suggestion would fail all three of these.
1 is pretty self-explanatory: internships, jobs, grad schools, scholarships, etc, are all looking for different things. You want the professor to be able to focus on what's relevant. A grad school might need to know about your skills in long-term theoretical research; an industry employer might only care about your ability to turn out satisfactory practical work on short deadlines. A letter that addresses the wrong aspects will be useless or worse. The professor doesn't want irrelevant letters going out under his name, either; he'll look like an idiot.
For 2, every recipient of a letter wants to know what you have done *lately*; usually (hopefully) that will be your best work. You don't want an outdated letter that misses your latest and greatest accomplishments, and a letter that's several months old won't be taken very seriously by anyone. Moreover, if the professor gives you a "generic" or undated letter, it's a blank check: even if you flunk all your classes, or get thrown out for cheating, you'll still have a letter with his name saying "SquarerootSquirrel is doing great!"
For 3, these days, most grad schools / employers / etc will want a letter sent directly from the professor, usually submitted via an online form. Everyone will feel more comfortable that they're getting the professor's honest opinion if you never have any opportunity to read (or alter) it. Based on this alone, I think most professors would simply refuse to put their letter in your hands, even if it were sealed.
But what you *can* do is to talk to the professor, tell him about your long-term plans for jobs or grad school or whatever, and say that you may be asking him for a letter of recommendation at some point. Ask him if that's something he'd consider, and if there's anything in particular you need to know or do (he may want a copy of your resume / transcript / etc). Then he can start paying closer attention to your work and thinking about what to write, or even start drafting a letter.
When the time comes for you to actually apply somewhere, tell him about it (at least several weeks before the deadline). Then he can just update the letter with your latest achievements, edit to focus on what's relevant for this recipient, and send it off. That part is very little trouble, even if you are applying to many different places.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I'll disagree with the other answers slightly. Some universities will maintain "placement files" for their students, and these include recommendation letters. For example:
<https://www.cwu.edu/career/placement-file-faqs>
<https://www.uidaho.edu/current-students/career-services/students-and-alumni/placement-files#accordion-row-1b88c922-3ced-41b9-9322-cc8ab74ed173->
<http://gsep.pepperdine.edu/career-services/students-alumni/education/placementfile.htm>
<http://www.whitworth.edu/Academic/Department/Education/Certification&CareerServices/CareerServices/PlacementFilesFAQs.htm>
Most of the places I found are for education-focused job applications, and many career services offices seem to be phasing out the practice of maintaining placement files.
My advice to you, if you would still like to obtain a letter from your professor for future use, would be to stop by your university career services office and ask them for advice.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: No, it is not normal, and not how it works as already explained by other answers.
"although hopefully by then I'd have professors to ask other than this one)." <-- This also shows that you are aware that most likely you will not need his letter in the first place (means, you are wasting his time).
My suggestion: Just ask him whether it is ok to use him as a reference in the CV and application forms in the future. For example, a few jobs ask you for a contact information of referees. This will give you a chance to later get back to him and ask for the recommendation letter when the time arises.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: I've solicited and received a few of these "general" letters and stockpile them whenever I can. I simply apply to too many schools and jobs to narrow the field. There is a very low chance of getting the job you apply for sometimes... meaning you must sent applications to tens or hundreds of perspectives. Having them tailor it for the company or school is a great way to waste it, but if your top flight and know that about of 3 postings you will get 1 and can muster 6 references (and run risk of burnout to your referencer) good luck. I say get these "general" letters as much as you can and hold on to them like the gold trophy of respect they are. Good luck!
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/03
| 2,046
| 8,622
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<issue_start>username_0: Is there any way to find all papers that acknowledge a specific author? (i.e., the author is mentioned in the acknowledgement section)<issue_comment>username_1: No, you can't. Here are some reasons that this would not be a reasonable request [in the US].
1. Your professor is not going to show you the letter, so they will need to send it to every internship, job, or grad school themselves. Therefore there is no benefit to them to having a letter "on reserve".
2. Letters are written very differently for internships and industry positions than for grad school applications, so a general letter does not make sense.
3. There is no reason for a professor to waste their time writing a letter now that might not be used at all.
4. There is no reason to write a letter that will be outdated. It is unlikely that a letter based on a freshman class would be useful for grad school applications, for example.
**Instead**, what you can do is ask your professor "I don't have a position in mind right now, but would you be willing and able to write me a strong letter of recommendation in the future for internships, jobs, REUs, or eventually grad school?" If they say yes, say something like "Thank you, in that case I would like to use your letter when I do. Is there anything I can do, now or then, to make it easier to write?" This gives them a chance to let you know what they need (what materials, how much advance notice, how much reminding); it also gives them a chance to make notes to *themselves* about your performance, to remind themselves when they do go to write the letter.
(You asked "...or are rec letters supposed to be tailored to specific applications?" In my field almost everyone writes just one letter for grad school applications, there aren't usually different letters for different schools; however letters for REUs or internships would be very different.)
It's wise of you to start thinking about this now, and you'll be glad to know you have someone who can write you a strong letter; they just won't write it until there is actually a position you're applying for (and not until the night before the deadline, if I'm any example).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: In general you should ask for a letter of recommendation for a particular purpose at the time you need it. That purpose might be as generic as "admission to graduate programs in my field" or "to get a job as a software developer", and the same or similar letter might reasonably be sent to several places. However, it's not appropriate to ask for an all purpose letter of recommendation that will be valid indefinitely.
For example, you could get an A in my class this semester and then fail a class that I teach next year. At that point I might no longer be willing to write a letter of recommendation for you.
As another example, you might have taken undergraduate mathematics courses with me and then decide to study Victorian English Literature at the graduate level. It would be inappropriate for me to recommend you for such a graduate program since I have no expertise in the area and I have no way of telling whether you'd be well suited for it.
It's reasonable to discuss with a professor whether that professor might be willing to write a letter of recommendation for you in the future, but the professor will have to make a final decision at that later time, taking into account what they have learned about you in the intervening years and who the letter is going to and for what purpose.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: No, that isn't how it works. A letter of recommendation should be:
1. tailored to the recipient, or at least to the type of recipient (grad school, job, internship, etc)
2. written (or updated) by the professor at the time it is sent
3. sent directly from the professor to the intended recipient, without passing through your hands
Your suggestion would fail all three of these.
1 is pretty self-explanatory: internships, jobs, grad schools, scholarships, etc, are all looking for different things. You want the professor to be able to focus on what's relevant. A grad school might need to know about your skills in long-term theoretical research; an industry employer might only care about your ability to turn out satisfactory practical work on short deadlines. A letter that addresses the wrong aspects will be useless or worse. The professor doesn't want irrelevant letters going out under his name, either; he'll look like an idiot.
For 2, every recipient of a letter wants to know what you have done *lately*; usually (hopefully) that will be your best work. You don't want an outdated letter that misses your latest and greatest accomplishments, and a letter that's several months old won't be taken very seriously by anyone. Moreover, if the professor gives you a "generic" or undated letter, it's a blank check: even if you flunk all your classes, or get thrown out for cheating, you'll still have a letter with his name saying "SquarerootSquirrel is doing great!"
For 3, these days, most grad schools / employers / etc will want a letter sent directly from the professor, usually submitted via an online form. Everyone will feel more comfortable that they're getting the professor's honest opinion if you never have any opportunity to read (or alter) it. Based on this alone, I think most professors would simply refuse to put their letter in your hands, even if it were sealed.
But what you *can* do is to talk to the professor, tell him about your long-term plans for jobs or grad school or whatever, and say that you may be asking him for a letter of recommendation at some point. Ask him if that's something he'd consider, and if there's anything in particular you need to know or do (he may want a copy of your resume / transcript / etc). Then he can start paying closer attention to your work and thinking about what to write, or even start drafting a letter.
When the time comes for you to actually apply somewhere, tell him about it (at least several weeks before the deadline). Then he can just update the letter with your latest achievements, edit to focus on what's relevant for this recipient, and send it off. That part is very little trouble, even if you are applying to many different places.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I'll disagree with the other answers slightly. Some universities will maintain "placement files" for their students, and these include recommendation letters. For example:
<https://www.cwu.edu/career/placement-file-faqs>
<https://www.uidaho.edu/current-students/career-services/students-and-alumni/placement-files#accordion-row-1b88c922-3ced-41b9-9322-cc8ab74ed173->
<http://gsep.pepperdine.edu/career-services/students-alumni/education/placementfile.htm>
<http://www.whitworth.edu/Academic/Department/Education/Certification&CareerServices/CareerServices/PlacementFilesFAQs.htm>
Most of the places I found are for education-focused job applications, and many career services offices seem to be phasing out the practice of maintaining placement files.
My advice to you, if you would still like to obtain a letter from your professor for future use, would be to stop by your university career services office and ask them for advice.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: No, it is not normal, and not how it works as already explained by other answers.
"although hopefully by then I'd have professors to ask other than this one)." <-- This also shows that you are aware that most likely you will not need his letter in the first place (means, you are wasting his time).
My suggestion: Just ask him whether it is ok to use him as a reference in the CV and application forms in the future. For example, a few jobs ask you for a contact information of referees. This will give you a chance to later get back to him and ask for the recommendation letter when the time arises.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: I've solicited and received a few of these "general" letters and stockpile them whenever I can. I simply apply to too many schools and jobs to narrow the field. There is a very low chance of getting the job you apply for sometimes... meaning you must sent applications to tens or hundreds of perspectives. Having them tailor it for the company or school is a great way to waste it, but if your top flight and know that about of 3 postings you will get 1 and can muster 6 references (and run risk of burnout to your referencer) good luck. I say get these "general" letters as much as you can and hold on to them like the gold trophy of respect they are. Good luck!
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/03
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<issue_start>username_0: I have submitted a paper to the IEEE International Conference on Image Processing ([ICIP](http://www.ieeeicip2016.org/Papers.asp)) 2016. The submission and revision deadline has passed yesterday, but the system is still accepting new revisions. Is it OK to revise my paper now? Is there any chance that they will reject it for this reason?
**UPDATE:** I have revised my submitted paper.
Have I done something unethical here?
**LATEST UPDATE on 5 Feb 2016:** Revision deadline extended till 8 Feb 2016 :)<issue_comment>username_1: Minor revisions are usually acceptable. I'm not sure in what context would this be unethical. Revisions occur all the time, even after publication. As your the conference committee permits it, its all right to submit the revision, especially if your revision were to increase the quality of your paper or validation of your results.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: For most conferences, there is an informal grey area in the submission deadline. The conference typically states that nothing will be accepted after hour X on date Y in timezone Z, but often the system doesn't actually shut down submission at that time, but a little while later. This may be for any number of reasons, frequently including:
* Giving a grace period for technical problems or slow uploads
* Supporting extensions that have been requested by and granted to particular authors
* Just plain not seeing any reason to bother with precision
From my experience, the most important driver for all of this sloppiness about time is that the point of the submission deadline is not so much to stop submissions as to enable a fair and well-organized peer review process to start in a timely manner. Thus, as long as the submissions are shut down fairly promptly after the deadline and review assignments can be sent out on schedule, nobody really cares all that much about timestamps: there's nothing magic about 11:59pm in American Samoa. Likewise for a camera-ready / revision deadline: the point is not to stop submissions but to allow publication to begin.
As such, I see no issue with what you have done. The formal deadline is the point after which you have no grounds to complain if you can't change anything any more. If you happen to notice a further correction to make and the system is still accepting them, well, that makes things better for everybody, and it's likely the organizers won't even bother noticing, let alone be unhappy that you did so if they do notice.
Now, it's possible that you might run into a program chair who is unusually dedicated to precision and does not share this opinion, but I have never yet encountered such a person in my professional life.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I am part of a committee tasked to create a policy on creating incentives for publications of university employees. Right now, the highest incentive award is given to publications in journals "indexed in [Web of Science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_of_Science) or [Scopus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopus)." I would like to rewrite the policy so that it is more general, that is, open to the possibility that there are other highly regarded bibliographic database and index services. I am aware that there are many predatory journal indexing services, and I want to exclude these.
How do I define a reputable journal indexing service?<issue_comment>username_1: I think that there is a critical distinction to be made here between *defining* reputable indexing services and *identifying* such services.
I suspect that for most well-established scholars, it is relatively straightforward to *identify* whether an indexing service is reputable or not. For example, if you talk to a computer scientist, they'll point to DBLP, MathSciNet is a good one for mathematicians as noted in the comments, and PubMed is good for life sciences. Random predatory anything is usually pretty easy to determine with a little bit of research.
In order to *define* "reputable indexing service" for the sake of policy, then, I would suggest that it is likely to be effective to have a process by which faculty members can request an index be considered and then a few internal and external experts in the field are asked to certify whether the index is reputable or not. That way, there's not a formal definition enshrined in policy that might be evaded by technicalities, but instead some human judgement is involved.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I sounds like you want to identify reputable publication channels, and not indexing services (which can be a source of information on publication channels though). Several countries have produced such lists, and it might be useful for you to look at some of these, or use them directly in guidelines to researchers. These lists are usually created by consulting experts in different scientific fields or having permanent panels of experts that review the different publication channels.
Two such examples are:
* [Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) Outlet Ranking](https://research.unsw.edu.au/excellence-research-australia-era-outlet-ranking)
* [Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers](https://dbh.nsd.uib.no/publiseringskanaler/Forside)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I have been using [Scimago Journal & Country Rank](http://www.scimagojr.com/)
It's apparently powered by Scopus.
You can select among different science fields and see the top journals.
Journals are put in categories of *quality* (can be different for each field in multidisciplinary journals).
You can rank the journals per field or see how a specific journal performs now and in the last years.
You could generally aim at publishing in Q1 journals, rather than simply journals indexed by Scopus and Web of Science.
I hope it helps.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/03
| 696
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<issue_start>username_0: I am currently deciding between graduate schools for PhD programs and I am concerned that a potential advisor might be planning to take a leave of absence to start a new company. Is it socially acceptable to ask the professor if he/she intends to take a leave of absence?
Doing research with a professor that is on leave would be difficult particularly during the early years of graduate student life.<issue_comment>username_1: I think that there is a critical distinction to be made here between *defining* reputable indexing services and *identifying* such services.
I suspect that for most well-established scholars, it is relatively straightforward to *identify* whether an indexing service is reputable or not. For example, if you talk to a computer scientist, they'll point to DBLP, MathSciNet is a good one for mathematicians as noted in the comments, and PubMed is good for life sciences. Random predatory anything is usually pretty easy to determine with a little bit of research.
In order to *define* "reputable indexing service" for the sake of policy, then, I would suggest that it is likely to be effective to have a process by which faculty members can request an index be considered and then a few internal and external experts in the field are asked to certify whether the index is reputable or not. That way, there's not a formal definition enshrined in policy that might be evaded by technicalities, but instead some human judgement is involved.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I sounds like you want to identify reputable publication channels, and not indexing services (which can be a source of information on publication channels though). Several countries have produced such lists, and it might be useful for you to look at some of these, or use them directly in guidelines to researchers. These lists are usually created by consulting experts in different scientific fields or having permanent panels of experts that review the different publication channels.
Two such examples are:
* [Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) Outlet Ranking](https://research.unsw.edu.au/excellence-research-australia-era-outlet-ranking)
* [Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers](https://dbh.nsd.uib.no/publiseringskanaler/Forside)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I have been using [Scimago Journal & Country Rank](http://www.scimagojr.com/)
It's apparently powered by Scopus.
You can select among different science fields and see the top journals.
Journals are put in categories of *quality* (can be different for each field in multidisciplinary journals).
You can rank the journals per field or see how a specific journal performs now and in the last years.
You could generally aim at publishing in Q1 journals, rather than simply journals indexed by Scopus and Web of Science.
I hope it helps.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/03
| 1,133
| 4,719
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<issue_start>username_0: Many times, research teams and departments just perform research on topics that the Department Chair or Research Head initiate -- but do some universities structure their research, postdocs, and departments according to an encompassing plan or agenda?<issue_comment>username_1: In the United States, at least, this does not generally happen except at a very coarse level. Thus, for example, many universities engage in ["cluster hiring"](https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2013/09/30/essay-how-colleges-can-engage-cluster-hiring) in which a number of positions are hired together as a strategic investment in making something interesting happen in a particular area, often coupled with some internal monies being set aside to support collaboration between those hires. Likewise, a department may often decide to hire in a particular area where they wish to grow or to shore up weakness, or a university may set up an internal funding program for something that it is interested in.
Once faculty have been hired, however, the traditions of scientific freedom of inquiry mean that it would be looked on very askance for any person or group to try to assign faculty to work on specific research projects as part of their job.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Typically not in academic departments, but many universities have organized research units that are not academic departments, don't offer degrees, and don't teach courses (to first order) but they do compete for research grants, hire research professionals, and do conduct research. There can be some centralized strategizing about what such units should pursue, though they are probably more often allowed to run quite independently. I work for such a center which also provides supercomputing resources to the university, state, and country as well as doing stuff that looks like academic research.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> research teams and departments just perform research on topics that the Department Chair or Research Head initiate
>
>
>
Other than in very broad terms (barely beyond the decision which institutes are set up and financed), things are even much less directed: Especially in universities, research teams and departments in many cases perform research whose direction is very much determined by the personal interests of the researchers in those teams, and also vaguely influenced by whatever grants happened to have lately been acquired.
>
> do some universities structure their research, postdocs, and departments according to an encompassing plan or agenda?
>
>
>
It happens on various levels, but usually not in the form of a big masterplan that encompasses all research, but rather as single strategic moves:
* A university may choose to support a specific area that the university wants to strengthen in its profile.
* Likewise, an institute may choose to intentionally find a researcher who works on a particular area to widen the institute's portfolio in that area and thereby increase chances to get related grants in the future.
So, these structured efforts run in parallel with a large amount of less structured (or rather, "self-directing") research going on.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Universities love to add bureaucratic layers and it is quite common for a university (or schools within universities) to carry out strategic planning to identify research priorities. A quick search reveals
[Harvard Medical School's strategic plan](http://hms.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/assets/About_Us/Off_Dean/files/P1_p.pdf) is to "Seize rapidly expanding opportunities in biomedical research to increase human well-being" and identifies human genetics, therapeutic discovery, neuroscience, bioengineering, immunology and microbial sciences, stem cell and regenerative biology, and systems biology as key areas that have the potential to connect fundamental science with clinical applications.
[Boston University's strategic plan](http://www.bu.edu/president/strategic-plan/plan.shtml) includes a an "emphasis on interdisciplinary research and graduate education in order to expand our leadership in important fields and the collaborative atmosphere across our campuses." They are ["especially targeting"](http://www.bu.edu/research/our-research/research-areas/) Data Science, Engineering Biology, Global Health, Infectious Diseases, Neuroscience, Photonics, and Urban Health.
[University of Nottingham's research priority areas](https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/global-research-themes/index.aspx) of Cultures and Communication, Digital Futures, Health and Wellbeing, Sustainable Societies, and Transformative Technologies
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2016/02/03
| 1,001
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<issue_start>username_0: I am self-educated software developer, and I believe I stumbled across something that is both novel and useful. I'm not talking anything large or groundbreaking, but still novel and potentially useful to others. I believe it may be suitable for publication.
The find in itself is related to a publication from 1997, which continues to be somewhat frequently cited (about 30 times per year).
I have found a journal I believe is a very good fit for the material.
I have no access to anyone who has experience in publishing papers or academia in the field. That leaves me with the following stumbling blocks I have to find out on my own:
* I lack the overview of the current research in the field. It's nice and good an outsider thinks they have an innovation, but the work may be not novel at all.
* Even if it is novel, what I regard as a small but nevertheless interesting and useful find may be regarded as trivial and not publishable by academia.
* Even if it wouldn't be, and would be suitable for a paper, without any experience in writing papers, I will likely make all beginners errors, and have nobody to proofread the paper.
What, if anything, can I do to overcome these hurdles?<issue_comment>username_1: **Write a blog post**
* blog posts in general are very appreciated by software devs. (I used to spend ages reading them when I was working as a dev to keep up on state of the art)
+ This of-course assumes your "thing" is software related.
* Academics in general, do read and write blog posts. They are more annoying to cite, but still reasonable.
* There are a few micro-fields of applied CS that publish exclusively through blog posts (The only one I know of is "Arbitrary Precision Document Representation")
* You're not a professional academic, therefore you have no *"publish or
perish"* based KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
* further as a nonacademic writing publishing a paper gains you very little increase in employ-ability (even if it gets cited thousands of times). Some employers might care, for most its just going to be a neat thing you did once (not that different to how they might feel if you said you have climbed Mt Everest)
* You (as you admit) don't have the skills to write a paper, nor the connections to get someone to help. You do have the skill to write a blog post you demonstrated that in the asking the question.
* Not related works is expected in a blog post, it doesn't matter how trivial etc. The worst judgement someone is going to pass on you is ignoring it.
**You can supplement this by writing a paper, and putting in on a pre-print repository like [arXiv](http://arxiv.org/).**
As @Ilmari suggests in comments
* These tend to have low bar for entry, and are not peer-reviewed.
* It is almost certainly going to be around forever. (even if Cornell Univerisy vanishes, there are certainly going to be independent backups that can recreate the data)
* it is indexed by academic search engines like Google Scholar, so it will be found easily.
* Lots of industry academics (at lest in my field), tend to publish on arXiv, because they don't have the need to publish to keep their jobs.
* it is easy to cite, and is becoming quiet common to cite a work published only on arXiv.
You can then link to it in the blog post, saying "A more formal writeup is available on ..."
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I would recommend e-mailing the authors of the original paper. (In general contact information for academics can be very easily found via googling.) Briefly explain your discovery and pose your questions.
In general, such e-mails are quite welcome in academia. There is some possibility you might get no response, but I think it is likely that you will get a polite response, and that the authors will be encouraging and helpful if your work is worth publishing.
If you don't want to do much of the grunt work yourself, you may be able to coauthor the paper with the authors and/or others whom the authors might put you in touch with. (But don't propose this until you get an initial positive response.)
Good luck!
Upvotes: 4
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2016/02/03
| 450
| 1,919
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<issue_start>username_0: I've come across a university where I'm required to give details about my undergraduate program (including course transcripts). Nothing else has been mentioned about this submission. What should I include in this and how should I go about writing this part?<issue_comment>username_1: The basic problem that a section of this type is attempting to address is that there is a vast diversity of undergraduate educations out there, and the faculty evaluating your application may not be familiar with your particular university or program. Even a transcript is not sufficient, as the "same" course at two different universities may have radically different content and level of educational quality.
Thus, faculty are likely to find value in knowing things like:
* What textbooks did you use?
* Was there lots of laboratory or project work, or was it all theory?
* How big did the classes tend to be, and how much interaction did you have with faculty?
* How well ranked is the university?
* Where do the students tend to come from, and where do they tend to go afterwards?
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: My undergrad program was unique because I got field placements and collected original data. I presented in the student papers session at conference. We had a small campus and professors lived among us. We went to their houses for meals and knew their kids. In addition to being a top ranked, blah blah blah, we had this. Most undergrads are just taking classes and seeing TA's alot. My professors taught all classes and no TA's. No class was above 20 students in my major. No lecture hall except the 101 course, 60 students. What is unique and why is it better? My school had essay on every exam no matter the field. Multiple choice for quiz only. What beyond a textbook and the title of the course did you actually get for the money you paid for the class. Tell them that.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/03
| 716
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm currently struggling to structure and organize my "related work" chapter of my PhD thesis.
I've stumbled across the terms "related work", "background", "preliminaries" and "state of the art". Mainly, I understand that some deal with established knowledge that is being taught in textbooks, and which is the technological base for my work (e.g., elliptic curve (EC) cryptography and digital signatures to protect communication among servers). The other deal with the most recent academic state of the art, e.g., novel communication protocols based on elliptic curves.
It's also clear to me, that I need to differentiate my work by having contributions which go beyond the state of the art, and which differ from related work.
Hoever, I struggle to realted this terms, and to make up a meaningful chapter outline.
I was thinking of:
**Background and related work chapter**
1. Background and preliminaries
* Technology X
* Technology Y
* Technology Z
2. Related work and state of the art
* Overall related work to the kind of system I build
* Overall related work to sub-aspect A
* Overall related work to sub-aspect B
* Overall related work to sub-aspect C
* Difference to related work and state of the art
Can anyone help me clarify the relation of these terms, or hint me to page clarifying them? Also suggestions regarding my outline would be welcome.<issue_comment>username_1: Every scientific work needs to establish its context. What exactly you name the sections and how you organize them in order to present this context is less important, so long as you give the reader a good roadmap to understanding how your work fits into the larger intellectual environment.
Personally, I find that references tend to cluster into a few distinct groups:
* Motivation of the work and the foundations that it builds upon
* Contrasting to the works of others that do *not* accomplish the same goals, showing that you are aware of them and that your work is novel.
* Justification of assertions
* Pointers to methods that have been used
The first two are what typically ends up in a related work / background / whatever section, while the other two more typically end up embedded in other prose where they end up being relevant.
Given this, your proposed structure seems basically sane, though of course the details can't be determined without knowing the details of your work. The most important thing, I would say, is that if you end up with a very large and complex chapter (as often happens in a thesis), to make sure that you give the reader a good map to help them navigate it.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I would recommend to split this in two chapters. *Preliminaries* and *State of the Art*.
**Preliminaries** contains the basics, standards, established research, things you learn from text books. What you call *technological base*.
**State of the Art** is more recent research, these are other approaches to which you compare your research. This helps the reader to know in which current area your research is situated.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/03
| 568
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<issue_start>username_0: I submitted a research paper to a journal on 30th July 2015 and its status went 'under review' on 19th August 2015. I did not receive any communication from the journal, so I sent a gentle reminder on 11th Dec. 2015. Unfortunately I did not receive any response again. I then waited until 29th Jan 2016 and sent a reminder email again. Fortunately, the editor replied with "Your paper has been partially reviewed and we are waiting for remaining reviewers' response." The editor assured me that they will encourage the reviewer to submit the response.
Now, the status of the paper has changed from "Under review, date 19th Aug. 2015" to "Under review, date 2nd Feb. 2016".
I do not know what should I comprehend from this change in date?<issue_comment>username_1: My guess is that the reviewer they were waiting for has withdrawn or been dropped and a different reviewer been assigned. There are other internal actions that might cause the same sort of visible change as well, but all of them likely signify progress toward receiving your response.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: When the status remains the same, but the status date changes, this often indicates that some of the reviewer comments have been added to the database and the editor has started accessing the database to view the comments. This also corroborates with what the editor has mentioned in his email to you. Probably, one of the reviewers has submitted the review while the others have not yet done so. Once all the reviews come in, the status will change to "required reviews completed."
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I have experienced such situations as an author, reviewer, and editor. Generally, the reason for such change is that due to delay in reviewer's response or unable to provide review on the paper due to lack of sufficient knowledge in that area. In such case, editor assign a new reviewer in order to review the paper. Normally, each paper must be reviewed by at least 2 independent reviewers, and some editors (like me) prefer 3 reviews so that it becomes easy to take appropriate decision in case any two reviews contradict. Also, if the editor already have received a review or two, he/she asks assigned reviewer to provide review strictly within the review period defined by the journal. I hope you will get the reviews of your paper within the review time of the journal (after Feb. 2'16).
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/03
| 1,625
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<issue_start>username_0: This is related to but not answered in [this question about the difference between various stages of a manuscript in the publication process](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13089/what-are-the-boundaries-between-draft-manuscript-preprint-paper-and-article).
After an author has submitted a manuscript to a journal for peer-review, very often the journal asks the author to revise (and resubmit) the manuscript as a precondition for its publication. I am wondering whether the term *preprint* refers to the manuscript before or after its authors made these revisions.
If a preprint includes revisions made in response to peer review, then there is only a slight difference, mostly regarding layout and style, between the preprint and the article that is published in the journal. From a reader’s perspective, there would be no point in paying for access to the article, since they can simply download the preprint free of charge. A publisher would probably want to prevent their authors (by publication agreements etc.) from publishing preprints that differ from the respective journal article only in form.
As a side question, what kind of preprints do publishers tolerate, as a rule?<issue_comment>username_1: I am using Elsevier as example since they are often picked on for many of their policies. Elsevier attempts to be clear about their [sharing policy](https://www.elsevier.com/about/company-information/policies/sharing) and allows both preprints and accepted manuscripts to be shared. In "Elsevier speak" (which may not agree with standard usage of the terms in academia)
[Preprint](https://www.elsevier.com/about/company-information/policies/sharing#preprint)
>
> This is the author's own write-up of research results and analysis that has not been peer reviewed, nor had any other value added to it by a publisher (such as formatting, copy-editing, technical enhancements, and the like).
>
>
>
[Accepted manuscript](https://www.elsevier.com/about/company-information/policies/sharing#acceptedmanuscript)
>
> An accepted manuscript is the manuscript of an article that has been accepted for publication and which typically includes author-incorporated changes suggested during submission, peer review, and editor-author communications. They do not include other publisher value-added contributions such as copy-editing, formatting, technical enhancements and (if relevant) pagination.
>
>
>
Elsevier allows for "accepted manuscripts" to be made available via "preprint" repositories (e.g., ArXiv) which of course speaks to how confusing the terminology is. So at least for articles published by Elsevier the difference between the published version and the version in a preprint repository might be limited to "copy-editing, formatting, technical enhancements".
That said, and one of my pet peeves about preprint repositories, is that the "preprint" may have any number of non-peer-review changes. Maybe during the review process some controversial data or conclusions were removed from the manuscript. There is nothing preventing the authors from re-inserting this into the "preprint".
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: The term "pre-print" generally refers to the author's final draft of the manuscript, usually the version that the author intends to submit to a journal. Thus, this draft is not peer-reviewed. For instance, Peer J defines pre-prints as follows:
>
> A PeerJ 'PrePrint' is a draft that has not yet been peer reviewed for
> formal publication. Similar to preprint servers that already exist
> (for example arXiv.org), authors can submit draft, incomplete, or
> final versions of articles they are working on. preprints are not
> "publish ahead of print" articles, or articles that have been accepted
> and shown online before it has gone through typesetting, etc.
>
>
>
The term "post-print" is often used to refer to the revised version of the article, after the suggestions based on the peer reviewer comments have been included. In most cases, this is the version that has been accepted for publication. Thus, the post-print is very similar to the published article, with the published article including minor changes incorporated during copy editing.
Most publishers prefer to have pre-prints rather than post-prints on a public repository. Once the author has signed the copyright transfer document, he or she gives away a lot of rights to the publisher. As far as I know, copyright extends to the accepted version of the paper. Therefore, I think it is best to put up only pre-prints that have not been peer reviewed on public repositories. If you are planning to put up the revised version, that is, the version that has been accepted, it would be better to write to the journal and clarify before doing so.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: There is no consistent terminolgoy in this respect. [Sherpa/Romeo](http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/), a database for publisher’s pre-print policies and probably as close to an authority as you can get on this matter, [writes about this](http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/definitions.php):
>
> The terms pre-print and post-print are used to mean different things by different people. This can cause some confusion and ambiguity.
>
>
> One usage of the term pre-print is to describe the first draft of the article - before peer-review, even before any contact with a publisher. This use is common amongst academics for whom the key modification of an article is the peer-review process.
>
>
> Another use of the term pre-print is for the finished article, reviewed and amended, ready and accepted for publication - but separate from the version that is type-set or formatted by the publisher. This use is more common amongst publishers, for whom the final and significant stage of modification to an article is the arrangement of the material for putting to print.
>
>
> […]
>
>
> To try to clarify the situation, this listing characterises **pre-prints** as being the version of the paper before peer review and **post-prints** as being the version of the paper after peer-review, with revisions having been made.
>
>
>
Publisher’s policies on what authors may post on a preprint server vary a lot and Sherpa/Romeo maintains an overview over these policies. However, authors may not adhere to these policies or make the most of them when publishing their papers. Thus it is usually not possible to tell which version of the paper is published on a preprint repository.
When you want to publish your own papers, I recommend to check both, [Sherpa/Romeo](http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/) and the copyright agreement – most of them are suprisingly human-readable.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
|
2016/02/03
| 989
| 4,271
|
<issue_start>username_0: There are two parts to this question.
1. As a student interested in pursuing a doctoral degree; how important is it to publish an article or "something" before one applies? Will it help your chances? I plan on writing a MA thesis but whether it is publishable or not, remains to be seen.
2. What are the main steps to go about publishing?<issue_comment>username_1: It would certainly help your application if you have previous publications. It probably won't tip the scales too much.
On (2), ask your advisor. To show you the ropes on this, a part of what research is all about, is part of their job.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, having a peer-reviewed publication will definitely help your application for a PhD program.
The steps, roughly, are:
1. Do some publishable research, which adds some small new piece of knowledge to the literature.
2. Work out what "story" you want to tell about the research. Often, it could be:
* There was a problem, which was important for these reasons
* This was our hypothesis
* We used these methods to test the hypothesis
* This is what we learned
* This is what our findings will change
3. Work out where you want to publish it. Find a reputable journal for which it is in scope. The easiest way to do this is to find out where people you respect in your field are publishing their own work. Other considerations may be whether it is open access, whether it charges publication fees (and if so, whether you have funding to pay those fees), what its ISI impact factor is and whether academics that you are working with think it is a good journal.
4. Write up your research in the format required by the journal. For most journals, this will be:
* Abstract (a brief (perhaps 500 word) summary of what you did and your conclusions)
* Introduction (sets the context of your work: what else has been done on the topic, what were you trying to add to it, and why the question matters)
* Methods (precisely what you did). If you used standard methods, you can cite the published sources for the details.
* Results (what you found). This should include your analyses, but not your interpretation or speculations.
* Discussion (what it all means, how it is different from or complementary to other work and why your results matter)
* Conclusion (a brief statement of what you have concluded that is important).Writing your first paper can be difficult. Some tips:
* Always know what your story is. Take your reader on a journey.
* It often helps to prepare an outline, work out what your key references will be, and sketch out your key figures before you begin writing.
* It may help to take a similar, and excellent, already published paper, as a template. Don't copy their words or findings, but it's fine to copy the way they have structured their paper, and use it for guidance on things like how much previous literature to cite, when to state your purpose and when to introduce new arguments.
5. Make sure that you have considered who should be a co-author (almost always, your supervisor will be a co-author and will be able to help you work out whether any other contributors should be included as co-authors). Make sure that your co-authors have had the opportunity to contribute to the paper during its preparation and review the final version before it is submitted. Also make sure you acknowledge any funding or other help in the acknowledgements.
6. Submit your paper to the journal through their online author interface.
7. Wait for a response. This is likely to take months. You can put on your CV that you have submitted it.
8. If the editor asks for revisions (almost certain, if it is not rejected), revise the paper and respond to the reviewer comments (positively and politely, since they will likely review your revision and response).
9. Wait for a response. Make new revisions if necessary.
10. Make any final changes requested by the editor.
11. Receive the proofs and check for any typos, etc.
12. Sign off the copyright transfer agreement (check with your supervisor whether you should do this yourself, or whether someone else at your institution needs to take care of this).
Online publication will usually be very soon after this last step.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/02/04
| 275
| 1,144
|
<issue_start>username_0: When searching for graduate schools, I've found Professor A of University X with whom I'm interested in working. I'm also interested in working with Professor A's advisor, Professor B, who is at University Y.
Is it considered socially acceptable or a conflict of interest if I ask Professor A about how it was like to be advised by Professor B?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't see how it would be socially unacceptable. You might have to weigh the response you get from Professor A if you think he or she is keen to have you as his/her student -- but that often happens. The conflict often arises: the desire to do the best by the student in terms of suggesting other supervisors or institutions against the desire to have a good student working on a shared topic.
Regardless of whether you get Professor A's advice, seek out students -- current and past -- of Professor B and ask them for their opinions.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If your interest lies in their intersection, and they still work together, you might even get them to agree on some sort of joint advisorship.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/02/04
| 390
| 1,642
|
<issue_start>username_0: I've come to realize that there's a specific pretty basic topic at the level of college algebra/precalculus which is given competing, contradictory definitions in different textbooks ([link](https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1628759/what-are-the-laws-of-rational-exponents/)). And this topic also shows up at the high school level. I'd like to follow up on this and determine the proportion of students exposed to each type of definition, and ideally a breakdown by geographic location (say, nationality) if possible.
What's the best way to go about determining which college textbooks are most common/ biggest sellers/ used in more classes/ have more students exposed to them (or any related metric)? Or even better: any way to determine what proportion of students are given one of a few different, competing definitions for a topic?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't see how it would be socially unacceptable. You might have to weigh the response you get from Professor A if you think he or she is keen to have you as his/her student -- but that often happens. The conflict often arises: the desire to do the best by the student in terms of suggesting other supervisors or institutions against the desire to have a good student working on a shared topic.
Regardless of whether you get Professor A's advice, seek out students -- current and past -- of Professor B and ask them for their opinions.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If your interest lies in their intersection, and they still work together, you might even get them to agree on some sort of joint advisorship.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/02/04
| 673
| 3,022
|
<issue_start>username_0: I know it sounds weird, but I don't want the transcript office of my US alma mater keeping records of where my transcripts were sent.
The reason is I don't want people I know to call the transcript office pretending to be me and get the names of schools I applied to.<issue_comment>username_1: While this might depend on the country, I would think unofficial transcripts would be suitable for the initial part of the admissions process. Some schools may require an official transcript prior to officially offering admission. I would ask whoever is writing a letter of reference for you to include a copy of your transcript with the letter. The letter should briefly explain the situation.
Any school that is not willing to help protect your privacy during the admissions process is probably not a good fit for you in the long run as they may not be willing to protect your privacy as a student.
That said, I am not sure what you are protecting against. I am not sure what damage knowing where you applied can cause.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you're in the US, talk to your registrar about what we call a "Privacy Lock." It is pretty much a set of measures to apply should the students wish to remain private. Things as extreme as taking you off the online directory, conceal all your names and e-mails, etc. can be done. Each school may do it slightly differently so you'd need to talk to them and get a sense of what is covered.
As for the transcript recipient, you can actually try asking them to put a flag in your personal profile. Most school registrars will probably open up your online record should someone call and ask about you, and if they see the flag they will know how to act accordingly. You can discuss with the registrar on what kind of privacy measures are in place by default and see if additional flags is appropriate, such as "do not disclose information unless in a face-to-face meeting with official proof of ID," etc.
And lastly, you may have to learn about the same security measures in your next school as well, perhaps as soon as you're enrolled. A lot of information is put online and I personally think it's exhausting to make sure that your name will not be featured anywhere. For instance, what if you applied for a scholarship and got it, and the funding agency wants to make a press release? What if you wanted to publish a paper and the journal needs to know your name and affiliation, and will print them if your work is accepted? Somewhere somehow they *may* still be able to find you so you'll need to be prepared.
And whatever that is driving you guys apart, I wish you'll find resolution and peace soon.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: It used to be the case that you could get an official copy of your transcript from most registrar's offices sealed in a blank envelope that you could then address and mail yourself. You might try asking your university about that. Then they don't know anything about where it went.
Upvotes: 3
|
2016/02/04
| 382
| 1,565
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am introducing my first speaker at my university and, since the speaker is rather famous, I wrote a 1-2 minute introduction. The crowd will be interdisciplinary and between 100-400 people.
Should I lead the audience in an applause at the end of my introduction, or just finish with the title of his talk and a nod to him? Or something else?
If it matters, it is an interdisciplinary topic, a public audience and in a science department.<issue_comment>username_1: "Please welcome our guest ..." and applaud with the crowd.
Presumably you have attended to invited speeches before?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: For a public lecture, yes. You are inviting the audience to show their appreciation for the speaker and the effort it takes to address a public audience, and to acknowledge the opportunity afforded them to see and hear the speaker.
In turn, when I first start speaking to a public audience -- regardless of whether I get a welcoming round of applause -- I always thank the audience for coming to my talk. The combination of welcoming applause and sincere appreciation towards the audience makes for a positive shared experience, right from the start.
Things are different for non-public talks, such as at your department's colloquia, or a workshop, or (non-keynote) conference speaker. Here, the vibe is that the talk is expected and, in some regards, a routine part of the job of an academic. Showing up and presenting is expected, rather than a treat, or something out of the ordinary.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
|
2016/02/04
| 592
| 2,608
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have received the following referee comment:
>
> This paper is well-written and the results appear to be correct. But I don't think the research is significant enough to warrant publication in ....(math journal name). Perhaps it would fit better with ......(another math journal name)?
>
>
>
How could I know that my article is significant enough?<issue_comment>username_1: "Good enough for journal X" is not a mathematical claim. Operationally speaking, it is precisely a matter of collective opinion. Math journals group themselves into rough, approximate equivalence classes (which is also entirely a matter of collective opinion), and you should take this negative referee result as one data point that your paper is not good enough for a journal of that class. If your prior belief was that the paper was roughly equal or better in quality to other papers published in journals of the same class, you should try at least once more at a different journal of about the same level.
A good referee report reveals something about *why* the referee thinks the quality of the paper is not sufficient, either in absolute or relative terms. This may give you something to improve: either actual mathematical improvements or improvements in the exposition to make referees believe your work is more valuable.
In summary: it doesn't necessarily mean much on its own. Revise if applicable and resubmit. Good luck.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Significance may be a very subjective judgement. Of course, for old, famous problems such as Fermat, any proof would count as significant, but the question becomes much more dodgy when one enters a side alley. As heuristic, ask yourself: is the result solving an old, unsolved problem? Is it connecting two unconnected or loosely parts of the field? Is it a beautiful, unexpected result? Is it generalising existing concepts?
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: In a comment to @PeteLClark's answer, you state "I want to avoid this report type". We all do, of course. But remember that good journals reject around 2/3 of all submitted papers. You will not be able to avoid having at least some of your papers rejected if you continue to publish, simply based on statistics and the fact that the reviewing process has a random element to it. It's just part of the process. Go with the flow -- take the reviewer comments serious (they are typically written by people with a good amount of experience), address them in your manuscript, find a different journal one rung down the ladder, and resubmit.
Upvotes: 3
|
2016/02/05
| 783
| 3,522
|
<issue_start>username_0: Is it ethical for a journal editor to provide the same response to many authors?
Here is an example generic rejection comment made by a journal editor:
>
> All manuscripts are initially assessed by the editors to ensure they
> meet the criteria for publication in the journal. After careful
> evaluation of your manuscript, I regret to inform you that I do not
> find your manuscript suitable for publication in **Journal** because
> it does not meet the impact requirements of the journal. Therefore
> your article has been rejected from **Journal**.
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: Yes.
----
It is ethical—and moreover, common and accepted practice—for a journal editor to provide the response that you quote to many authors.
You've received what is commonly known as a **desk rejection**, where the editor uses their own judgement to determine whether the paper is suitable for and likely to be accepted for publication in the journal. If the editor's professional judgment is that your paper is out of scope, or that there is no realistic chance of acceptance, then this response is **not only ethical but the best response you can hope for**, because the near-certain alternative is several months waiting for referee reports followed by rejection.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Nobody likes to receive form letters, just like nobody likes their call to a customer service center to be answered by an agent reciting some form script and answering our questions with equally canned responses (not to mention having our call answered by an automated answering service that doesn't even let us talk to a human being). We all appreciate getting individualized service that reassures us that the person answering our service request has thought about, and is answering, our specific request. Conversely, getting a canned response, whether it's from a journal editor or anyone else, makes us feel dehumanized, unappreciated, and unvalued, as if our request was not even thought to be worth the minimal effort of crafting a simple English sentence for. In this age of increasing automation it also makes us wonder if our request was even looked at by a human at all, and can leave a nagging suspicion (especially among the more neurotic among us) that some error might have occurred and that the response we got is simply incorrect.
With that said, for a journal editor to provide an individualized response to authors **is not an ethical obligation**; it is simply good service. Like any service provider, some journal editors provide good service, and some don't, either because they care less about doing so or because their workload simply does not afford them the time to do so. If as a "customer" you are unhappy with the service you got when submitting a paper to a journal, the sensible thing to do would be to avoid submitting to that journal in the future, and to avoid supporting that journal by refereeing papers, suggesting to colleagues to submit there, etc. (Indeed, there are several journals that are personally on my black list due to mistreating me in various ways as an author in the past.) Presumably a journal providing poor service of this type to authors will become less successful than a journal that provides good service, all other things being equal (which of course they rarely are).
TL;DR: The practice you describe may not be the best policy to ensure the journal's long-lasting success, but **there is nothing unethical about it.**
Upvotes: 4
|
2016/02/05
| 592
| 2,490
|
<issue_start>username_0: Last year I finished my PhD in Europe and now I'm a **postdoc** in North America. I work on computer science.
An year ago I wrote a paper with my former Europen supervisor and a former colleague, and submitted it to a conference. My former supervisor presented the work at the conference.
Now we just discovered that the steering committee selected our paper for a **post-conference supplement in a Open Access BMC journal**. We're very happy for this selection (they chose 5 papers out of 52) but there's a problem: **we don't have funding to pay the ~2,000 euros publication fee for the journal**.
My former supervisor has no funding at the moment; my former colleague is still a PhD student and he's broke; myself I'm a postdoc with no research funding and I'm not going to ask to my current supervisor to pay (because I don't think it's fair and anyway he'd refuse).
**What should I do?**
That journal publication would be very important for my career, and quite useful for our scientific community. This supplement is a very unique occasion.<issue_comment>username_1: I see several routes to proceed, in the order in which I would suggest that you attempt them:
1. Check if your former or current institution has an organizational affiliation with the journal that will allow you to publish there for free (i.e., the OA version of a subscription).
2. Ask your current supervisor. They might be willing to pay despite not being an author, provided that you list you current affiliation as well as your former (which is generally reasonable to do).
3. Many universities now have an open access "slush fund" to help deal with situations like these. Check with the department leadership and the libraries at both your current and former departments and see if there is such a fund.
4. Contact the journal and explain the situation: they may be willing to waive the fee.
5. Publish the paper in a "traditional" journal that has no fee.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: The Open Access Directory (OAD) maintains a list of funds at universities and other institutions to pay these fees for affiliated researchers.
<http://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/OA_journal_funds>
1. Check to see whether your institution has such a fund. Check the list but also check with your institution.
2. Help update the OAD list. The OAD is a wiki open to edits by the community. To prevent spam, it limits edits to registered users, but registration is free and easy.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/02/05
| 768
| 3,302
|
<issue_start>username_0: When does a PhD student officially stop being a PhD student? To be more specific, are you no longer a PhD student when:
1. you have submitted your PhD (and thus stopped working on it),
2. been approved for the degree, or
3. graduated?
I have looked on the Internet and on Stack Exchange and I cannot find a clear answer to this question. On Academia Stack Exchange, one [question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/735/when-does-a-phd-end) asks something similar but from such a different perspective that it provides no help. While I know I can ask some administrative body in the university (and have), I remain sufficiently confused about the general consensus on this matter that I would appreciate answers from experts here.
I have a personal interest in knowing the answer to this question as I am involved in a society which is only open to current students and unsure as to when I will become ineligible.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I have a personal interest in knowing the answer to this question as I am involved in a society which is only open to current students and unsure as to when I will become ineligible.
>
>
>
Then the only definition that matters is *their* definition. If your status is "on the line" you should inquire them directly, or submit your application knowing your eligibility may be questionable (please at least be clear about your status in this case, since this is ethical).
Also note that even if you found a reasonably standard definition, they may be open to an exception "in your case" for reasons they or you would know better than I do. You'll have to use your judgment if you turn out to be in a grey area.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: As I say in the comments and djechlin says in his answer, one's *official student status* is entirely determined by the institution in which the student is enrolled. You can ask them at any given time whether you are a student, and they'll tell you. If you want to know when you will lose your student status *assuming* that you complete all the requirements and paperwork for the PhD, they should be able to tell you that. This won't have any cosmic significance though: in practice, you are probably asking them about how the computers in the registrar's office deal with the boundaries between one semester, the next and/or the intervening summer.
In terms of your intended need -- i.e., continued membership in a society -- I suspect that you may be taking the "official student status" more seriously than others will and thereby worrying yourself needlessly. I can't think of any society that wouldn't take the student's own word as to the completion of their own student status, even allowing a reasonable grace period. For instance, there are professional societies in my field (mathematics) which students can join for special rates (sometimes free). In these cases membership is determined annually and the renewal process takes place shortly after a given academic year is underway. So if you get your PhD in, say, June, then you get to keep the student benefits until, say, September or October.
A big exception to the above is immigration issues. For that: yes, ask the university for the precise date at which your student status expires!
Upvotes: 5
|
2016/02/05
| 637
| 2,827
|
<issue_start>username_0: Who owns the intellectual rights for the newly developed software if it was developed during the employee's free time? The developer was
1) working as full-time employee at university X in Western Europe and
2) there was no funding supporting development of this software either directly or indirectly.
3) the software capabilities fall into a general professional area of the employee and employment.
4) there is only one developer of the software.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I have a personal interest in knowing the answer to this question as I am involved in a society which is only open to current students and unsure as to when I will become ineligible.
>
>
>
Then the only definition that matters is *their* definition. If your status is "on the line" you should inquire them directly, or submit your application knowing your eligibility may be questionable (please at least be clear about your status in this case, since this is ethical).
Also note that even if you found a reasonably standard definition, they may be open to an exception "in your case" for reasons they or you would know better than I do. You'll have to use your judgment if you turn out to be in a grey area.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: As I say in the comments and djechlin says in his answer, one's *official student status* is entirely determined by the institution in which the student is enrolled. You can ask them at any given time whether you are a student, and they'll tell you. If you want to know when you will lose your student status *assuming* that you complete all the requirements and paperwork for the PhD, they should be able to tell you that. This won't have any cosmic significance though: in practice, you are probably asking them about how the computers in the registrar's office deal with the boundaries between one semester, the next and/or the intervening summer.
In terms of your intended need -- i.e., continued membership in a society -- I suspect that you may be taking the "official student status" more seriously than others will and thereby worrying yourself needlessly. I can't think of any society that wouldn't take the student's own word as to the completion of their own student status, even allowing a reasonable grace period. For instance, there are professional societies in my field (mathematics) which students can join for special rates (sometimes free). In these cases membership is determined annually and the renewal process takes place shortly after a given academic year is underway. So if you get your PhD in, say, June, then you get to keep the student benefits until, say, September or October.
A big exception to the above is immigration issues. For that: yes, ask the university for the precise date at which your student status expires!
Upvotes: 5
|
2016/02/05
| 1,981
| 8,511
|
<issue_start>username_0: I applied for funding of my project and it was approved.
When it came to spending money, this funding agency put constraints on some sorts of purchases (e.g. by putting unrealistically small limits for computer buys). This was not stated in the call for proposals.
The research along the proposed lines was done, with some degree of external support. How should one acknowledge the original funding agency provided that a significant degree of funds were not spent due to those suddenly introduced constraints and limits?<issue_comment>username_1: "This work was funded in part by..."
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Since you did get support from your funding body, you will need to list it in the funding acknowledgements. This doesn't change with the fact that you have also gotten support from elsewhere. As username_1 wrote, the proper term is to state that they provided partial support. Some researchers write "partly" exclusively in their funding acknowledgements, as their home institutions provide some level of support as well (offices, ...), which are not normally acknowledged.
The fact that your funding source provided less support than expected should *not* be written into the funding acknowledgements. Mentioning this somewhere would in the best case have no effect. In the worst case, it makes a bad impression both on you *and* the funding body. You have no ethical obligation to mention the quirks of their funding scheme, and under the "choose your battles wisely" premise, not mentioning the problem is the way to go.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: [The best academic acknowledgements ever: <NAME> rounds up the best amusing, passive-aggressive and romantic acknowledgements in the scholarly world](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/best-academic-acknowledgements-ever).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pn5P0.jpg)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: I was having a somewhat similar issue with the acknowledgements section of my Ph.D. thesis. "Fortunately" for me, my issue was with my university itself so I could get easily get away with just skipping the customary acknowledgement. This is what got me thinking about the subject, anyway.
Ok, so here's the thing: You have **conflicting goals**:
1. You want to meet the formal requirements of the funding agency w.r.t. acknowledgements in published work. (\*)
2. You want to make "them" at the funding agency feel uncomfortable/uneasy about their practices / inappropriate conduct.
3. You want other researchers to be aware of the funding agency's practices.
4. You might want to not "rock the boat" / ruin your relationships / be perceived as a troublemaker vis-a-vis sources of funding.
The answer really depends on how much each of these is important to you (and on who is going to be the audience of the research paper/report/thesis you're working on.)
Some - not necessarily compatible - elements of an approach could include:
* Swallowing your pride and giving them a heartfelt acknowledgement, praising their generosity.
* Taking the above to the extreme, giving them an excessively stellar acknowledgement, explaining how they were extremely generous with the computer purchases, how forethcoming they were with their requirements and restrictions, explaining how you have never known such a distilled expression of pure generosity etc.
* Contrasting the acknowledgement you give them with the acknowledgement of other funders or other such rhetorical mechanism.
* Making a "typing error", acknowledging their "onerous financial support" instead of their "generous financial support", or "this work was underfunded by" or something more literarily ingenious than that.
* Writing a small section, different than the introduction, detailing some of the logistical/organizational experience of conducting the research, where you could go into the details of the agency's conduct.
* Publishing an open letter to your colleagues about what had happened.
* Suing the funding agency if you believe they broke their contract with you, or if you can show you were discriminated somehow.
* Proposing to your faculty council to write a letter of protest to the agency.
* (\*) If acknowledgement is not formally a requirement, you could also consider simply *not* acknowledging them.
and so on.
But again, the most important thing is evaluating the relative importance of each potential motivations/objectives and how the different courses of action satisfy or frustrate them.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I think it is important to stress the fact that the funding agency, as irksome and bureaucratic as it may be,
>>> gave you free money. <<<
----------------------------
(*edit: see explanation below of what I mean by this*)
Let me say it again: an organization gave you money that was theirs and that they didn't have to give you. Maybe they were annoying. Maybe they didn't give you as much money as you hoped they would. Maybe they imposed rules and restrictions that you disagreed with or that seemed unreasonable to you. The fact remains, they willingly and voluntarily parted with their money and let you spend some of it. All they are asking for in return is that you give them an acknowledgement. Is that really so hard? **Just write the acknowledgement they are asking for**, in the precise language they specified, not a word less or more. Honestly, writing anything else sounds extremely childish and unprofessional to me
---
**Edit:** some people seem to be reacting negatively to my use of the term "free money", so let me clarify what I meant. The point is that this money that was given to OP by a funding agency comes with much fewer strings attached than money typically exchanged between two parties as part of a normal economic transaction. With grants, there are usually no specific deliverables, nor a strict schedule for the creation of a specific product or output of the research. There are some well-defined restrictions on what the money can be used for, and an expectation of an annual report and of a minimal amount of recognition on the part of the recipient in the form of an acknowledgement, and that's basically it.
We in academia are used to these sorts of arrangements and don't think there's anything unusual about them, but it's important to remember that to people outside academia, who can only dream of being given any amount of money (let alone many thousands of dollars) by anyone under such loose terms, this can appear downright amazing, and is perceived, to a very good degree of approximation, as "free money".
Finally, I googled to see if there's a technical definition of the term "free money". There doesn't seem to be a completely standard definition, but at least Businessdictionary.com [defines it](http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/free-money.html) as
>
> Drawbacks, grants, subsidies, tax-breaks, and other such means employed to keep some firms afloat in order to (1) save jobs in depressed areas, (2) protect certain industries such as agriculture or defense, and/or (3) promote research and development.
>
>
>
so I think my usage is within the accepted meaning number (3), if one makes allowance for the academic context of the current discussion.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: When your university's Sponsored Research Projects office signs a contract with the NSF or other funding agencies, then these are typically dozens of pages long and reference rules and regulations that together are likely hundreds or thousands of pages. I would venture the (educated) guess that less than 1% of grant recipients have ever read even a small fraction of those.
Whether the problems you encountered were due to some of these is of course unclear from the question. But let me assume that they were, then this is no different to you breaking a law you didn't know of, and going to jail -- annoying, but ultimately your fault.
In the current case, my take is that you did get money. You can be passive aggressive about it and make a fuss in public, at the cost of likely not getting any future funding. Or you can acknowledge the fact that they *did* fund your work, and publicly state so in your paper. The latter seems to me to be the more productive approach.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/02/05
| 1,592
| 6,959
|
<issue_start>username_0: A person with allegedly academic affiliation from some foreign country approaches me with the request to help them in research being within my expertise.
The request anticipates about 10 hours of extra work without utilizing university equipment. The service can be referred to as consulting service.
Is it legal to require a personal monetary remuneration in this case from a foreign student/postdoc being consulted?
Alternatively, I can request being a coauthor in the future publication but I lack good reasons to believe that that person would not "forget" about this after they got a help.<issue_comment>username_1: It is not illegal to do legal work for money. It may, however, fall outside of your institution's employment policies, and you might get yourself in a bind with your employer.
Consulting arrangements are generally laid out in your university's policies, and are often fine (but ask at your site!). That said, I'll delve a little deeper into your question. It is unusual for a "student or postdoc" to request the professional consulting services of faculty members, and thus you must consider what you are being asked to do. If you are being asked to help the student cheat -- i.e., the student is planning on representing your work as something otherwise, you should take absolutely no part in it. If it's something central to the students project, and you are being brought in as a contractor and not a collaborator, you might consider avoiding it.
The fact that the party is foreign is not germane.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Is it legal to require a personal monetary remuneration in this case from a foreign student/postdoc being consulted?
>
>
>
What do you mean by "legal"? If you work for a public university, then you are a government employee and there are presumably laws concerning how and when government employees can request payment for work done on the side (you definitely don't want to run afoul of anti-bribery laws). You should talk with someone who knows how this works in your state. If you work for a private university, then I can't see how there's a legal issue here. However, every university will have policies on consulting and outside work, and generally requires such work to be officially declared to the university. You need to look up the relevant policies for your university, or ask someone who knows. They differ enough between universities that I wouldn't feel comfortable relying on a generic answer to determine what is permitted. Common factors include limiting the amount of consulting time allowed, avoiding conflicts of interest with university duties, and avoiding even the appearance of requesting bribes or other inappropriate payments.
Aside from whether you could get in trouble, there are various other factors you should consider:
1. Demanding money could come across as offensive even if there's no rule against it, particularly if it's someone from a developing country who probably doesn't have the money.
2. If you don't trust them to be honest, then do you really want your name associated with this work? Even if you aren't an author, they still ought to thank you for your contributions, and it may look like an endorsement on your part.
3. There are ethical issues regarding authorship. If your contributions would normally justify authorship, but you ask for money instead, then it could look unethical even if you didn't intend to do anything wrong. (For comparison, if you sell a paper to someone else so they can put their name on it, that's definitely unethical, and this feels reminiscent of that.)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I'm reading the question as:
>
> Is it legal for professors in the United States to subcontract parts of their research project to other people for renumeration rather than authorial credit?
>
>
>
Yes. As long as work being done is not a core part of the research and that it is clear that the subcontractor is operating under the direction of the Principal Investigator (PI), then I don't think that there will be any problem with things such as:
* Creation of some of the reagents
* Customization of software or hardware
* Setting up of the database
* Some types of data analysis
This is all a normal part of research. There should be a good paperwork trail in regards to what is being contracted and what is expected.
Now as to whether you should be paid or receive credit, this boils down to whether or not the work being done has a significant creative or analytic component. That is -- are you doing the work according to specification (i.e., the professor has done the design and you are building to that) or are you doing some of the basic research underlying the design? You can think of it this way using a chemistry metaphor: Are you simply furnishing the enzyme using the chemical formula that the professor has provided? Or are you actually involved in creating the new -- previously unknown -- enzyme that is the core of the new research?
If you have any questions or concerns, you should ask the professor's university's Office of Research Integrity -- or if you know which grant he or she's operating under, you can ask the granting agency.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: If the question is:
>
> Can a professor hire (for-money) a student at their own university to do work for their research project? Do they have to give them authorial credit?
>
>
>
Yes to the first question. And depending on the situation -- No -- to the second.
Professors can and hire students to work on various parts of projects. If you're a student, you should be paid (unless you're already on a fellowship being paid through that grant).
Whether you receive authorial credit depends on the work being done. I would not feel a great deal of necessity to give authorial credit the student who converted my reference style to the journal's requirements or who re-ran the statistical analysis to make sure my numbers were correct --- as long as I paid them adequately and they were operating under my direct supervision and specification.
Finally, whether you receive credit is also determined to some degree on the disciplinary standards and/or the journal that is publishing the research. Some faculty in some disciplines seemingly give credit to everyone on their team -- even the bottlewashers. Other faculty only credit the named PIs and co-PIs.
Note that you could ask that even though you do not need authorial credit, you would appreciate it if the professor included a note in the acknowledgements. This, however, might be seen by many faculty as being too forward as you are essentially asking to be thanked publicly when might have already be planning to do so.
Note: If you are a foreign student, you should check with your foreign student's office because in the USA, you are limited to 20-hours of remunerative work while under a F1 visa.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/02/05
| 1,504
| 6,543
|
<issue_start>username_0: Does it matter if a faculty member teaches a small class or large class? Does anyone cares about the size of the class or only the number of classes the faculty teach each semester?<issue_comment>username_1: It is not illegal to do legal work for money. It may, however, fall outside of your institution's employment policies, and you might get yourself in a bind with your employer.
Consulting arrangements are generally laid out in your university's policies, and are often fine (but ask at your site!). That said, I'll delve a little deeper into your question. It is unusual for a "student or postdoc" to request the professional consulting services of faculty members, and thus you must consider what you are being asked to do. If you are being asked to help the student cheat -- i.e., the student is planning on representing your work as something otherwise, you should take absolutely no part in it. If it's something central to the students project, and you are being brought in as a contractor and not a collaborator, you might consider avoiding it.
The fact that the party is foreign is not germane.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Is it legal to require a personal monetary remuneration in this case from a foreign student/postdoc being consulted?
>
>
>
What do you mean by "legal"? If you work for a public university, then you are a government employee and there are presumably laws concerning how and when government employees can request payment for work done on the side (you definitely don't want to run afoul of anti-bribery laws). You should talk with someone who knows how this works in your state. If you work for a private university, then I can't see how there's a legal issue here. However, every university will have policies on consulting and outside work, and generally requires such work to be officially declared to the university. You need to look up the relevant policies for your university, or ask someone who knows. They differ enough between universities that I wouldn't feel comfortable relying on a generic answer to determine what is permitted. Common factors include limiting the amount of consulting time allowed, avoiding conflicts of interest with university duties, and avoiding even the appearance of requesting bribes or other inappropriate payments.
Aside from whether you could get in trouble, there are various other factors you should consider:
1. Demanding money could come across as offensive even if there's no rule against it, particularly if it's someone from a developing country who probably doesn't have the money.
2. If you don't trust them to be honest, then do you really want your name associated with this work? Even if you aren't an author, they still ought to thank you for your contributions, and it may look like an endorsement on your part.
3. There are ethical issues regarding authorship. If your contributions would normally justify authorship, but you ask for money instead, then it could look unethical even if you didn't intend to do anything wrong. (For comparison, if you sell a paper to someone else so they can put their name on it, that's definitely unethical, and this feels reminiscent of that.)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I'm reading the question as:
>
> Is it legal for professors in the United States to subcontract parts of their research project to other people for renumeration rather than authorial credit?
>
>
>
Yes. As long as work being done is not a core part of the research and that it is clear that the subcontractor is operating under the direction of the Principal Investigator (PI), then I don't think that there will be any problem with things such as:
* Creation of some of the reagents
* Customization of software or hardware
* Setting up of the database
* Some types of data analysis
This is all a normal part of research. There should be a good paperwork trail in regards to what is being contracted and what is expected.
Now as to whether you should be paid or receive credit, this boils down to whether or not the work being done has a significant creative or analytic component. That is -- are you doing the work according to specification (i.e., the professor has done the design and you are building to that) or are you doing some of the basic research underlying the design? You can think of it this way using a chemistry metaphor: Are you simply furnishing the enzyme using the chemical formula that the professor has provided? Or are you actually involved in creating the new -- previously unknown -- enzyme that is the core of the new research?
If you have any questions or concerns, you should ask the professor's university's Office of Research Integrity -- or if you know which grant he or she's operating under, you can ask the granting agency.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: If the question is:
>
> Can a professor hire (for-money) a student at their own university to do work for their research project? Do they have to give them authorial credit?
>
>
>
Yes to the first question. And depending on the situation -- No -- to the second.
Professors can and hire students to work on various parts of projects. If you're a student, you should be paid (unless you're already on a fellowship being paid through that grant).
Whether you receive authorial credit depends on the work being done. I would not feel a great deal of necessity to give authorial credit the student who converted my reference style to the journal's requirements or who re-ran the statistical analysis to make sure my numbers were correct --- as long as I paid them adequately and they were operating under my direct supervision and specification.
Finally, whether you receive credit is also determined to some degree on the disciplinary standards and/or the journal that is publishing the research. Some faculty in some disciplines seemingly give credit to everyone on their team -- even the bottlewashers. Other faculty only credit the named PIs and co-PIs.
Note that you could ask that even though you do not need authorial credit, you would appreciate it if the professor included a note in the acknowledgements. This, however, might be seen by many faculty as being too forward as you are essentially asking to be thanked publicly when might have already be planning to do so.
Note: If you are a foreign student, you should check with your foreign student's office because in the USA, you are limited to 20-hours of remunerative work while under a F1 visa.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/02/05
| 805
| 3,396
|
<issue_start>username_0: My ex student developed a useful program while working with me and some other students/postdocs in my group.
Nowadays the student is a postdoc at a European university. She has a copy of the code and applies it sporadically. Recently she informed me that her current supervisor requested her to share this code with him, in quite a rude way, because she used the code to compute something for her ongoing job at her university.
There is no reason to share the code and I, as a coauthor, rejected that. What should be her correct answer to her current supervisor?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I'm sorry. My coauthors would prefer that I not to share this code.
>
>
>
If she/you don't want it to be shared, she should also stop using it at her new job. A advisee shouldn't be running anything as part of their research that they aren't able to share with their supervisor.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The correct answer, at least in my mind, is: *Sure, share the code*
You say "There is no reason to share the code", but your student wants to use the code and maybe her new advisor wants to use it. Both of those things would help your former student out and are reasons to share the code.
What you need to do is figure out a valid reason for not sharing the code. Once you know that reason, it will be clear how to respond. Even if you are hoping to someday sell/license the code, you can protect your interests with an NDA and a restrictive license.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: What say *you* have in this would strongly depend on the policy on intellectual property of what is being developed. E.g. here in Chile, whatever a student develops as part of their pursuit of their undergraduate degree is the intellectual property of the school (not the lecturer or advisor). It is legally handled like "work for hire" for the school. Most external sources of funding, which fund graduate students, either ask for the results being shared freely (essentially placing them into the public domain) or ask for the rights.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: 1) In retrospect it would obviously have been useful to establish general rules about using the code in advance. Is the code public? Is it available for use by any of the original co-authors without having to include the other authors on future publications? Can it be shared with or without consent from the original co-authors? Any of these rules are fine, they just have to be agreed on in advance.
2) Now that the code was used in a new project I strongly sympathize with the request of your students supervisor. I would be very uncomfortable publishing a paper based on a code that I have no access to. It means that I cannot verify the results in my own paper!
3) In sharing the code with colleagues it is perfectly o.k to restrict future use. You can say ``I'm sharing this code for the purpose of verifying the work on your current project, but if you wish to use it in the future you have to ask permission/include an acknowledgement/add me as co-author/etc. (whatever you and your authors feel is appropriate)".
4) Personally, I am strong believer in open software. If you publish a paper based on a code, the code should be made public. However, this is not a commonly accepted standard, and restricted and proprietary codes are common in many areas of science.
Upvotes: 3
|
2016/02/05
| 554
| 2,485
|
<issue_start>username_0: I was wondering how co-advising works in graduate school, specifically:
1. Is funding primarily provided by one advisor, or equally shared between two advisors?
2. Does the student work on two separate projects in parallel or a single project guided by both advisors?<issue_comment>username_1: My experience with co-advising is that it most tends to emerge from some combination of the following circumstances:
* The student's project has some sort of interdisciplinary nature, such that the "primary" advisor does not have the ability to entirely supervise the student on their own at a technical level.
* The advisors have a very close collaboration already, such that it is natural that a student working for one is de facto working for both.
* The "co-advisor" is effectively the primary advisor, but cannot technically be so for various reasons, such as not being a primary investigator or being at a different institution (academic or otherwise).
Any or all of these may pertain at once. In essentially all cases that I have been familiar with, however, the supervision is of a single project, not of different projects for different advisors.
Funding most typically comes from the primary advisor (who usually would not have taken on the student without having the ability to fund them), but individual circumstances can lead to any number of other arrangements.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: To add to username_1's answer that really only applies to specific educational systems.
In mnay university systems in Europe, it is common to have a main advisor and one or more co-advisors. The role of the co-advisors vary but they are essentially there to provide additional support to the consetlaltion around the PhD student. The co-avisor can be called in to advise on specific aspects of the thesis, to complement the main advisor in these respects. This could be lab work, field work, numericall modelling or whatever speciality may have to be considered. A co-advisor may also be a general support for the writing process towards the end of the thesis work. This is probably the most common form. In such a case the person is an additional person with whom to discuss the research when writing papers and the final dissertation. It is thus common that the co-advisor is another person from the same research environment but it could be completely external from the department, university or indeed the country.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/02/06
| 772
| 3,030
|
<issue_start>username_0: I was just accepted to a PhD program and they wanted to fly me out for an open house. They said they would reimburse travel costs up to $500. However the issue is I have less than $500 in my bank account and certainly not enough to buy a plane ticket. I emailed asking if they could buy the ticket directly. Is this common? Can universities do this?<issue_comment>username_1: I would say for a graduate program to fly you out directly would be very uncommon, unless you were invited to give a specific talk - but given that you've just accepted to be a student there, I imagine this is not the case.
You might be able to ask them, however, to buy yours (up to $500) if you explained your case.
The world is run by people after all...
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You should definitely ask if they can buy it directly for you. I know my department has done this in the past with students who don't have the cash on hand to wait for a reimbursement.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I've traveled several dozen times for university-related business, including several grad interviews. In every case, the vastly preferred method was for me to pay and be reimbursed. However, in almost every case, there was some way around this if needed, it was just much more complicated. Examples have included
* Getting an advance and submitting an expense report later (unlikely for you because you are not yet an employee/student)
* Getting a university credit card tied to my grant (ask after you are a student - I had this as a grad student and it made life much easier)
* Using the department travel card (or having the secretary do it for me if I wasn't trusted)
* Using the university travel agency to book directly
The last two should definitely be options for you.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: While it is not unreasonable to ask a department to fly you out, it may be worth looking at getting a credit card. While taking on debt is not ideal, having the ability to "float" expenses like this can be very useful.
Additionally, if you are currently a student, many US universities offer short term loans. The terms of these loans is variable. For example, [University of Nebraska](http://financialaid.unl.edu/short_term_loans.shtml) loans up to $500 for 90 days at 9% APR and [University of Washington](https://www.washington.edu/financialaid/types-of-aid/loans/short-term-loans/) loans up to $2500 to undergraduates for an academic quarter with no interest but a $30 fee.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: As graduate program director I insisted that we start buying tickets for all of our interviewees, rather then promising to reimburse them, for exactly this reason. It took a little bit of pushing, but in the end I was able to make it happen. I'm at a big bureaucracy-bound state school, so if we can do it, anyone can.
Your request is entirely reasonable and as a program director I would be very ashamed if my program were unable to meet it.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/02/06
| 481
| 2,239
|
<issue_start>username_0: Is it correct to submit a revised version of a paper to the same journal while some application part of the paper is under review in a conference?
I have received a request for revisions on a journal paper, and am thinking to submit some part of it to a conference. I can't wait for the conference decision, as that will cross the journal revision deadline. Therefore, my question is can I submit it to the same journal while the paper is under review in conference.
The conference and journal version have similarities, but they are significantly different at the same time.<issue_comment>username_1: It sounds like you've gone in the wrong order, here. In computer science, it is common practice to initially publish a work in a conference, then the follow it by an extended version in a journal, which is more thorough and takes into account all of the feedback from the conference and advances during the time since the conference version was completed.
Going the other way, however, strikes me as unethical and a form of self-plagiarism. You have already produced a journal-scale paper, and mining a smaller conference paper out of it is just double-publication. Now, in certain cases a conference might accept this if explicitly declared (there are some conferences that have a special track for reports on journal publications). If the conference expects original work, however, you cannot ethically submit your paper to the conference.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It is certainly valid to send *different* aspects of the same work to separate venues. You must make sure to cross-reference (as "submitted to..." if need be), and that they don't overlap too much.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: In some engineering fields rather than CS, most of the conference papers are not peer-reviewed. Only the abstracts are reviewed to determine whether it can be presented in a conference. In such case, I think the authors can extend the conference paper for a peer-reviewed journal paper. By pulishing on peer-reviewed journals, especially good or top journals, you can get constructive suggestions from your peers and experts about your reseach. And your results are more reliable.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/02/06
| 272
| 1,215
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm in a last year of my bachelor degree of science in wildlife management that will be completed in July this year, 2016 at Sokoine university of Agriculture (SUA) in Tanzania. I would like to continue with masters degree especially outside the country but I would like to know if it is possible to apply abroad and scholarships without having either full or partial transcripts because for the time being they will not be already released and if it will it is only partial transcript that can be available on around May this year.<issue_comment>username_1: You can certainly apply with partial/non-official transcripts, adding a letter (hopefully official from your school) explaining the situation. Just make sure to be able to get as full a picture of your grades as possible, the place you are applying to really want complete data that also can be verified.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It should be fine; we're aware of the disparity between our application deadlines and your graduation dates. When you graduate you'll likely have your grad-school acceptance (here's hoping!) and you'll have to send an official transcript to that school to confirm your degree.
Upvotes: 3
|
2016/02/06
| 358
| 1,476
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm applying to a PhD program and the application isn't centralized or anything. I don't upload the required documents to a server, I just send them as emails attachments. Is it kosher to ask them to confirm if they have correctly received my documents as well as the recommendation letters my references have sent them?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, but you should ask whomever it is that you emailed the documents to. You can either ask them to respond in the email with the attachments, or follow up later asking if they received everything. A polite way of doing so might be something like:
>
> Hi Prof. Dexter,
>
>
> I wanted check that you received my transcript and personal statement which I sent on Feb 30. You should have also received three letters of recommendation for me from Profs Dyer, Ellery, and Freeborn. Please let me know if any of these have not arrived and if there are any other documents you needed from me. I'm very excited to be applying to Miskatonic U.
>
>
> Thank you for your time,
>
>
> Ululu
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Students should **absolutely** contact someone in the departments to which they apply to see if all materials have been received. A departmental secretary is the appropriate point of contact for this. The reason is that parts of applications are misplaced just by virtue of the amount of paper being shuffled and incomplete applications may not be evaluated.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/02/06
| 486
| 1,971
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to contact with a professor from another country to ask him to see my work and send me a feedback. But I don't know what is better to say that, someone told me that I must "sell myself" and tell that Prof. how awesome I'm and someone told me that just be abbreviated and be direct to the subject. I don't know which one of them is correct, I think about that and I'm getting confused; for the first opinion, I think that professor meets many people who are more awesome than me, and he is done of looking for awesome people, instead he is looking on awesome work. And for the second opinion, I think I will make that professor feels in a negative way.
As academics what do you think is the best way for a fresh graduate(Bachelor holder) to contact with a professor who I don't know personally?<issue_comment>username_1: Most professors, particularly well-known ones, get *tons* of such requests. And silently drop them into their recycle bin. They are *busy people*, with too much on their plates already, to go reviewing stuff that doesn't do them any good (reviewing a paper for a conference/journal, or a thesis, is part of their work, and not to be avoided; this is just work for nothing).
Get somebody in your environment to check over your work, they will tell you if it is any good, help you polish it and present it to where it will be looked at.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Read some papers of that professor, choose one, or two, which you liked the most, and in the first sentence of your e-mail write: "I read your publication in xy about xy and it was very interesting/exciting/ I enjoyed it...I am working on similar problems and I would like to..."
But I am in doubt that he will just read your papers and send you feedback. Why would he do that? If you don't have plans for some cooperation (ideas, common paper, funding, fellowship, travel grants) it is hard to find what he would get from you.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/02/07
| 466
| 2,052
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<issue_start>username_0: I prepared a doctoral fellowship application package two months ago but I missed the deadline by a week because I confused the deadline for actual application with the deadline for recommendation letters. My advisors have sent the letters but I missed the application deadline. So I have made a huge mistake and I feel horrible! I am not an irresponsible person so I am in shock and have no idea how to handle the situation.It's the first time I am making a mistake like this and I feel so humiliated. I want to avoid my advisors for a while because I know they've put a lot of work into writing letters for me. What would you recommend? Should I call the research institution and ask if they could make an exception? Or should I just email the package and wait for their response? What should I tell to my professors(If they find out, I will feel humiliated!)?
Thanks a lot!<issue_comment>username_1: I would mail the application *and* contact the institution to explain the situation. If they are willing to make an exception, it's better if they receive your application as soon as possible, and if not they'll just discard it anyway.
Unless, of course, it is explicitly stated somewhere that late applications will not be considered. In that case there's nothing you can do.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: There are hard deadlines and soft deadlines. Since LORs are important, it's unlikely that they will do a serious review of applications before the letters are due, and this is probably a soft deadline, where being a little late may just put you at a slight disadvantage, depending on their review process and how much they care about rules. (Often there are phrases like "Applications received by Jan 31, 2016 will receive full consideration.") Also academics are not generally known for getting things done on time.
So, as username_1 says, send it in ASAP, and also send them a brief, professional email now to let them know you just mailed in your application because of a mix-up of due dates.
Upvotes: 4
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2016/02/07
| 2,204
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<issue_start>username_0: in US PhDs, it's typical to start publishing (first author or not) in their latter-half years. How does that work in the EU? Since EU PhDs are shorter than US programs, is it common for EU phd students to publish in their final year or so? Or do some people not even make that and wait till their post-doc or something?<issue_comment>username_1: Answers will depend on the specifics of the country and the field, and possibly there are some variations by institution, as well. My experience in **computer science in Germany** is as follows:
Doctoral candidates "start publishing" right upon starting their path to the doctoral degree. That is, they are gradually included in the publishing process:
* The first one or two papers will most probably be heavily influenced by someone who mentors the candidate, possibly the candidate is only the secondary author in those and only prepares a single aspect of the work.
* On the other hand, it is also quite a promising and somewhat common start to try and publish a part of one's Master (or equivalent) thesis as an actual paper, if there is anything appropriate to be found in that thesis - these are some results that are already there, so the candidate can concentrate on the specifics of how to properly write a research paper, how to convey the knowledge in English instead of the local language, and how the process of peer review and publication works in general.
Furthermore, it is well possible the first few publications are only workshop papers or posters, or maybe short conference papers, as opposed to the full-fledged full length conference papers following later on.
Whether a [stapler thesis](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/149/what-is-a-sandwich-thesis/150) in the narrow sense is permissible depends on the preferences of the professor. However, in any case, parts of the doctoral thesis are generally expected to have been published, and I have even seen regulations stating a publication list as a required document to be submitted along with the final version of the doctoral thesis. As such, it is unlikely that "wait[ing] till post-doc" (or even just until the final, i.e. 5th or so year) is a viable procedure.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Probably, you have an incorrect picture of European PhDs.
There are significant differences in the paths that lead to a PhD in the US and in Europe. Several of these differences have been already covered by other questions, but let me highlight those I think are the most important for what concerns your question.
First, however, the usual disclaimer: Europe is not a single entity, and there are large differences among European countries. What I'm going to say below applies to many countries around here, but not necessarily to all.
1. Most European PhD programmes require an MSc degree for the application. Therefore, the common European PhD student has already done the coursework (or most of it) that a PhD student in the US has to do during their first years.
2. Students in the US usually fund themselves through teaching assistantship, which keep them away from research for many hours a week. Most European students, instead, are fully funded by their institution and can work on research full time. Some institutions allow them to work as teaching assistants too, but with a lower workload.
3. If I got it correctly, US students are allowed during their first years to "wander" a bit to decide what topic they like most. European students are usually not allowed to do so: they start working on a specific topic from week one of their PhD.
4. European PhDs are shorter than US ones, but not *that* shorter: though in many European countries the canonical duration of a PhD is 3 years, the real duration is frequently longer, 3.5-4 years.
Given the above differences, you should not be surprised to discover that many European PhD students start publishing from their first or second year.
For your last point:
>
> Or do some people not even make that and wait till post-doc or
> something?
>
>
>
In some cases this would not be possible because some PhD programmes require students to publish at least one journal paper before the end of their PhD.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: In many places in Europe you can't even start on a PhD without having done a MSc and a PhD is (supposed to be) 3 years. In Sweden a PhD is (supposed to be) 4 years full time work courses and research +1 year of institutional work (typically helping out in teaching BSc and MSc students). Sometimes working as a "research assistant" for some months or a year is done in between the MSc and the PhD.
---
In Sweden you are supposed to start publishing from the start, but expected to take most of the PhD course credits (like 2/3 of them) first half and therefore have more time for writing and publishing second half as it is expected it will take some time to learn and to get up to speed with publishing.
Typical number of publications for inclusion in a technical PhD could be 3-6, depending on if they are conference or journal publications. But it seems to vary a lot with which field you're in.
---
All that being said, it really is not very uncommon to find full-professors chairing their departments who took 7-10 years to finish their PhDs.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: As people said already, in many places in Europe you can't even start on a PhD without having done a MSc. BSc in many EU countries is not considered to be higher education. In my EU country BSc is a worthless paper.
I have done a PhD in UK. You are given 3 years to do the research, 4th year is for writing your thesis. That is the theory. However in many cases students are used as cheap workforce, hence they research until the last day. But they have to finish within 4 years or they leave with nothing.
Publications are an advantage, although are not required. At the viva external examiner has to write a report, where one of the questions he has to answer is: "Is the student's work publishable?" If the student has no publications, he would have to argue at the viva. If he has publications, the examiner has no choice but to tick the box.
Having said that, it is not easy to get a publication by the end of 4th year. It takes 2-3 years before you start having some interesting results from your research. In some highly regarded IEEE journals it takes more than a year from the moment you submit your paper to the moment it gets published. I intentionally went for a publication in IEEE journal that had less reputation, just to get it published before my viva. And I had more publications from my PhD research after I finished my PhD than during it.
My girlfriend doing a PhD in English studies had lots of publications in first year already. But it was just a different subject.
It can vary from uni to uni and even from department to department. A lot depends also on the subject of your research. Having a good supervisor helps. Mine was useless...
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: There is no single answer that applies to all (continental European) countries and all disciplines. Take **Germany** as an example. In the **humanities**, it is quite common not to have published a single article until some time *after* the PhD defense, which on average takes [six to seven years](http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~jmoes/pide/Material/bornmann-enders-promotionsdauer-beitr_hochschulf_1_2002_s52.pdf).
The entire process from BA to PhD is not shorter than in the US, because a masters (or equivalent) degree is a precondition for being admitted as a PhD student.
The "classical" way to become a PhD is while being employed as a part-time research associate (wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter). In general, working on a part-time job while also working on the dissertation prolongs the whole process, but the details matter. Some superiors assign work that takes more than 20 hours; some, by contrast, regard working on the PhD thesis as part of the work contract. If the job involves mainly teaching or administrative duties, the first publication may not be ready before the end of the third year or even (much) later. However, if it involves only research duties and a supportive superior/supervisor, it may also lead to additional publications before the PhD defense.
More recently, U.S. style graduate schools have become more common in Germany. Typically, these run over three to four years and students are fully funded to enable them to focus on their PhD. This does not necessarily exclude other side-projects.
In the humanities and often in the social sciences, the doctoral dissertation is one [monographic thesis](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/35254/what-are-the-main-factors-that-mean-humanities-phds-get-published-as-books/48089#48089). Only after the defense, the manuscript is eventually published as one single book (and possibly a few chapters turned into articles). For the publication, the thesis manuscript has to be edited, often thoroughly, which may take another year or longer.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/08
| 844
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<issue_start>username_0: Through a colleague, I have entertained the idea of switching my current workplace. The program itself is relatively new, at a US research university, while the dean has been there for 20+ years. I get along with everyone, including the director. However, I am a bit cautious of the current deans' expectations and direction for the program compared to what they would like to invest (monetary) in it.
The faculty have said it should not be much of a concern as interactions with the dean are rare, and other administration are more involved with actual implementation. They also say the dean may leave in the next 5 years. I have a feeling this is somewhat being said to appease the concerns.
As a general question, how important is the relationship or shared vision with the dean on a faculty member in terms of being able to implement change (for the better, in ones own opinion) in the day to day business, considering this vision is shared by other current faculty who are also slightly in disagreement with the current dean.<issue_comment>username_1: The question, although reasonable, seems hard to answer in general terms. Programmatic change is generally not done by individual faculty members in a department, but by *groups* and/or *committees* of them, in confluence with the department Chair/Head.
Many programmatic changes do not "go through" the Dean -- in particular "day to day" business usually does not -- but those involving nontrivial financial changes usually do. For all but the smallest colleges it is rare for individual faculty members other than the Head to have substantive conversations with the Dean about such things: again, it would be better if they went through the department as a whole and/or the Head. When it comes to financial outlays that must be approved by the Dean: I've seen plenty of instances where the Dean approves but "just doesn't have the money," so I would have to think that even mild disapproval of the initiative would sink it pretty thoroughly.
Perhaps the most useful thing I can say is: look at where the program is **now** and look at where it was in the recent past. If you are really unhappy with the current position or the perceived trajectory of the department, then you should not count on being happy with it in the future (no matter who the Dean is). Conversely, if those look reasonably good to you, talk with the faculty and see how they feel about the future. If there's some important change coming around the bend, I hope they will let you know. But it is more likely that being in the department for the next ten years or so will be roughly like having been in the department for the last ten years or so. The Dean does not reside in the department, so unless s/he is actively at war with the members and interests of the department, some disagreement in the overall vision need not affect the actual working life of a professor in the department unduly.
By the way, the bit about the Dean "may leave in the next 5 years" sounds way too vague to take seriously. Maybe s/he will and maybe s/he won't. If s/he does, maybe the next Dean will be better or maybe worse. It is very hard to plan for the future with regard to this kind of thing: honestly, I probably wouldn't even try.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: That is very hard to answer. Sizes vary, organizations are different. Some departments are mostly autonomous, others depend in minute detail on "decisions higher up". And that can even vary among neighbouring departments, depending on number of students, prestige of faculty, amounts of grants and consulting, and so on.
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/08
| 1,470
| 6,197
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<issue_start>username_0: Recently my lab published a paper that uses a mouse line from another lab.
Without going into too much detail since not everyone here is a Biologist, this other lab has a mouse with a reporter gene in it for hetero/euchromatin formation (DNA "openness"). This took them a long time (and a lot of work) to create. Basically, if the chromatin structure changes significantly in the mouse, this reporter gene is activated. Tens of thousands of these mice are then randomly mutated, and if a mutation happens to cause a big change in the chromatin openness, their reporter gene flashes up, and the mouse is given an ID and becomes it's own little mouse line to study why/how the DNA openness changed.
My lab was given a few individuals from one of these mutated mice lines - enough to start our own breeding colonies. However, there were some restrictions on what we could do - we can't reverse-engineer the reporter construct, we can't use the reporter construct ourselves for anything, and we obviously can't give the mice to any other labs. We can only examine the phenotype (and find the causative mutation).
Now our work on the phenotype has been published (quite highly in a major journal), and i'm interested to know how Science is supposed to validate such experiments?
I presume my lab still cannot give out the mice we used to generate our data to other labs.
I presume that the lab we got our mice from is under no obligation to give out their mice either - and they may not want to since it would contain their reporter.
So I presume this means the results cannot be validated by anyone else without them going through the whole process of creating a new mutant mouse line first (and even then, it doesn't speak to the validity of the data on our mice).<issue_comment>username_1: You answer your own question. If your method is a secret, protected by copyright, or otherwise proprietary, others cannot repeat your experiment, by definition. That is the entire point of protecting the special mice in the first place, to restrict who benefits from them.
And therefore no one can verify your method. They could use a completely different method to prove the same result, but no one who does not own these proprietary mice can directly verity your data.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: You've published the results in a prestigious journal. In most of those journals, that means you've promised to make those mice available to other researchers. For example, [Nature says](http://www.nature.com/authors/policies/availability.html)
>
> An inherent principle of publication is that others should be able to replicate and build upon the authors' published claims. A condition of publication in a Nature journal is that **authors are required to make materials, data, code, and associated protocols promptly available to readers without undue qualifications.**
>
>
>
(Emphasis in the original)
[Science says](http://www.sciencemag.org/authors/science-editorial-policies)
>
> After publication, all data and materials necessary to understand, assess, and extend the conclusions of the manuscript must be available to any reader of Science.
>
>
>
Similar verbiage is in most high-quality journals. Typically, you agree to those conditions when you submit, or when your paper is accepted, by agreeing with and/or signing forms.
So you may not have known it, but you have already promised to make those mice available. Do you feel that you can't do that? Then you shouldn't have agreed to do so when you published. If someone requests the mice, and you refuse in spite of your agreement, you may end up being blackballed by the publisher and may never publish with them again. Conceivably -- though I haven't heard of cases reaching this point -- your article could be retracted over your objections, or you could face an academic dishonesty investigation.
(The same applies to the original researchers who made the mice, of course, and in practice most researchers would consider the onus to be on them, not you, to provide the mice. But that's a pragmatic thing. As I say, you've most likely already explicitly guaranteed that you will make the mice available on request, and it's your problem to make good your promise.)
***Edit*** to point to an even more explicit explanation from the NIH, in the Grants and Funding section, [**Frequently Asked Questions: Sharing of Model Organism and Related Resources**](http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/model_organism/model_organisms_faqs.htm#935):
>
> **What is NIH policy regarding the distribution and sharing of mutant strains of model organisms created with NIH funds?**
>
>
> The NIH expects that new, genetically modified model organisms and related resources generated with the aid of NIH funding will be distributed and shared with the scientific community in a timely way, generally at least upon publication of the primary results announcing the development of the genetically modified model organisms. Investigators submitting an NIH application (including competing renewals) are expected to include a concise plan addressing the timely distribution of organisms and resources, unless the proposed research will not generate new model organisms and related resources.
>
>
>
Question 9 is particularly relevant here:
>
> **... I don’t want to share my novel animal strains or the reagents used to make them. Can I be forced to do so?**
>
>
> Sharing of research resources is a very important NIH policy and is **included as a term and condition of your award.**
>
>
>
(My emphasis)
So not only have you agreed to make the mice available when you agreed to the publication terms, if your work was NIH-funded, you also already promised to make them available, even if you don't want to.
That section notes that there are possible reasons for not sharing, and the NIH will consider them, but they must be explicitly stated in the grant (and putting that in your grant will make it less likely to be funded). If it was not explicitly stated in the grant originally, this is not an acceptable excuse.
Other granting agencies have similar policies.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2016/02/08
| 883
| 3,576
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<issue_start>username_0: I am applying for a PhD program, in one of section they ask about my Current situation (professional/academic.
I finished my master and now I do not have job and just applying for PhD and writing my paper.
what should I write that have better effect on them?
p.s :It is a mandatory part and it has a small line<issue_comment>username_1: if you are not doing anything, at present, then you can keep it blank. But blank doesn't give a good impression. So I suggest to summarize your research results on which you are concentrating now. Since you have modified your question saying that it is mandatory, then you may write something like "completed my masters degree in month-year and concentrating on the publications based on my masters thesis"
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'd say "Applying to Ph.D. programs"
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: As someone with experience of post-graduation unemployment, I'd say don't be worried about it. It is perfectly understandable that you finished your degree and are now applying to PhDs without being employed in between.
It would be helpful to know the exact phrasing of the question but if it is expecting a simple one line answer I would just put "Recent graduate" and maybe the classification of your degree (MSc, MA, etc. and the subject).
Think about why they are asking the question. Is it to check if you are in the middle of a degree or finished? Is it to check your grade? Or what type of degree you have? Or is it to check if you have a job so they need to think about your start date of PhD in relation to quitting your job? There is no shame in just writing "currently unemployed". I did this and I am now 2 years into my PhD. You may need to explain in more detail at an interview and justify why you are not working, but if you have a sensible reason this will not be a barrier.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Surely you are doing *something* with your time. You might be able to touch on what you're doing, if it's in anyway relevant or notable. If not, don't worry.
Are you studying any textbooks or working at ALL? Tutoring, odd jobs, etc. Mention those. There is no harm in saying you're unemployed. I basically am, and I've been getting acceptances.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: You have mentioned that you are writing paper. If you are working on materialising your master thesis or any other research work, you can mention the same with decent phrase in the current situation section. This will convince graduate committee members that you are still in field and you are keen on pursuing research.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: It would be perfectly applicable according to your situation to call yourself as an
>
> Independent Researcher
>
>
>
until you are admitted to a PhD programme. After which you could be known as a PhD student / research scholar / graduate student as what you may prefer.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: As is always the case, "answer may vary by culture".
What country are you applying in? (I'd guess US but you never know). In the US, I'd agree there's problem with writing "unemployed." In fact, that makes sense to do.
In Japan (and I believe Korea), you need to have some sort of *zaiseki* from which you are applying. Unemployed would be a mark against you. Ideally, get an affiliation with some university to be your basis. South of that, have a full time job that can give you status. Writing "unemployed" (*mushoku*) or "independent researcher" would both be negative.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/08
| 2,302
| 10,027
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD candidate at a university in Germany. My supervisor, along with all of my colleagues, are German. I am a native English speaker, hired for a position that does not require German. However, I can speak some German, although it is not as good as the English of most of my colleagues.
In the 4 months I've been in this position I can tell that my supervisor and my colleagues don't like socializing in English. They try their best to speak English around me during lunch time, but I can tell that it's really taking all of their energy and effort to string a proper conversation together, to the point that it's really hard for me to understand their English. I encourage them to speak in German because I can understand more than I can speak. But of course I end up not participating in the conversation as much, which I can tell also makes my colleagues uncomfortable.
Any tips on how I can improve this situation from my end?<issue_comment>username_1: It will be much easier for you to learn German to conversational level than all of your co-workers learn English. Even if they are some-what able to talk in English, conversational English is actually pretty tough, whilst German is pretty structured and easy once you know the rules (and the many exceptions ;) )
More importantly, you moved to Germany. Whilst English is expected of all Scientists, there is probably more of an expectation *in your lab* that you will, eventually, learn German.
Personally, I would tell everyone you are going to German classes on Monday mornings, etc, and that should not only fix this issue, but also give you a positive perception among your co-workers as someone who is a fixer.
Also, speaking from experience as someone who didn't take their own advice when doing a PhD in Germany - if you dumb-down your English for non-native ears, you very quickly find yourself not being able to speak English with natives. Whenever i go back home my parents think I have some kind of brain damage...
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Imagine their situation. If you were a member of a native English speaking team, would all of you happily switch to German at lunch time, only because a single member of your team speaks German better?
Would you do it happily in your own country?
And, from an ethical aspect, in my opinion, you simply can't ask this from them.
I also live in Germany as a foreigner and have lived there for years. I can talk with the Germans seamlessly (both in English and in German; mostly we use German), but the lunch times are somehow still out of my reach. There, they speak fast and often dialectic between each other. This really isolates me and this is really annoying.
But, I accept it and try to do my best. I accepted this as I first stepped over the German border with the intent to remain there for a long time. In my opinion, you should also have accepted that.
(By the way: our problems are nuances compared to the problems of people trying to live in France.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Speak frankly about this issue with your German colleagues. They will appreciate it and support your approach. I'm German and working in a global acting company situated in Munich - my situation fits exactly to yours from the other angle. In General, we are not use to have English native speakers trying to learn German; that doesn't occur very often.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: You said that you understand more German than you can speak. I conjecture that the Germans on your team can understand more English than they can speak (or are wiling to speak). If so, then you can have conversations in which you speak English and they speak German. A better approach, since they're speaking German at lunch and you're just keeping quiet, is for them to keep speaking German while you speak a mixture of German and English --- German as much as you can, and falling back to English when you don't know the German word or phrase for what you want to express. Chances are they'll understand you, the conversation can keep going, and they might even tell you some of those German words or phrases that you didn't know.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: My hunch is that this problem is more cultural than linguistic.
Do you *feel* left out of the conversation when your colleagues speak German? Could it be you are projecting that onto your colleagues? Normal behaviour for Germans is sometimes misinterpreted as cold and dismissive by people from Anglo-Saxon cultures. And in Germany, it's not generally considered rude to carry on a conversation in a group without actively involving everyone present.
It is natural, when conversation in one's second language is difficult to follow, to "fall off the train" -- that is, you miss a few words, and suddenly the conversation has left you behind and then it all seems like too much effort. That's when the "looking off into the distance" starts.
That's something people might notice.
Consider trying the following strategy: make an effort to follow the conversation. If you "fall off the train", get back on. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Maybe set a goal for yourself -- "I'm going to ask four questions in German about the conversation during this lunch break."
This will accomplish two things: first, you will at least appear interested. That will make you feel like more a participant, and it will encourage your colleagues to involve you. And second, it will help you learn the conversational language.
Finally, don't be afraid to talk to your colleagues about this. Judging by what you wrote about their English, they understand how challenging this is.
You are only four months in. Don't be so hard on yourself. What you are experiencing is normal. It will take time. But you are also a scientist; you can do this!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: "Lunch-time German" is basically every-day German, but pretty hard to pick up at the university institute, where it is only spoken at, well, lunch time.
So look for opportunities to practice and improve your German outside the university. Set yourself in situations in your free-time and every-day living activities where you have to speak and listen German. I have had a couple of international PhD students who came to Germany, and this is what worked out well for them (to be taken with a grain of salt):
1. Fall in love with a German girlfriend or boyfriend :-)
2. Move into a shared-living place ("WG") with Germans
3. Become am active fan and supporter of the local soccer team
Point 1 has proven to be most effective (but, of course, cannot be commanded...). However, you might seriously consider point 2, which is both doable and very effective. (Note that living in a WG is not that uncommon in Germany for people at your level, even when they could afford a flat on their own).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: I'm not sure my experience compares to this situation very well but my advice is *you'll get used to it*. It is hard to adjust to living in a foreign country but you can learn to live being surrounded by another language that you don't understand as well.
You won't learn the language overnight but you will only progress if you keep trying. It depends a lot on the institute and laboratory but it shouldn't be necessary to progress with your research. If they agreed to you joining the lab, they should be prepared to accommodate you and speak English when you need. However, you also need to understand that they have to make an effort to speak a foreign language and there are concepts or feelings that are easier to express in their own. You will learn this as you learn German (or any other language).
I live in Japan (as a postdoc) and am still learning Japanese. I can get by in stores and restaurants but I cannot discuss technical topics and even conversation involves a lot of cultural references and colloquialisms that I don't know. There's a lot of people speaking Japanese at my institute, including in seminars and meetings with collaborators. Our research group has a lot of international researchers and our meetings are mainly held in English. Japanese is still used by our technicians, administrators, IT department, and vendors. To make sure they understand, they will talk to each other and my PI in Japanese sometimes. It is easier for them to read and write in English than to speak so often it is better to contact them by email. Even if you can meet them, emailing them ahead of time means that they will already understand what you need from them.
They also make an effort to speak English when meeting international researchers, especially to welcome new colleagues, and they encourage us to learn their language. We must also appreciate this effort. We chose to come to their country. They didn't choose for our language to become the international language used in research. Since you chose to live in a foreign country, it is expected that you will make an effort to learn the local language. They will appreciate any effort to make yourself understood in their language or taking in any interest in their hobbies. Don't be afraid to ask them to clarify things you don't understand or speak more slowly.
You get used to not understanding everything around you. It will get to the point that you feel rude understanding private conversations that you are not involved in when you return to your home country. You can and will learn the language but it will take a very long time. You need to get comfortable with living abroad and they way things are. It is also completely understandable to prefer to spend time with other foreign researchers or local researchers with stronger English skills in your spare time. You will learn who these are as you settle into your new position.
As long as you can still meet the requirements of your course, there is nothing you need to do. You can adjust to this situation but be patient. It will take time.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/08
| 2,799
| 11,634
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<issue_start>username_0: I wonder how reviewers would react if authors of a submitted paper refuse to cite paywalled papers. Is it a valid reason to refuse citing some papers?
I am mostly interested in the field of computer science, and English-speaking venues.<issue_comment>username_1: It's a reason, it might even be a good moral reason, but how do you intend to communicate it at first? I'd hate to have to go through a round of reject/resub. in order to let the reviewers know that I didn't cite a critical and well-known reference on purpose. Also, it hardly seems fair not to cite an article that is relatively ancient which was written, submitted, and published when authors had no or few alternatives for submission and this issue was not so hot. The Elsevier math journal boycott seems to have petered out, do you expect that another boycott is going to pick up steam?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If I was reviewing a paper, and the authors failed to cite important literature, I'd recommend rejection until the authors provided correct citations. It's the authors' responsibility to provide appropriate references.
I assume that many other reviewers would feel the same.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> I wonder how reviewers would react if authors of a submitted paper refuse to cite paywalled papers. Is it a valid reason to refuse citing some papers?
>
>
>
Certainly not. There are a few areas where this could be OK; for example, if you are citing expository material for background (rather than to assign credit), then you can choose whichever sources you feel are best.
However, in many cases you have a scholarly obligation to cite papers, for example to give credit to people whose work you are building on, and there are no acceptable grounds for refusing to do so. It's a serious form of academic misconduct, even if it is done for idealistic reasons.
If I ran across an author who refused to make necessary citations, I would be extremely displeased, and I would recommend that the paper not be published until the citations were included. I would not fully trust that person's judgment in the future, and I would be suspicious that other papers might be missing important citations.
Instead of omitting citations, you could add some brief commentary about the lack of open access. (Reviewers or readers might dislike it, but it's in no way academic misconduct.) You should be very careful with that, since you could really offend an author who has made the paper available, just not where you looked. For example, it might be in an institutional repository. If you want to avoid giving offense but still encourage open access and help readers, you could give suitable arXiv or repository links to each paper for which you can find them.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_4: If you would like to boycott paywalled journals, go right ahead - that is your right. As a reviewer I would reject your paper for not citing relevant sources. As a reader of your paper and/or author of a paper you didn't cite, I would be severely antagonized as well.
The bottom line is, your ideological battles should not be waged on the backs of honest readers and authors who dedicate their lives to producing and disseminating good science. But if you want to commit career suicide, be my guest - no one will stop you.
**Edit:** the saying "[Be the change that you wish to see in the world](http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/24499-be-the-change-that-you-wish-to-see-in-the)" also comes to mind. In that vein, if you don't like paywalled journals, the honorable course of action would be to simply not publish in them yourself. This would be vastly superior from a moral, ethical, and philosophical point of view to waging some kind of take-no-prisoners, collateral-damage-be-damned nuclear warfare against them, which is effectively what your question is proposing.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_5: I am in agreement with a number of the prior answers that state that it is an author's responsibility to ensure that appropriate literature is cited.
It is often the case, however, that multiple possible citations are reasonable. For example:
* A single extended work can often be effectively cited from any of a family of related publications, e.g., the original idea, a refined and well-formalized version, a practical demonstration, a review paper with a good discussion, etc. Typically one needs to cite just one or a few out of the set.
* Some works are cited to give examples of a large class of related work, rather than for that individual work per se.
In cases like these, where there are many reasonable alternatives in citation, it seems entirely reasonable to me for an author to choose to favor more open publications over less open publications. It will not allow ideological purity, as there are of course those many cases where you do need to cite something that is not open access. Still, rewarding those who choose openness may be a good compromise position to promote openness without compromising other key ethical principles of science.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: Many of the answers have talked about fairness of citing other papers and that is hugely important. You need to cite others for both academic honesty and to give credit to the work that you've built off of. But another (possibly more important) reason of including related works is proof that you're knowledgeable in the area.
If you're publishing on a topic and skip half the relevant papers, how are readers and reviewers able to know that you've done your due diligence and understand the area? It's an important indication that you actually know what you're talking about and are knowledgeable enough for someone to take you seriously.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: >
> "I am mostly interested in the field of computer science, and
> English-speaking venues."
>
>
>
You do not really talk about journal standards and reviewer quality. In an epoch of "publish or perish" perils, there is a lot of computer science conferences and journals, with different levels. Some won't care about the quality of your paper, as long as you pay. This is a first option.
If the intent is to address publications with higher standards, and one has a strong religion against paywalls, computer science is a world where you have options: indeed, many CS people publish online, preprints, extended versions, or open access journnals. Then, if you really want to play, you can cite the online etc. versions, and put the "paywall ref" as a note:
>
> <NAME>, "On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the
> Entscheidungsproblem", <http://turing.sci/comp-numb.pdf> (also appeared
> in Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society s2-42, 230–265,
> 1937)
>
>
>
Thus, you show you know the relevant literature to the reviewers. Some may like or not that you do not put the references in the standard way, but you might have more troubles with the editors or the publisher. But it might be ok with open access CS journals, because the times are changing.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: It would be fine not to cite paywalled articles. You just have to make sure that for readers to understand the context of your work the paywalled articles are all completely and totally irrelevant.
If on the other hand the work is relevant and you don't cite it, then I (and most reviewers) would advise the editor to reject your article.
Translation - if being paywalled is the basis for not citing the paper then most reviewers would recommend rejection.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: If, by some marvelous coincidence, all the most relevant papers are non-paywalled it would be mostly okay. You absolutely must cite any paper whose work you're building on, regardless of the paywall. If you use any information/data/ideas from a paper, you have to cite it. To do otherwise is academic dishonesty. I wouldn't say that you can "refuse" to cite any paper for any reason. If it so happens that your paper doesn't need to cite any paywalled papers, then you're in the clear. This happens a lot in physics, where the most relevant papers are often free. If you have read a paywalled paper and it helped you in any way with the paper you're working on: cite it.
On a side note, if you're at a university, corporation, or research facility, they usually provide free access to a majority of the reputable journals out there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: Instead of refusing to cite paywalled articles, what about contacting their authors, encouraging them to upload their articles to an open repository? [<NAME> has proposed this idea recently](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/accelerating-open-access-adoption-john-dove).
He imagines that the (open access) publisher itself could do this work on behalf of the author, checking each reference against a database of open access articles and emailing the author if it was not found.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_11: Franck, you're forgetting that not very long ago most sources were only available in physical form anyway, so paywalling-or-not was irrelevant. Whether an article is behind a paywall or not is irrelevant w.r.t. citing it - in my opinion. If you *used* it, you need to cite it (choice of versions notwithstanding).
Of course, if you wrote your own paper and it really doesn't relate to paywalled work, then you don't have to cite any of it - but remember it might be relevant and you didn't know it.
Now, it *would* be interesting if you could make the argument "I did not cite paper X because I did not have the money to get the copy and read it" - but that's unlikely to be true unless you're, say, an undergrad from a poor country or something. And even then it probably won't be accepted.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_12: If an author studies certain papers and they contribute to the work, such that the citations would actually show where certain ideas came from, then by omitting them, the author behaving like a hypocrite at best and plagiarist at worst.
If there is a paywalled paper that you didn't actually read, you shouldn't cite it, because then you're only citing it to stuff your list of citations. If someone were to interrogate you about that cited paper, you would be immediately exposed as not knowing anything about it beyond the superficial summary of its results given in the non-paywalled abstract.
Useless citations that exist just for the sake of inflating the list of citations (to make the paper appear more important and more thoroughly researched) should be trimmed, regardless of whether they are paywalled.
If you did read the paywalled paper, then it behooves your readers to know that you read that paper, and to make up their own minds whether they want to chase the citation through the paywall. You're not actually yourself conforming to the ideology of eschewing paywalled papers, so don't foist that ideology on your readers.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_13: Are you aware that the decision of the international community [not to cite research done on Jewish prisoners by Nazis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_human_experimentation) was considered highly controversial? There was no question that the knowledge had come by unethical means, but the question was whether it is right to flush away *any* human knowledge? Given the arguments over that, it's pretty unlikely that an academic community would back you shunning those who prefer the traditional strategy of charging readers over the new strategy of charging the authors.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/02/09
| 662
| 2,679
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<issue_start>username_0: I will be presenting a paper at a major conference in the Spring: this will be my academic debut!
The issue is that I have a permament teaching job (middle school) that does not permit time off to pursue academic pursuits: how ironic. This conference entails an inter-continental trip and hence, three "sick days" off. Cough, cough.
My name is already up on the conference website for anyone to Google, i.e. my employer.
How do I politely ask the convenor of my session to hide my name or alter it in some form? Withrawal is not an option.<issue_comment>username_1: From both an ethical and a practical standpoint, ***you don't.*** The ethical reason should be obvious (and has been stated in comments); you are lying to your employer about leave, and asking the conference organisers to be complicit in this (presumably without their knowledge). If you want to take sick time when it's not permitted, that is your risk to take, don't ask others to shoulder that for you.
From a practical standpoint, you should really ask yourself if hiding your name in the conference proceedings is in your best interests (relative to the chances of your employer discovering via Google what you were up to). I will presume you are going to this conference to begin/advance/change to an academic career. Reputation is gold in academia, and by concealing your activity, ***you are actively hurting yourself and reducing the profile of your work.*** If you don't care about the profile of your work and your academic footprint, then why go to a conference? They are expensive, and there are much nicer things to do with your time on a transcontinental trip.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I am not going to lecture you on the ethicality of taking sick leave to go to a conference. Not that it sounds like a great idea to me, but let's focus on your actual question.
>
> How do I politely ask the convenor of my session to hide my name or alter it in some form? Withrawal is not an option.
>
>
>
What is the problem with just sending them an email, and saying that you "for personal reasons" don't want to show up as a presenter? It will seem slightly weird, but I can't really imagine them saying no to this, and "personal reasons" is generally accepted code for "I have my reasons, but I would rather not tell".
That being said, you should be aware that the Internet does not forget. If the web page is currently online with your name, there are definitely tools that will allow inquiring (and dedicated!) minds to later on find out that you actually *were* listed as a speaker at some point, even if they remove your name at some point.
Upvotes: 4
|
2016/02/09
| 1,703
| 7,269
|
<issue_start>username_0: I was actively working in a research project, contributing experiments, hypotheses and analysis. Suddenly, I was forced to leave the program. The adviser stopped to sponsor me and replaced me by another person (who had only contributed purification for 3 weeks). I was relegated from the second to the third or fourth author. The supervisor decided all this without consulting anyone in the project.
Finding this unfair, I resigned from the paper, and I specifically requested not to be acknowledged at all. Against my wishes, however, my name was included in the acknowledgement, as if nothing had happened. I was stunned. (The paper itself was not even very fascinating.)
What can I do to have my name completely removed from this published paper? This includes not only the authorship but also the acknowledgment and anything else.
Thank you for everyone's answers.
My point is I do not want to be in academic at all so there is not much to talk deeper of academic career.
I was never informed about this publication
ie I was not given a copy before it was sent to publication.
I did not know when and where it was published until I was looking for job and looking for details of that work after a year later.
I had very explicitly stated that I did not want to be involved in this publication by the time I left. This was cc'ed to a third party.
The result I had was not reproducible and I did not agree the methodology of the publication on top of the disagreement.<issue_comment>username_1: **You can't, and you shouldn't.**
Authors are obliged to give proper credit to everyone who does work contributing to a paper. This is why papers must cite earlier relevant research. By failing to acknowledge you, the authors would be falsely claiming credit for your work, just as if they had failed to cite a relevant paper in which you were an author.
Unless the acknowledgement is *factually* inaccurate, your disagreement with the authors is irrelevant.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I get the motivation to dissociate oneself from ... people one finds reprehensible, or unethical, or morally bankrupt. And yup, that acknowledgement might feel like a far-right/left organization endorsing a public person who is anything but far-right/left. One can feel "used" here, even slimed. Esp. given the common misunderstanding that being endorsed/thanked/etc by an organization does not mean that you agree with that organization or its goals.
But an acknowledgement is not a co-authorship. With an (co-)authorship you would vouch for the quality of the paper, you would "sign" it with your name and would have to stand (and fall) by it. Nope, an acknowledgement is done by the authors and which works from the perspective of the authors and which can be uni-lateral. (Exception: As username_1 mentioned if they claim something factually incorrect, e.g., thanking you for the data analysis when you haven't done it.)
If someone were to add me as co-author without my consent, I'd fight tooth and nail to get my name removed (and I'd win). But with acknowledgements -- and esp. here, if I understand this case correctly -- I'd distance myself (mentally) from the paper. It even might have been meant as a nice gesture (intention and how the action is perceived are not necessarily identical). And if not, it's an asshole move which (further) disqualifies that group. In the later situation, standing above it might actually show more maturity.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: While I agree with some other responses that you can try to contact the journal to have your names taken off, but I'd also like to propose another way of looking at it.
First, in future do not resign so easily. Your idea is your idea and even it is not completed by you, a publication is a publication. Unless you see that the study is going to a direction that violates your own or your professional moral standard, try to stick around. Another good feature of being a co-author is that you have to formally approve the paper before it's submitted. At that point you have a lot more secure contact with the editor and also more leverage.
Second, think what is to gain. Now, those collaborators got one more publication. You are still spending time trying to undo something that probably is not even wrong. (I agree with the author acknowledging you. For acknowledging you does not mean this paper is your idea, but if I don't I can get into trouble.) And please forgive me to sound like trivializing this issue, it probably does not matter. Thus far I have not seen anyone's career got ruined because he/she had been acknowledged in a paper. Most of those cases I heard of are about data fabrication, improper use of funds, and other criminal charges (sexual assault, adultery, etc.) Acknowledged in a paper? Nada.
Third, just look at this these yourself:
>
> I was actively working in a research project, contributing
> experiments, hypotheses and analysis.
>
>
> ...
>
>
> (The paper itself was not even very fascinating.)
>
>
>
I'd say, if this is not a wrong paper and if this does have some of your fingerprints in it, let this go. The adviser's decision to include you can be seen as insensitive, but can also be interpreted as fair. And for you, you can spend time and effort to get the name off a paper (which is probably not going to hurt you if left untouched.) And yet, when all the dust settles, you will find that you have not moved forward a bit. If you do feel so angry and upset, use that energy on your work and write something that you can truly be proud of.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I agree with those who have recommended that you drop this matter--in the broader picture of an academic career, it is probably not worth the bad feeling that you are creating (even if that is not your intention) by fighting this matter which, although quite major to you, is probably relatively minor to your advisor, and perhaps to other co-authors involved.
That said, I also agree that it is your right to refuse to even be mentioned in an acknowledgement if you feel so strongly about it. I had an article where, for reasons of political conscience (nothing personal against any of the co-authors), a research assistant who actually merited co-authorship refused to even be mentioned in the acknowledgements. As some of the other answers have pointed out, this caused an ethical dilemma because I am obligated to acknowledge substantive contributors. Finally, I resolved the issue by mentioning this in the acknowledgements: **"We gratefully acknowledge the indispensable contributions of an anonymous research assistant."** This respected my research assistant's desire for anonymity, and yet satisfied my conscience that I was not failing to acknowledge his work.
If you still feel so strongly about this, you could ask the lead author to ask for a revision of the acknowledgement. Depending on the journal publishing process, it might or might not be feasible to make the change, but I recommend that you request the change directly by asking the lead author, not by contacting the journal directly--the journal most likely wouldn't make the change apart from the lead author's consent, anyway.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/02/09
| 685
| 2,832
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<issue_start>username_0: I was forced to leave a STEM program after a fight over whether I could apply the NSF sponsored summer abroad fellowship. I was given a letter of resignation and 2 month of notice. The situation was not good before the fight anyway. I left after those 2 months. The MS is not from a prestigious program albeit a good undergraduate school.
I was not thinking about grad school. But I graduated 2 years ago for a MS, and haven't found employment using my BS. I was tempted to apply again, if only for better employment perspectives.
My question is: if I apply to a PhD again, I have to ask my previous adviser for a letter of recommendation which I have no faith will be good. Even if he writes one, I worry that the wording would be cautious. I want to bypass this, if possible, but how? If it can't be bypassed, what can I do ?
The program I left was a PhD. So perspective programs would possibly ask for it.<issue_comment>username_1: My understanding is that you finished your BS 2 years ago, took a year off, entered a PhD program this year but just left due to some dispute about wanting to spend a summer abroad, correct? (Or maybe you left the PhD program last year?)
Anyway, you should not ask someone to write you a letter of recommendation unless you think they can write you a good one. If you think your erstwhile advisor thinks well of you and will be supportive, then it makes sense to ask him. If not, then you should probably stick to letters from your undergrad professors.
If you apply to one PhD program after having left another, the admissions committee will naturally wonder why you left and if you would have reason to be successful this time around. Just hearing that you left because of a fight is a big red flag, particularly if it was from a reputable department, so it would be best if you can suitably address this in your application. You should convince first yourself, then your letter writers, that this is unlikely to be an issue at another department. Then your letter writers can try to convince the admissions committees on your behalf.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Like others said, base on your description you should not ask the person you've fought before for a letter. It'll almost certainly harm you more than benefit you. People do remember who they hate.
If you cannot find enough people you've collaborated on research before to write you good letters(1st priority), look for professors you've taken courses before that are related to the field you're applying now instead. At the very least, a "(s)he got an A in my course." letter is mediocre but harmless.
Without former advisor's letter it'll be unfavorable but not impossible to get into a Ph.D. program (I'm an example), if other parts of your application are reasonably good.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/02/09
| 1,196
| 4,956
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<issue_start>username_0: It's hard to pin down, but every time I ask a question in Japanese class, my teacher tends to do this long pause. Sometimes she'll look around the class as if to say "What does anyone else think?" and sometimes she'll say that explicitly, and get someone else to answer it. Other times she'll answer the question, but in a flat short tone that gives me the impression I was stupid for asking it. There was one time when she asked the class "Does anyone have a question?" and I slowly put my hand up, she said "Of course you do." That made me feel humiliated and awful, and I've been reluctant to participate or ask questions since, but of course, I need to understand the lessons.
It may seem petty, but anyone else who asks a question gets a different response; she always responds straight away, or considers the question openly; she doesn't defer the question, pause, or give any sort of flat response. It all makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. I don't know if I'm asking too many questions, or stupid questions, or if I'm being impolite somehow, if I've missed some term of address (I always address her as 先生 or say すみません.) Despite all that I've said, when I talk to her in person, in her office, she's personable, empathetic, kind and helpful. I don't know why she's so deferential, apparently just to me, in class.
I don't know what I can do about this. Would it be inappropriate to raise this issue with her in person? I don't like the impression of me it would communicate to her ("I feel like you're not being nice to me in class" comes off the wrong way,) but at the same time, I really don't like participating in class because of the way she acts every time I try, and I don't know what to do to fix that.
EDIT: I'm British and from a British university, and my teacher is Japanese.<issue_comment>username_1: She says: "Of course you do." - Respond with a small nod and: "Of course I do:" followed by the question. Also, when you feel humiliated when she waits - you can turn this around. When she waits, look at her in a polite, indulgent manner, with an understanding smile (think: you - the OP - are the adult here!). Obviously (so you can think to yourself), she is unable to answer you more quickly, as you have a difficult question, she needs to reflect first on it.
(Completely independent from that, check - just for yourself - whether you really ask too many questions or whether there is something wrong with them; perhaps they are unnecessary or easily answerable or superfluous? But no reason to feel bad, just inspect your question asking style and check whether it may have something you might be able to improve). In my opinion, there is no need to discuss things with her, as the likelihood is that she will downplay or outright deny it.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I suggest meeting with the professor during her office hours and, in a non-accusatory fashion, saying that you observed how she responds differently to your questions than to others and that you were curious why (or would like to know if your questions were inappropriate). If her behavior was deliberate, you should get an interesting response. If it wasn't, at least now she'll be aware of it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: 1. Imitate her. This will upset her because imitation makes the other person confront his own acts, obligates them to self-reflection. E.g. look around the class as she does when you ask the question, take a long pause before you acknowledge understanding the answer.
2. Play along with her/your assumptions about the question. Play the fool to catch the fool. E.g. start asking the question but interrupt yourself alleging that it is too easy to be asked in class. Or, when she makes the long pause, say that you will ask it to another student in another moment. Or, say right there that a particular student can answer your question. Or, say sorry for asking "stupid" questions. Or, raise your hand to answer the questions of other students. Or, say something like "doesn't matter I will find the answer in a book", "I will study more for the next time". Or, ask the question on behalf of all students "we are wondering...". Or, ask a "difficult" question from a book to see if she reacts in the same way.
I was wondering if she is being mean to you just because she wants to or she wants to say discreetly some message. Does she want to say that she does not care about you or that you should study more or...?
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: This doesn't sound particularly subtle to me. If your teacher is specifically rude to you in this way, I doubt it is going to be fruitful to raise the issue with her. Feel free to do so if you like; it might or might not work. In any case, this is what student reviews of teaching are for. At the end of the session you can give honest feedback and ratings on the quality of the teaching that was given to you.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/02/09
| 927
| 3,804
|
<issue_start>username_0: I got the comments from a journal where two reviewers asked almost similar query. How do I respond to it? Can I answer it at one place and in the other place, I can briefly describe the answer and say a more detailed response is presented before in page so and so..<issue_comment>username_1: This is very common and there's no need to overthink it. Answer the question for Reviewer 1, and then when listing and answering Reviewer 2 questions, write out the question and answer "This is the same point as question 3 from Reviewer 1, and is addressed in my response there."
You should be very sure you've addressed the question clearly and thoroughly, because if multiple reviewers flag it then there's some problem you need to sort out.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: What I do in such a circumstance is to enumerate my comments, answer the query in detail only once, and refer to the comment instead of answering more than once:
>
> Please see Comment #3 for a discussion of foo bar.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Reviewers work separately, and are liable to come up with the same comments/questions. If you are supposed to address them all in one swoop, just make a list of "Question 4 by A/3 by B: Answer". Or write answers to the questions of A and B separately, noting any overlaps.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Normally, you would compile the questions and comments of all reviewers into a complete list, and merge matching questions while you're at it. Then, you can address the points raised by decreasing order of importance, so if you run out of space (depending on the field, messages to reviewers can be restricted in length, e.g. to a maximum of a few thousand or so words), you can skip the less important topics. Instead, you can concentrate on the most important questions (especially the ones that you can answer only in the message to the reviewers, but not directly in the paper), as well as on misrepresentations/misinterpretations of your work by reviewers.
Among the points addressed, you can briefly remark which reviewer they were raised by (for the sake of brevity, abbreviations like R1, R2, R3, etc. will be understood in my experience). **For points raised by several rewievers, simply mention all of those who did.**
Fictional example:
>
> We agree with R3 that the rotation speed of the outer element needs to be adjustable and have added an according remark to the paper. The maximum and minimum rotation values are indeed at 0 and 42, as surmised by R1 and R4. We have integrated this information into Table VI.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: I prefer to classify my response to the reviewers based on issues rather than based on the reviewers themselves. Let's say reviewer 1 and reviewer 2 question the validity of your analysis, and reviewer 2 and reviewer 3 ask why you did not adopt approach X. My rebuttal would look like this:
===== START OF REBUTTAL =====
**Validity of the analysis (R1,R2)**
R1 and R2 question the validity of the analysis, ... [here goes your answer]
**Approach X (R2,R3)**
R2 and R3 question why we did not employ approach X, the reason is ... [here goes the answer]
===== END OF REBUTTAL =====
In general it is good practice to remind the reviewers of the issues you raised. It could be the case that by the time the reviewer reads your rebuttal, he/she had already forgotten a lot of details. Additionally "tagging" the reviewer grabs his/her attention to that section, assures the reviewer that you addressed the point that was raised by him/her and will help you save the usually limited space to address as much issues as possible.
I would also try to prioritize the issues raised by the reviewers and address the most important ones first.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/09
| 726
| 2,915
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a final year undergrad and applied for graduate programs in various universities for Fall'16 admission. I recently got an admission offer from one of the programs. The admissions chair cc'd the offer email to potential supervisors I mentioned in my application. Here's the email from one of these potential supervisors.
>
> Dear xxx,
>
>
> just to follow on Dr. xxx's invitation to xxx University: I was very
> impressed with your record and ambition, and would be very interested
> in having you join my group. I am looking for very motivated and
> strong students at the moment. I have been working on various aspects
> of xxx, with my students and postdocs at xxx University, and in
> collaboration with colleagues in xxx University and xxx University.
>
>
> You can read about my recent research at my webpage: xxx or check some
> of my papers on the google scholar: xxx
>
>
> Please let me know if you have any questions about living and studying
> here in xxx. I think we have a very lively and a friendly department,
> in spectacular surroundings.
>
>
> Very best from xxx.
>
>
>
This is my first admission offer, so I'm waiting for offers or rejections from other places. So, I'm not really sure how to respond. And even if I did want to work under his supervision, what questions do I ask to begin with? I'm totally lost.<issue_comment>username_1: Well, the potential supervisor explicitly mentions "Please let me know if you have any questions about living and studying here in xxx"...just email him/her if you have any such questions. If you are waiting for offers/rejections, I think a polite reply stating the same would be alright.
If you are excited to work with him/her because of reasons X,Y,Z, just mention them in the email. In any case, it is highly likely that the potential supervisor understands your position (of waiting for all offers).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Note particularly "joining our group" and "check publications at <http://research-group.umiskatonic.edu>". Before answering do at least skim the publications shown there.
Be clear that you appreciate their prompt response (first one you got!), and that you are still waiting to hear from other options before deciding where to apply. They will know that you are going to apply to several positions, you aren't telling any secret there.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Buy time.
* Thank the potential supervisor for the email
* Let her know that you are reading about her research and that you are impressed by what you have read so far
* Ask open questions about living arrangements such as "What aspects of the living arrangements there support the focus on research? What aspects are detrimental?"
Do not tell her or anyone there that you are waiting on other offers.
If you get other offers then choose the best one and thank the others
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/09
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<issue_start>username_0: **The background**: The big news in the science world this week is that, on Thursday, [it will be officially announced that LIGO has detected gravitational waves](http://www.ligo.org/news/media-advisory.php). Some people have even started talking about a Nobel Prize. I agree that this is a momentous accomplishment and these people deserve all the nerd glory the world has to offer; that said, I feel that, in a fair world, this Nobel Prize should be shared between LIGO and (posthumously) Albert Einstein. After all, he is the one that came up with the theory of physics that predicts things like gravitational waves.
**The observation**: Nobel Prizes can't be awarded to deceased individuals; the Nobel Committee doesn't award Prizes for theoretical work before its predictions are experimentally confirmed; and theoretical physics is churning out ideas that can't be directly tested with today's technology and resources. Put these factors together, and I have this uneasy feeling that Englert and Higgs might have been the last theorists to receive a Nobel Prize. It really looks like <NAME> and <NAME>, which are widely recognized as among the best theoretical physicists ever, will never get one. For practical purposes, the Nobel Prize in Physics has become the Nobel Prize in Engineering Physics.
**The question**: are there any theoretical physicists that are young enough, their work groundbreaking enough, and the testing technology sufficiently within our current reach, that a Nobel Prize could reasonably be awarded to them?<issue_comment>username_1: I have heard it suggested that a prize might be awarded for Density Functional Theory. It is a very widely applied theory, unlike Hawking's black hole predictions. The theory is relatively new and continues to evolve, so major contributors are still alive. I will not name names. It is possible a chemistry prize might be awarded instead of a physics prize.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: We've now seen three Nobel prizes in physics awarded since the posting of this question (February 2016), and I think it's fair to say that the answer has proven to be an unequivocal 'yes'. So far, four out of nine physics Nobel laureates have been theorists.
The [2016 prize](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2016/summary/) was awarded to three condensed matter theorists (Thouless, Haldane, and Kosterlitz) "for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter". The [2017 prize](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2017/summary/) was awarded to Weiss, Barish, and Thorne "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves." Of these, <NAME> is very much a theorist, known for his work in relativity and astrophysics, and for being one of the authors of [that one thick book with an apple on the cover](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitation_(book)).
Upvotes: 3
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2016/02/09
| 670
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<issue_start>username_0: Are there higher education systems in which is not required to write a thesis as a part of the evaluation within the degrees? If yes, could you point me out some of them, please?
Furthermore, are these education systems in which is not required to write down a thesis a minority in the world? (nowadays, I guess yes)<issue_comment>username_1: The question is a little vague. Many graduate degrees do not require a thesis. For instance, a law degree (JD), and many business degrees (*e.g.* MBA) in some universities require no thesis paper.
It has been my experience as a college instructor that university departments are encouraging more writing and defending their written research.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: My undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering at UT Austin did not require a thesis in 1997. I don't know what the current status of that degree program is.
Edited to add: UT also has Master's programs which are coursework-only. In ASE, they seemed to be for PhD students who needed to get out of the program and receive some sort of degree. Other programs may be/have been different.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Many undergraduate degrees do not require a thesis. Although which ones do and do not depend upon the school.
Many graduate degrees also do not require one. JDs, MBAs, and MDs all come to mind. Although, once again, this varies by school and by definition of a thesis. Many schools also allow their Masters students to graduate without a thesis.
Finally, all PhDs require a thesis. This will not vary.
So, the answer to your question is that it depends.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: As a gross overgeneralization... the more a given degree program thinks of itself as preparing students for a research career, the more likely it is to demand a thesis. At the other end of the continuum are degree programs with pipelines into anywhere-but-academia, which prefer non-thesis options such as capstone projects (e.g. an MFA exhibition) or internships/practicums.
Smack in the middle, for the sake of illustration, is the field of Library and Information {Science|Studies}. Some LIS master's programs in the US identify pretty strongly with academic librarianship and/or academe generally; these are more likely to require theses. Others have dumped the master's thesis in favor of an internship/practicum: "prove you can be a real-world professional."
Still others do comprehensive(-ish) exams, which is another non-thesis option. I don't have a good sense of what kinds of programs choose master's comps; I had to do them for my master's in Spanish (and wow, they were the worst experience ever).
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/09
| 942
| 3,989
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<issue_start>username_0: The lay summary of a research proposal is often needed to secure grants and get wide public support and engagement, especially in health research.
I understand that the more a scientist understands her research, the more her ability to explain it to the public and to write an excellent lay summary. It should be easily readable, and should use everyday words instead of complex terms and scientific jargon.
**Problem**
Apart from structuring the whole summary, the *word choice* could be challenging, especially for non-native speakers who don't directly work or have sufficient contact with the public.
One could:
* ask for help from relevant patient and public engagement (PPI) groups or native colleagues: they can even help revising the whole document, but I think scientists should improve their own public writing skills in the first place
* look for synonyms in dictionaries: this could help, but general dictionaries don't tell which synonyms are understandable by the average people
* read related articles in websites that provide health information to the public: this is potentially very useful for familiarisation with non-jargon language, but may be time-consuming.
**Questions:**
* Other than asking for help from others, what are (other) effective ways of finding out whether the words and phrases I use in a lay summary are appropriate to the public audience, and if not (which is more important), finding better alternatives?
* Is there something like a "dictionary" to translate common or domain-specific jargon words/phrase to simple English (similar to 'academic word lists')?<issue_comment>username_1: The question is a little vague. Many graduate degrees do not require a thesis. For instance, a law degree (JD), and many business degrees (*e.g.* MBA) in some universities require no thesis paper.
It has been my experience as a college instructor that university departments are encouraging more writing and defending their written research.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: My undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering at UT Austin did not require a thesis in 1997. I don't know what the current status of that degree program is.
Edited to add: UT also has Master's programs which are coursework-only. In ASE, they seemed to be for PhD students who needed to get out of the program and receive some sort of degree. Other programs may be/have been different.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Many undergraduate degrees do not require a thesis. Although which ones do and do not depend upon the school.
Many graduate degrees also do not require one. JDs, MBAs, and MDs all come to mind. Although, once again, this varies by school and by definition of a thesis. Many schools also allow their Masters students to graduate without a thesis.
Finally, all PhDs require a thesis. This will not vary.
So, the answer to your question is that it depends.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: As a gross overgeneralization... the more a given degree program thinks of itself as preparing students for a research career, the more likely it is to demand a thesis. At the other end of the continuum are degree programs with pipelines into anywhere-but-academia, which prefer non-thesis options such as capstone projects (e.g. an MFA exhibition) or internships/practicums.
Smack in the middle, for the sake of illustration, is the field of Library and Information {Science|Studies}. Some LIS master's programs in the US identify pretty strongly with academic librarianship and/or academe generally; these are more likely to require theses. Others have dumped the master's thesis in favor of an internship/practicum: "prove you can be a real-world professional."
Still others do comprehensive(-ish) exams, which is another non-thesis option. I don't have a good sense of what kinds of programs choose master's comps; I had to do them for my master's in Spanish (and wow, they were the worst experience ever).
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/09
| 696
| 2,845
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<issue_start>username_0: In the field of computer science, there are numerous conferences and journals to seek publication in. It's almost overwhelming! How does one go about organizing, prioritizing, and planning a workflow or "pipeline" for meeting the variety of submission deadlines?
For example, is there a "definitive" resource like [wikicfp](http://www.wikicfp.com/cfp/) that most researchers use? Do you simply track your deadline dates on a calendar, even years in advance?
Or do folks tend to just write the papers first, and see what CFP dates are in the near future, and submit to what's in the near future? (Submitting "now" to what's available, as opposed to waiting/planning/timing in advance for particular avenues of publication.)
Or do folks tend to target just a handful of top-tier conferences and journals, and then investigate, ad-hoc, for other opportunities after being rejected from the top-tier publications?<issue_comment>username_1: There is no "definitive" source for papers - indeed, in many fields, calls for papers don't actually drive the publication pipeline at all - for example, only a very, very small percentage of my papers have ever been as the result of a call, and in both cases, it was more "Hey, this will fit really well in our special issue on $thing..."
In general terms, I keep an eye out for special issues and other calls that are relevant to me, and after awhile, you generate a feel for the ones that are recurring. I use a Kanban board to organize my papers generally, with lanes like "Planning", "Coding/Analysis", "Writing", "With Coauthors" etc. If there's a particular targeted call and deadline, that gets written on that research idea's index card as well.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I too am in CS but I found the *schedule* of conferences to be fairly simple and I strive to submit to the same conferences each year.
First, identify the handful of conferences in your field that are both reputable and aligned with your research topics. Then you can form a mental model that is made up of (A) the deadlines and (B) the prestige.
For example, all of the conferences that I would submit to all have deadlines that cluster around two times, Fall (August/September) and Spring (March/April). I can also group them into top-tier or second-tier. At that point, it is pretty easy to know where I am going to submit each piece of work based on whether it is Fall or Spring and whether it is suitable for the top-tier venues.
One side note. I have been given the advice to find 1-2 conferences that I can call "home." That way I can get close to the community, network, and they will become familiar with my work. I have been told to avoid shooting papers off to a dozen different conferences because they will be forgotten in those communities.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
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2016/02/10
| 1,976
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm going to start applying to graduate schools (Masters and PhD) for Economics in a few months primarily in the US, but also to a few schools in Canada, Australia and the UK. During my time as an undergraduate I joined a fraternity, and was relatively active in sorority on campus. I was wondering what effect my involvement will have on my chance of being accepted into the more competitive programs. I was also wondering in what ways should I display that information on my application/CV/resume?
While in a fraternity, I served as treasurer for the Inter-Fraternity Council (the governing body for fraternities on-campus) for two years. I was treasurer of my own chapter for a year, as well as president of my chapter for a semester--I stepped down after the first semester to run for CFO of the Associated Students (election still on-going).
My chapter has always been very friendly with the campus and has never gotten into any trouble; however, I fear the extra scrutiny brought on sorority may hurt me. My fraternity also has chapters at many of the schools I am planning on applying to, so I fear that that may also hurt my chances--either because the admission committee associates me with a rowdy chapter or because they might see it as a potential conflict of interest if I were to grade or TA for the department.<issue_comment>username_1: No one is going to admit you to a PhD program because of what fraternity you were in, but it's unlikely to hurt you to include a line on your CV mentioning you were a member of ABC House.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: In general, your non-research-related activities as an undergraduate will simply be irrelevant to your application to graduate school. In all likelihood, nobody reading your application would care any more (positively or negatively) that you were in a fraternity than if you were in a drama club, on the swim team, or had a job in the library.
As such, unless it is somehow directly relevant to your graduate application, I would advise simply leaving it off of your C.V. along with all of the other non-scientific parts of your personal history.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Non-academic activities do not count in any way towards graduate school applications unless they were successful or notable to a heroic degree. E.g. if you sold cupcakes as an undergraduate and made some money doing it -- or were popular at your church / club / frat's socials by doing it -- no one cares. If you sold your cupcake company for a million dollars, we'll care a bit: that's an exceptional level of competence and gumption, enough to reasonably expect that some of it will transfer over to *whatever you put your mind to*. Essentially, unless you're getting national media attention for your extracurricular activity, don't bother.
(Note: @username_2 says "non-research-related". I think "non-academic" is more accurate: teaching / tutoring / TAing in your field is *highly relevant*. Being an active member in an economics club which, say, brings econ faculty to speak on campus is relevant, though not a game-changer. Also: please remember not to use "science" as a synecdoche for academia!)
Participation in "Greek organizations" is totally orthogonal -- I mean, has zero correlation; I MEAN: is completely irrelevant, either positively or negatively -- to graduate admissions. To be honest, I find the suggestion that it could be viewed negatively quite far-fetched: there is no "conflict of interest" here, any more than a Jewish or African-American or Republican student has a conflict of interest in their dealings with other Jewish or African-American or Republican students. An otherwise capable graduate student should be assumed to be capable of reasonable, professional behavior until evidence to the contrary comes up.
There is no reason to list this on any academic CV. As I said in a comment, the only real negative I see is that by putting something on a CV which is completely irrelevant, you show an ignorance of what academics think is important which makes you look less clueful about what graduate school is really about. It does so in such a mild way that I think almost any faculty member doing admissions would take it as a point of honor not to be influenced by this, but still: anyone who has read this question is now more clueful and knows to leave such things off an academic CV.
P.S.: Hold on:
>
> I fear that that may also hurt my chances--either because the admission committee associates me with a rowdy chapter
>
>
>
So you think that the graduate faculty in the economics department will see your affiliation with, say, Alpha Omicron Pi and say "Well, some fraternities are fine, but not that one -- they're trouble!" Are you writing this question from the inside of an eighties movie? In the real world in 2016, the majority of faculty live far away from campus and have precisely zero dealings with Greek life including whatever incidents may occur on campus, and in many departments, at least a substantial minority of faculty were educated outside of the US and are thus completely unable to tell one Greek organization from another. As one data point: I live walking distance from campus and was educated in an American university with some amount of Greek life. Thus I happen to know that "AOPi" is a *sorority* rather than a fraternity. I would expect less than half of my colleagues to know that with any confidence. The local chapter of AoPi is two blocks from where I've lived for many years. What can I tell you about them as a group? Nothing. Don't care. Not my business.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> During my time as an undergrad I joined a fraternity, and was relatively active in Greek Life on campus.
>
>
>
To my knowledge there are no fraternities in Greek universities, only political groups. I guess you mean you were in one of those?
Nevertheless, *this has nothing to do with your applications*. You should leave it out of your CV and frankly, no one is going to care.
If, however you want to promote your organizational skills you could add an abstract comment about being president and treasurer in various groups throughout your academic life and clarify only if asked, although I highly doubt it.
Being in a fraternity will not help you or harm you in you in any way as *your goal should be promoting your scientific skills*, not your non-academic activities.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: >
> so I fear that that may also hurt my chances--either because the admission committee associates me with a rowdy chapter...
>
>
>
I would not be concerned about being seen as rowdy. Every university, including your current one, will ask for your transcripts and your public file, and likely run a background check. If you have a good GPA, and do not have any disciplinary actions against you do not worry about being seen in a bad light.
>
> ...or because they might see it as a potential conflict of interest if I were to grade or TA for the department.
>
>
>
If universities couldn't hire frat/sorority members as TAs, then there would be far fewer TAs. As a TA your expected to grad and assist impartially. You cannot favor a specific group of students for reasons besides their academic performance, but you probably already knew that.
>
> While in a fraternity, I served as treasurer for the Inter-Fraternity Council (the governing body for fraternities on-campus) for two years. I was treasurer of my own chapter for a year, as well as president of my chapter for a semester
>
>
>
I would put your greek affiliation on your resume/CV, then right below it, list all the **leadership** positions you've held, either within the greek house, or with the university (its ok if they are related to greek life).
While simply being a member of a frat/sorority likely won't help you get into grad school, leadership positions in these organizations will.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/10
| 5,363
| 22,533
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<issue_start>username_0: There is another graduate student at my school working in the same area as me that is extremely nosy about my work. His curiosity definitely goes beyond the normal amount of "What are you working on?" chit-chat that I have with other graduate students. He frequently asks me to list *exactly* (his words) which papers I'm reading. If I walk past him in the hallway holding a book or a paper under my arm, he'll (very obviously) contort his neck to see what it is. If I'm working somewhere public, he'll walk up to the table and start reading what I'm working on.
This may sound silly, but I really feel like my privacy is being violated. I think this guy's behavior is creepy and rude. I could never imagine doing any of the things I listed above. What I do with my time is my business and no one else’s, and what other people do with their time is not my business. How can I deal with this guy without appearing unfriendly?
I don't want to appear unfriendly because this other graduate student works in the same area as me and I don't want to burn any bridges. In my very short time in academia, I have also never witnessed anyone acting unfriendly. I have no idea what is appropriate or how to calibrate my response. It is also difficult because the other student is not the same nationality as me, so maybe there are cultural things that I don't understand.
I can't merge my accounts to comment. I am indeed a woman.<issue_comment>username_1: This is true everywhere, but especially so in academia: your life dramatically improves when you learn to say "no" to unreasonable requests. Consider this an opportunity to start learning this important skill.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: You are not being silly; this person is crossing the line and you should feel free to say "no" to his requests.
However, there's often a middle ground between saying "no" (and probably feeling undeservedly guilty about it, because you sound like a considerate person) and letting someone walk all over you. You can try to address the person's underlying needs instead of what they're asking for.
Consider why this person is behaving this way. I can think of two possibilities: (1) he is intimidated by the process of doing a literature search, and is worried that he is missing important papers, or (2) he has no idea what to do for his research, and is hoping to grab one of your ideas. I would go with the first assumption, but bear the second one in mind to be on the safe side.
Next time he asks what you're reading, you might do one or more of these:
* Ask if he's having trouble finding appropriate literature. Ask what search terms he's using and suggest a few that you have found useful.
* Suggest he request a one-on-one session with the librarian to learn how to do a literature search.
* Ask what area he's focussing on in his research and offer to pass along any papers that you think might be of use to him, asking him to do the same for you.
* Suggest that he ask his advisor or the PI for suggestions of articles to read.
If he continues to try to leech off of your hard work by asking you to provide him with a reading list, etc., then at least you know you will have done all you can.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: In my experience, when it comes to dealing with people with boundary problems, you have to talk to them (in private).
This isn't nice (it might come off as unfriendly), this isn't fair (you just want to do your work, not deal with this issue), but it's the best course of action -- both for your job satisfaction and (in the long run) for the other person (if he can learn from feedback).
Framing the conversation is going to be difficult -- I'd suggest "I" statements ("I notice that you look at my material ...") and framing the issue as your perception ("I perceive this as nosy. I'd like to talk about my work, but I see this behavior as an intrusion of my privacy."). Given that probably most people would consider his behavior as "nosy", you might even point out that other people might regard this kind of behavior badly too. Hmm, just stick to describing the behavior and avoid making judgments about the person. You can change behavior, you can't (easily) change the person.
(Note: I might be biased here. I recently tried to solve a boundary problem via non-verbal communication, only to notice -- again -- that people with boundary problems don't notice non-verbal cues (correctly or at all). If they did, they would not have crossed boundaries in the first place. So non-verbal "cues" are either overlooked, ignored, or they react in the opposite direction of the desired effect. For example, they notice that a person is distancing himself from them, so they move in even closer. Addressing the issue verbally is anything but easy but I think it's the way to go.)
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: The following is a personal perspective, tries to answer the question, *what would have I done* in the mentioned situation.
>
> He frequently asks me to list exactly (his words) which papers I'm
> reading
>
>
>
I find nothing annoying in this statement, rather I feel the other person is extremely interested in my work and methods. I would be happy to give him the literature ***but not when I am working.*** I would say something like
*Why don't we discuss about it while we have coffee tomorrow. I will send you some of the important works in the field tonight. By the way, I propose you to read **P1** to have a preliminary understanding of what we would be talking about, of course if you haven't read already.*
>
> If I walk past him in the hallway holding a book or a paper under my arm, he'll (very obviously) contort his neck to see what it is
>
>
>
I would show him happily. It doesn't bother me if I am not holding something inappropriate.
>
> If I'm working somewhere public, he'll walk up to the table and start reading what I'm working on.
>
>
>
Okay, now the line is crossed. If it bothers me, I would say something like
*If you'd excuse me, I am reading something important, we will talk later.*
I find it useless to waste your time thinking what would be the exact motivation behind his apparent *nosiness*, rather I would treat the problem objectively irrespective of gender or culture.
***A side note.***
I find some very good ideas emerge out during the informal *coffee break* discussions, as a researcher I welcome such discussions, it is also a good way to judge if the person is genuinely interested in your work or not. Also, if possible invite one of your fellow graduate student in your group into the above mentioned discussion.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: If this person is bothering you, learn to avoid, sidestep, and leave the area when they are around. Do not feel obliged to answer their questions, do not feel obliged to let them read your work, and do not feel obliged to 'be polite' just because this person happens to be working in the same academic area as you.
This person is allowed to be curious, but you are *definitely* allowed to have your privacy, and you are definitely *not* required to socialize with him just because you share a public space.
it is also important to let this person *know* that they are impeding upon your privacy. Not only because they might not know, but because of plausible deniability - let them know, firmly but politely, that their behavior has been bothering you, and that you do not wish it to continue. Be specific, and don't be overly concerned with 'being rude', just get your point across as clearly as possible.
If this behavior continues after you've told them that it has been bothering you, consider taking actions to avoid incidental encounters with the person. And if they're constantly impeding upon that privacy to the point of impeding your academic career, consider filing for harassment.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: It's hard to tell what his motives here are, and other answers have addressed several possibilities already. I just wanted to add my perspective as a fellow woman (FWIW, CS department in US) who's had to deal with awkward peers before. My suggestions, in escalating order:
**Avoidance.**
This means you doing work to minimize his opportunities for creating uncomfortable situations. Carry your papers in a plain folder so he can't see them, work in your office or with your back against a wall so he can't read over your shoulder. If he corners you in the hallway, make up an excuse to exit the conversation. (I used this one a lot when students would try to keep me after office hours...)
As an example, I have a rather large "personal space" radius, and I realize that's really my problem rather than anyone else's. So my tactic was to position myself across the table, in a single chair rather than bench, etc., to provide a natural barrier without having to ask someone else to change their (reasonable) behavior.
**Redirection.**
*He* is acting inappropriately, so make *him* do the work. Possible motives for his behavior can be categorized as, roughly, real academic interest but poor social skills, or just wants to bother you (for whatever reason).
To handle the first, make him show that he is seriously interested in your work. For example: "What are each of the papers you are reading?" "Right now, X. Say, you seem to be awfully interested in what I'm doing, maybe you should talk to your PI about collaborating with my group?" or "You know, there's a reading group for X, maybe you'd be interested in joining.", etc. This gives him a way to keep up on the research, without you being the unwilling mediator.
For the second, take control of the conversation. When he tries to read over your shoulder, close your laptop lid and say "Can I help you?" (or the milder, "Hey X, what's up."). Throw in an "I'm really swamped right now" to signal that you're not interested in an extended chat. If you're feeling nice, invite him to email you his questions and you'll respond later when you have time. Hopefully he will get the idea. Again, this leaves him an avenue for collaboration, without you getting cornered in a conversation you don't want to have.
**Confrontation.**
Some people have very poor social skills and do not pick up on hints, verbal or otherwise. If he still doesn't get it, be blunt. It will feel uncomfortable and like you're being terribly rude but... behaviors like craning his neck to see what you're carrying around or reading over your shoulder *are rude*. (Here's a quick sanity check: do you see other people in your department acting like this? No? Then his cultural background is not an excuse, and he shouldn't be doing it either.) It is okay to be blunt in response, especially if he is ignoring what you think are obvious signals. I think username_3's answer has some good advice on what to say if it gets to this point, so I won't repeat it here.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: Many of the answers here involve trying to speculate on the person's motives, or to categorize his behavior. I suggest you take a course of actions that doesn't do that. I suggest that the next time he asks you what you are reading that you reply with something like "I'll be glad to answer that if you'll answer a question for me first." Then you proceed to say something like "I notice that you ask me what I'm reading very often, and I wanted to ask why you are so curious about it."
Listen carefully to what he says and the way he says it. Let him talk as long as he will, even if there is a long pause in the conversation (perhaps up to a minute). If he gives you a very short, non-responsive answer you need to ask for more information about why he is so curious. It's possible that his answer may reveal his true intention, and it's possible that it may not. This conversation should be casual, and should not be confrontational in any way on your part. It's just an honest question seeking an honest answer.
If the answer he give you does not cause you to feel comfortable with the questions he asks (and I expect that it won't) then you could end the conversation by offering an alternative solution. I'm not saying this is the only option, but you could end the conversation by saying something like. "It tends to be distracting to me to always answer the questions about what I'm reading. What I'd like to do is email you once a month with the names of the two or three best papers that I read in the last month. Would that be OK?"
This way you are trying to handle things politely, and to determine what he says his needs are. If his behavior should persist after this conversation, you should probably discuss it with one of your professors.
I also encourage you to talk with your fellow grad students to see if he behaves this way toward anyone else. Also, have you considered that this might be his way of flirting with you?
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_8: This is an unpleasant situation, and there are a million variations of how you can respond, half a million of which were already proposed in other answers, so I'll stick with a high-level answer.
>
> How can I deal with this guy without appearing unfriendly?
>
>
>
I will throw a wild guess out there based on the little information you've given, namely that you are a person who values friendliness perhaps a little more than is good for you. In my experience, this is a very common phenomenon: many people in the U.S. (my guess of where you're from) and certain other western countries are educated to be polite, friendly, courteous, and non-confrontational, even when the situation gets very awkward. I will also venture to speculate that women in those societies are socially conditioned to value friendliness and politeness more (perhaps a lot more) than men.
However, the sad truth is that **this is precisely a situation that calls for an unfriendly response**. The guy you're describing is, quite simply, a jerk. We can spend weeks analyzing his behavior and constructing elaborate explanations for why he's behaving the way he is, as some of the answers and comments here do, but after all this analysis, he will still remain a jerk. There is only one kind of response that will make him back off, and that's an unfriendly, confrontational response. (Examples: "none of your business", "butt out", "sorry, I'm not willing to discuss this", etc. I'm guessing you've seen enough movies and TV shows to have at least a theoretical idea of how to construct such a response, so I won't bother going into unnecessary detail.)
**To summarize:** my feeling is that when you talk about "not wanting to burn bridges", this is code for "I've been conditioned by society to maintain a friendly demeanor in all situations, even at the cost of suffering extreme discomfort for myself." Well, this incident shows that you can't have it both ways: you can sacrifice your own comfort to appear friendly and accommodating; you can assert yourself and protect your space and privacy at the possible cost of antagonizing someone else; but you can't simultaneously enjoy the benefits of both approaches and not suffer the drawbacks of either.
In any case, if the guy is an unredeemable jerk then a "bridge" with him is one bridge you should have absolutely no hesitation burning, since it's pretty clear that you will never derive any benefit from having any relationship with him. And if on the other hand he is not a total jerk and there is some hope that he will improve his behavior, then quite possibly by asserting yourself and sending him a clear signal that he should respect your space and privacy, then with an unfriendly response you have a much better chance of eventually developing a healthy and friendly relationship with him. Good luck!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: In graduate school, there are times for collaboration, and times for establishing independence from a peer. These are personal choices based on the nature of the work and also your personal instinct. Based on the way you've asked the question, I assume that you simply want your space respected without drama and without burning any bridges. I think it's important to speculate about his motivation, but it's not necessary. In any case it's your choice. If it makes you uncomfortable, then be professional, but be very direct so there is no confusion. Establish your boundaries as you see fit. If that doesn't work for you, then you've given him a chance and it's time to discuss it with someone of authority in your area. You might as well get used to establishing your boundaries now, there will be more opportunities going forward.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_10: Firstly, excellent question.
Secondly, I experienced a similar issue during my doctoral study. Another PhD student (call him S) requested to see my paper work while work in progress prior to paper submission. To be frank - he was neither humble when talking with other people nor an amicable person.
My strategy was avoidance. We worked on the same institute.
Because I assumed that he would go the advising professor and/or me posterior to reading my draft paper. And he would say something like 'Let's give me an author credit because I did a paper review'.
Worth to mention - he was not aware about the details of my work --- he was not aware about the domain of my study (neither the paper nor the thesis).
He did not use LaTeX in contrast to me. (No need for a Word vs LaTeX discussion with this guy.)
We worked on different topics. Thus, he was not able (from my perspective) to give me a proper feedback concerning paper details.
Concerning my ability to write an adequate English grammar - That's not the best but paper reviewers gave me always much feedback concerning improvements for the applied grammar (apart of various hints regarding the content itself). All the time during my doctoral study - confidants (1 person with doctoral degree & 2 persons without doctoral degree) were available who reviewed my paper work. They got an author credit or a reference within the acknowledgment section.
There was no need to show S my paper work prior to an acceptance.
I was listening his words and my chain of thought was 'no way --- nope'.
Fortunately, this issue was never requested by him. (But some other stuff, which are another issues.)
Finally, as far as I know, S (last seen in 2011) did not finished his PhD in contrast to me. :-)
Hence, some problems are temporarily.
Please differ carefully which strategy you are using --- avoidance is one option.
But you have also the option of confrontation or redirection as mentioned by whrrgarbl.
Perhaps, you wanna escalate the issue. But then you should write down the history of all events, which are happened - only facts without any animosity.
Wish you all the best.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_11: This might not be relevant if that person is *too* creepy, but:
Have you considered **turning this problem on its head?**
What I mean is, you're two graduate students working in the same area at the same place. But from your description it looks like **you're not actually collaborating at all**. S/he might be going about it in a very misguided way, but -
**Why not try to arrange for actual proper collaboration?** - working together on something that's interesting for both of you or for your wider research group / area overall?
It might just be that in this context you could develop a better rapport. I'm not saying that's sure to happen, but why not give it a shot?
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_12: You need to be somewhat careful here. Many of the answers assume that he is trying to work with you. In which case the suggestions about formalising a collaboration are sensible (assuming you want to work with him). However, if you pursue that path and this is actually an attempt to be friendly, then any offer to collaborate or to talk about the paper with him later or other such responses will actually encourage him and possibly make his behaviour worse.
I would suggest a direct question, which can be done in a nonconfrontational way. Perhaps something like "which particular aspect of my work are you interested in?" If he is able to give a sensible answer then you could (if you wish) pursue that further with "Does that relate to your work in some way" and then go down the collaboration path.
If he is not able to give a sensible answer, then you possibly need to get out of having one-to-one conversations with him about your work and definitely need to actively discourage him. The easiest way to do this is to deflect to some public discussion. Do you have lab meetings or progress seminars? If so, you can say that you will be talking about it in the next meeting. If you don't have something like this, then you might have to confront him with something like "Since there's nothing in my work that's of interest to you, why do you keep asking about it?"
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_13: Sometimes we come across someone whose behavior is a little off. There are a number of possible explanations. One possibility is that he is on the autism spectrum, but what's often called "high functioning."
The "off" behavior can be disconcerting or annoying -- until we understand the reason for the odd behavior. Then our empathy kicks in, we're able to divert his attention away from something he's fixating on, and we're able to ignore, without confrontation, and seek the aspects of the individual that we can connect with and enjoy.
Who knows exactly why this person's behavior is slightly bizarre. We don't need to know precisely. All we need to do is operate on a working hypothesis that this person is wired differently from most other people, and realize that confronting him is unlikely to change his behavior.
Once you start thinking about the person this way, you'll be able to use some simple preventive measures, such as
(1) keeping papers stowed in a manila folder while you're walking from Point A to Point B
(2) diverting his attention to something else, to help him get out of a groove if he's a bit stuck
(3) using some gentle humor (but not at his expense)
Note that all three will be easier to carry out, and more successful, if you've taken the time to build a bit of a relationship with him, around things that have nothing to do with what you have hidden in your manila folders. See what common ground you can find. For example, maybe you both like dogs.
Upvotes: -1
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2016/02/10
| 976
| 4,372
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a mathematics grad student who is often the primary instructor for undergraduate courses, and I have been asked by one of my previous students to write a recommendation letter for [REUs](https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/), which are summer research programs for undergraduate students. This student was in a ``Introduction to Proofs'' course that I taught. I know that recommendation letters from grad students for grad school are looked upon poorly; is the same true for REUs? Applying for REUs is rather different than applying for grad school, so perhaps it is more accepted in this case.
If the best option for this student is to have me write the letter, what should a good letter from a grad student focus on? Since I don't have as extensive a teaching record as a professor I can't realistically compare them to other students I have had-- is it enough to talk about their excellent performance in the course I taught?
In case anyone is concerned about the student, I brought up the issue of me being a grad student when they asked for the letter, and after guidance from a faculty member they still think my letter is their best option (a professor is writing a letter as well). Of course, I'll ask someone at my institution for advice also.<issue_comment>username_1: I think that you have done all of the due diligence that is needed, and at this point should feel confident to write a letter on the student's behalf. The key things that I see in the situation are:
1. You've advised the student of your concern, and after due consideration they still wish to have you write. Even better, the have consulted with a professor as well, who seems to concur.
2. The student also has another letter from a professor.
As noted in the comments, a strong letter from a graduate student can often be much better than a weak letter from a professor. I have personal experience with this as well: even as a graduate student I wrote letters for undergraduates who had worked with me that appear to have helped them (or at least didn't prevent their application to various programs from succeeding). Moreover, since they also have a letter from a professor, they're not without faculty recommendation.
Finally, an REU is a much lower-stakes application than a Ph.D. program: the degree of commitment on the part of the hiring party is lower so they may be more willing to take risks, and if the student misses there are often many alternatives for getting research experience in the same time period.
In sum: you've taken all the cautions you need to take, and can now go write a nice strong letter.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I am the project director for an NSF-funded REU program, so I will offer my thoughts on how the faculty reading applications for my program would respond.
Overall, we will not take letters from graduate students very seriously when considering students for admission. The basic problem is that few graduate students have the perspective to judge an undergraduate's potential to do research. When I look back to my own time in graduate school, I know that I would not have done a particularly good job evaluating undergraduates' relevant skills.
While a letter from a graduate student would be essentially worthless when a student is applying to graduate school, an REU program is a more relaxed and lower stakes admission process. So getting a letter from a graduate student would not necessarily doom an application. If I received such a letter, I would write back promptly to the applicant asking for another letter from a faculty member. If we did not receive a replacement letter from a professor, we would not rule the application out automatically, but it would have to be very strong otherwise to make the cut (and students who are very strong applicants would often have little trouble getting a good faculty letter to begin with).
Other programs may be more willing to accept at least one letter from a graduate student, so if you feel that you have adequately warned the student about the risks in having you as a recommender, you may want to go ahead and write the letter. However, you should definitely look at the admission requirements for the specific REU programs; if they specifically ask for faculty letters, I would suggest that you decline to write.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2016/02/10
| 1,018
| 3,674
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<issue_start>username_0: I'd like to learn how to write scientific papers in medicine. I saw searching on google that there are many books regarding scientific writing but reading reviews it seems they are more oriented to editors that to writers. Is there a sort of reference which focus on grammar aspects or conventions about writing style that is suitable for a beginner? I'm a non english native speaker<issue_comment>username_1: You are looking for something like this one? [English for Writing Research Papers](https://www.springer.com/us/book/9781441979216). There is a series of books by [<NAME>](https://wordery.com/adrian-wallwork-author) on English usage in science, or a book by [<NAME>](https://wordery.com/science-research-writing-for-non-native-speakers-of-english-hilary-glasman-deal-9781848163102). Anothers are [A Scientific Approach to Scientific Writing](https://wordery.com/a-scientific-approach-to-scientific-writing-john-blackwell-9781441997876) or [Introduction to Scientific Publishing](http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-642-38646-6). Just don't read them all.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For medical article writing the must have is the [AMA Manual of Style](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0195176332) which covers all the nuts and bolts on the logistics, from how to format to how to deal with conflict between authors.
If your work involves more laboratory experiments, then [Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0071345442) will be helpful. It focuses more on the reporting of methods and results, describing charts and tables, etc.
Also, do know that pretty much every single type of research designs has an associated "reporting guideline." The most famous one are [CONSORT](http://www.consort-statement.org/) for randomized controlled trials and [STROBE](http://www.strobe-statement.org/) for observational studies. You can find the collection on [this website](http://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/). These guidelines do not just lend more rigor to your work, but also serve as an excellent scaffolding for your articles.
You'll also need to keep in touch with current publications. Most publishers and database like [PubMed](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) allow users to build customized notifications so that when a potentially interesting article comes out you'll be notified.
There are other books on the actual writing and those suggested by username_1 are quite good. The more general writing books that I'd recommend are [Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0205747469) by Williams and [Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0199760241) by Schimel. Both are heavy on structure and rhetoric, I learned a lot on how to structure a sentence to achieve the desirable effect from these two titles.
Motivation wise, Johnson's [Write to the Top!](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1403977437) is quite inspiring. Zinsser's [On Writing Well](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0060891548) is nearly therapeutic.
There is also another department on proper study design and application of statistics but I'm not going to further clutter this answer.
My general advice is: learn the art yourself and own it, try to avoid advice on writing that is overly dogmatic (e.g. You can only use passive voice, absolutely no "I" or "We".) Make time to write, no matter how short, make it a daily habit. And track your progress; things not tracked are harder to improve.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/10
| 451
| 1,794
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<issue_start>username_0: While I was doing my BSc in Applied Mathematics I took 5 electives that were part of the Data Science MSc program. Right now I am pursing a MSc in Computer Science at the same school and I'm taking two courses that are also part of the Data Science MSc. When I finish my master's program in a year, I will have also taken another two courses that are part of the Data Science program.
So, in total I will have taken 9 courses part of the Data Science program. Since the Data Science program has 11 courses in total, I was thinking on saying that during my BSc and MSc I took 9 out of 11 courses part of the Data Science master's program and list it something like the following (it wasn't actually at Harvard, it's just an example):
* 2014: Applied Mathemaics BSc
Harvard College, Cambridge, MA.
* 2017: Computer Science MSc
Harvard College, Cambridge, MA.
* Additional coursework: Data Science MSc
Harvard College, Cambridge, MA.
Took 9 out of 11 courses from the program (not officially enrolled).
Do you think it's okay to do it this way?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes it is a good idea to have them listed in the CV. But be brief as brief as possible and make sure you have acquired enough knowledge to face the questions on them during tough situations in interviews/presentations.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: You shouldn't. This is what your transcripts are for.
If you truly need to point out your data science experience, note briefly when you refer to your education, in the cover/application letter, that this information can be found there.
If you don't think your transcript reflects well enough to refer to, then mentioning the courses without a willingness to back that claim up, will come across as suspicious.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/10
| 345
| 1,475
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in PhD and about to change my name. I already have a number of publications.<issue_comment>username_1: If your paper has not been slated for publication yet, you can probably change your name on it. I would contact the editor about making the change immediately. Depending on the system the journal uses, this may simply require the editor to edit your name in single file; or it may entail quite a bit more work, so you want to given the editor and production staff as much time as possible to make the correction.
You will probably not need to provide proof that you have changed your name. Name changes are not particularly uncommon; they happen when people get married or divorced, and less frequently (but uncontroversially) for other reasons as well. If you have decided that it is definitely in your professional interest to change the name under which you publish, that is unquestionably your prerogative.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Consider keeping your (by now somewhat known) name as your name for publications and other scientific work. If *really* needed, add a note that you are now/also known by the new name.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Of course; there should be no problem. See the excellent [journal workflow diagram](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/55666/958) prepared by our fellow user Wrzlprmft: you have time until the final proofreading to notify the journal about the name change.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/10
| 652
| 2,872
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<issue_start>username_0: A friend of mine missed a deadline for applying for funding for a PhD positions.
Funding applications are handled through a different channel wrt to program applications (I believe by some Research Council committee, I do not know if internal or external to the University) and a separate (but almost identical) application was required.
My friend completed the programme application (CV, statements, referees etc.), but did not complete the funding application. The main reason is that a close family member was diagnosed with cancer in the week previous to the deadline, everything got a bit messed up and he/she missed the deadline.
Is it acceptable to do one of the following and which is the best course of action:
1) Submit the application past the deadline, period. Hope is that if the PhD position is awarded the missed deadline for funding might be overlooked.
2) Submit past the deadline with a motivation letter explaining the issues (possibly, attaching a medical certificate or offer to provide one if required).
3) Suck it up and eventually discuss funding options once position is awarded.
Specifically, is there any downside of running with 1) or 2) (e.g. it might bar 3) or look bad or look just like an excuse)?
Context is UK middle to top ranking econ departments.<issue_comment>username_1: Of your options, I can think of no reasons not to try option 2. The worst thing that happens is that they say no. Option 1 is probably not going to work unless the deadline was missed by less than a day.
What your friend should do/should have done is emailed the committee as soon as they reasonably could regarding their situation. I would imagine that informing the committee of their situation and asking for a small extension has the best chance of going over well. The longer they wait to turn in their application or contact the committee, the less likely they are to be accepted.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The generally correct answer is to contact the person in charge. They will be able to say what options remain.
If this is a national funding agency, chances are that you're out of luck. For example, our university has missed out on submitting proposals because a backhoe dug through the power cable of the building in which the people who upload grants to NSF sit, at 4:50pm when the deadline is at 5pm. The NSF says that it's the applicant's responsibility to ensure that a proposal is submitted in time. Similar things have happened for universities that got snowed in the day of submission.
On the other hand, if this is a smaller organization, or an on-campus office, that funds these positions, you may have better luck. In any case, *immediate* action is required. Once they have allocated the money to people with complete applications, the ship has left the port.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2016/02/10
| 434
| 1,935
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<issue_start>username_0: I want to cite an idea found in a journal accessed via the web and uploaded as a PDF file (or whatever mean). When I want to reference it at the end of my paper, should I cite it as if I've read the actual HARD copy of the journal article or just treat it as an electronic source and therefore, additionally insert the usual "Available from: url, viewed on..." stuff?<issue_comment>username_1: If you read and refer to the final version of the paper, cite it as if you had read the hard copy:
* I'd suspect the vast majority of journal articles only ever gets read in their digital form by people who cite them.
* A journal isn't less of a journal just because it appears as a digital edition.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Journals usually put their articles on-line (sometimes after some embargo period, or accessible only to subscribers/via subscribed institutions). What you get this way is *the exact same* document that was published, so online access or reading an actual paper copy is the same.
Often you find some sort of preprint at author's sites, or sites like [arXiv](http://arxiv.org), or even stashed away under "extra material" for some class elsewhere. I.e., typically the originally submitted version before the review process, or some other form of preliminary version. Some journals allow posting final versions. And how extensive any later reviews are is anybody's guess, some people write stuff that just goes through the process in one go, others will take several rounds of rewriting. So the "preprint" could be essentially the same as the final version, or totally different.
In my experience it is worthwhile to search for technical reports (specially if cited in the paper). With no hard page limit, you will often find detailed discussion, supporting data, and sometimes exploration of side venues, in them. This can be vital in really understanding the work.
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/10
| 1,515
| 6,633
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<issue_start>username_0: Many public scientific datasets are accompanied by a license, for example variations of Creative Commons are used quite often. However, in many cases public academic datasets lack any licensing information. Here are two examples:
At [PhosphoSite](http://www.phosphosite.org/homeAction.action) we find it is "created by Cell Signaling Technology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License", so permissions of usage are clear from the license.
[Here is an other dataset](http://www.cancer-systemsbiology.org/dataandsoftware.htm) where we don't see anything about licensing, not even a statement that the data is free to use for academic purposes. It only states that "can be downloaded", but what can I do after downloading? Can I redistribute it, modify it, sell it? From the context I suppose they intended their data for public use, they are happy if more people use it so they get more credits and citations. But this is just an assumption.
The copyright holder is clear in both cases, the permissions are missing in the second case.
I am wondering, if I write a software using this data, or I construct a more complex dataset including this data, what solutions are legally correct:
1: The software downloads the dataset at each user's own machine from the original source and processes it. However this is not always possible or not easy to implement.
2: Distribute a copy of the original dataset, or a modified version, with attribution to the original source. This is more problematic, I think, but I am not expert in law.
Asking for permission is an obvious solution, but in case of dozens of datasets, it is a tedious and long process to contact all the copyright holders, and wait for their responses. Also, some datasets are supplements of published papers. In this case, if the journal has a license, e.g. Nucleic Acids Research is published under Creative Commons, is this valid for these datasets?<issue_comment>username_1: Copyright law says that the creator of a work is allowed to retain *all* rights of use of said work, period. Unless the owner of the copyright *explicitly* allows some use (e.g., reading, copying, translating, ...) nobody is allowed to do so. The fancy, legalese word for "allowing" is license. There are some subtleties with data collections, like what you describe, but as far as this non-lawyer understands, nothing that makes a difference here.
If the data is "supporting data for a published paper", the publisher presumably has secured copyright (or some form of license) on the paper itself to publish it, they probably did not secure rights on the supporting data.
So, in short: they (implicitly) give the permission to download, but ***nothing else***. Yes, less than useful. Sure, it is extremely unlikely that they'll turn around and sue you for copyright violation for reading the data or doing some other *personal* use of it. But in theory, they could. What the court would make of such a suit is anybody's guess.
Unless you get a clear statement from the collector of the data, you aren't allowed to use it. You must contact the owners of data and ask for permission.
You might want to look at some data collection licenses, like the [Open Data Commons Open Database License](http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl) .
Please note that licenses like the Creative Commons set or open source licenses are a poor fit for data. Check them out, and suggest the data owners to explicitly license their data under a permissive licence.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: This may vary by country, but in the US at least, the default terms (if no alternative is specified) are "all rights reserved", which means that you are not allowed to [reproduce the work (the dataset), prepare derivative works from it, sell/rent/lease it, or publicly perform or display it](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/106). In particular, redistributing it to others is not allowed. In practice, the authors may be fine with it, but legally speaking, you're not allowed to redistribute the dataset in the form it was published in, without having explicit permission (which could be provided by a Creative Commons license, for example).
If you wanted to reproduce the dataset in a different form that conveys the same information, that may or may not be allowed. It would be up to a court to decide whether that counts as a derivative work or just a use of the underlying ideas, and a copyright lawyer could advise you better on whether your desired use is legally acceptable.
You *are* allowed to read the published dataset and use the ideas contained within it (i.e. the data) to draw conclusions. Copyright law does not allow for the restriction of those rights. I think doing an analysis on the data and publishing the results of that analysis (but not the data itself), as you would do in the process of writing a paper, is generally considered to be fine.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Also, talking from the point of view of the US. Not quite familiar with other countries.
Generally, data are not covered by copyright, they are not creative expression. You cannot copyright the fact that the temperature in this room at this moment is 32. It is just a fact, it is not creative. Yes, the creation of datasets can take a lot of work, but copyright does not protect hard work, it protects creative expression. In some cases, datasets can be creative. For example, if your research data is photographs, these photographs will probably be covered by copyright. Or if you compile data in an original creative way, this could be copyrighted. Still, what copyright would protect is the compilation strategy, not the data itself.
Scientists and data creators have other options to protect their datasets that are not copyright law. I believe that you can patent datasets, for example.
If a dataset is publicly available and it contains just facts and not creative work, then it is in the public domain. You can redistribute and make derivatives as you like. You are not legally obliged to give attribution. However, in the academic world you are expected to give attribution, it does not matter if the dataset is in the public domain. If you don't give attribution, using the dataset may be considered plagiarism. Plagiarism is research misconduct, and you may get in trouble.
This is a good question to ask to a librarian in an academic library. Many of them have data management specialists or copyright specialists that will know how to answer these questions.
Upvotes: 3
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2016/02/10
| 644
| 2,539
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<issue_start>username_0: After an on-site interview, should I seek reimbursement for meal expenses that occurred to and fro the interview? They did give me a expense report so I know it is legit to fill it out but just not sure if this would give a bad impression.<issue_comment>username_1: Some universities in the US base their reimbursement policies on the [US Government policies](http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104208#14):
>
> On the first and last travel day, Federal employees are only eligible for 75 percent of the total M&IE rate
>
>
>
A conservative approach is to ask for reimbursements for expenses while in the city of the interview. For example, I would not ask for reimbursement for taxi fare from your home/work to the airport or a meal eaten at the airport prior to departing for the interview. I would ask for taxi fare from the airport to the hotel and any meals eaten after you arrive. Similarly, on the return, I would ask for taxi fare from the hotel to the airport, but not from the airport to your home.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I think it's pretty standard that "travel expenses" include all meals purchased from the time you leave home until your return.
Some institutions do meal reimbursement on a "per diem" basis, where you get a flat amount per day for meals, regardless of how much you actually spend. In some cases there is a slightly lower rate for the first and last day of your journey, reflecting the fact that you might have been at home for part of those days.
If you are unsure, you might get in touch with the administrative person in the department who handles travel reimbursements and ask them about their policies. This person is typically not involved with the hiring process, so there's no need to worry about making a bad impression.
Side comment: You are probably worrying about this a bit more than you need to. If you're on the job market, this is probably one of the first times you've had people paying your travel expenses, and it's normal to be a little sensitive about that. But paying travel expenses is a very standard part of academic life, and for the most part, the people paying for you are not going to notice these sort of financial details or let them affect their perception of you. It's just an academic chore for them, and it isn't their personal money you're spending! Just use your own best judgment, and unless you do something outrageous, like asking to be reimbursed for strippers and champagne, you'll be fine.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
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2016/02/11
| 1,536
| 6,935
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<issue_start>username_0: I have completed (my first) manuscript, which falls well within the scope of a particular journal.
However, a member of that journal's editorial board (or, to be precise, the editor's student) is aggressively advancing a model that, if valid, would essentially negate much of my work. At this time, the evidence for both competing models remains circumstantial, with the bulk of publications (but not quite a consensus) currently favouring my approach.
Of the individuals on that journal's editorial board, this editor works in the subdiscipline closest to mine, so my concern is that this person would be, from the journal's perspective, the most logical choice for my submission.
Is my unease over the possibility of editorial bias warranted?
What would be the most appropriate course of action in this case?
---
*(Another potentially relevant note/complication: The work in which the editor is advancing this competing model is unpublished, and I am aware of it only because of word from colleagues. I received substantial evidence that the unpublished work exists; this is not based on hearsay. I note this because it makes it impossible to point out the potential for bias or a competing interest by referring to the extant corpus of literature.)*<issue_comment>username_1: Science progresses through the exchange of ideas and theories, the testing of those, and eventually the falsification of some and repeated confirmation of others. I think most scientists understand this process and that sometimes there are competing explanations for an effect that, absent conclusive evidence, are all valid descriptions and worthy of publication. Most scientists will also understand that these observations are true even in areas they themselves work in.
I have no reason to a priori believe that this would be different (i) for your particular field, (ii) for the particular member of the editorial board. In other words, I would give it a try. Alternatively, you can always contact the editor in chief of the journal, or maybe even the editor in question, and simply *ask* whether your paper would be welcome there. Their answer will already give you a good idea how they would perceive a possible submission of your work.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Many journals will allow you to suggest a handling editor, and pretty much every journal will allow you to specify reviewers that you believe should *not* review your paper due to conflict of interest. This is an appropriate situation to invoke these options.
Depending on the particular forms the journal uses for submission, the right place to put an explanation of your concern may be either the submission forms or the cover letter. You do not need to go into much detail, simply saying:
>
> "Editor X's student is working on a competing model, so I am concerned about bias."
>
>
>
If you are dealing with an honorable journal, that should be enough: this is an entirely normal and reasonable concern you should not have to back this up with published evidence (people understand that scientists talk, pre-publication), nor do you need to denigrate the character of Editor X in any way. They have many editors for a reason, and many possible reviewers they can draw from as well, and every good scientist understands that it's usually better to be safe than sorry when it comes to dealing with conflict of interest concerns.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I wish this were not true, but to be quite honest, two important things to consider are how competitive your field is and how detrimental your work will be for the editor (or their student). I had a similar case, where I am quite sure who my reviewer was. I was also aware that they were trying to publish a paper that would lose a lot of "umph" after my paper got published. This reviewer kept recommending that I revise my paper, long after the other reviewer accepted it...until theirs was published. They accepted it immediately after.
However, in your case, it's not entirely clear that the editor has much to lose if you publish your paper. Yes, they have a model that directly competes with your model. But as you describe it, I believe your model is already accepted by the general community. So the publishing of your paper does not put them in a more difficult spot than they already are in. They may have a bias against your model, given their work is evidence against it, but as the **editor**, it is more difficult to reject your work; they are merely supposed to digest the reviewer's opinions (assuming they see it fit for review) and make their decision off that. Technically, they could reject your paper despite two accepts from the reviewer, but this would raise a lot of eyebrows. You could lose out on corner cases though (i.e. revise and resubmit + reject = reject in the editor's eyes, rather than revise and resubmit).
If there's another journal of equivalent reputation and correct subject area, you might try that first to avoid potential editor bias hurting you on the corner cases. But if it's a decision between that journal or one with the wrong subject matter/significantly lower reputation, I would venture to try that journal first unless you believe the editor has a lot to lose from you publishing your paper.
**EDIT**: other answers note that you could request a different editor, which is true. *Personally*, I would be slightly hesitant to do so. My reasoning is that by stating "I don't want X to review my work" is equivalent to saying "I'm quite certain that X will reject my work". Therefore, I would worry that this could be read the wrong way by whomever was assigned my submission (although this should be of little concern for a solid paper). With that in mind, I've never been an editor and I'm genuinely curious what experienced editors think of such requests.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: For society journals in my field, it is common to select up to 3 editors, to suggest reviewers, and to exclude reviewers. The "editors" are typically distinct from the "editorial board"; the former is the small group that decide on the manuscript, and the latter is the large group that conduct many/most of the reviews.
A typical reason to exclude a reviewer is "direct competitor", which sounds appropriate in this case, and you should be able to exclude up to ~3 individuals (editors or reviewers) without any issue--as long as there remain high-level experts to review the manuscript.
If there is an editorial board as I described, in which the main reviewers are known, then you should make an effort to suggest reviewers from this board. This should provide assurance to the assigned editor that a fair review is attainable. If this journal does not publicize reviewers, then in your letter you might take extra effort to suggest some reviewers who are highly-regarded, key figures in the field.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/11
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<issue_start>username_0: Should I ask my teacher before using software of speech-to-text in classes ? The software in question does not record (the audio) at all, just "hear" the input and output text.
What about using it in conferences and lectures ? And is it OK to share this with other students ? I'm more worried about legal issues than anything else (European Union and U.S jurisdictions).<issue_comment>username_1: I think that you should indeed ask. Depending on your country / institution normally either the lecturer or the University owns the copyright to the oral presentation, and I suspect it is immaterial whether you record his voice signal or the spoken words.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes.
It is always polite to ask anyone for permission before acting towards them in a way that clearly differs from what is generally taken as the norm.
I'm curious what you see as the argument against doing so, given you ask about etiquette.
Upvotes: 3
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2016/02/11
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<issue_start>username_0: I've just received an offer to write a chapter for a book that will be published with an important publisher. I was about to say yes, because the topic fits with my dissertation topic and I thought I could use it for my paper-based dissertation, but a colleague told me that a chapter in a book may not be considered for a paper-based dissertation. What was your experience? Do you know anything about it?
**Update:** Finally my Uni will accept a book chapter as part of my paper-based dissertation. I had to argue that even though it was a book and not a journal, the chapter (actually the whole book) will be reviewed by at least two reviewers. Thanks for your answers!<issue_comment>username_1: Such rules differ from university to university and department to department. So you need to ask the persons responsible for determining whether or not you fulfilled the requirements.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: While regulations may differ from place to place, I find it highly unsurprising that a book chapter would not "count" for a paper-based dissertation. The reason is that book chapters are typically peer reviewed lightly, if at all.
As such, if your dissertation requirement is effectively "N peer-reviewed papers," then this book chapter is highly unlikely to be peer-reviewed in a manner consistent with the expectations of the university. Just in the same way, your professors would probably not count a paper in a predatory journal as helping to meet your dissertation requirements.
Note, however, that this doesn't mean you should not write the chapter, if it is a good publisher and a work you would like to create. Book chapters can be a good way to organize your thoughts and put together reviews, and in some cases can actually be quite highly cited. Likewise, the text from the chapter may turn out to be useful as part of your dissertation (depending on university regulations about copyright and theses, of course). It's just that it's probably not a peer-reviewed publication and will thus likely not count toward the number of such that you need for your dissertation.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: As the other answers say, the definitive source has to be your university, but...
I can imagine that a book chapter may not count towards the number of papers, because book chapters do not necessarily include original research, but may just be a review of existing literature. In other words, you might write a review paper that makes a perfect book chapter, but that you would have trouble publishing in a good journal, because it doesn't contain enough original research.
I think that the rationale for "staple theses" is that someone has done enough *original research* to be awarded a PhD, and for this papers are a much better indicator than book chapters.
Upvotes: 3
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2016/02/11
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<issue_start>username_0: I have written a paper in my own language. Is it right to write it in my CV as a published paper?<issue_comment>username_1: If you have published a paper, you should include it in your CV. It does not matter what language the paper is in.
For the aid of people who do not speak the language, however, you may wish to include a translation of the paper title as a note, e.g.,:
>
> <NAME>, *Commentarii de Bello Gallico [Commentaries on the Gallic war]*, Caesar House Press, 49 BC, (in Latin)
>
>
>
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Of course you should. It is well known that the best journals are in English but there are others that can be not bad and they are not necessarily written in English.
In South America there are a couple of journals that are not on the top ten, but maybe on the second quartile and they have articles both in English and Spanish.
Also, you worked on that paper so this may not add a lot to your cv but it is better than nothing! :)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You should, if you consider this work worth mentioning. Interestingly, this could trigger the curiosity of the reader, with if often nice when people receive hundredth of resumes.
If you "have had a 20 min talk about it", I guess it could be at a conference. It could be tagged for instance with "National conference" (if it was indeed national), and the title translated as suggested by @username_1.
However, international conferences exist in other languages than English, so it could be an international conference, and you should mention that, to help the reader evaluate the context of publication.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/11
| 260
| 1,073
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<issue_start>username_0: I had sent a paper for a conference and it was accepted recently. I am wondering under which title I should mention it in my CV? Since it will be published in April so I can't use the title "publication", so which title should I use?<issue_comment>username_1: For papers that have been accepted, but not yet published, it is common to mention them as "accepted for publication". This is similar for journals and conferences.
So in your case, you could mention the paper under a section titled "accepted for publication", or you could add this information at the end of the paper entry:
>
> * author name, paper title, conference name, year (accepted for publication).
>
>
>
Another option is, as mentioned by @David Ketcheson, to list such papers as "in press".
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I wouldn't even bother to make the distinction: The paper is in, the conference date is known--especially if you make it a habit to list the month and year. List it the exact same way as if the conference had been two months ago.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/11
| 802
| 3,195
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm writing an acknowledgment for my thesis. I looked at several written acknowledgments and realized that the people who are acknowledged are addressed by "you" rather than "He/She". For example,
"I'm thankful to Dr. Marry. You have been the weekly contact ...."
But I personally prefer to address them in a 3rd person format saying "She has been the weekly contact".
I'm wondering if my preference is wrong and not common.<issue_comment>username_1: Over the last couple of months, I have "read" plenty of PhD theses, and almost all exclusively used a 3rd person format, e.g. you might say
```
I am thankful to Dr. Marry for being my weekly contact ...
```
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I'd go (and did go) with the 3rd person format, for a simple reason: It's not a letter to that one person, nor a (handwritten) dedication/signed copy of a thesis. Instead it is something that is printed and which is (hopefully) read by more than this one person.
So you **talk to a broad audience *about* that person**, hence **3rd person**. Only if it were a handwritten, **personal** message in one particular copy, I would ever go with "you".
(Another exception could be a dedication. In contrast to the acknowledgements the dedication is more specific and -- usually -- to one person or specific group of people, like family. In this case 'you' might also make sense, because here you address them personally.)
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: In my thesis I made an acknowledgement infographics. The logic was simply that nobody wants to read a dry acknowledgement page, so the best way to thank them is to make people want to read the page. In fact my thesis was often taken out of the shelf in my PhD department solely to look at it.
EDIT: [here it is](http://blog.matteoferla.com/2015/07/acknowledgement-infographic.html).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I will offer a contrary opinion: thesis acknowledgements are generally yours with which to do whatever you wish, within reason. If you prefer second person, this is the one piece of scientific writing where you can definitely get away with it. If you want to write it in a sonnet, that's OK too.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I advocate for a mixed approach. In my thesis acknowledgements, each individual was initially introduced in the third person, essentially for the reasons username_2 has mentioned above. The goal is for the Acknowledgements section to be read by more people than just the ones you are acknowledging.
However, for a proper subset of the acknowledged individuals, namely those I wanted to highlight, I included short personal messages in the second person. The goal was to highlight these individuals, break the monotony of just listing names, and inject something personal and heartfelt into the text.
Here is an example:
>
> I am deeply indebted to Professor Dumbledore for his constant and genuine
> support of all his students. I would not be where I am today without
> him. Albus, I miss you every day.
>
>
>
The actual acknowledgements I wrote can be found on my website (within my thesis) if you're interested.
Upvotes: 3
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2016/02/11
| 1,114
| 4,526
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a first year student and twice now I have been unable to finish all the problems during the exam, which had never happened before I became a PhD student. And to be fair, even if I had been writing without stop, I might still have failed to finish the exam questions. Is this common? I believe my professors are trying to push us beyond the limit, but it is frustrating.
P.S. I'm not complaining, I just try to cope with it with right attitude.<issue_comment>username_1: This is completely dependent on the course and instructor.
Yes, I have taken exams where it definitely wasn't possible for anyone to finish. The professors either gave us more time or only graded the problems we attempted.
**Talk** to the instructor about your concerns!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I failed to finish my Master comprehensive exams. None of my cohorts did either. No one in previous or subsequent classes did either. It was not a good feeling, but I passed. It may be normal and expected.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I think it really depends. On the one hand, I've never personally had that issue. On the other, I know there every single first year student taking a particular stats course at my university this quarter who have yet to be able to finish one of the professor's tests. I definitely agree that if you're having concerns, that you talk to your professor. They may be able to better tell you if that's normal or not for their classes.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> I'm a first year student and it has been the second time I can't finish all problems during the exam, which had never happened before I became a PhD student.
> I believe my professors are trying to push us beyond the limit, but frustrations come with it.
>
>
>
As others said, this is common and you shouldn't worry about it. Especially if this is a PhD-level course (as seems implicit, though I'm not sure).
But generally, to thrive in a PhD you'll need to tolerate setbacks better than you seem to be doing — they'll be normal, simply because being a PhD is harder (and *must* be). In non-graduate school you face carefully restricted problems that you should be able to solve — in a sense, if you can always finish an exam, it means the exam was too easy for you. Instead, a researcher pushes the boundary of human knowledge; while advisors help pick problems that are approachable, they'll still be hard.
So "feeling stupid" for no good reason is a common danger — almost an *occupational disease*, called **impostor syndrome**, common among PhD students and other professions. If you read up a bit on it, IMHO you should see you shouldn't be frustrated at not finishing an exam.
BTW, I'm not implying at all that you actually suffer from it; I've seen it a lot, on myself too, so if anything I'm biased to mention it too often ;-).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Some courses even have exams in which you are only supposed to be able to solve a certain percentage of questions (and this percentage suffices for full marks). There is a name for this in German - "Auswahlklausur". This fact is generally announced before the actual exam, though.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Depending on the situation and the exam designer, it may well be that to "finish all the questions" is to prove oneself exceptional, at least in quickness and/or cleverness. The idea, which I don't necessarily endorse, is that it is worthwhile to give "impossible" exams, to give exceptional individuals the chance to show how far they transcend the merely-very-able, or something like that. So, instead of being a diagnostic of whether students have picked up the usual, standard ideas, such exams may pretend/aim to be detecting "geniuses". Based on observation, facility with timed exams is not a bad thing at all, but it is of limited significance in the larger scheme of things (where, for example, there is no real time limit...)
So, you have discovered that you are not ultra-fast in getting what you know onto paper. Doesn't matter much.
... tho', still, being fast is generally a good thing, if it is combined with competence. In fact, sometimes very-quick people are misled by their own successes in exams on low-level material, that is, thinking that quickness and cleverness is all there is, and not believing that the vast accumulated technique is of much significance in the face of that quickness and cleverness. (I think that is an unfortunate error of perception.)
Upvotes: 3
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2016/02/11
| 691
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<issue_start>username_0: I am currently writing a PhD grant application, and I completed the first draft. The project is ambitious, but I and my advisors think feasible, but my advisors told me that it is quite dense and could be daunting for the grant reviewers, who may label it as **unrealistic** (which is a criterion of admission) and thus they may **reject** it.
I have no problem in working on simplifying my research project's description to make it more concise and readable, but my advisors suggested to strip half of the project, in order to raise the chances for it to be accepted. But they told me that of course, I can do the rest of the project too with the grant I will get, I just shouldn't mention that in the application.
Is it ethical and honest to "sell" a research project based on only **half** of its description and goals? Not only that, but also the logical reasoning and the bigger goal get totally lost, so are these worth losing against displaying a more realistic target? To me, it seems like reasoning that *the end justifies the means*...
I should mention that almost all the ideas for the research project are mine (the advisors helped me with naming the methods I will use, but the concepts, bibliography and goals are my own), and I was really motivated by the original whole project.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, of course this should not be a problem. The funding agencies want to see projects that are on a realistic scale. If it will probably not be possible for you to achieve your main goals, given the time and money allotted to the project, that certainly makes it seem like a poor investment. Conversely, the funders know that if you reach your projected goals early, you are going to use the remainder of your funding to extend the research further. So you should try to set achievable goals in your proposal, but if you manage to exceed them, nobody is going to be unhappy.
Naturally, cutting major tasks out of your proposal is going to require some rethinking of the justification. If the projects you think do have time to complete are less interesting by themselves than the later projects you will need to cut, they you still need to explain why they are important stepping stones toward the ultimately most important work (even if you won't be getting to that work yet). It can be subtle to get this right, but think you would be wise to trust your advisor's judgement about how much to include in your proposal.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Consider the inverse situation (exaggerated for the sake of the argument):
You propose a project that you know is unrealistic. The grant agency hypothetically approves your project, and the project runs out of money before any interesting findings are made.
In this case, I can see an ethical issue, since the project was "sold" (as you say) with a larger promise than what could be delivered. By contrast, I see no ethical problem with "underpromising" and "overdelivering".
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/11
| 1,070
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<issue_start>username_0: Some of the work I grade does not seem to be copied verbatim, but also seems close enough that one student or another is being a parrot and does not totally understood what they are saying. My students are working under a collaboration policy similar to the example on [this page](http://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/grading-intro/before-you-grade/policies/#physics), which says "Peer collaboration is highly encouraged. It is a highly efficient and fun way to learn [statistics]. However, your homework must be entirely your own work and in your own words." If Alice and Bob discuss problem 3, shouldn't I expect Alice's words, mathematical notation, and problem-solving strategies to appear in Bob's writeup? Please advise me on how to reconcile "collaboration is great etc." with "homework must be entirely your own work."
I have browsed all the other questions tagged `grading` and a few besides; none seemed relevant.<issue_comment>username_1: That is why I have a rule that for each homework a group of students is selected "at random", and asked by the TA to explain what they turned in. The grade of the interrogation replaces the homework grade.
Rationale is that I really don't care (too much) if they copied from the Internet, got it in an obscure book somewhere, or worked it out in a group. I want them to *understand*, and this forces them to at least be somewhat familiar with the solution they hand in.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This is one of the reasons that for certain assignments I have been moving slowly away from grading homework individually to grading on completion and posting solutions and/or having students discuss answers in groups in class (that will be different from the ones they may have worked on the homework with). As username_1 notes, the idea isn't so much for them to get the solution, but to *understand* the solution. If they just copy it without understanding, they may get some credit on the homework, but they'll bomb other forms of assessment that are more heavily weighted.
But if you really want to encourage collaboration while making it clear that work needs to be done individually you could specifically design the assignments around that idea. Each assignment could have collaboration-friendly questions and individual-oriented ones. The instructions could then say something to the effect of "You may / are encouraged to work with a partner on questions 1-3. Then do questions 4 and 5 on your own. If you check your work with your partner afterwards, please make corrections in a different color ink". This would codify the final two steps of the *me, we, y'all, you* progression in the one assignment and would still allow for them to check their work before handing it in and help them visualize missteps so they can avoid them down the road.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: It really depends on the nature of the work and the established guidelines for grading that type of work. If it's a class of physicists in graduate school who are expected to find solutions to complex problems and collaboration is expected in determining the missing pieces to the puzzle, then there really can't be any serious expectation of wildly different proofs. If their collaboration failed on a problem because everyone counted on one member's interpretation, then it will be obvious that their collaboration was ineffective and none of them deserve all of the points for that question. Some members may choose not to collaborate and be better or worse for it. But, based on how you've presented this, it would seem it's just a matter of whether the answers are correct or not.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: As a grader, if not otherwise constrained by the lecturer for the course, you should be free to assign marks based on how much you feel the student **understood** and conveyed accurately the solution. In almost all pieces of written homework I've seen so far (mathematics), it has been easy to distinguish between those written by students who understand and those by students who don't. Especially those who copy tend to make serious logical errors elsewhere.
I am particularly strict with omission of key deductive steps when solutions to other problems show incompetency. Accordingly, you can give the bare minimum marks possible, marks which you are **certain** that the student **deserves**. And then you can tell students that if they feel they deserve more marks they are welcome to come and see you to explain their solution in person. By doing so, you simultaneously provide **unbiased** grading but the face-to-face interview for those who dispute the initial grade allows you to judge more accurately the deserved grade. Usually the students who do not deserve more marks will not be so daring to come and pester you.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/02/12
| 602
| 2,648
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<issue_start>username_0: I've been gearing up to apply to grad school for some time now. Switching fields, working full time and other considerations mean that I keep pushing back my goal of applying. I have been strengthening my qualifications (small publication, open source work, git hub), but I still haven't applied.
I just ran across an interesting program that has the deadline date of March 15th. I'm tempted to just try and to get everything together in a month. I'm worried about being sloppy, or there not being any room in the program at this late date.
Is there any disadvantage to applying this late? Would it be more prudent to wait for fall, continue to work through the spring on improving and apply then?<issue_comment>username_1: If you apply before the deadline, then I wouldn't consider it *late*.
Depending on the university and department, they might not review applications until after the deadline or they might review them as they come. So long as you make that deadline though, it should be fine! You may find [this](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/14342/746) question helpful regarding the benefits of applying *early*.
I would certainly encourage you to apply now if you can. On a side note, I applied *after* my university's deadline and was still admitted but don't do that :)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If there are some documents/requisites you won't have on hand in a (reasonably) timely manner (ask them if they can give you some leeway!), better concentrate on putting all your ducks in row and apply next term/year.
Committees tend to get many more applications than places available, *any* excuse to weed out an application could be welcome to some... besides, an incomplete application just looks bad. So the applicant can't even get the complete application together, who says they won't run off after the next shiny program that comes to their attention?
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: The web-based application process will sometimes allow you to continue to attach supporting documentation even after application submission. For programs that select candidates over time instead of in batches, this may be beneficial: as long as you submitted and paid for the application *by* the deadline, you can still add the supporting documentation within reason before or after the deadline. Keep in mind they won't consider your application package until all the checkmarks can be made, and you should certainly contact program admissions ASAP and let them know your situation, and see what they have to say.
**Note**: Funding can depend heavily on your timely submissions.
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/12
| 951
| 4,305
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm submitting a paper to a CS conference, where I've just got the feedback from my professor. He wants to delete the few lines citing the implementation libraries such as sk-learn as well as more specialized libraries (3 in total). He feels that the lines don't fit in (which I kinda agree with) and that they make it look more like I just "plug n' played" without doing real research. On the other hand, I feel that the authors of these libraries should get some recognition for their hard work.
What is the general feeling towards not citing the libraries used? Would you advise me to discuss this with my professor or just delete the citations?
**-- Edit --**
It should be noted that the contribution is substantial and I definitely deem it good enough to be published. I just haven't done that much coding of new methods, but instead found interesting insights on important datasets using known methods.<issue_comment>username_1: You have to clarify to yourself whether you "plug n'played" or did a real contribution. Hiding the contribution of others because it diminishes your own to a level where it's questionable were not only unethical in itself, it also would have the smell of plagiarism (because one would insinuate that one did all the work in the paper which is not cited by oneself).
You are very correct to be concerned about that. If your work is sufficiently good/substantial to be published, it is sufficiently good/substantial even if all external tools used are mentioned. That being said, you could, in the paper, make clear what your contribution is and why it is nontrivial.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I agree with username_1 that important contributions from others should be made visible -- for ethical reasons and to make it easier for others to reproduce your research. However, it is very reasonable to restrict this to libraries which are "critical" in the sense that your work strongly depends on them, you cannot find easy replacements (i.e. it is not bread-and-butter stuff like an FFT), and they are not universally available on each and every system (no need to list the contents of /usr/lib).
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: You say he feels "... that they make it look more like I just "plug n' played" without doing real research. "
Well, which one is it? Did you do real research or didn't you? If you did do real research then citing the libraries is perfectly fine. And it is important, because I might read next month that there are some serious bugs in a library making it output incorrect results, and then I would correctly know that your research may be based on incorrect results - that's bad luck for you, but obviously in the interest of science.
Or you didn't do real research. In that case if not mentioning the libraries changes peoples view of your work, then using the libraries and not citing them is very, very close to plagiarism.
Either way, I strongly believe that you should cite which specialised code related to the subject and written by others you are using, just like you would cite a research paper that suggests the methods implemented by these libraries, if you did the programming work yourself based on the paper.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: There is a special place in hell for people who do not appropriately cite the resources they have used for their research -- whether it be publications by others, or software that others have spent their careers writing. Not citing others whose work you build on deprives them of their due recognition in the community, promotions, pay raises, and everything else we strive for as scientists.
The criterion should be: If you had built a theoretical framework that critically depends on another publication, then you would cite the latter. If you built a software for your research that critically depends on other people's libraries, then you should cite it as well. On the other hand, if you use someone's function to compute a checksum for some algorithm sending data across the internet, and the paper has nothing to do with the specifics of the communication (and everything would also run if you did not have a checksum to begin with), then there is no need to cite the author of that function.
Upvotes: 3
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| 1,347
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<issue_start>username_0: In my country, Egypt, some well-known institutes offer PhD degrees. I want to apply for a PhD program in biostatistics for which I will certainly pay a lot of money.
How much would such a program increase my chances of joining academia in the USA or Europe?
---
EDIT: The OP didn't specify, and possibly doesn't know, whether the university in question is a [diploma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diploma_mill) [mill](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8681/what-is-a-diploma-mill). To keep the question open, please assume that it is *not;* i.e., assume that the university is legit. If anyone is interested in whether it's worth obtaining a non-legit degree I recommend [starting a new question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/ask). If the OP wishes to clarify later on he should simply remove this note.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think it's possible to give an answer in the abstract. In general I wouldn't recommend paying a lot for a Ph.D. program anywhere, but it depends on how much they charge and how much money you have. Ph.D. programs in developing countries vary enormously in quality and reputation, and how useful they would be for getting an academic job in the U.S. or Europe varies accordingly.
However, you can try to estimate this for the programs you care about. The key question is how many Ph.D. recipients from these programs get jobs you would like. Typically you can find lists of former students on a potential advisor's website, and some web searches will reveal what became of them. (If you can't find any information on someone online, then they probably didn't get an academic job.) If very few former students have jobs you would like, then that's a bad sign, while it's a good sign if many of them do. Of course there are no guarantees either way, but this will give some context for how plausible different outcomes are.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I Have two friends who had a similar situation. Here my take on a middle eastern student and a PhD:
1. **"Money Talks" Route**: In most cases you will find a supervisor in an institute that take a student who pays for his/her PhD. If the supervisor is good for you, or you are good for the supervisor's research group is another question; and in fact not the focus here. The fact is that you paid your way into the institute. The outcome here might be a PhD degree however you will not get that much out of it in my opinion; because for example, here in the UK you will spend around 60,000 Pounds for three years of a Ph.D program plus the cost of living, where other students are doing them for free.
2. **Political Scene In Middle East**: Lets be clear here, middle east is filled with incompetent governments, where at any moment, a war might get started. I wouldn't recommend anyone to be a researcher over there, as there is no peace of mind, and priorities for the governments are something else than funding research.
3. **Language Of Research**: The language of research is English. You should learn fluent English to read and write (the harder part). If you do a research in a non English speaking country, like in Egypt, how you would communicate to the world? I see many researchers with very bad English in conferences which is a shame.
**Conclusion**: Take your time and find a PhD in a developed country for a better personal and professional future. If necessary, pay for your PhD program, however somewhere that is worth paying.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: If your aim is to join academia in the US or Europe, it would be easiest for you to apply for a PhD there directly, since the competition is less for a PhD position than for say a postdoc.
However, if you are genuinely interested in your field of research and join a good Egyptian group that makes sure you publish quality work, your chances for future employment are not negligible. I guess it must not be easy for a student to judge of the quality of senior researchers. My best tip would be to find a mentor at your university or elsewhere that can help you with that.
You could even contact professors abroad and ask their opinions about this or that group (be diplomatic).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: To be honest, I think that regardless of where you do your PhD, if you are an outstanding student your peer reviewed journal publications will show that. They are a sort of Universal standard, which illustrate your scientific capability. If you can convince world leaders in a field that you are good enough, most universities will want to take you. However, this means that you will be likely to get a postdoctoral fellowship, although you will probably get a lower salary than your native peers, which may be annoying for you. To progress beyond being a research fellow is the difficult part. Only 1% in the UK of applicants make it beyond this point, native or foreign. So you would have to be exceptional. If you are considering a career in academia you probably know all of this anyway, but I thought I would share my thoughts on it anyway.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: Whether a phd is worth the money and effort depends on what your motivations are for doing one.
I certainly knew people who did many years of post graduate studies because they did not want a job. Well worth it for them.
If you simply want to work at a university then getting a degree and then taking a teaching position may be a better bet.
Depends on the field and institution but often teaching is the literal last thing anyone wants to do.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I did three years of my four year undergraduate degree in the UK. I want to do my final year at another university in another country (still in Europe). I contacted the university that I am interested in and after sending my academic transcript they confirmed that they would be willing to accept my credits and that I can start in a higher year.
My question is: Do I need anything from the University I am leaving? Do I need permission from them to transfer my credits?<issue_comment>username_1: Here in Chile it is up to the receiving institution to decide if they recognize previous work for credit or not. The original school has no say in the matter.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You should not take the term "transferring credits" so literally -- nothing is taken away from the (at that time) previous university. Instead, you are convincing the new university that you already obtained some parts of the education they are offering (so that it would be a waste of your and their time to do that again), and have the credits to prove it. The new university then awards you the appropriate credits according to their regulations (which might be more or less than the corresponding ones at your old university) based on their trust that you could in principle pass the modules again. The credits at your old university remain (at least for some time), should you decide to switch back.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: One issue that occasionally comes up at US universities is that in order to transfer credits, the previous university has to send an official transcript to the new one. Many universities require that before they will send the transcript, you have to have paid all tuition and fees you owe them (or have financed them with a student loan). So if you are behind on tuition payments or even owe library fines, you may not be able to get the transcript you need.
Other than that, in my experience, there isn't any particular permission that you need in order to transfer.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: You are not telling us the most important thing -- you want to graduate and get a degree, right? From which university do you want the degree? If you intend to return to the UK to graduate, your university there will have to give you credit for the classes taken abroad, and you should ask them about their exact requirements to do so. If you intend to graduate at the new university, take a good long look at their requirents to graduate with a degree in the field of your choice, then make sure that between the classes you are going to take and the ones you have taken you meet these requirements. If you do not, it will cost you at least another semester (plus the fees and costs of living associated with any delays). From the university you are leaving (without graduating) you will only need proof of the grades from the classes taken there (this may involve a translation, possibly certified in some way; ask about this at the university you plan to graduate from). As detailed by <NAME>, you probably should be current with all payments when you ask for a transcript. Good luck!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: You don't need your old university's permission to enrol at a new one, and the new university doesn't need your old university's permission to recognise the transcript you've already showed them in lieu of taking their equivalent courses.
You should immediately ask the other university, the one you want to transfer to and that you're already in conversation with, the question you've just asked here. "Do you need anything from my current university?".
They might say, "no, we already have your transcript and the offer we've given you is unconditional". They might say (as Nate's answer suggests) "we need formal confirmation of the transcript we've seen". They might say, "we will request a basic reference from your current university, to establish your good standing and that you weren't expelled for some kind of misconduct". It's up to them what they want.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I am struggling to find conferences in my subject area, preferably in Western Europe. My supervisor tends to be otherwise very busy and is poor at actually providing this information in practice.
My area isn't terribly niche: it concerns text mining of medical information (therefore straddling both medical informatics and computer science).
Is there a website that contains lists of informatics conferences? Or a particular avenue that one should ideally use when looking for conferences in this area?<issue_comment>username_1: General lists of conferences tend to be of low quality. There are a lot of "for-profit" type conferences that you want to avoid.
Your supervisor is the best avenue. However, if they aren't available as you point out, the next best thing is to look at the references section of journal articles related to your specific topic and identify conferences that way. Frequently conference papers are cited in addition to published papers, so that will give you an idea of where the people in your specific field go to discuss their research with colleagues.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: A few things I can recommend:
You have most likely done a literature review on your area of research. Take a look at where those papers have been submitted (the more recent ones especially), and search for those specific conferences online for more information. You can use google scholar to winnow by publication date and can view the number of paper citations.
A quick search online came up with these lists for top data mining conferences, which can give you a reasonable start:
[Microsoft Academic Search, Conferences in Data Mining](http://academic.research.microsoft.com/RankList?entitytype=3&topdomainid=2&subdomainid=7&orderby=6), [Microsoft Academic Search, Natural language & speech](http://academic.research.microsoft.com/RankList?entitytype=3&topDomainID=2&subDomainID=9&last=0&start=1&end=100), [The top 10 NLP conferences](http://idibon.com/top-nlp-conferences-journals/).
Search within a few top conferences to see if papers on your specific topic have been published within them. Try 'text data mining proceedings' in google scholar for some ideas as well.
Don't forget to ask other graduate students who have been around longer for their advice as well. They will probably be able to tell you at least two or three top conferences that they regularly apply to each year.
I'm not sure about your field specifically, but in my experience conferences are grouped between submission dates in the fall and submission dates in the spring. Once you have a list of reasonable conferences you can choose one by the current date appropriately.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I see your area as what can be broadly seen as Information Systems:
>
> text mining of medical information (therefore straddling both medical
> informatics and computer science
>
>
>
In this field, the two major associations are the **Association for Information Systems** ([AIS](https://aisnet.org/)) and the **Association for Computing Machinery** ([ACM](https://www.acm.org/)). You can find various regional and premiere conferences on their websites. They also welcome textmining, medical informatics, and other novel approaches to information systems.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: **[Is this anything like what you're looking for?](http://www.conference-service.com)**
Doing some searching of my own, I definitely ran across the problem you mention -- the lists of events in your field are often out of date. So, while there are sites that list conferences by discipline, they might not work very well for you (the one linked above being a tentative exception). This might partially be peculiar to your field, though it does appear in others as well.
However, part of the problem might also lie within **search patterns**. Hybrid topics are often hard to search successfully due to conflagration of terms, and it seems this remains true for hybrid disciplines.
If you're not already familiar with them, it's definitely a good idea to acquaint yourself with **[Google's search operators](https://bynd.com/news-ideas/google-advanced-search-comprehensive-list-google-search-operators/)**; they can significantly ease your search-related challenges. My favorite is the tilde (~), which when placed before a term includes results with synonyms -- very useful.
Searching like this, I was able to find some individual conferences which seem to have their call for submission still open. (I know little to nothing about your particular field, so if I got these wrong, I apologize):
* <http://www.imia-medinfo.org/new2/events>
* <http://datamining.conferenceseries.com/call-for-abstracts.php> (track
3 on the page)
* <http://www.kdd.org/kdd2016/calls>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I am struck by the use of "Magn Reson Mater Phy" as an abbreviation by the journal "Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine" (a.k.a. "MAGMA"). See [here](http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10334-015-0506-3#page-1) for an example.
Their [instructions for authors](https://www.springer.com/medicine/radiology/journal/10334?print_view=true&detailsPage=pltci_1060896) say:
>
> In order to have all citations to the journal taken into account in
> the calculation of the Thomson-ISI impact factor and citation index,
> please always refer to MAGMA as Magn Reson Mater Phy in all your
> publications. Magn Reson Mater Phy is the only official abbreviation
> of the journal.
>
>
>
That use is of course reflected in the [Web of Science](https://images.webofknowledge.com/WOK46/help/WOS/M_abrvjt.html).
On the same site, they say:
>
> Always use the standard abbreviation of a journal’s name according to
> the ISSN List of Title Word Abbreviations, see [ISSN.org LTWA](http://www.issn.org/services/online-services/access-to-the-ltwa/).
>
>
>
Using the LTWA and ISO-4 rules, I determine "Magn Reson Mater Phys Biol Med" as an abbreviation; note "Biol Med" and the extra "s" in "Phys". "Physics = Phys." is even an explicit example in ISO-4 (section 3.5) and often used, for example, in the abbreviation of "Medical Physics" ("Med Phys").
So, I wonder why Springer says the "official abbreviation" is one that is different from the LTWA. Is that for historical reasons, and MAGMA just sticks to it because the ISI impact factor is so powerful? Is there a title history that I may have overlooked? Or is there another reason Springer uses a different abbreviation for "Physics" and omits everything after the comma? In the whole ISO-4, I have not found any indication to do anything like that.
**Update:**
A little bit of history. MAGMA was born as "MAGMA" in 1993 (with no explanation of the meaning in the [first editorial](http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02660365)). The [NML catalog](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog?term=%22MAGMA%22[Title%20Abbreviation]) says that "Issues for Apr. 1994- have subtitle: Magnetic resonance materials in physics, biology, and medicine." So there is no indication of any title not involving "Biology and Medicine".
The header line read MAGMA in all papers until the end of 1997 ([see that year's last paper](http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02595047)), and had been changed to "Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine" in the [first editorial](http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02662504) after the publisher had changed to Elsevier in 1998. It remained like this until [issue 15](http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02693844) (some time in 2002), when the publisher changed to Springer; they started using "MAGMA" [again](http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10334-003-0001-0) until [issue 18](http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10334-005-0021-z); since [issue 19](http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10334-005-0018-7), they have been using "Magn Reson Mater Phy" in the header line until today. Note that the [ISO-4 standard](http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=3569) has not changed since 1997.
Also, the Web of Science says in the JCR:
>
> **Titles**
>
>
> ISO: Magn. Reson. Mat. Phys. Biol. Med.
>
>
> JCR Abbrev: MAGN RESON MATER PHY
>
>
>
So there is no doubt the abbreviation I determined is correct. (Yes, there is! Note the difference in "Mater" [my abbreviation, according to LTWA] vs. "Mat" [ISO abbreviation according to JCR].) But still my questions remain:
* Why does Springer/JCR use a different abbreviation?
* Who was the first to use it?
* And why do they still recommend using it?
And a bonus one:
* Why does the JCR use a wrong ISO abbreviation?
**Update**: More facts.
1. MAGMA appears in the JCR for the first time in 1998, already as "MAGN RESON MATER PHY"
2. A fact that I have ignored so far is how the journal uses it's own name in references of their papers. Late 1997, MAGMA was cited "MAGMA", but I can't find self-citation after that (and before the JCR). So did the JCR ultimately define that abbreviation?<issue_comment>username_1: There is probably nobody but the particular administrators of the various organizations involved who can speak to the exact details of why this journal's abbreviations are inconsistent.
I suspect, however, that the answer that you would get, if you could track them down would be something along the lines of:
>
> I don't think it's inconsistent... hmm, I guess maybe it is? We should probably try to figure out how to get that sorted out at some point.
>
>
>
The point is that curation is hard, curation of periodicals is harder, and curation of periodicals over long time frames and across multiple organizations is particularly difficult and easy to get wrong. Worse yet, repairing a problem will often create more problems for the future (e.g., an inconsistency might get fixed by hard-coding in an alias).
Even within a single organization, it's difficult to handle different parts of a process consistently: for instance, yesterday I proofed my final version of a paper for a major journal and found that some of the links to instructions that the production staff supplied were incorrect.
All of this is a long way of saying: probably it's just an unintentional mess. You can point it out to the people involved, and they might be able to fix it; they might also have work-arounds in place already and not care. At the end of the day, however, it need not be *your* problem, unless you are in charge of curation of the journal or other resources involved.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You are saying somewhere near the beginning that
>
> "Using the LTWA and ISO-4 rules, I determine "Magn Reson Mater Phys
> Biol Med" as an abbreviation"
>
>
>
Apart from the differences that you point out later, I believe you should also add "and the NLM rules", because the ISO-4 and Medline abbreviations differ due to NLM editing:
As of March 1, 2007, NLM establishes title abbreviations based on the
form used by the ISSN Centre as their abbreviated key title, whenever
this is available , editing only for format as described below:
- The first letter of each word in the title abbreviation is capitalized.
- All punctuation is removed, except for parentheses used when a
qualifier is supplied.
- All diacritics are removed.
- Qualifying elements which refer to format, such as (Print) or (Online) are omitted.
(Source: <https://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/constructitle.html>)
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I recently committed to taking a mathematics TA position which begins in a couple of months and entails a weekly exercise class and the correction of problem sets handed in by students.
This is my first teaching experience and admittedly I am rather anxious about it.
My question to those who already have teaching experience is the following:
**What piece of advice (with respect to teaching) would you give your younger self before their first teaching experience?**<issue_comment>username_1: Some items:
* Not everyone is going to get it. Like a doctor, you're going to have to accept that some number of people will be irretrievably lost.
* The median work is so much worse than you ever imagined. As a math-professional, you were probably at the top of your class, getting "A"'s, and following correct mathematical grammar, etc. The majority of work I got when I became a teacher was so shockingly awful I had a hard time processing it. I never would have conceived that was what was going on around me in most of my classes most of the time.
* Make sure that the correction work is feasible within the dedicated time. If it's taking too much time, discuss that with the appropriate faculty member. Worst case, prioritize and do what you can.
* When I became an instructor of my own class, my faculty advisor recommended collecting student work notebooks and "checking them off" weekly to confirm work output. This is something that I came to have nightmares about, because the work was so mangled I couldn't even read it or imagine giving credit for total nonsense (i.e., some scribbled BS and then copied answer from the back). I wrestled with that (different iterations or evolutions) for maybe a decade? Finally I just trashed the idea and stopped collecting homework, which saved me a nervous breakdown. That "check off notebooks" idea was one of the worst suggestions I ever got. (Even though I otherwise adored that professor.)
Anyway, that's what comes to mind. Your mileage may vary widely based on your institutional context. Maybe you're at a place where all the students are exceptionally well-prepared, etc., etc.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I was TA the general mathematics course. What my exercise class made the students interesting wast that I taught the students **MAPLE** software. Actually it did work and students were completely happy at the end.
Remarks: I started this after 6th session because I was worry that they(IT students) do cheating their complicated for example solving integrals. But I was sure they will forget the mathematical methods after that course except discrete math because they don't need them after that course. Now I am happy that they have Maple in their CVs and if someone ask them general math they can solve it at least bu Maple. Another reason to teach Maple is that it completely make the class interesting and also by Maple we had lots of examples to show several geometrical surfaces to the students which was sometimes hard to illustrate & exemplify.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: One important thing to remember when talking to students in lower-level courses (whether in lectures or in office hours) is to be careful about your vocabulary. Phrases that are used all the time in advanced mathematics, like "necessary and sufficient condition" or even "if and only if" are likely not to be understood. You'll often need to use longer and more explicit formulations than you would if you were talking to people at your own level of mathematical sophistication.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: My advice: After every class, sit down for ten minutes and think about what you think worked and what didn't (at a teacher/student communication level, not what formula you happened to write down wrongly). At times that's a bit painful because you will find that you really tried hard to explain something and the students simply didn't seem to get it. There will also be many cases where you really tried to interact and all you got were sheep's stares.
But over time, if you're honest and critical with yourself, and if you care about improving, you'll find the patterns in the ways you teach, and you'll become a better teacher. You can accelerate this by finding books about teaching college students, of which there are many.
(I like to tell my grad students and postdocs the story that I've come to realize over the years what I'm good at as a teacher and what I'm not good at. This is my 11th year of teaching, and I would say that it took me 7 or 8 years till I really realized that people are different in how they interact with students. I have colleagues who are great in classes of 100 students. They remember everyone's name, they are perfectly prepared down to the commas of every example they want to show, etc. That's not me. I see a herd of sheep in front of me in such circumstances. But I really enjoy -- and think that I'm good at it -- asking my 20 students to move their chairs in a circle and discuss out what a Taylor expansion really is. I wouldn't have done that when I was a young prof, because I had never seen anyone do such things in the classes I had taken. But it's what works for me as a teacher, and I learned these things by introspection and reflecting about what worked in my classes and what didn't.)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: Never think at the blackboard. Coming up with a proof, correction, example, or diagram on the spot is MUCH harder than you think.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: Students can either be thinking or writing, but not both at the same time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wish I had known this when I started teaching. I hate to think of the number of times that I put a new slide up and then immediately started talking, or wrote something on the board and talked while I wrote. My rule of thumb is now: "*As long as there are more than a handful of pencils moving, my mouth is not*."
It takes more than three seconds to decide if you have "...any questions?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I learned this one when I went to a talk and struggled to keep up with the speaker. She did a wonderful job of constantly pausing to see if there were any questions, but the pause was barely enough to draw breath. If you didn't speak up or raise your hand immediately, the talk went on. On at least two occasions, I was still chewing over her last statement when she asked for questions, and after she had resumed talking, I realized too late that I did have one.
The world trains students to expect immediate feedback. If it's convenient, try to provide it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three blank spaces at the top of all of my gradable work. One is for the grade earned on the assignment, the next is for your current overall class grade, and the last one is your predicted final grade in the class if you maintain your current performance. I use a spreadsheet as my gradebook and when I enter grades, I copy down all three values onto their assignments. It adds less than three seconds per paper to my grading process, and it's been mentioned in student evaluations as being quite helpful.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: We had quite a bit of success by breaking down the sessions into (around) three problems: One solved by the TA (but asking for guidance by the class, *not* just solved by the TA); one (or a set) solved by students (i.e, give a 3 to 5 student group a piece of the blackboard, or seat them so they can discuss the problem), while the TA is available to help over bumps, solutions are presented/discussed by the whole class; third problem is to be solved individually and handed in, graded on a binary basis (looks reasonable or not, *no* detailed grading). Average of TA sessions is a 5% of the final grade. All problems and solutions are published after the session. It looks like a *short* review of the material at the beginning of the session will be required, many skip class or just sleep through it...
The idea is to force students to really go over the material. Otherwise they tend to use the strategy of "bum the night before the exam", with the predictable disastrous results.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: There are a lot of excellent points here - but I'll toss in a few more.
Looking back on my first semester TA'ing I would give this advice:
* Prepare an extra 10-15 minutes of lecture.
You'll likely never need to use it on top of your normal plans for the day, but it also helps you look ahead at how concepts might tie together. If you can use one simple explanation and build upon that same example in the future, you're helping students put the ideas together quicker.
* Thoroughly rehearse before each lecture.
I don't just mean skim notes. Talk outloud if you need to. How will you explain more complicated sections? Do they rely on ideas you assume they know? What are alternative ways to conceptualize this topic?
...and my last piece of advice:
* Be at class 10-15 minutes early.
This certainly isn't always possible. But, if you can do it, unpack and decompress before you teach. Glance over the topics you want to cover one final time. Let the students filter in early. I connected well with my students, but I also started talking before class began about something: current events, philosophy concepts, logical thinking - often completely unrelated to class. Encourage them to think for their own. Why did they buy laptop A instead of B?
Some days, I just played music I knew they wouldn't normally listen to.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: **Make sure you are thoroughly on top of the material before every student interaction.**
This sounds obvious. Moreover, it sounds like it could be condescending: if you're, say, a PhD student and you're teaching, say, freshman calculus, haven't you known the material cold for most or all of your adult life? Probably yes...*in some sense*. But the sense in which you need to know the material cold in order to answer students' questions effectively is much stronger.
Imagine that when you were a calculus student you were assigned to do ten applied optimization problems. Let's say that you knock out eight of them immediately, spending no more than 5-10 minutes on each. There's a ninth one that you keep doing the algebra wrong and it takes you 20 minutes instead, but no problem: you get it. There's a tenth one which has some weird thing inscribed in some other weird thing and the first time you think about it you just get a bit confused. No problem: you put it down for a while, go about your business, and you come back to it later when it's the one thing occupying your attention and you solve it correctly. How good at applied optimization are you? The answer is you're excellent: an A student with room to spare. This level of skill more than qualifies you to be a TA for this material...**but you had better do some advance preparation before the session itself.** As a TA, the students are very likely to ask you about the two hardest problems. If you make more than one or two algebra mistakes in front of a large group, it's not great for them or for you. If you try to solve a problem and fail, then -- even though you know you'll get it later, and even though "getting it later" is absolutely what matters in the world of actual mathematical work!! -- then the session itself is probably a failure, the course instructor is going to get some "How am I supposed to solve this problem when even the TA couldn't..." questions, and she is perhaps going to be less than thrilled with you. When I was a TA it seemed to me that my on-the-spot problem solving skills actually had to be at a higher level than if I were actually teaching the course: if you are teaching the course, then you are controlling the pace of the information flow and choosing the problems. (In particular, if one of 50 problems from some section of a textbook is slightly confusing to you, you'll probably just not pick that problem!) I haven't had to deal with course TA's for a while -- in my current job, graduate students do grading but rarely TAing -- but upon reflection I still find some truth to that.
(By the way, I have picked what was and maybe still is *for me* one of the shakiest topics from freshman calculus. Of course there are lot of calculus problems that I really have always known cold...and after many years of TAing and teaching I really know which is which. But there is something in the psychology of math students which makes you think that you should know everything cold or there's something wrong with you, so why don't you proceed under the assumption that there's nothing wrong with you and see how that works out. What I'm saying is that there is likely to be something that you will screw up if you wing it...and that doesn't make you a bad math student, it just means you shouldn't wing it.)
How do you make sure you are thoroughly on top of the material? As a first time TA, I would actually *work every problem in advance*. Maybe this sounds obvious or most TA's know to do this...but I don't think everyone does. Even as an experienced instructor -- say, at 10 years past my PhD -- I have had the experience of teaching a new course, thinking I knew exactly how something was going to work out, but because I hadn't written it down in as much detail as I was going to cover it in class, encountering unexpected challenges -- more often expository, but sometimes actually mathematical -- when it came to the lecture. In fact this happened to me about two years ago when I taught a first course in linear algebra. I *really know linear algebra*: like most mathematicians, it comes up in my work, and unlike many mathematicians I have a published paper in the area. But there are certain things that I didn't have to worry about as a research mathematician and did have to worry about as a linear algebra lecturer. I was actually rather embarrassed at the shakiness of my lectures. I compensated for this by being more attentive to the students' concerns and writing more straightforward exams ("How are they supposed to solve problems when even I couldn't..."), and in the end I was surprised that the teaching evaluations were as satisfactory as they were: not great, but no worse than certain calculus classes where my lectures were pulled off exactly as I wanted to but the students were not as thrilled.
By the way, I well know that a lot of people will be tempted to roll their eyes a bit at an answer which is entirely focused on the content of the subject and says nothing about pedagogy, is focused on the mentality of the TA rather than that of the students, and so forth. But this is where you have to start. A first-time TA who knows how to solve all the problems and is just starting to learn about everything else is doing okay...and in fact better than some. The next most important thing is learning to present mathematics in a clear, orderly way and the best and onliest way to do that is to get a lot of practice doing so. The next time you teach the same course is when you really get to concentrate on the "higher aspects" of teaching.
Good luck, and good luck to your students.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_10: This is analysis that I heard from a professor that I find quite insightful. There are basically two approaches to teaching:
1) "Do the most for the best", i.e. Focus on teaching and stretching the ability of the best students in class. Downside: Average students may be lost when you start talking about Galois Cohomology in first year classes.
2) "Do the best for the most". This is the utilitarian approach. Downside: Very strong students will get bored by your teaching.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_11: Another few points to add:
1) Above all try to keep the appointed time. Start on time and also try to end on time. Your TA class is not the only class going on that day and students often have a very tight schedule. Up to 5 Minutes every now and then is fine, but anything more should be postponed to the next class. If it keeps on piling up you should have a word with the professor or skip unnecessary exercises. Or try to schedule an extra class.
2) Make sure to let the students know when the class starts and ends, i.e. have a short greeting at the start like "Good Morning" and also have a very clear ending like "Then we will see again next week".
3) Try to have a very friendly work environment, where students are not afraid to ask questions and feel secure enough to make mistakes in front of everyone. That includes letting other people interrupt you and ask questions on the spot whenever they appear. However also make it clear that constant chatter between students when you or someone else speaks is not ok and it would be better to discuss any questions openly with the whole class.
4) Do not sugar coat when something is wrong, but try to stay constructive for their point of view or their approach to the problem. If I spent a few hours working on a problem and there are still some flaws in my reasoning I really prefer to have these flaws fixed instead of being presented with a completely new approach to the problem.
5) Do not feel threatened by good students that may be even more proficient in the matter than yourself. Make it clear that YOU are in charge of this class, but try to integrate them as good as possible and let them get recognition for it. The whole point of the class is to teach the people in this class and not to show how good you are at this particular topic. If there is someone who can help you accomplish that then feel free to use him/her. Never antagonize or shun them.
6) If there are tough questions you are not able to answer on the spot tell them that and prepare a good answer for next time. Providing half true answers on the spot does not help anyone and will only make you look like a fool later.
7) If you have free time use it to extend the scope of the class. If you have finished all the exercises and still have time left feel free to pose any additional in class exercises and motivate the students to work on it or discuss other problems. Going home early is nice every now and then, but should not be a very common state of affairs.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_12: Although very popular in the mathematics community never use the phrase "it's trivial". No one will dare ask a question after that.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_13: The best thing you can do is **PREPARE**. This has been said earlier, but it's so important for a beginning instructor. Write out your examples, mock up your speeches, and anticipate difficulties the night before your classes. After you teach for a while, save some time by mentally reviewing, fully solving only the more subtle ones. Remember that a problem's difficulty lies not only in its execution but its presentation! The effective communication of your work is key.
Speaking of communication...
**Boardwork**. Think of how your best professors use the board, including their use of whitespace and delineation. It's an art. Like any artform, know your materials: different classrooms have differing setups. Bring fresh markers/chalk with you - using a weak marker can quickly make your lectures feel lukewarm. Make your work vivid: use colors.
Using a board well requires a bit of precognition... You need to predict how a certain concept or example will evolve to effectively use your space. Some information you will want to stay visible through certain examples; other information you will want to make ephemeral, like when you answer a digressing question. You can verbally alert your students to the important or unimportant material. Sometimes you might want them to *not* copy down notes but simply be attentive.
Your boardwork will be cleaner if you prep, and will hone itself if you reflect. Observing how others' use a board is immeasurably helpful as well; it's like watching an artist paint... poorly or masterfully.
**Verbal communication. For the love of teaching, avoid relying on pronouns.** Don't solve *it* - evaluate *the line integral from r equals a to b*. Don't substitute *that* into *that* - substitute the *geometric definition of the dot product* into the *right hand side of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality*. The more accurate you are, the finer you will deliver your point, especially when a student is head down, copying notes. Just think of all those times you wanted to scream your head off when some teacher of yours referred to everything as *this*: *This* is vague.
Be sure to explain any technical language, and train your students to speak technically: correct and clarify their questions. It will aid you both.
Repeat yourself. Students are busy assimilating your words with visual cues, scrambling to copy information coherently... They will miss your words and intention, so repeat yourself, pause, and repeat yourself again. Pausing permits processing.
**Respect your time.** I suggest timing yourself whenever you create course materials and especially when you grade assignments. A lot of your work will become streamlined with experience, but the earlier you focus on your time management, the better. For example, the amount of input you give to your students during grading can consume an enormous chunk of life. Addressing this can amount to a level of restraint. Similarly, office hours should be the students' time, but when office hours end, that means their time ought to end. Give them resources they can access outside class. Remember that they might not yet be strong self-learners, so nudge them in that direction.
Depending on the class, it might be wise to restrict homework questions to office hours and your email strictly to administrative issues. Don't feel uncomfortable setting such rules and boundaries.
And for everyone's sake...
**End on time.** Otherwise known as respect everyone else's time. Not as easy as it sounds :)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_14: Since you have a couple of months to go before you start your duties, you might like to read [How to Teach Mathematics](http://bookstore.ams.org/mbk-89/) by Steven Krantz. This is an ample collection of advice, including, but not limited to voice control, time management, computer use, blackboard technique, course design, motivation, dealing with late submissions and cheatng, mistakes, questions and problematic students.
You might find other advice from [this Academia.SE question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/12218/how-to-prepare-for-being-a-ta-teaching-assistant) helpful.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_15: @username_10, most for best vs best for most: When I started teaching, I resolved not to just do the second (to get all students to pass and ignore the great ones); I try to keep reminding myself that you can do the second for 85% of the time, and the first 15% of the time (add one really challenging bonus question to a quiz or hw: on a quiz, this keeps the strong students engaged while the rest are still doing the standard bits). The strongest students are used to being bored in class, so they appreciate it a lot -- and obviously, it is fun to see talented brains at work!
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_15: @djechlin, (not) thinking at the blackboard: When I work with beginning TAs, I typically tell them to over-prepare (as so many have in their answers here), but I put your insight slightly differently: when you begin teaching you'll find that as the distance to the blackboard decreases, your ability to think on your feet also decreases dramatically. We've all seen people stand at the board and have a brain freeze; even experts in the field can have a hard time "seeing" what's right in front of them. This kind of 'performance' issue will get better with time, but yes, don't plan on your brain being functional when you are facing a class..
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/12
| 794
| 3,343
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a first year grad student, and I'm TAing for a freshman/sophomore level general science course. The professor who is in charge left it up to me whether I want to use a rubric to grade the students' lab reports, and whether I want to distribute it to them if I do. They already have a "suggested outline" that they can follow to write their reports, but it doesn't assign an actual point scale.
How important is it that I use a rubric, as opposed to simply grading based on my "feel" of how well they demonstrated understanding of the material and whether they turned in work that followed or is equivalent to the suggested outline that they were given? I feel like I can be reasonably fair in assigning grades, but I don't want to be inappropriately arbitrary. Is it very unusual for students to be graded in undergrad science labs without a rubric, whether or not they have access to it?<issue_comment>username_1: Having a rubric will make your own work grading fairly simpler, in particular if what you are grading are reports/essays. It breaks down your mental process of coming up with a grade. For example, if you don't have a rubrik, you may have to think about whether *as a whole* the report should be worth 70 or 75 points. There are many dimensions involved, and you will find that you are juggling too many balls when trying to assess how 3 or 4 reports compare to each other. It's easier if you only have to assess them on one dimension, e.g., spelling/grammar, use of examples, clarity of exposition, correctness of formulas used, adequacy of citations. You would then assign a grade for each report for each of the categories in your rubrik, and the task of computing an overall grade is only one of adding up the points.
A rubrik will also make your life easier when students (as they always do) come to your office hours and ask why they got this grade and not that. If you grade based on a holistic view, it's often difficult to articulate how you arrived at a particular grade. It's easier if you can break the grading down for the student into individual categories. You make your argument why you gave the student a 70 instead of a 75 a lot easier if you can explain why they only got a 10 out of 20 in grammar, etc.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I usually use a rubric and it is typically very straightforward. You don't say how many lab reports you are grading or how many times students will turn them in per semester but, in my experience, a simple rubric with only a few categories and only a few levels combined with many uses is the best. People often get tripped up in false precision on grading assignments. Remember, at the end of the semester all of that grading gets turned into somewhere between 5 and 13 categories (A,B,C...) depending on what grading scale your school users.
Working your butt off designing a painstaking system to justify measurement to the individual percentage point on an assignment worth 10% or less of the final grade is a waste. Grade it on a 5 point scale according to a few objective criteria and move on. Grade electronically if you can. Any error you see 3 times is worth writing a detailed response to. Save that response somewhere (text file, write an autocompletion script, etc) and never write it out again.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/02/13
| 1,556
| 5,618
|
<issue_start>username_0: **Disclaimer**: I wasn't sure where to post this but I thought this was as good a place as any so sorry if this is the wrong place.
I am a high school student in Queensland, Australia studying for a Queensland Certificate of Education. I've lived in Australia a large part of my life. However, I was born in the UK and have dual citizenship (AUS and UK).
Am I able to apply to study at a university in the UK and (if I can) am I an international student?<issue_comment>username_1: I did some looking around here, but it's difficult to find a specific solid answer because this is going to vary between the universities, to an extent. But what I've found points to this:
Even though you are a British citizen, you have not been 'ordinarily resident' in the UK, which means you would be considered an international student. It would appear that international status is determined by citizenship AND residence, a bit like US universities. However, universities may be hesitant to respond to your queries about this either way until you were offered a place to study.
Obviously you would not need a visa, but I'd imagine what you're worried about is whether you would have to pay international fees, which are very high.
I'm going to openly admit that one of my sources is Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of salt. You could potentially qualify as a 'home' student in spite of living in another country if you were from:
>
> Anguilla
>
> Aruba
> Bermuda
>
> British Antarctic Territory
>
> British Indian Ocean Territory
> British Virgin Islands
>
> Cayman Islands
>
> Falkland Islands
>
> Faroe Islands
>
> French Polynesia
>
> French Southern and Antarctic Lands
> Greenland
>
> Montserrat
>
> New Caledonia
>
> Saint Pierre and Miquelon
>
> Turks and Caicos Islands
>
> Wallis and Futuna
>
>
>
However this is not the case for you, as you are in Australia.
Here is the list of requirements for British citizens to be considered a 'home student':
>
> Be free from any immigration restrictions (e.g. British citizenship,
> exercising EU Freedom of Movement Rights, indefinite leave to
> enter/remain, right of abode, free from immigration control (as a
> diplomat or member of air crew))
>
>
> Be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom
>
>
> Have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands
> and/or Isle of Man for the whole period of the three years directly
> preceding the first day of the academic course
>
>
> The main purpose for the three years' residence in the UK and Islands
> must not have been to receive full-time education during any part of
> it, unless the student is a European Union citizen (but not a British
> citizen) and immediately prior to the three-year period was ordinarily
> resident in the European Economic Area, Switzerland or qualifying
> overseas territories (see below).
>
>
>
You have not been ordinarily resident in the UK, ergo you would be an international student.
If you want to confirm this, you should get into contact with the international offices at your universities of interest. Only they can answer definitively.
Sources:
[Wikipedia, use caution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_student_(United_Kingdom)#Qualifying_overseas_territories)
[UKCISA](http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/International-Students/Fees--finance/Home-or-Overseas-fees/)
[UKCISA Fee Status Assessment](http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/International-Students/Fees--finance/Home-or-Overseas-fees/Definitions-Fee-status-assessment/)
[Complete University Guide](http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/ask/answer/26/i-am-a-british-citizen-living-in-canda-will-i-have-to-pay-international-fees-if-i-attend-a-uk-university-)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: The situation may be different if you were originally from Scotland. Eligible Scottish students pay no fees when studying at a Scottish University and there are differences in the way that the student loans scheme is administered. Again, you'll need to check with the particular university.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: There is no complete consistency in the UK and different universities may apply slightly different rules when they decide whether they charge home fees or international fees. As username_2 mentioned, the rules may be different for students from Scotland, too.
However, it is very likely that you will be charged international fees if you have not resided in the UK during the recent years before making your application. You can find more information on [UKCISA](https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Fees-and-Money/Home-or-Overseas-fees-the-basics) website.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: You will be considered an international student for fees, and you'll be applying using international qualifications, but you will not require a visa.
Background:
I have taught a number of international students, some on Tier 4 visa and some not. Visa requirements are judged by **nationality**. Universities are required to check attendence of Tier 4 students, whereas those who have a right to be in the country are forgotten as easily as local students.
A schoolmate of mine delayed going to university by a year, because she had spent most of her childhood abroad. Fee status is determined by **residency**. As she had only been living in the UK for two consecutive years, heading straight to university would have resulted in her paying international fees. By waiting another year she reached the 3-year residency requirement, and so paid home fees.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/02/13
| 1,150
| 4,809
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'd like to know my academic standing relative to other students. This information would help me with:
* allocating my time and effort between classes
* deciding whether to take a follow up course offered by this professor.
How should I proceed? Is this a routine question? Or should I explain why I need it? (The two reasons I cited above don't sound like something I'd like to mention to him.)
Edit:
* Many professors at my university post detailed histograms of, say, midterm results, so I don't think my request would violate any laws.
* The only reason I'd like to get this sort of information is because everyone's grade heavily depends on their standing relative to other students, see [Grading on a curve](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grading_on_a_curve).<issue_comment>username_1: Asking about relative standing is a bad idea unless your grade in the class is derived to some extent from the relative standing. You don't have any business knowing how the other students are doing unless it affects you in some way.
Asking how you are doing in the class is acceptable if the instructor has not provided you with enough information to figure it out for yourself.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: "How am I doing so far?" is perfectly reasonable and acceptable. "What can I do better?" is fine too. "Based on my performance so far, do you think you'd write me a good recommendation?" is okay; that's a legitimate concern. "What's your impression of me as a student?" is needy and annoying, but not outright wrong -- I've gotten this question before and answered it.
"How am I doing relative to everybody else?" is out-of-bounds. For one thing, in some legal jurisdictions the prof can't say much without risking breakage of student-privacy-related law. (Revealing another student's grade, for example, is a no-no in FERPAland.) For another, law or no law, *you* are the only student whose progress is your business. For a third, "tell me I'm the bestest ever!" is needy to the point of creepiness.
Sometimes this is unfortunate, e.g. the situation of someone in an intro CS course who is from an underrepresented group in technology, is catching flak from other students, and doesn't have an accomplishment-meter calibrated enough to ignore their nonsense. Still. Look to your own work; leave that of others alone.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I'll go in a different direction from the other answers, based on this comment from the poster (which I feared to be the case even prior to the comment):
>
> I'm simply somewhat concerned about my grades and it's the system who
> relates it to competition, not me.
>
>
>
Instructors should have an obligation to keep students informed about their progress in the class (e.g., it's one of the ten questions on our student evaluation form at my institution). If grades are based on relative standing in the class, and that relative standing is not otherwise communicated, then I think that inquiring about that is fair-game, and the instructor should be able to provide that information. In short: Instructors should be transparent about grading protocols.
Now, to come around to the other answers, I think that this highlights the fact that **grading on a curve and relative standing is a disastrous idea**, because it leads to exactly these kinds of extraneous concerns and interactions. Or worse: students being incited to actively sabotage other students to inflate their grade. Or my friend who was embarrassed when all his students made a pact to skip the final exam (and hence all get 100%'s by default).
To my ear, this sounds very old-school, because my father went to an Ivy professional school in the 60's, and class ranking was an important consideration to proceed -- but the faculty adviser would have a *weekly* session with each student, telling them their relative class standing, and threatening them to work harder or someone else would overtake their position. And sabotage did occur: students hiding key articles in the library in unexpected places so no one else could benefit from them, etc. Surely a grading system that reports on an objective scale, whether the student has mastered the necessary skills and knowledge in each course, serves better to focus students on the actual content of the discipline (as this example shows).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I, as one, would think very bad of a student who is "trying to optimize time allocated to each class" (presumably just to get a passing grade?) instead of concentrating on what *is* relevant, getting to master the contents of the course. You don't take classes to "get a grade" and move on to the next (often seen with "class passed, material forgotten"), you take them to *learn*.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/02/13
| 956
| 4,156
|
<issue_start>username_0: When sending a mail to a professor/ academic, is it OK to send link of a document/draft/preprint instead of attaching it to the mail? What is the convention?
The reason is, if you attach it, it takes some space in the mailbox of recipient. Thus, the recipient might delete it to save space, after some time.<issue_comment>username_1: In my experience, the key concern about attachments is not the amount of space they take on the recipient's computer (most people have big hard drives these days), but whether they will cause your message to fail to be delivered. There are two issues that I frequently encounter in which attachments cause problems with email:
* Most mail servers have an upper limit on the attachment size they will allow. At the moment, this is often seems to be no more than 10MB, but I've encountered as low as 2MB.
* Aggressive protective software sometimes gets upset about attachments, especially known malware vectors like zip files.
If you trigger a filter like this, your email will disappear into a black hole and, depending on the configuration of the system that ate your email, you may not even know that this has happened. Thus, for any attachment above about 1MB or of an unusual type, I recommend sending a link instead.
Note, however, that links can also be viewed as suspicious, by either software or people, since there's a lot of nasty phishing schemes out there. Thus, I recommend not using link shorteners and if possible hosting an academic institutional server or on a well-known and semi-trusted service like DropBox.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: No.
You want to make sure it is easy for the recipient to read your mail, no extra clicking and waiting. In any case, cold sent mail asking to review your work will be silently ignored. If it contains external link or not, it will pretty soon be cleaned up (or hang around forever, not looked at again).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: If your document is light enough (below 5 Mbytes, to be safe), I suggest you to send it attached. Very often, you can often shrink the document, using for instance pdf options (low resolution images). It is important to make sure that the document is easy to open, so a pdf can be a good option; be careful with, for instance, .doc or .odt versions.
But you can easily provide the attachement, and an additional link in the mail, for instance to a full resolution or color version that could be bigger.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: By sending a link for a document, if the document is editable (such as google drive), you could edit the file after sending it. This way revisions could be made and would be seen without sending out a new file.
To counter this though, if the link is deleted, the file is lost. In an attachment, as long as you have email access you would still have the file.
Overall most files are not too large so that storage space does not matter. Only videos and large data sets would be hard to store, but the email program would not be able to send it in the first place as file size limits are normally about 15MB.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I agree with many of the other answers (large attachments can be a problem, while linked documents can change or disappear and can look like phishing), but my main concern is surveillance. When someone sends me an attachment, they won't know whether I looked at it. By contrast, when someone sends me a link I typically assume they are deliberately monitoring whether I follow it and, if so, when and perhaps from where. It feels like being stalked.
This doesn't particularly bother me in some cases, such as referee requests. However, it bothers me a lot if the email comes across as unconventional. Then I worry that I don't want to encourage or provoke the sender. (Over the years, I've received a few disturbing or abusive emails, for example from someone upset that I wouldn't endorse his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem.) It sometimes feels better to let the sender wonder whether the email was caught by a spam filter, rather than knowing I accessed the file.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/02/13
| 441
| 1,826
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am preparing a detailed explanation of how I have dealt with all of the reviewers' and Editor's comments for a manuscript. The editor's comments are as follows:
>
> I regret I am unable to accept your paper for publication in XXX, at
> least in its present form. I should, however, be prepared to consider
> for publication a substantially revised version that takes into
> account the suggestions of the referees. Such a revised paper may be
> refereed and there would be no guarantee of acceptance. The three
> referees agree that you have obtained useful results. They raise a
> number of issues you should be able to solve relatively easily.
>
>
>
Is it necessary to reply to editor's comment like this? How to reply to editor's comment such as'Such a revised paper may be refereed and there would be no guarantee of acceptance'?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Is it necessary to reply to editor's comment like this?
>
>
>
No. This is just making sure that you understand that revising the paper does not guarantee acceptance.
You may wish to write an introductory paragraph for the editor before you address the specific reviewer comments. Here, you may wish to thank the editor for acknowledging that the reviewers consider your results to be useful, summarise the main improvements, and conclude that you feel the manuscript is substantially better for the reviewer suggestions.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In my role as an editor, I get fully prepared template, which I only edit, if necessary (e.g. if there are certain aspects of the reviews that I really want to point to the author). So, you don't need to reply to a robot, in a sense. But, appropriate response to this would be a polite thankyou to the editor and the reviewers.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/02/13
| 744
| 3,137
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm interested in the research of a particular professor at University 1 (top 5 in my field), which recently rejected my PhD application. I do have an offer from another place, (University 2, top 20) which I now plan on attending.
1. Can I go to University 2, complete the requirements for a masters, and reapply to University 1?
2. Would it be possible for me to seek out guidance from (or maybe even collaborate with) the professor at University 1 during these two years who might then want me as a PhD student?
This is all in the US.<issue_comment>username_1: 1. Of course you can, and this is probably your best chance to make it into U1 (without any guarantee, clearly), but this involves a risk of straining relationships to your supervisor at U2.
2. This is a question you should discuss with your supervisor at U2 (after all he/she should give you guidance as well and careful argumentation is needed to explain why extra guidance might be appropriate), but don't be surprised if the professor at U1 would not be seeing a collaboration with you as a priority -- he/she might be busy enough with all the commitments towards his own institution.
Doing what you suggest is all within your legal rights, but I personally think when you have entered an agreement at U2 (possibly involving funding) then you should focus on that and not give the impression that you want to run away at the earliest opportunity.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: It is not uncommon for PhD students to spent a couple of months in another institute as guest/apprentice. Sometimes this is a required part of the program, sometimes it is just encouraged, and sometimes it is discouraged. That depends on the department and discipline. But if possible, then that would be a more constructive way of getting experience with U1, which won't lead to a conflict with your advisor in U2.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It might be worthwhile to reach out to U1 even if you don't intend on leaving U2. As a PhD student I won a grant to visit another institution for a summer. A few years later I got a post-doc at the same institution, so perhaps that's a viable route for you as well.
In my situation, I visited someone who collaborated with my advisor frequently, and I had no aspirations to transfer (or to apply for a post-doc at that point). Still, I went on my own initiative and eventually collaborated with the professor I visited.
(Again, your ability to do this depends on the field; this was in mathematics, so I wasn't tied to a lab. You also need a decent reason to reach out, in my case, I wanted to learn topics related to my research area, but not commonly used at my university. Another common reason to visit another university is to use some equipment that you can't access at your university.)
Also, it's not uncommon to change universities after a few years to change research topics. If you're not tied to an advisor at U2, then leaving with a masters because you decided your interests are better represented at U1 is reasonable. I don't have any personal experience with this though.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/13
| 785
| 3,198
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to convince a professor about my research idea, but when I would start writing that email, I get stuck: should I be optimistic, for example, If we apply my idea, then X, Y and Z could happen (Z could refer to "change the world") but I am not sure enough about X, Y and Z. Or to be realistic, for example, I would say: "Okay, that idea, presumably will lead to x. Thank you".
What I was thinking is if my idea really can lead to X, Y and Z then I will impress that professor, but if my idea cannot (at least in that professor's opinion) lead to anything of what I'm supposing, then he will delete my email immediately. I read a book on how to sell *any* of your idea or product to people by being optimistic not realistic, but I want to ask if you share the same view.
As a professor who reads/receives tons of such emails, what is the most thing that impress you, a realistic talk or an ambitious/optimistic talk?
As a side note: I'm holding a bachelor degree, and I'm presenting my idea as a working subject in my master study<issue_comment>username_1: Be realistic. A seasoned professor has (by necessity) developed a keen BS detector (required to wade through teaching, at very least). A (prospective) student who doesn't know how far they can realistically go will either turn out reckless (and dangerous to the project) or get frustrated when things don't work out, perhaps dropping all (and thus being dangerous to the project). As the professor in turn stands of falls with his successes (and "my PhD student failed me" is no excuse, really), it would make you a risk not worth taking.
Yes, it is nice to show that you know where success in the first step(s) *could* take you, but they might fail, or turn out unexpected results leading elsewhere.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: If the professor is in the area, after reading a possible direction/problem, he/she will immediately know its significance, difficulties/challenges/issues. They key here is to show you have done your homework. I am impress if an email sounds 'intelligent' as opposed to some random stab in the dark or clearly shows the writer hasn't done his/her homework. In your case, follow your logic and present evidences.
If you have done your homework, then you can 'modulate' your optimism based on facts as opposed to trying to make an empty vessel sound like a piece from Mozart.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: It obviously varies by individual, but one of my mentors taught me a great strategy: Show that whether it's right or wrong, your idea is going to produce interesting, publishable results. One great way to do this is to make a strong argument that at least one existing, accepted idea implies that your idea must be correct. That way, if your idea turns out to be wrong, you've pointed out a new complication or a potential error in something everyone thought was true. This is still an important discovery, and can lead to publications and inspire future work.
Even if your idea is only moderately plausible, you can make a case that there would be something interesting to learn from the specific ways that it's wrong.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/13
| 2,400
| 9,858
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<issue_start>username_0: I was awarded my PhD in November last year and will be giving a paper at my first official academic "débtante ball": the most important conference of its kind (outside of N.A.) for my discipline.
The problem is that I am still suffering from the 'imposter syndrome' and this will likely inhibit me from participating in any small talk. Networking is essential but I am too embarrassed to divulge my day time job is that a public school teacher. Elitists are unavoidable at these events and trust me, everyone else there is more accomplished than I am. The immediate demands and responsibilities of my profession have really prevented me from publishing. My one saving grace is that I am a very engaging speaker and my topic has popular appeal.
My objectives at the conference are to make my name better known, to highlight the originality of my research, and ultimately catch the attention of a publisher.
There will be a book fair but I believe its nothing more than kiosks with booksellers.
How do I maximize my time at the conference?
How do I make a lasting impression?
How can I overcome my inferiority complex?
Teacher in transition :/<issue_comment>username_1: Don't try too hard. You will have plenty of time later to build a solid reputation.
First impressions are way overrated. They will *not* be the basis of any serious (as in "costs real money") decisions, least of all concerning some complete newbie.
Enjoy the conference, get to know people, mingle. Play your rôle of newcomer who is just joining the club. Check out what is going on in the sidetracks, you might be quite wrong about their importance (or totally right).
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Everyone starts at the bottom, and no academic of any standing should be put off by the fact that you're a public school teacher. You got invited to the conference, didn't you? Just like everyone else?
That said, spend some time listening first, talk second. Don't try to hit it out of the park. Just get the ball in play and if that leads people to talk more than you believe me, you'll be remembered favorably for it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I always find it sympathetic to use a tiny joke at the beginning. Not like "one man walks into a bar" joke, but rather modifying a famous quote to match your area of interest kind of joke.
I remember a thesis presentation about localization. After the first slide, he put:
"Money, money, money" - <NAME>
"Location, location, location" - Mike (made up the name)
There are several benefits of doing this, the major one being able to ease up the introduction talk. Better than just saying "Hello my name is Mike, and I am going to talk about localization today".
I also used the very same trick in my master's thesis presentation.
One of my former colleagues was dealing with natural language processing and begun his conference presentation by pronouncing his surname (which was very hard for non-native Turkish speakers).
In your case, I would suggest forgetting about the *elitists* and give your talk to people who are really interested in your topic.
There are and will be people around to criticize whatever you do/say. Criticize your work, etc. Key is to remember that they are **all** human beings.
As <NAME> said,
>
> I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to
> please everybody.
>
>
>
*An extension regarding @username_1's comment:*
It is extremely true that the audience is usually bored during talks. Main reason for that is the [fourth wall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_wall). A tiny joke (by joke, I don't mean to tell a hoke, but a little bit sense of humor) would help you to break the fourth wall. As a listener, I lose my interest on the topic when the talker
talks like he/she memorized the talk, with a robotic voice.
If you slip one or two daily-life sentences into your talk, the fourth wall can be easily broken. Something like
>
> Now, let us take a look at the experiments. We expected that our
> algorithm has 100% success with random data. But of course, reality is
> different than the expectations.
>
>
>
would do no harm at all. Puts a smile to the face of most listeners, and regains their concentration. Then, coming back to the topic with a sentence like
>
> Even though the algorithm is not perfect, I believe we did quite well considering this graph
>
>
>
keeps you away from being too much informal.
Due to my experiences as both listener and talker, this is the way to make - maybe not *great* - but above-the-average impression on the audience.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Are the objectives really realistic for the conference? Making your name better known is unlikely in general, given the amount of speakers. I'd focus on finding people with whom you share (research) interests, esp. people who complement your skills in order to do better research. As for highlighting the originality of your research, well, that's overrated IMO. You have to build a bridge to what is already established (which can work as a good contrast to what you did). However, for really new approaches, the reactions might be surprisingly critical. As for catching the attention of a publisher -- not sure whether that's likely. If that's really important to you, perhaps find out in advance which publishers will attend and whether you can talk to them at the conference.
As for being only a public school teacher, sorry, you're not. Or, you're not in that setting. You weren't invited because you teach children, or because of a "pity presentation" (if that is even a thing). You were invited because you did scientific work that is interesting for the community. And you've already got the 'union card' to Academia -- your PhD.
So, frankly, I'd chill and re-think the goals (and the attitude). Like written, it's a chance to meet people with whom you share (research) interests for future collaborations. Have a look at the program and seek out interesting people, esp. on a similar level (PhDs and PostDocs). Reading their papers beforehand might help for conversation starters, esp. when you consider what your (likely) unique "day job" background can offer to their research. Seriously, if it's anything related to social sciences, it's usually extremely hard to find people in a practical setting with whom you can work together, who have access to a good sample. And usually people like to talk about their work (well, some are intimidated by the setting as well).
That approach might make a lasting impression on those people who matter, those with whom you can work for mutual benefit. And these aren't the Elitists. Just be open, and if people look down on you, you know where you stand (in *their* perception) -- and you know to look elsewhere. And regarding talking to people -- nothing simpler than that (and I say this as an introvert). You share an overall interest in the conference topic and you likely listened to similar presentations. So you have a lot in common/belong to the same group. Not all will want to talk, but if you are not discouraged and try often enough, enough will (and will be thankful for having someone who starts the conversation).
And -- lastly -- given that finding people to work with is still be a very aspiring goal, I'd look at the conference as a learning opportunity. I think too many people go on business card collector sprees on conferences, instead of using the opportunity to find out how the people in your scientific community tick. So don't sweat it -- learn from it, esp. from things that went wrong, and above all, enjoy it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Disclaimer: your mileage may vary, as conventions vary greatly among fields. That being said, here are some things that have worked very well to my advantage in similar situations.
1. Go to mixers. Many conferences have lots of these. Specific ones, general ones, it really doesn't matter. Same thing goes for organised social events. If there is an early career mixer, I highly recommend it. People open up quite a lot at these things, and you will likely find yourself having very interesting conversations with people of similar interests. I have made lasting professional contacts (and friends have gotten postdocs) out of these kinds of interactions.
2. If there are specific more senior people you would like to meet who will be there, it can't hurt to send them an email before the meeting, mention that you very much like their work, you noticed they will be at the conference, and will they have 10 or 15 minutes during the week to chat a bit. Your only objective for this should be to meet the person and have an interesting conversation about science.
3. Don't be shy. Talk up your work. You have the Ph.D., so you're an expert in what you do. Use this.
4. Someone above mentioned poster sessions. I fully agree with this idea. It can be a bit harder to find people here, but if you find a poster that interests you, strike up a conversation. Many posters are poorly attended, so usually the presenter is happy to have a conversation about the work.
5. Relax! Everyone there is interested and interested in the field, and no one wants you to fail. So enjoy yourself and go home refreshed and excited about your field. If drinking is your thing and will help you unwind, enjoy a beer at the poster session or a mixer, just don't overdo it.
6. As for the day job, all I can say is that in my own field (life/earth sciences), many people would find the fact that you do both to be an advantage and something interesting to talk about. You'll have to go with your gut about whether it's something to talk about extensively or not, depending on how broadly-minded people of your discipline tend to be.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/02/14
| 1,635
| 6,620
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<issue_start>username_0: A professor expects a report for a project to be around 3-4 pages (but never said anything, this is only my guess).
Is it a bad idea to submit a report of 12-13 pages if it contains useful information and detailed analysis? Doesn't this show I am interested in the subject?<issue_comment>username_1: It depends.
In my courses, the professors usually list a **max** page limit but no minimum. I talked to one and he said its because he doesn't have time to read 50 students' papers if they're all too long and he has had too many students that ramble.
My suggestion is to tend towards following the directions. If that isn't enough, then just ask the professor. A one or two line email could solve this!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: If I say "3 or 4 pages" and get 5, not problem. If I get 12, my first reaction is to give minimal grade, for not following simple guidelines. If I'm in good mood, I'd read it (unlikely, term's end isn't a time for jollyness ;-), and if it ***really*** dazzles me (no rambling, no unending tables that could have been summarized in a graph or two, *does* the work asked, and goes far beyond it in *useful* direction) I might even give some extra credit (and bookmark you for later). If just longwinded explanation that could be summarized in 3 pages, again fail.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: You say, never said - how do you know?
In any case, if 4 is the limit, write 8 pages, cut to 4. From experience, it will be much better this way.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Assume there's an actual page limit. If you exceed it, you are taking more of the reader's time than you were given, so you lose your "right" to get it read in full.
* Often, that can be addressed by synthesizing better what you are saying. By not synthesizing better, you're saving the time you'd spend revising, but *wasting* the reader's time.
* Other times, by leaving out material or by moving it to appendixes.
* Reading more on the subject should just mean saying smarter things, not more.
Brevity matters because people have too much to read and not enough time for it — we live in *information overload*. Even researchers do. You might as well start practicing for it. ;-)
Caveat: brevity means conveying the same content in less time for the reader. There are ways to shorten text that harm this goal, by making text harder to understand, or omitting essential content (but what's essential?); that's best avoided.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Speaking as someone who has done a bit of report marking (as PhD student working as TA, not as the professor/coordinator).
* Even where a page limit was given, unless the professor has said to deduct marks, I wouldn't deduct marks. Ways the professor could have said that I could deduct marks would include:
+ Including a portion of marks for presentation/format/writing style
+ A direct statement in the assignment brief (eg "5% marks will be deducted if page limit is violated")
+ Telling me in an email or words eg "I have warned the students not to go over X pages, and that they will suffer penalities. If anyone goes over, please deduct 5 marks")
* Similarly, even where the reports have other format requirements (eg present in PDF, and the student submits a MS-Word document), unless there are marks specifically allocated for succeeding/failing at this; marks will not be deducted.
* **If it was a case that the report was supposed to be testing the students ability to write concisely, then there will be marks allocated. If marks are not then it isn't being assessed -- so marks won't be deducted.**
* However, **That does not mean I am happy about receiving an oversized report**. I am in-fact unhappy, this unhappiness may end up manifesting in **less patience** -- wither I intend it or not.
+ if your paper includes a mathematical calculation, and the result doesn't match the expected, then I am likely to give some minimal mark and move on. Why? Because I don't have the time to dig closely through the workings to find where the mistake was made, and to judge if it is a simple mistake, or a deep failing of understanding.
+ Conversely though, where the report is well written (and reasonably sized), then I will look closer. I have given almost full marks for an answer that was not the answer to the question asked -- because I had the time to look at it closely, see that they were reading the question as using a notation that was not used in class (but was used in industry, with the opposite meaning); and had answered a different but similar question.
+ This loss of patience/time would generally show up anywhere that has working that I could quickly tell if it is right or wrong, but that would take a while to verify how wrong it is.
---
The key factor you are missing when it comes to considering this is that most markers are paid by the hour casuals; and that the unit has a finite budget with which to pay them; so they are told "I will pay you for 8 hours of marking", by the professor. If they can't get the marking done it that time, then they have to go back to the professor, and either ask for more time (and money), or the professor may take it and do it themselves, or they may end up being pressured (internally/subconsciously or directly) to work for free (because they "should" have been able to get it all done.). The key thing here is that **when many people write an overlong reports, they are costing the markers money, or respect.**
If the marker has 8 hours to mark 40 reports, which were supposed to be 4 pages each then that is not too bad, that is 20 pages (from 5 report) per hour. It means about 10 minutes to read each paper, and a couple of minutes to allocate marks. **If your report is 16 pages, then you are using up reading time that belongs to another student, or time that belongs to the marker (when they should have gone home)**.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: The answers so far generally focus on being considerate to the person who is marking the report. That is certainly a consideration, but I think there is another point that has been missed: **writing concisely is an important skill in itself**. There are many situations you may find yourself in, both inside and outside academia, where you may be writing to a strict word limit. Learning the skills to say what you need to say succinctly takes time, and is worth the practice.
If there is a limit, stick to it. As others have said, you can use an appendix if there is extra material that you are very keen to get acknowledged.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/02/14
| 3,231
| 12,384
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a junior academic (just finishing a PhD in computer science) and I'm considering starting an academic blog. My reasons for starting a blog are:
* Fun.
* Improving my visibility.
* The benefit of science.
… basically, the same reasons I publish papers. (In a sense, academic blogging, is just a 21st century form of academic communication to supplement journals and conferences.)
However, I also have concerns:
* Maintaining an active blog takes a lot of time and effort. (i.e. it may stop being fun.)
* Fear of failure - many blogs die. (Does an inactive blog look bad?)
* Being a junior researcher, I worry that people will not care about my blog or, worse, disagree with what I say.
So I want to ask for advice from people who have (or had) an academic blog:
Is academic blogging a good idea?
Does it become too much effort?
Is it worthwhile?
How likely is blog-death?
In general, **what are pitfalls to watch out for when starting an academic blog?**<issue_comment>username_1: Let me start with the following disclaimer. Firstly, I'm considering myself also a junior academician (defended my Ph.D. in April 2015; though I have quite a bit of industry experience). Secondly, while I thought about starting professional (in a sense of covering both academia/research and industry, plus various interests) blogging for a while and, even created my own WordPress-powered website with a blog section, I still yet to find time to start and continue blogging regularly. Having said that, everyone's situation and circumstances are different. Also, having some kind of writer's block or, rather, fear, I decided that mostly answering (and sometimes asking) questions on Stack Exchange sites as well as Quora is a gentle way of preparing myself to a more serious :-) blogging exposure.
Now, on to your questions (take my advice with a grain of salt, considering the disclaimer above).
>
> Is academic blogging a good idea?
>
>
>
In my humble opinion, absolutely. I've seen a lot of academic blogs. Most of them are of good to excellent quality. Reading someone's such academic blog immediately adds some virtual respect points to that person's virtual balance in my brain. Sometimes it helps to find answers to my specific questions. Often, it increases my awareness on some topics or subject domains. It also helps me to understand who might be a good potential collaborator for a future research or an advisor for a science-focused venture / startup. All of the above-mentioned points are potential benefits toward a good professional exposure / visibility for an academic blogger.
>
> Does it become too much effort?
>
>
>
As I said, I have no direct experience in blogging, but, based on my experience with answering questions, it depends on your desired involvement. I guess, for blogging it is more about setting a comfortable for the author schedule and sticking to it. Answering questions is a more flexible way.
>
> Is it worthwhile?
>
>
>
See answer to Q1.
>
> How likely is blog-death?
>
>
>
Since one of major, if not the major, benefits of blogging is training one's brain to formulate and express thoughts and arguments, I think that "blog-death" is not only over-rated, but irrelevant. Even if zero people will read your blog now, 1) at some point, some people will start reading it, if it will be worth reading and, more importantly, 2) you will still be self-improving in so many ways.
>
> In general, what are pitfalls to watch out for when starting an
> academic blog?
>
>
>
IMHO potential factors of success are (obviously, potential pitfalls would be the opposite aspects):
* finding interesting topics;
* expressing yourself via original and quality writing;
* creating a visually appealing blog (likely, not critical, but still...);
* creating a realistic schedule and sticking to it;
* having faith in yourself.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: First of all, I'm not an academic yet, but I'm planning to be. I read a lot of academic blogs in my field daily or should I say, semi-academic. By semi-academic I mean that they have articles of an academic subject but with more in-layman's-terms approach. And I absolutely love all of them. I believe that being able to explain things simply is an art, not mention extremely valuable, and having a similar blog is something that I aim to do in the future.
To address your concerns:
>
> Maintaining an active blog takes a lot of time and effort. (i.e. it may stop being fun.)
>
>
>
Yes it is. I've been blogging about tech (Android and Linux) in the past and after a while it became an extremely cumbersome experience maintaining a steady flow of news, reviews and opinion articles. BUT this is not what an academic blog is all about. You don't need a good article every day. You need a good quality article once or twice a month. This is not so hard.
>
> Fear of failure - many blogs die.
>
>
>
They do. And yours might too. So what? Firstly, you shouldn't fear leaving your blog inactive for a couple of months. This is something you *want* to do, remember? If you don't have the time or you just don't feel like it for a while just don't do it. If you don't like the view of an abandoned blog after a few months just delete it. It's ok.
>
> Being a junior researcher, I worry that people will not care about my blog...
>
>
>
Producing quality content is the key here. If you produce quality articles from which your readers learn stuff you'll find out that after a while a significant amount of them will care.
>
> ...or, worse, disagree with what I say.
>
>
>
That's the best part! Being a junior academic you already know that:
1. Everything you say must be backed with evidence
2. No matter the evidence some people will disagree with you
Disagreeing means views and comments. Disagreeing is how you'll make regulars. This is a key concept in blogging. Rarely you will get comments like "I completely agree with your article", not to mention that they don't have a special value. But comments like "I think that you forgot to include the fact that X" sparkle interesting conversations from which both parties learn.
To answer your questions:
>
> Is academic blogging a good idea? Is it worthwhile?
>
>
>
Yes, it's a great idea and it will be worthwhile for you and your readers especially if your articles sparkle interesting conversations. An academic blog indeed increases visibility and creates a more friendly/casual view of the writer which in my opinion most of the times is very much needed.
>
> Does it become too much effort?
>
>
>
Not if you limit yourself to one or two articles per month. Your goal is quality, not quantity. You're not a news site, you're an academic.
>
> How likely is blog-death?
>
>
>
Very. So what? [Just do it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXsQAXx_ao0).
>
> What are pitfalls to watch out for when starting an academic blog?
>
>
>
1. Do it because you want to do it.
2. Don't burn yourself out.
3. Don't get stressed over the quantity. Aim for quality.
4. Use a simple language.
5. Be fun.
6. Have fun.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Is academic blogging a good idea?
>
>
>
Absolutely. Some day, people will be googling you. For instance, someone who read a paper of yours, or who needs to evaluate you for a grant or a scholarship. It's good if the first search result is a blog with quality material.
>
> Does it become too much effort?
>
>
>
That depends on how much time you invest. One or two quality posts a month are quite sufficient, I'd say.
>
> Is it worthwhile?
>
>
>
See above. Yes, it is.
>
> How likely is blog-death?
>
>
>
Quite likely. So what?
>
> In general, what are pitfalls to watch out for when starting an academic blog?
>
>
>
I'd see two potiential pitfalls.
1. If you post *too much*, people will wonder whether you are spending time blogging that you should be spending doing "real" research. This is not a good impression to make, especially on more, ahem, *traditional* researchers that may be evaluating you for tenure.
2. If you post *too little*, your blog will die, and few things are as sad as a blog with three entries from two years ago. In that case, consider deleting the entire blog if it's clear that you won't be doing any more of it.
To nip both problems in the bud, I'd recommend that you self-commit to, say, two posts a month, and to spend two to three hours on each - no more, but also no less. Block time in your calendar for this, just like for any other activity, so you'll actually do it when the time rolls around. (Maybe you already did a spontaneous post two days ago, in which case you suddenly have two to three free hours for more research!) In the meantime, keep a list of interesting topics.
* Papers you have published
* Interesting papers you have read
* Cool things that happened during teaching
* Conferences you plan on attending, or recently have attended (few people have the time to blog *during* a conference)
* Guest speakers you have in your lectures or seminars
* Interesting talks you heard
* Later in your career: calls for papers in special journal issues you are editing, and similar things
Just read some academic blogs with an eye to what works well and what doesn't, and then develop your own style.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: The answers to the first four questions are **highly individual** (you set the posting frequency, the topics, etc.). Just **ensure that you get something out of it**, e.g., write down your experiences as a kind of open journal to learn from, or use it to promote your work and the work of people you appreciate. In short, **make it useful** to you and others.
As for **pitfalls**, I see one major one in Academia: Given that academia can be stressful at times, it might be tempting to write things you "just want to get out". To **publicly bitch about things**. This is one instance where a blog might **backfire**. I think **you can say everything as long as you do it with a basic level of respect**. If that respect isn't there at the moment (let's face it, sometimes reviewer rejections are hard to stomach and occasionally, people just suck), then don't write about it (at that time).
I'm also not sure about **legal issues**, e.g., the university might want to prohibit or control what you publish. At least, if they are mentioned by name/affiliation. Personally, I keep my blogs **separate from my work**, so far without problems, but there are instances in which academics have encountered consequences for their blog postings (usually related to explosive topics and I'm not sure whether administration was just looking for a reason/rationalization).
One last thing regarding the **"it might wither and die" concern**. Blogs are a great way of **thinking about topics** and **finding one's voice**. After all, you write about your thoughts and make those writings public. Many people put in extra effort under these circumstances, and the writing down part might reveal inconsistencies. But it puts an extreme burden on you if you feel you have to carry on the blog until you die. You don't. **It's something that seems right at the moment.** It can become a success and draw an audience. But it also might be a more private affair. No matter how it turns out (even negatively), you can always look back on it and say: **"I used it to think about some topics and it was fun while it lasted, but now I have no further need of it."** And that's fine too.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Instead of advising you to avoid a death blog, allow me to say the opposite thing:
**You want your blog to be inactive as much as possible**
This solves every problem: you will post when you see the fun in it and the idea is ready. If you don't see the fun in it, or how your idea is ready enough to present it, how can people see it fun and worth-reading?
You should identify your priority for blogging is for fun, not for visibility. If you let the urge to be noticed control you, then you can't do it for fun. But if the activity is fun, then visibility will come without your notice. There are blogs out there which have only one or two articles, but with the correct keywords they are still at the top Google.
So do it for fun, and only for fun.
Upvotes: 2
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| 3,060
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<issue_start>username_0: Kindly can one guide me about crescent classification in references citation.
I have received a review that is following
>
> "for instance in the sequence of citations [5], [7] and [6], which must
> be changed to cope to a crescent classification"
>
>
>
I have searched through the google but couldn't find any solution or knowledge about it.
Thanks.<issue_comment>username_1: Let me start with the following disclaimer. Firstly, I'm considering myself also a junior academician (defended my Ph.D. in April 2015; though I have quite a bit of industry experience). Secondly, while I thought about starting professional (in a sense of covering both academia/research and industry, plus various interests) blogging for a while and, even created my own WordPress-powered website with a blog section, I still yet to find time to start and continue blogging regularly. Having said that, everyone's situation and circumstances are different. Also, having some kind of writer's block or, rather, fear, I decided that mostly answering (and sometimes asking) questions on Stack Exchange sites as well as Quora is a gentle way of preparing myself to a more serious :-) blogging exposure.
Now, on to your questions (take my advice with a grain of salt, considering the disclaimer above).
>
> Is academic blogging a good idea?
>
>
>
In my humble opinion, absolutely. I've seen a lot of academic blogs. Most of them are of good to excellent quality. Reading someone's such academic blog immediately adds some virtual respect points to that person's virtual balance in my brain. Sometimes it helps to find answers to my specific questions. Often, it increases my awareness on some topics or subject domains. It also helps me to understand who might be a good potential collaborator for a future research or an advisor for a science-focused venture / startup. All of the above-mentioned points are potential benefits toward a good professional exposure / visibility for an academic blogger.
>
> Does it become too much effort?
>
>
>
As I said, I have no direct experience in blogging, but, based on my experience with answering questions, it depends on your desired involvement. I guess, for blogging it is more about setting a comfortable for the author schedule and sticking to it. Answering questions is a more flexible way.
>
> Is it worthwhile?
>
>
>
See answer to Q1.
>
> How likely is blog-death?
>
>
>
Since one of major, if not the major, benefits of blogging is training one's brain to formulate and express thoughts and arguments, I think that "blog-death" is not only over-rated, but irrelevant. Even if zero people will read your blog now, 1) at some point, some people will start reading it, if it will be worth reading and, more importantly, 2) you will still be self-improving in so many ways.
>
> In general, what are pitfalls to watch out for when starting an
> academic blog?
>
>
>
IMHO potential factors of success are (obviously, potential pitfalls would be the opposite aspects):
* finding interesting topics;
* expressing yourself via original and quality writing;
* creating a visually appealing blog (likely, not critical, but still...);
* creating a realistic schedule and sticking to it;
* having faith in yourself.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: First of all, I'm not an academic yet, but I'm planning to be. I read a lot of academic blogs in my field daily or should I say, semi-academic. By semi-academic I mean that they have articles of an academic subject but with more in-layman's-terms approach. And I absolutely love all of them. I believe that being able to explain things simply is an art, not mention extremely valuable, and having a similar blog is something that I aim to do in the future.
To address your concerns:
>
> Maintaining an active blog takes a lot of time and effort. (i.e. it may stop being fun.)
>
>
>
Yes it is. I've been blogging about tech (Android and Linux) in the past and after a while it became an extremely cumbersome experience maintaining a steady flow of news, reviews and opinion articles. BUT this is not what an academic blog is all about. You don't need a good article every day. You need a good quality article once or twice a month. This is not so hard.
>
> Fear of failure - many blogs die.
>
>
>
They do. And yours might too. So what? Firstly, you shouldn't fear leaving your blog inactive for a couple of months. This is something you *want* to do, remember? If you don't have the time or you just don't feel like it for a while just don't do it. If you don't like the view of an abandoned blog after a few months just delete it. It's ok.
>
> Being a junior researcher, I worry that people will not care about my blog...
>
>
>
Producing quality content is the key here. If you produce quality articles from which your readers learn stuff you'll find out that after a while a significant amount of them will care.
>
> ...or, worse, disagree with what I say.
>
>
>
That's the best part! Being a junior academic you already know that:
1. Everything you say must be backed with evidence
2. No matter the evidence some people will disagree with you
Disagreeing means views and comments. Disagreeing is how you'll make regulars. This is a key concept in blogging. Rarely you will get comments like "I completely agree with your article", not to mention that they don't have a special value. But comments like "I think that you forgot to include the fact that X" sparkle interesting conversations from which both parties learn.
To answer your questions:
>
> Is academic blogging a good idea? Is it worthwhile?
>
>
>
Yes, it's a great idea and it will be worthwhile for you and your readers especially if your articles sparkle interesting conversations. An academic blog indeed increases visibility and creates a more friendly/casual view of the writer which in my opinion most of the times is very much needed.
>
> Does it become too much effort?
>
>
>
Not if you limit yourself to one or two articles per month. Your goal is quality, not quantity. You're not a news site, you're an academic.
>
> How likely is blog-death?
>
>
>
Very. So what? [Just do it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXsQAXx_ao0).
>
> What are pitfalls to watch out for when starting an academic blog?
>
>
>
1. Do it because you want to do it.
2. Don't burn yourself out.
3. Don't get stressed over the quantity. Aim for quality.
4. Use a simple language.
5. Be fun.
6. Have fun.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> Is academic blogging a good idea?
>
>
>
Absolutely. Some day, people will be googling you. For instance, someone who read a paper of yours, or who needs to evaluate you for a grant or a scholarship. It's good if the first search result is a blog with quality material.
>
> Does it become too much effort?
>
>
>
That depends on how much time you invest. One or two quality posts a month are quite sufficient, I'd say.
>
> Is it worthwhile?
>
>
>
See above. Yes, it is.
>
> How likely is blog-death?
>
>
>
Quite likely. So what?
>
> In general, what are pitfalls to watch out for when starting an academic blog?
>
>
>
I'd see two potiential pitfalls.
1. If you post *too much*, people will wonder whether you are spending time blogging that you should be spending doing "real" research. This is not a good impression to make, especially on more, ahem, *traditional* researchers that may be evaluating you for tenure.
2. If you post *too little*, your blog will die, and few things are as sad as a blog with three entries from two years ago. In that case, consider deleting the entire blog if it's clear that you won't be doing any more of it.
To nip both problems in the bud, I'd recommend that you self-commit to, say, two posts a month, and to spend two to three hours on each - no more, but also no less. Block time in your calendar for this, just like for any other activity, so you'll actually do it when the time rolls around. (Maybe you already did a spontaneous post two days ago, in which case you suddenly have two to three free hours for more research!) In the meantime, keep a list of interesting topics.
* Papers you have published
* Interesting papers you have read
* Cool things that happened during teaching
* Conferences you plan on attending, or recently have attended (few people have the time to blog *during* a conference)
* Guest speakers you have in your lectures or seminars
* Interesting talks you heard
* Later in your career: calls for papers in special journal issues you are editing, and similar things
Just read some academic blogs with an eye to what works well and what doesn't, and then develop your own style.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: The answers to the first four questions are **highly individual** (you set the posting frequency, the topics, etc.). Just **ensure that you get something out of it**, e.g., write down your experiences as a kind of open journal to learn from, or use it to promote your work and the work of people you appreciate. In short, **make it useful** to you and others.
As for **pitfalls**, I see one major one in Academia: Given that academia can be stressful at times, it might be tempting to write things you "just want to get out". To **publicly bitch about things**. This is one instance where a blog might **backfire**. I think **you can say everything as long as you do it with a basic level of respect**. If that respect isn't there at the moment (let's face it, sometimes reviewer rejections are hard to stomach and occasionally, people just suck), then don't write about it (at that time).
I'm also not sure about **legal issues**, e.g., the university might want to prohibit or control what you publish. At least, if they are mentioned by name/affiliation. Personally, I keep my blogs **separate from my work**, so far without problems, but there are instances in which academics have encountered consequences for their blog postings (usually related to explosive topics and I'm not sure whether administration was just looking for a reason/rationalization).
One last thing regarding the **"it might wither and die" concern**. Blogs are a great way of **thinking about topics** and **finding one's voice**. After all, you write about your thoughts and make those writings public. Many people put in extra effort under these circumstances, and the writing down part might reveal inconsistencies. But it puts an extreme burden on you if you feel you have to carry on the blog until you die. You don't. **It's something that seems right at the moment.** It can become a success and draw an audience. But it also might be a more private affair. No matter how it turns out (even negatively), you can always look back on it and say: **"I used it to think about some topics and it was fun while it lasted, but now I have no further need of it."** And that's fine too.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Instead of advising you to avoid a death blog, allow me to say the opposite thing:
**You want your blog to be inactive as much as possible**
This solves every problem: you will post when you see the fun in it and the idea is ready. If you don't see the fun in it, or how your idea is ready enough to present it, how can people see it fun and worth-reading?
You should identify your priority for blogging is for fun, not for visibility. If you let the urge to be noticed control you, then you can't do it for fun. But if the activity is fun, then visibility will come without your notice. There are blogs out there which have only one or two articles, but with the correct keywords they are still at the top Google.
So do it for fun, and only for fun.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/02/14
| 1,848
| 7,693
|
<issue_start>username_0: When I am at home and looking for journal articles I often find article PDFs through google that have been uploaded to various websites (e.g., universities, institutions, arbitrary websites, etc...).
I am worried that using these files may infringe copyright since these articles may be bought by these universities (for example) and (by mistake?) were freely uploaded to their domain name like: www.university.edu.lb/journal\_article1.pdf (probably for their own students?).
* Is it ethical to use these downloaded PDFs during my research without going back to my own university elibrary to use them?
* When, if ever, would I be breaching copyright or breaching professional ethics if I accessed these files?
EDIT: my question also covers books as, sometimes, these are entirely available on some sites (whether they are institutional sites or not).<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, it is absolutely ethical to use these files during your research. Many publishers allow academic authors to upload a so-called "**preprint**" version of a paper to their own institutional websites or put them in repositories, and of course these can be used by others in research.
There's maybe just two minor things to be careful about:
1. You should try to verify that the preprint version is mostly up to date with the published version, comparing e.g. publication dates.
2. It is common practice to put the "official" publication source, i.e., the journal version, into your reference list. Nevertheless, if you can't make sure that the versions are equivalent regarding what you're citing them for, it may be necessary to state that you were using a preprint version.
In some cases, authors may put papers online even though it's technically a breach of copyright. But since you don't know the author's agreement with the publisher, you have no way of checking that, and in any case, it would be the author or institution that violates copyright, but not you.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I mostly agree with username_1's answer but want to emphasize a couple of different things.
1. It is ethical to look at freely available pre/e-prints, if they are permitted by the publisher. They often are, and often are not, but it is not your responsibility to check. However, you should cite published versions, which means you should look at published versions to make sure they contain what you want and section/page/etc numbered references are correct. At most universities, you can get access to the university e-library from home by logging in.
2. Many libraries (including mine) monitor how often journals are electronically accessed through the library subscription, and use this to determine the value of this journal subscription. Journals with less perceived value (from the library's point of view) may get cut to account for rising costs of other publications and/or budget cuts. So it can be beneficial for both the journal and the university for you to make the effort to download the article through the library subscription.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: One thing not mentioned in the answers written so far: in some fields, including applied mathematics, **many leading journals now allow the author to put the final typeset article on his/her website**. This is exactly the same version provided by the journal. For instance, all SIAM and AMS journals now allow this. So in this case there is no concern about copyright for either you or the author, and no need to worry about whether the version is "up-to-date".
I make almost all my papers available in this way.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I wanted to chip in on this one. Where I live and do research, we have intermittent access to literature. For instance, right now, and probably until April this year, we don't have. Nonetheless, to exist as a scientist, one must have access to literature. So, I do everything in my power to get papers even though it's not "ethical" from the point of view of publishers.
I do not feel guilty about this, because my research is supposed to be done for the people, not for myself. If I get a good result that leads to some new technology, everyone, including the publishers, will benefit from it. Besides, it is about survival in research. Without constant access to literature, I could just as well close the shop and buy a mop for my new career.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: I would like to point to
<http://www.sciencealert.com/this-woman-has-illegally-uploaded-millions-of-journal-articles-in-an-attempt-to-open-up-science>
and
<http://bigthink.com/neurobonkers/a-pirate-bay-for-science>
and the sequel to that.
where it is argued that yes, this is morally perfectly fine.
Quote from the second link:
>
> In her letter to Sweet, Elbakyan made a point that will likely come as a shock to many outside the academic community: Researchers and universities don’t earn a single penny from the fees charged by publishers such as Elsevier for accepting their work, while Elsevier has an annual income over a billion U.S. dollars. Elbakyan explains: “I would also like to mention that Elsevier is not a creator of these papers. All papers on their website are written by researchers, and researchers do not receive money from what Elsevier collects. That is very different from the music or movie industry, where creators receive money from each copy sold. But the economics of research papers is very different. Authors of these papers do not receive money. Why would they send their work to Elsevier then? They feel pressured to do this, because Elsevier is an owner of so-called "high-impact” journals. If a researcher wants to be recognized, make a career — he or she needs to have publications in such journals.”
>
>
> This is the Catch-22. Why would any self-respecting researcher willingly hand over, for nothing, the copyright to their hard work to an organization that will profit from the work by making the keys prohibitively expensive to the few people who want to read it? The answer is ultimately all to do with career prospects and prestige. Researchers are rewarded in jobs and promotions for publishing in high-ranking journals such as Nature.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I am a researcher in mathematics who published over 60 articles. In almost all cases, the publisher left me no option other than to transfer all my copyrights to them, for my own work. Is it ethical?
I write articles in order to be read by other researchers. The last thing I need is to prevent them from doing it. If my articles are placed behind a paywall or hidden from the reader in any other way, it is definitely not in my interest, as the author. And even if someone purchases my article, I won't see a cent from that money. Is that ethical?
You would think that we have some choice, but now we are in 2017 and there is only 1 (!) [broad interest journal in mathematics I could find of some quality caliber, that is completely free and open for both authors and publishers](https://www.math.uni-bielefeld.de/documenta/). I mean, no embargo, no author processing charges, no subscription charges.
And yes, there is [Arxiv.org](https://arxiv.org/) that is truly free for its users. But that does not replace a publication and is not counted as such. It is not peer reviewed and can be changed or withdrawn. Sometimes the version there is final, sometimes not. Sometimes people post there, sometimes not, for various reasons. And finally, you still have to cite the actual article, not the one posted to the arxiv, so you still somehow need to make sure what you cite is actually there.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: "All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings and will be recommended for publication in IEEE Xplore." The quote was taken from a conference site. Does this mean that accepted paper will definitely be published in IEEE Xplore once accepted, or does that mean that there is a chance only?<issue_comment>username_1: If it is an established IEEE-sponsored conference, then I would expect that it means they will definitely be published in IEEE Xplore. Typically, the IEEE simply transforms the conference proceedings directly into an IEEE Xplore collection, and that *is* the official archival proceedings of the conference.
The only publications that typically do *not* make this transition are those which are not presented at the conference (e.g., the authors don't show up), which the IEEE does not generally allow to be published as part of the final proceedings.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I recommmend you to be careful. There are a lot of spam or predatory conferences, and some claim to be, or claim they will be, indexed in some more or less "prestigious" collections. They use that to lure authors.
You could check whether the conference was indexed last year (and the year before). You can give the website, some here may know.
Upvotes: 1
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| 2,002
| 8,604
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<issue_start>username_0: I am asking this question to get further perspective on an issue that has come up with a student (undergraduate, mathematics) I am mentoring. At last summer's [REU](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_Experiences_for_Undergraduates) he wrote (in particular!) a solo paper. I was not directly involved with the research, but I gave him some feedback on the writing before he submitted it for publication a few months ago. He has now received a referee report, which is very positive and is of the sort that I would recognize as being 99% likely to lead to acceptance. The referee requests revisions, many of which I agree with.
However, one of the referee's suggestions is for the student to not explicitly state two well-known theorems that he is making use of. (In case it helps to know, these are [Dirichlet's Theorem on primes in arithmetic progressions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirichlet's_theorem_on_arithmetic_progressions) and [Minkowski's Convex Body Theorem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minkowski's_theorem).) The referee follows up by saying that even if he does want to state them, he should not give citations to them, since they are so well known and google searches easily turn up references.
My questions:
(1) How would you respond to this referee request if you were the author?
(2) How would you advise a young student to respond to this request?<issue_comment>username_1: Here are my answers:
(1) Erring on the side of being slightly more careful / explicit / wordy has never hurt anyone. I agree that a large majority of the readers of this article will know the theorems of Dirichlet and Minkowski, but if some do not then omitting the statements signals that the paper is not for them whereas including them makes it much easier for them to continue reading. (Of course I agree that anyone can google and find the statements of these theorems and it is easy to do so...but it is even easier to put the paper down and go on to something else if your interest was borderline.) On the other hand, a reader who knows these statements well can just skip them: no problem. So provided that as an author I had made the expository choice to include these theorem statements, I would not be easily talked out of it by a reviewer. As to whether I would actually have done this: I have a paper where I state MCBT. I often say "by Dirichlet's Theorem" (more often: "by Cebotarev density"!) and assume readers know what I mean.
In terms of citation: I don't like the idea of a referee talking an author being talked out of citing work that they use in the paper. It feels like getting pushed in the wrong direction. I have to admit though that I would not myself cite either of these results, and I do have some sense that if you cite things which are too basic then people start to wonder about your background. ("No one cites Einstein..." And Einstein came after Minkowski and way after Dirichlet.)
(2) Not lightly do I advise anyone to do anything which could result in their paper not being accepted. But in this case I am tempted to advise the student to leave in the statements. He should respond to the referee: for instance if his response includes other papers published in the last decade by the same journal which include statements of one or both of these results, his case looks strong. That one should not rewrite papers so as to make them harder to read seems like an important lesson.
I am tempted to tell the student that I would not include these citations and the referee is really correct that they are not needed. If he does want to leave them in, then maybe he should go "whole hog" and include primary source material. I haven't seen many contemporary math papers with works by Dirichlet and Minkowski in their bibliographies...but I wouldn't mind at all if I did see them.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I would recommend approaching a referees recommendation to drop a citation in the following manner:
1. First, consider carefully whether there is good reason to keep a citation in the paper at all. The key factors to consider are reading audience and the customs of others in the field. For example, in cross-disciplinary work I have often cited extremely basic material because core dogma known by every undergraduate in one field are sometimes viewed as nearly unbelievable statements in another field. On the other hand, students in particular are sometimes prone to over-citation because they have been well-trained in citation and decide to err on the side of caution.
2. If a citation is warranted, consider whether to use the primary source or a textbook source. Notation and interpretation change over the years, and for purposes of elucidating a well-known result, a readily accessible modern text is often a much better citation for the reader than a difficult to find or understand original. In certain cases, however, returning to the original is important: for example, the standard interpretation of the [Turing test](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test) is different than what Turing originally proposed.
3. Whether the decision is to keep the same citation, change the citation, or drop it all-together, in responding to the referee one should explain carefully why one made that decision. I would be startled if a paper could be imperiled by deciding to keep a citation when a referee recommended dropping it---it's just such a minor issue, all things considered. With a careful explanation of how the choice has been reconsidered and the final decision, most referees are likely to be sufficiently satisfied, even if they might have chosen differently.
Bottom line: no paper is going to be put in peril by a few extra citations as long as the author is reasonable in explaining their decisions. The citations might ultimately get dropped or not, but in every case we are talking about "minor revisions" territory and not the boundary between "major revision" and "reject."
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Citations serve two purposes:
* Acknowledging the original source of ideas
* Giving readers easy access to a source to read more about a result that they may not understand.
In the case of standard theorems that are named after their discoverers and which are sufficiently famous to be in Wikipedia, I don't think citing a textbook accomplishes either of these goals. It's much faster and easier to google the theorem than to find the particular text mentioned.
I don't think there's any harm in this kind of citation, so I don't know why the referee cares. But I also don't see a good reason to include them.
If anything, I would cite Wikipedia with a hyperlink. That at least saves your reader some time.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Well I'm sure you've already made your advice by now, but for future reference, here is my perspective.
First, my general philosophy is that one should try to make papers reasonably accessible to young people who have not spent months or years working on this specific problem. I generally feel that most math papers should do a better job of providing references than they do.
(1) I would hear the referee's suggestions and with those in mind, I would rethink about whether it is worthwhile to include references, taking into account both how well known those specific results are and the target audience (whether I would specifically refer to those theorems of Dirichlet and Minkowski depends on who I am writing to--for a "regular" research paper, I would probably do the same as you). As a somewhat experienced mathematician, I think I have a reasonable idea of what is worthwhile to provide a reference for and that I can make suitable decisions on my own. However, referee reports constantly remind me that things I think are obvious or well-known are not obvious or well-known to a lot of people. Consequently, what one thinks should be included as a reference varies a lot from person to person.
(2) When I was a student, I viewed comments like this from referees and my advisor as learning experiences about what to include and not to include. I would first of all tell the student (i) you don't have to make all changes the referee suggests but (ii) you should consider them seriously. However, as people may have different perspectives, and the student has limited experience, it would probably be useful for the student to hear other perspectives (e.g., yours and possibly another colleague's). After giving your advice/suggestions, let the student decide what exactly to do (as I'm sure you would).
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I moved straight into the professional world after my bachelor's degree, and have no experience with formal research of any sort. Recently, however, my university has granted alumni access to a large portion of its collection of research journal subscriptions. I would like to leverage this access to improve my understanding of my field--and of other fields I explore in the future as a hobbyist.
But I do not even know how to search for information relevant to my interests. For example, if I am interested in looking into research done on the relationship between the brain's ability to focus on one task for a given length of time and efficacy of study methods, the first thing I think of is 'attention span,' but this appears to yield articles in primary education journals outlining techniques for managing children with short attention spans. If I try 'focus,' I end up chiefly with results discussing the practice of selecting a focus for one's undergraduate degree. If I try 'concentration,' I end up with myriad articles describing the impacts of either chemical concentrations or demographic concentrations on psychological health and development. None of these things are close to what I am actually searching for, even after filtering the results for the fields I thought would be obvious choices--Education and Psychology.
After sniffing around on my own, a widespread assumption in the existing advice I've found is that the article-seeker will be an academic well-versed in the jargon of their field, or who are looking to expand out from a paper they've already found or been directed to by someone knowledgeable. Is there a consistent methodology for a non-academic to gain a foothold of understanding on a given topic--as with my 'attention spans and study methods' example--that allows one to branch out from there?<issue_comment>username_1: It can look daunting but don't be frustrated so quickly. Even academics are intimidated by the vastness of the system as well. The game's rule is to dive into the right partition of the literature to maximize the chance of finding what you want.
Before you start, browse the library website of your school for online resources first. Most institutes have online tutorial guiding students how to use different services. There could already be a workshop or video about what you want to learn.
One particular thing we need to know is that unlike public library which usually has one big catalog, academic literature is largely cataloged by their field of study. For instance, if we are to look for medical articles, PubMed would be a good starting database. For psychology, PsycINFO would be a good database. These databases group all related journals inside, and this can filter out a lot of unrelated articles.
Once the right database has been identified. Learn more about it by signing up for an account. Usually each of these databases has a tutorial and also an alert service for newly released articles. For example, [this article](http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2013/10/using-psycinfo.aspx) talks about how to more effectively search PsycINFO.
For PubMed we have something called MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) which guides the use of keyword. For Psychology an equivalence is the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms. You can try access to this through your school and check out the terms that may interest you.
False positive results always appear. That's why you should also learn the [Boolean operators](http://libguides.mit.edu/c.php?g=175963&p=1158594). They can help you refine your search. For instance, using your attention span example, you can try: `"attention span" and "adult"` or `"attention span" not "educat*"` (\* is usually a wild card, it's to capture any words starting with educat~, including educate, education, educator(s), educational, etc.)
To look for some starting keywords, I will try Google Scholar and Wikipedia. Once you have some seeds, it should not be a problem to snowball for more.
Also, document your search processes. If you ever want to come back to this search, with all your keywords and database written down it'd be a lot easier. Lastly, since most databases allow us to look inside a particular journal, asking field experts for some recommended journal titles will also help you narrow down the search very quickly.
Remember this is not a one-shot activity. For most of the academics searching for information is an iterative process. So, spend some time to play with the search functions, and don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.
**Disclaimer:** I am not a psychology expert but since OP uses psychology as examples I just rolled with it. If I wrote anything that's outrageous in this answer please feel free to post a comment, I'll promptly correct them.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to [Penguin\_Knight's answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/63377/10220), I have found three types of papers to be particularly useful:
1. Foundation papers. Most fields and subfields have foundation papers that established the basics of the field, including terminology. Those papers tend to be very highly cited. They are often among the oldest cited in a somewhat relevant article. Once you find a foundation paper you can find other papers on the topic by looking for papers that cite it.
2. Survey papers. People write papers that survey the state of a field of study. Those are extremely useful, because they tell you a bit about each paper they mention.
3. PhD dissertations. One of the agendas of a student writing their dissertation is convincing a committee that the student has done a competent literature search for material related to their dissertation research. Each dissertation's "Related Work" section is a small survey paper.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: As comments indicated, Wikipedia articles are a good starting point, not only because they let you find relevant keywords. Good Wikipedia articles provide links to sources, so you might start reading through the journal articles that are referenced in the Wikipedia article. Next, those articles will reference other works, so you'll add those to your reading list.
At this point, you'll have enough articles to read, make notes and classify. Make notes and group articles to improve your retention.
In other words, encyclopedia articles work as a tertiary source. They provide a broad context and let you find relevant secondary sources.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I don't think there's such a thing as a "literature search methodology for non-academics" as distinct from a methodology for academics. The "literature" you refer to here is academic literature; thus, meaningfully searching and reading it requires an academic context.
That said, I can try to answer a question that you did not quite ask, but that might be more relevant to you: **How can a non-academic get started with searching academic literature?**
I would suggest that if you want to get started quickly and yet effectively, **the librarian is your friend**. Librarians are specifically trained in conducting literature searches and in helping and educating people to conduct their own literature searches.
Specifically, I recommend that you book an appointment with a university librarian at a nearby university. (Librarians at a public library might not have the skills you need--I don't know.) I would guess that many university librarians would be happy to make an appointment with you--such one-on-one consultations are usually part of their job; however, I can't guarantee that the university library you might happen to contact does consultations for members of the general public. Once you have an appointment booked, you should send an e-mail in advance to the librarian describing in as much detail as possible what exactly you are searching for. When I've done this in the past, the librarian usually has identified most of the necessary information before the meeting. Make it clear that you are new to literature searching and want general starting tips.
In addition to a library consultation, I recommend that you read up on literature searching. Two of the best sources I know for this are dedicated chapters in books:
* <NAME>., & <NAME>. (2006). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. Blackwell Pub. Chapter 4: How to find studies: the literature search.
* <NAME>. (2012). The literature review: a step-by-step guide for students. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Chapter 3: Sources of Information and Conducting Searches
Again, a librarian could help you get these: if a nearby library doesn't have these books, you could try to request them by interlibrary loan. The librarian could give you other options.
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/14
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm currently at an institution that has a phenomenal library system. I think every journal article or book I've ever needed, no matter how old or obscure, was available to me. I consider myself very fortunate, and always try to hold on to resources that I may not have access to in the future. I may be transitioning to a new institution soon, where a colleague of mine tells me the library is significantly smaller, and has far less access to journals, especially to those in science/engineering, which can be pretty pricey.
I'm concerned that in the future my manuscripts will be rejected because my literature searches will be limited to only the journals I have access to.
I was trained to never cite articles that I have not read, understood and could justifiably show are relevant to my work; I agree with that philosophy, so picking citations as "filler" is not something I am comfortable doing. If all that is available is an abstract, I know that can help, but it's no substitute for the article itself.
I know that reviewers and editors are supposed to consider your contribution as a whole, and not just look at whether or not you cited the articles they think you should have, but the world is an imperfect place.
For those at institutions with limited journal subscriptions/small library systems, how do you justify your literature searches that are missing articles that the reviewers and editors feel are necessary? Aside from your research contribution itself, assuming it is sound, worthwhile, and well-written, is it just the case that, those at institutions with fewer resources inherently have to publish in more accepting (less competitive) journals by default?
**UPDATE** Thanks for everyone's interest and suggestions. The answers so far have focused on how to get those tough-to-find sources, but I'd really like to see some suggestions on how to handle the other side: communicating reference shortfalls to reviewers when the aforementioned suggestions don't pan out. Thoughts?<issue_comment>username_1: You have several options - but they'll all take a bit more time. For one, check if your university can get access to articles "on loan" which usually just means another university sends you the pdf. Alternatively, check the corresponding authors university website. Often, they'll put their publications there, or on researchgate. Finally, if you can't find it via other methods, just email the corresponding author. A quick email letting them know you want to cite their work, but your university doesn't have access to the journal/book, and they'll usually be more than happy to email it to you (we all want to increase our citation counts!).
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: There are many ways.
Within your institution, there can be inter-library loan service that you can use. Price can vary but usually quite affordable (for me it's US$5 an article/book. Students here can loan anything free of charge.)
Also, ask if your library has joined any kind of library consortium. If it does, you can often get a consortium library card that allows you to enter the member libraries and use their services, some of which may have a better subscription profile.
Depending on regulations, some public university libraries are opened to public as well. You can ask them about the access policy.
Collaborating with other co-authors who have more comprehensive access to journal may also be a good idea.
As for your current institute, before you leave, check with the alumni office and the library if there are any alumni access to the library services. In my college, alumni can enter any libraries in the campus if they show a valid photo ID and an alumni credit card. Your current library may have something like this.
And I'd also suggest chatting with the librarians in both institutes as well. They may know of other ways
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: See if you can hold on to some affiliation at your current institution.
4 years later, I still have a visitor status at a previous institution. I use it to access journals even though my current institution usually has access. I can get Google Scholar's library links to work better with my old institution, so the number of mouseclicks is fewer.
Otherwise, Google Scholar will generally work and often provide a link to something not under paywall. If that's not available, and it's not 50 years old, you can usually email an author. Worst case - keep good relations with someone at your current institution and send an occasional request for a paper.
---
Aside - everyone should think about this issue when they decide whether to submit to an open access journal or not. Want to have impact/citations? Make sure more people can read your work.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: If you know that a paper is relevant, you can probably get it in one way or another. The bigger issue are those papers you are unaware of.
I'm currently working as a computer scientist at a genomics institute that does not subscribe to the conference proceedings published by Springer and IEEE. As a result, I don't have direct access to most papers in my subfield.
When I need a paper I don't have access to, the first thing I do is a regular Google search. More often than not, I can find the paper on arXiv, the authors' websites, or institutional repositories. Sometimes the publicly available version of paper contains errors or omissions not present in the "published" (paywalled?) version, but that's just unfortunate. The blame goes to the authors, who are intentionally distributing misleading versions of their papers.
If I can't find the paper on my own, I ask our library for it. They're quite efficient at obtaining papers, typically responding to requests made during office hours in a few hours. The requested papers are not free, even though I never see the price tag myself, so I only request papers if I'm fairly sure they're relevant. In the rare instances our library can't get the paper, I have resorted to emailing the authors.
Yet as I said, the biggest issue are the papers I'm not aware of. As getting access to papers is cumbersome, I rarely read paywalled papers I'm not specifically looking for. Sometimes I miss relevant results because of this, but as long I'm making an honest effort at literature search, I don't worry about that too much. (Not citing all relevant work is actually quite common in computer science, where different subfields often invent the same or closely related concepts under different names.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: You can simply ask someone at your present (soon former) richer institution to send you a copy of the paper. At one of my former places the group mailing list includes current and former group members. Once in a while, a current or former group member sends a message requesting a specific paper s/he has no access to. As the alumni have spread out over around a dozen different institutes, those messages are almost always answered within an hour or two. It takes me two minutes to answer such a request and I know how much time it can solve for the person asking, as I've been on both sides many times. As there's at most a couple of requests per month, I don't mind at all to help out when I'm quick enough.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I recommend that you book an appointment with a librarian at the new institution and explain your needs in detail. (You could probably do that even right now, before you're sure you move to the new institution.) Librarians should know all the resources available at their institution, including many resources available to take care of special cases which might not be public information. I have known of situations where librarians were able to arrange very specialized situations for individuals with unique needs (e.g. obtaining full access to the full range of international legal journals for one researcher who needed them, even though the university had no law school and hence no subscriptions).
On a related note, I had a problem receiving a few special articles through interlibrary loan. After two weeks, just yesterday I finally walked over and visited my university library's interlibrary loan department, where they explained the copyright complications to me. However, after they had a face to work with, they were able to get me the electronic articles I needed within two hours after my visit. Helping you get access to what you need is what librarians live for; you should take full advantage of it. They can be surprisingly effective when you talk to them in person (or over the phone).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: If you need papers I suggest you try Sci-hub.
You submit a doi, answer a captcha and the page hands you the paper 99% of the time.
<http://www.nextpowerup.com/news/26329/despite-lawsuit-sci-hub-continues-providing-48m-academic-papers-for-free/>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: This is an answer to your "updated" question. I don't think that reviewers/editors know what kinda of access do you have. If you get a comment/suggestion to add a certain number of articles to your literature review section, you would need to find more relevant papers to add. I guess you can utilize all your limited library resources to do so along with suggested methods posted from others. If the reviewers/editors suggest that you add a specific paper. You better of finding that paper and added (if relevant). Of course you can't always disagree with a reviewer and justify that such paper doesn't fit the manuscript. But I don't how a reviewer will feel with a reply saying that you can't access this paper due to your limited access (giving the number of ways others have suggested above to get papers from).
Upvotes: 0
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2016/02/15
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<issue_start>username_0: I am interested in taking up a postdoctoral position in a UK institution. The appointment details write:
>
> Appointment will be on a Fixed Term Contract for 3 years and with a
> starting salary in the range of £29,517 to £42,187 p.a. inclusive
> dependent on postdoctoral experience. It is anticipated that the
> starting salary will be in the range from £29,517 to £33,740 p.a.
> inclusive.
>
>
>
I just started a family and I will need ~£36,000 p.a. to break even when calculating living costs in UK (London).
Is it reasonable to negotiate for a ~£36,000 p.a. salary? (I know it is somewhat on the high side but not insane by UK standards.)
It is reasonable to apply in such a position and explain that I will expect an substantial increase (~10%) in my salary within my first year of employment if I start around the £32-33,000 mark?
I do not want to waste my time or theirs on this matter but clearly my cover letter is not a place to put this concern forward. I also think ill of the idea of e-mailing a potential hiring manager/team lead with queries about a salary raise right off the bat.
The USA-based post-doctoral appointment I currently hold pays ~£40,000 p.a. I do not mean to sound like a money-grubber; I am genuinely interested in the position and I think I will be a great fit for that team but I do not want to endure a ~20% pay-cut.<issue_comment>username_1: This depends heavily on the funding source. For all UK funded postdocs the pay will be set on the national scale - [current rates without London weighting are up-to-date](https://www.ucu.org.uk/he_singlepayspine), but I'm not sure if the [comments about the London weighting are correct](https://www.ucu.org.uk/he_londonweighting).
For research council funded postdocs I would expect the salary range to be fixed somewhere between spine point 27 and 40, with the initial upper limit more likely around spine point 34. This is close to the numbers you quote. I would not expect much flexibility unless they can find additional funds to supplement the (fixed) funding from the grant.
On the salary increase in post: there would typically be a 1 (one!) spine point increment after the second year. I'd be *very* surprised if a substantial increase along the lines you're wanting could be negotiated, let alone after the first year.
If the funding is not pure research council then there may be more flexibility.
As someone who's been on both sides: I have fielded salary questions, particularly from overseas candidates, and (done sensitively) I don't think it will be held against you. The above is more a warning that the constraints of RCUK funding may make it impossible to get a solution that's acceptable to you.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: From a business point of view, it is MUCH easier for HR to give you a higher starting salary due to "technical excellence" or something similar, than to try and justify a large salary increase after the first year. HR asses their own job performance by breaking down cost to hire new employees, and costs to retain existing employees, respectively. In short, a 10% salary bump to just 1 worker will look weird and raise eyebrows, while a larger-than-average hire cost will not look so weird if it can be justified.
And no, I wouldn't put it on your cover letter - I would bring it up at the correct moment, which is when you negotiate the contract. No matter how valid your reasons for wanting the money, you should spend 99% of your time talking about what you will offer, not how much you will cost :)
Also, two more things I just want to get off my chest because this post really highlights the issue well:
1) You know why Medical Doctors get paid so much more than Scientists? Because they value themselves higher (rightly or wrongly) and wouldn't settle for anything less than what they're worth. If this employer can get you for a price significantly lower than your actual value, you don't just hurt yourself, you also harm the rest of us by devaluing the job.
2) It pains me to hear of highly educated, highly dedicated people, worrying if they "break even" for a deal where they take most of the risk. What an awful situation we got ourselves in to. I don't know what your situation is with you family, expenses, etc - but I would say that it's really not a crime to leave academia if it can't pay the bills. At least do your due diligence and look into other jobs that will pay you 50k+ a year, and see what that work would entail. You don't have to do it, but you give yourself more options, which will help you out immensely when negotiating the contract at the aforementioned UK institution.
EDIT for Moriarty:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bpzcB.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZBJDg.png)
. Not to mention better job security, working hours, paid vacation time, etc. I'm not trying to convince anyone to be a medical doctor here - rather, as someone who has both been to Med school (in the UK) and has done a PhD in basic research, the discrepancy in pay is more to do with how we value ourselves rather than, say our actual value to society (and what it would be willing to pay).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: When I was searching for a post-doc position, during the phone interview with the PI asked about salary. I just told him I have a family. He said he could get me something a little higher than what they were advertising. Basically, in academia, a good PI will understand your situation because he's been there.
Expanding on username_1's excellent answer, there is a best practice for salary negotiation. Your instinct is correct: don't mention money in a cover letter. They will ask you about money at some point. You are not wasting anyone's time if you are applying for a job you are seriously interested in taking. They expect to interview many candidates and have some offers they make rejected. And you should not expect that both parties could understand the complete situation from your cover letter.
The correct response to the money question for a post-doc position is simply to state you have a family to support and you'd like them to do the best they can for you. As username_1 pointed out there may only be so much they can do.
Once you get an offer, you can decide if that's enough. If it's not, you can always call and tell them you'd sign instantly if you could get +x instead, if indeed that's the case. It may be they cannot. However, once they are trying to get you (i.e. post-offer), you chances are maximized.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: You have the same issue that many people do.
The cost of living in London (rent or buying a home) is often **double** what it is outside of London, yet salaries are about the same in London as elsewhere in the UK.
It is common for professionals (e.g. computer programmers) in their 30s to not be able to afford more than a small room in a shared house if they choose to live in London. **Expecting to support a family on any “normal” single salary in London is unreasonable.**
If you are willing to spend 2hr each way commuting, then you can get a lot cheaper housing, but your train ticket will often be over £5K a year. But why have a family if you are commuting so much…?
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: This is an old post so probably noone will see this reply... but...
I would not give someone a salary rise to someone just because they have a family. Why? This is discrimination against people who don't have families. What you're saying is that two people can work equally hard, produce equally valid science, but the one who has a spouse and kids is entitled to more money. This (among others) is the reason why many academic institutions have fixed pay scales with fixed criteria determined by HR and not the PI.
Now on the other hand, if the applicant can demonstrate that they have the skills and experience to be paid more than the basic rate, that's another story. Then there is the possibility to go to a different level on the pay scale. But personal circumstances cannot be used because it is unfair on all the other employees. People without families can have expenses and difficulties for other reasons. Postdocs are in general poorly paid and when the salary is too low to support one's personal circumstances, one has to consider other options.
I am writing this as someone who was a postdoc for many years, now hiring my own staff.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: Another take on this old post. I would get the offer and THEN have the negotation (up). Always keep mum and make them give a number first AND make a formal offer (send a letter). Once they've made the offer, they are psychologically committed and interested in settling the deal. So you have some traction to negotiate up.
Absolutely don't get into money before they make the offer. You want that fish on the hook. Getting into money before the offer only scares them away.
Obviously what you can command, depends on what you bring to the table. But these places are also not hedge funds paying super traders whatever they merit either. Can be issues of fairness, etc.
I would mention first your capabilities. But then also mention, SECOND, your CURRENT pay. This has a lot of strength with employers--it shouldn't (they should care about performance) but it does. If you're used to getting "X", most places will assume they need to match that. Third, I would mention that you are a served post-doc, so not a junior type. Only fourth, you can mention the family. I would not do this in the sense of them expecting to take care of you, but more to show why you won't budge down.
I would try to blissfully ignore the "first year" criteria. Get what you need to make the move. Try for 40. If they won't give you what you need, than just pass. I hope you have other offers to pursue also.
Check on benefits also. Things can be sticky for Americans overseas for health care.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: Since there is so much new activity on this post, let me try adding some information as somebody who is currently a postdoc in the UK and understands somewhat which factors are important in the salary negotiation.
To reiterate what everybody else is saying: salary negotiations should only happen after (if) you get an offer. In general, postdoc and many other academic salaries in the UK are on a spine point system, that is dictated on the national scale. London has a certain fixed "location bonus" that any position in London would get on top of what is dictated by the national scale, to adjust for the location (which does not actually make up for the cost of living in London in mine and many other people's opinions). Negotiations on a yearly basis are not common, but until you reach the top of your salary grade, you get an increase of 1 grade point by year, corresponding to approximately £1k a year. Anything outside of that is very uncommon, and would only happen in exceptional cases (i.e. you could try to renegotiate if you were signing a new contract within the same institution, but not in the middle of a fixed-term contract which has already been signed).
What you can negotiate is a starting salary, or more precisely, where you will begin on the spine point system. A person straight out of their PhD would start at the lowest point in that range, typically with no munition to negotiate with. Now, your family situation might make your (future) postdoc advisors more willing to help you negotiate a higher salary but ultimately will not be a direct factor in determining your starting salary. I say "help you negotiate" as the salary is something that is typically negotiated with the HR, not the team/advisors that are advertising the position. Where you start on the spine point system is primarily dictated by one thing: *your experience*, or more precisely, years working as a postdoc. You can expect it to be relatively easy to negotiate a single spine point up from the minimum per each previous year of postdoc experience (where 1 point is approximately £1k/year).
Since it is a cultural norm in the UK to ask for the previous (current) salary while applying for positions, this can also help in negotiation somewhat. I would expect years of experience to be a primary factor, but you might be able to wrangle an extra spinal point on top of the ones you would get for the duration of your previous postdoc experience based on your previous salary.
Any "equivalent" experience could also count, e.g. some years of working in industry before returning to academia as a postdoc would count as some extra starting points, but maybe not precisely 1 point per year of experience. In such situations one might be able to negotiate how precisely the industry experience will be considered.
**To summarize**: you can expect to be able to easily negotiate £1k higher starting salary than the advertised minimum for each previous year of postdoc experience, plus maybe an extra £1k based on the previous salary if it was still yet higher. Your family situation might make your advisors-to-be more inclined to aid you in this negotiation by identifying the factors that could help increase your starting salary, but will not be a factor all into itself. Your can expect an approximately £1k salary increase every year (until you hit th top of the advertised salary grade), and higher jumps are virtually impossible to negotiate. Hope this helps future applicants decide whether to apply for the positions in the UK based on their situation and experience.
Upvotes: 2
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