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<issue_start>username_0: I'm trying a new type of essay in the community college class that I teach. Once a week the students write a 700 word analysis of a topic I choose. It's worth a regular essay (a measly 10 points) but I've been trying a new grading method.
Turn in the paper (1 points)
Peer analysis x 3 (3 points each)
In the peer analysis, students dissect three of their classmate's essays and give them between 0 and 3 points. On average, I find that students give a higher grade than I would.
The main issue I'm facing is that 19 of my 30 students aren't even bothering to do the peer review. By default, they are giving their peers F's on their assignments. This is vastly dropping my class's average score, and as a relatively new teacher, I'm somewhat concerned that I'll be penalized for their inability to do their work. In my opinion, bumping up everyone's grades would be immoral.<issue_comment>username_1: If I understand right, you are penalizing students who did nothing wrong, because others were supposed to peer review their work and didn't? And you didn't bother to grade your own students' essays? Nothing personal, but if I were your department chair I would see to it that this came to an **immediate** end.
Students' grade should be based on their own work, and you should be the one to evaluate it. To outsource this work to your students is to abrogate your responsibility as instructor.
Peer review can be a great thing. If you want students to review each others' work, and to hold students accountable for writing thoughtful reviews (or at least for writing *something*), then grade students on their own work, and also on the quality of the reviews that they write about others' work.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: Giving your students first experience with peer review is a good idea. You can grade them on their ability to do peer reviews. Maybe, a small fraction of their grade can also come from how their peers graded them, but never 90%.
Right now, underachieving students are probably unfairly advantaged as you pointed out. At the same time, the best students are probably not getting their due credit. Only average students would remain unaffected, except that they can also randomly suffer when their reviewer simply doesn't review them. For what reason do you lay the reviewer's failure onto the reviewed student?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: You seem to have the grading scheme mis-targeted.
When you make peer review part of your grading scheme you grade the *review* not the paper reviewed. Failure to do the review should be reflected in the *reviewer's grade* not in the author's grade.
The criteria I use for grading reviews are along the lines of
* Does the review correctly identify strengths and weakness of the submitted material?
* Does it communicate problems clearly and helpfully to the author?
* Are the criticisms couched in constructive language? (I know, this is not actually necessary or honored in the real world, but I want my classroom to be a comfortable learning environment so I insist.)
* Does the review identify what parts of the paper are the source of particular complaints. ("Section 3.2 is unclear because..." as opposed to "Some parts of the paper are unclear").
Note that this means I have to read and review the paper myself and *then* read and grade the reviews. It's painfully time-consuming.
The positive aspects of this kind of assignment is that it engages the students at the "evaluation" tier of [Bloom's taxonomy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom%27s_taxonomy), and exposes them to a range of different quality of work so they get a chance to understand for themselves that some writing is just plain *better* than other samples.
The negative aspects include the amount of time used, the somewhat subjective nature of the grading criteria, and a tendency for students to tell each other how very well they are all doing ([it requires a certain expertise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect) to do a good—and especially a critical—job of evaluating the work of others; if your students aren't at that level yet they won't set high standards for their peers).
---
*Addendum*
Over the weekend I saw a talk on a system called [calibrated peer review](http://cpr.molsci.ucla.edu/Home.aspx), which provides a framework for using peer review as part of the grading scheme for student essays. I have no personal experience with the system.
The whole system is mediated over the internet. Assignments proceed in several phases.
1. Student receive the prompt, do any necessary research, then write and submit their response.
2. Students then receive a rubric for assessing responses to the same assignment and apply it to three sample responses provided by the instructor (designed to mimic poor, adequate and good student responses).
Success in this stage is defined by having a rating close to that assigned by the instructor. They are allowed a second chance on any where they deviate excessively.
The weight of a students review in the third stage is determined by their performance in this stage (students whose use of the rubric does not match the instructor's will have less impact then student whose application of the rubric matches the instructor's).
3. Students then read and rate three anonymous responses from their peers (and possibly from the instructor who can provide a 'student' response as well as the three used for calibration). These responses are factored into the author's grade on the assignment using the weights established in stage 2.
Finally, students read and rate their own response. Success here defined by matching the consensus.
Disputes and special cases are resolved by the instructor.
Clearly there is a lot going on there. The anonymity, the use of the calibration stage, and the weighting of student evaluations by their success in rating the calibration responses all work to prevent the worst failure modes of just asking students to grade each other's work directly. Even so, you need that rule that the instructor can overrule the system in exceptional case.
When all is said and done a student's grade on the assignment can be based more on their rating (of samples, of their peers's responses, and of their own submission) than on their own writing. The speaker showed a grading scheme he used in which the essay itself was only worth 20% of the assignment grade with the rest coming from various parts of the review sequence.
This is a lengthy process and is used more on short writing assignment than on substantial papers. It also requires considerable prep, as the instructor must provide the prompt, the rubric, three calibration responses and possibly a fake 'student' response.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_4: The following two sentences demonstrate a severe misunderstanding of what's happening:
>
> By default, they are giving their peers F's on their assignments.
>
>
>
And:
>
> This is vastly dropping my class's average score, and as a relatively new teacher, I'm somewhat concerned that I'll be penalized for their inability to do their work...
>
>
>
The first sentence is written such that students give each other grades. The second sentence is written such that you give your students grades. The second sentence is correct (or at least it is in every country I've worked in).
This is not to say you cannot assign students to give each other feedback or to provide peer assessment. Instead, the point is that this Q's peer assessment is not X's student's grade. You can make:
1. Q's completion of the peer assessment assignment a part of Q's grade
2. Q's assessment a (small) component in X's grade
But clearly in the case where Q fails to complete this component of their work for the class, X cannot be penalized.
It may legitimately be lowering the grades of the 19 students who are not doing it, but then that's a different problem (one of motivation or clarity of assignments or level vs. student ability) rather than the problem that seems described in the OP.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: I think you miss the way to force students to DO the grading. I thought of simillar peer grading, but with rules:
1. Student will grade their classmate essay/report according grading rules and mark errors. (0 - 10 pts.)
2. I will grade the essay according the very same grading rules. (0 - 10 pts.)
3. I will grade the peer grade (-inf - 10 pts.) 10 points default, -1 for false positive (they miss an error) and -1 for false negative (they mark correct part as an error).
4. Students score is given by weighted sum of peer grade (#1), my grade (#2) and peer quality (#3).
Applying Rule #3 you can mark the default-graders with F without any chance to complain. You can find as many false negatives/positives as you want to ruin the score of their essay :)
Be careful with grading false positives though. Scrap the points for errors they actually can recognize as errors (they were covered in the lecture; they were mentioned in the grading rules).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Just because I think some of the answers here are misinterpreting the question here is my view.
You are saying that each student *rates* the other students papers and writes a brief opinion regarding it, and that each rating gives the rater 3 points, right? That is a great exercise and it definitely encourages support between students!
However, you are saying that 18 of the students won't do the peer review portion of the exercise, right? Well, if that is the case and they do not have any legitimate reason to ignore the assignment (protesting the subject you gave them as not reasonable, thinking you are outsourcing grading, etc) then you should just not give them the points as a reviewer. They failed to do it. However, if they do have a legitimate reason you should still take the points away. If they have an issue then they should speak to their advisor or someone with the department. Ultimately, the professor has the final say on what happens in a class, not the students, and while yes... there are things you shouldn't do having student peer review English papers to encourage participation is not at all "wrong" or "unfair" to the students.
I would also suggest *asking* the students why they didn't do it and consider not doing the assignment in the future. You could also bump the essay up to 3X its current length and make it worth 10 points since people don't want to do it. I'm sure the students will not want the alternative and have no problem doing the assignment from then on. Then, for those who did the assignment like you asked you could somehow figure out a way to not come down so hard on them by giving them a score boost or something or by flat out saying "the one's who did the assignment only have to do a regular sized essay".
There are plenty of things you could do to fix this. In fact, you could even just give extra credit assignments that are reasonably difficult. Then, those who just felt uncomfortable reviewing will end up still getting a good grade because you will see that they are willing to do the work and just didn't feel comfortable with the assignment. Of course, there is only likely to be 1 or 2 people like that in the class. Most of the people will probably just blow off the extra credit and end up with a not-so-good grade in their homework.
Finally: ***don't worry about it too much***
There will be students who are just lazy or don't want to do assignments. At some point, it will become clear that they just won't change no matter what you do. At that point, they've made their bed and they'll have to lie in it. I'm sure you gave your students a grading metric of some kind at the beginning of the class. If they end up with a bad grade or fail, that is ultimately their fault.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: I suspect part of the reason you're even trying this out is the lack of budget for teaching assistents, or even for paying you personally to check those essays. If that's the case - it's really too bad, and I would consider trying to do something about that (perhaps through some kind of collective action by teachers? Through a union maybe?).
Also, I would suggest that if you're trying out a new pedagogical mechanism you would start your trial by a discussion with students at the beginning of the semester and the reaching of a tentative understanding, if not proper concensus, regarding how the experimental grading mechanism should work. That's at the very least. I believe this would either improve student participation or at least inform you why it is unlikely to be as high as you would prefer.
Finally - I object to your excessive focus on grades. What's important is that students get comments, suggestions, pointing-out-of-errors - on their work. That's the qualitative feedback they can and should learn from, not the point on some scale on which you put them. If that were the case, it would be meaningless to "give an F" on an essay, and reviewing could only result in something substantive.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I submitted a paper in a springer journal. After just two days of submission status was under review. After another two days status changed to required reviews completed and your days have passed status is still required reviews completed. Why the process is so quick? How can the reviews be completed in just two days? What would happen next?<issue_comment>username_1: With a ton of context I'd be guessing; without any it's worse than that. Some subjects are no doubt much easier to set up reviews for. Some are much less competitive, needn't have the anonymity as protected, aren't technical. In many subjects your contribution to the field can be quite meaningful without necessarily being disprovable--so the burden on the peer reviewers is more like that on any critic, and less like that of a judge.
When I worked as an editor at a journal considered prestigious in American Studies and Western American Culture/history/writing and that sort of thing--before it went under the next year--my handling-time on unsolicited submissions fell along a bimodal distribution. I was as likely to hammer it out and handle it in the hour as I was to file it away for ... next ... lifetime? Least likely was that I'd get it done in some reasonable amount of time, like two weeks.
All in all I'd guess your piece was "easy" for them. That means one thing or the opposite. To put it kindly (and probably true): not a fit for that journal. OR, definitely a fit, and easy to find reviewers for because of that.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It definitely **can**. I doubt it takes more than a day for most people to actually do a review. What takes much longer is for people to set aside the time to do the review. After all, it's not like you have several hours of free time every day.
So yes: it's possible to receive a review within a couple of days of submission. If a single review received is sufficient to update the status to "required reviews completed", then it's possible you will see that status within a couple of days as well.
As for what would happen next: nothing special happens. If there are other reviewers, the editor is likely to wait for them. If there are no other reviewers, you can look forward to a decision soon. (Notably however you can't predict if the decision will be positive or negative.)
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am currently editing and updating my thesis literature review before submitting my thesis next year.
In reviewing the relevant literature, I find that two of my results chapters published as journal articles are within the scope of the literature review and I would normally cite them in a review article on the same topic.
Is it appropriate to cross-reference these two chapters in the thesis literature review and mention the results that are presented later on in the thesis? In other words, is it more important that the review is up-to date and includes all published data (including my own), or should it rather reflect the knowledge in the field *prior* to my thesis?<issue_comment>username_1: With a ton of context I'd be guessing; without any it's worse than that. Some subjects are no doubt much easier to set up reviews for. Some are much less competitive, needn't have the anonymity as protected, aren't technical. In many subjects your contribution to the field can be quite meaningful without necessarily being disprovable--so the burden on the peer reviewers is more like that on any critic, and less like that of a judge.
When I worked as an editor at a journal considered prestigious in American Studies and Western American Culture/history/writing and that sort of thing--before it went under the next year--my handling-time on unsolicited submissions fell along a bimodal distribution. I was as likely to hammer it out and handle it in the hour as I was to file it away for ... next ... lifetime? Least likely was that I'd get it done in some reasonable amount of time, like two weeks.
All in all I'd guess your piece was "easy" for them. That means one thing or the opposite. To put it kindly (and probably true): not a fit for that journal. OR, definitely a fit, and easy to find reviewers for because of that.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It definitely **can**. I doubt it takes more than a day for most people to actually do a review. What takes much longer is for people to set aside the time to do the review. After all, it's not like you have several hours of free time every day.
So yes: it's possible to receive a review within a couple of days of submission. If a single review received is sufficient to update the status to "required reviews completed", then it's possible you will see that status within a couple of days as well.
As for what would happen next: nothing special happens. If there are other reviewers, the editor is likely to wait for them. If there are no other reviewers, you can look forward to a decision soon. (Notably however you can't predict if the decision will be positive or negative.)
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I tried to find the same question and failed, so here it goes.
Imagine the following scenario: you have invested time (say 8 months) ona research project. You would probably get a publication in 4 more months of full time work. However, if you include two experts (who provide code) you could reduce the additional time to roughly one month. In both cases you would remain a first name author.
The trade-off is between the number of authors of the paper and the time you invest.
Would there be a rule of thumb to help me with this decision? Is there a clear answer, or is it completely subjective?<issue_comment>username_1: As some comments above indicate, there is an important rule of thumb from the field of software engineering, which is [Brooks' Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks%E2%80%99_law).
According to <NAME>, in his book *The Mythical Man-Month*, adding more workers to a project which is already behind schedule, is likely to make it even farther behind schedule as new members are brought on board.
Take the time to consider whether you can beat this effect before attempting to grow your group.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: As much as I admire Brooks and his work, that cannot be a hard and fast rule. There are definitely situations where one woefully underestimates time to finish a project *by oneself*. In the specific case you mention, how long would it really take you to learn the proper code? (And debugging, and annoying modern syntax not in the text you chose, and ...) How expert are the experts - and especially, how well do you know them, have you worked together before, etc.? If a lot of the tradeoffs in bringing new people on board are sunk costs you've already invested, this can be a great idea. I can confirm multiple projects where this has worked for me personally - naturally, your mileage may vary.
This answer doesn't directly address the "first-name author" or collaboration business, because in my discipline we tend to pay less attention to that than in others, and I am not in a particularly publish-or-perish position. But I do believe in the following phrase:
>
> If you don't care who gets the credit, you can get a lot of work done.
>
>
>
If you are in a situation to work full time on your research anyway, and even if it takes two or three months instead of the four-becoming-six months you estimated, that sounds like a net gain of another small paper or something (again, depending on the field), so you should at the very least seriously consider this option **IF** you have already sunk many of the costs of Brooks' Law.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: In the course of some research, my adviser and I noticed that a formula that is widely used in the field has an inaccuracy. It corrects for an effect that doesn't exist, so the correction makes things worse than they would be without it.
This formula was first published in the 1970s, and other people seem to have assumed it was correct. It has since found its way into about 30 papers and a handful of commercial software products.
However, my adviser does not want to publish a correction. He feels it would be bad for him politically and financially. He has a business that would be negatively affected if he makes too many "waves".
What ethical considerations are at play here? If we do end up publishing the results 5 years later, would people be upset that we sat on the data for so long? Is there some sort of compromise.<issue_comment>username_1: Keep in mind that science is the process of getting progressively less wrong, and that publicly sharing your knowledge that the correction is inappropriate will help advance the state of the field (I've found [this paper](http://klab.smpp.northwestern.edu/wiki/images/5/5b/Fernandes_2010_InPraiseofFalseModels.pdf) to be inspiring in that regard).
Also, if you're working in a field where your formula is widely known it is likely that someone else will eventually come to the same conclusion that the correction is inappropriate. Personally, I'd prefer to have a publication record where I correct my own mistakes, rather than having someone else do it for me. My rationale is that self-correction demonstrates a meticulous approach to research, which is generally viewed as a positive attribute in a researcher. Not correcting your own mistakes risks the appearance of carelessness, especially if it is known that you had the means of finding and correcting the mistake and did not do so.
I would recommend publishing the revision to the formula as its own finding, complete with examples of how the revision alters the output of the formula and in what circumstances it meaningfully alters the result, rather than as a correction.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There is no *prima facie* ethical obligation correct the mistakes of others.
Any need to correct the mistakes of others would only arise due to other reasons. For instance, if you knew that a machine in a factory was prone to having its blade fly off in the direction of a group of people, you'd be under an obligation to do something about that (to the degree that your belief is certain and you have a capacity to do something).
Apart from variations on the above, you're not under any obligation to correct others even if erroneous equations are running around. Consequently, there's no research failing for your advisor not to publish it.
That being said, you would/do have an obligation not to propagate the errant equation. Since you know it's mistaken, you shouldn't include it in any of your publications as if it were true.
Similarly, it does seem questionable for your advisor to make his research decisions based on the interests of his company, but that's more a conflict of interest in general -- i.e. that he would put the interests of his company ahead of his research choices. Maybe to reword all of that into a few cases:
1. Researcher A chooses to research and publish thesis P rather than thesis Q.
2. Researcher B chooses to research and publish thesis P rather than controversial in field thesis Z.
3. Researcher C chooses to research and publish thesis P rather than career-damaging thesis Y, *because* it will/might hurt his career.
4. Researcher D chooses to research and publish thesis P rather than potentially business damaging thesis X, *because* it will/might hurt his wallet.
5. Researcher E-1 researches thesis W, learning W *may* result in harm and does not publish it.
6. Researcher F-1 researches thesis V, learning V will very likely result in harm and does not publish it.
7. Researcher G-1 researches thesis U, learning U will undermine his business and does not publish it.
Actually, I don't think there's anything wrong with any of the cases above... but E-G are capable of wrongful variants. For A-D, we are not under any compulsion (generically speaking) to pursue any particular research agenda. Of course, we may be compelled by funding sources or bosses to do/avoid certain things and violating these sort of obligations can be immoral.
Skipping these employment obligations, E,F, and G can be immoral when we "and failing to inform relevant parties." In other words, if we have great reason to believe W will cause harm, then we should tell the company making it or the clinical trial using it. If U shows a business model is faulty, we should not defraud others with what we know is false.
tl;dr - without further complicating factors, there's no requirement your boss either research this further or publish about it.
---
Separately, it may make a great paper if you can show a well-cited equation is errant or needs updating. There, the challenge is knowing how to get it through in this political landscape.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I have been experiencing anxiety based on some recent events. During my last semester of college I enrolled in a language course in a language in which I was already fluent. I did this to enable quicker graduation.
After the first two weeks of the class, it became apparent I wasn't going to benefit at all from this course. Additionally, as I was soon graduating, I had other work to perform. I asked the professor if I could stop attending classes and simply turn in the homework by the end of the semester. I did this while speaking the language that she taught. She said "yes".
I didn't attend class for a month and a half, and didn't hear from the professor again. Towards the end of the semester, I emailed the professor to inquire what she wanted me to do to pass the course. She scolded me because she wanted me to attend at least some of the classes (I had misunderstood her in our first conversation). She then told me that despite that, it was OK, she would give me a passing grade (via oral exam), as "you are fluent in the language and shouldn't come to class as it will seem unfair to the other kids."
This appeared to me as if she would pass me based on merit alone. I was VERY shook up, and called her again the same week telling her that I feel like withdrawing and holding off graduation and just taking a different course next semester before starting grad school. She reassured me I'm all set and I need not worry.
Graduation happens, however I was still uneasy as I was preparing to start grad school. I felt like I cheated the system. I contacted her again, and again she told me not to worry. After the first week of grad shool, I called her again and demanded I take the midterm and final for the course in an attempt to ease my mind and worry. Scored 99 and 96 on them without studying.
I still feel really guilty for some reason, and I'm still trying to cope with this. Its honestly affecting my performance in school. MY worse nightmare is that my undergrad will find out and take away my degree and that this will affect my grad school as I needed a bachelors to enter. The professor made it seem as if she was taking a risk by letting me do what I did. She made it seem I was doing something illegal. She told me not to tell my classmates..
As such, my question is: If what happened was found out, would my grad school have grounds to kick me out? If my undergrad found out, can they pull me degree?
Edit: Thanks for the answers, I guess why I'm soo stressed about this is because, to my understanding, she made it obvious that I and the prof. were doing something against school policies, I knew about it and didn't think much about it.<issue_comment>username_1: I feel like you're overthinking this. What you did seems an improvement to me over taking, say, bowling to fill a last credit, which isn't uncommon in undergrad. The professor gave you your grade and you're off to grad school. There's no reason to revisit it, with yourself or anyone else.
Also, it isn't your responsibility, as a student, to audit how a professor grades a class. They may have even consulted with others before letting you do this; you don't know. Don't make assumptions - you did what you did, and the professor decided it was enough to pass the class.
Put this behind you and focus on grad school.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: It's worth pointing out that this depends on your philosophy about what a transcript is. Clearly in some sense the transcript holds *merits that you have achieved* but there's leeway in how you interpret that, mostly in terms of whether you're looking for something which is *normatively* true ("here's how it should be") or whether you're looking for something which is *descriptively* true ("here's how it is in practice").
The most normative model
========================
Your anxiety aside, you might be holding yourself the the highest ethical standards simply for the sake of your own moral foundations, and then you might want to know what a transcript *should* be. If you look at, say, ECTS credits (European) you'll find that they define those credits as *time investment*. This is a really sensible choice for how you "should" define such things as it creates a meaningful way to compare across wildly different scopes like different majors: I can't say whether architecture is harder than applied physics; but I can certainly add up all of the long nights that both are spending doing their respective works and simply compare time-investments in both majors.
If your transcript is a record of *time invested in achievements* then the answer is a straightforward "yes, you are now lying when you hand your transcript to someone and don't disclose that you didn't work very hard to achieve this merit." But on the other hand you have to be shocked a little by how *crude* the transcript is as a measurement of such things: the assumptions that "grade" and "credit hours" correlate with "time spent" is weak in practice, and there is no good provision in this normative system for "person X did well without effort, person Y did the same tasks but struggled for a long time:" you have to just normalize the credits to the average person in the class. So this is normatively stronger but descriptively weak.
The most descriptive model
==========================
This is really straightforward; a transcript is a record of bits that have been set in a database which are somehow important for the bookkeepers at the school to know that you're graduating. Any correspondence between the bits and the real world is an approximation due to the school and any failure in that correspondence is their fault. You got the credits in the system? Great. Doesn't matter how you did; that's a problem for the school, not you.
The obvious limitation is that on this model of what transcripts are, there's *no moral implications to any sort of cheating at all*, because cheating from this perspective is just exploiting ways that the credit-system doesn't match up to the reality intended by the school. But on this view it's the school's responsibility to secure themselves against that; in practice everyone will know the difference between the higher-reputation schools that are robust against this and the "they basically just mail you a diploma" schools that are not. What you did wasn't defined at the time as cheating by your school, so it's not cheating, period. You yourself said that they had no policy on it.
Something in the middle
=======================
Well you might not like either of those: you might not like how the super-normative model doesn't account for practical things like individual differences but you might not like how the super-descriptive model doesn't account for the moral import of cheating and lying that you somehow have achieved X when you haven't really put any time or effort into that achievement. Here's a model which lives in the middle and gets a lot of the best of both worlds. It says: your transcript is a record of *skills you at some point had*, with grades being competencies at-the-time and credit hours being roughly how much practice you had performing that skill at-the-time.
Now this suggests that probably transcripts are poorly suited to what they measure, because probably we should break down courses even smaller and have a lot of Proven-Competent/Not-Yet-Proven-Competent gradings. Different courses would then prove a set of skills competent, and you would be expected to take a set of courses which jointly cover some set of Required skills as well as covering some set of Optional skills. So it inherits some of those normative difficulties of "nobody actually does this 100%, the transcript is a crude approximation." But, I mean, it works if you imagine that all of those sets-of-skills are disjoint and don't look too closely at course prerequisites.
But overall it is pretty practical from a "here is what an employer is interested in if they request your transcript" perspective; if you go to work for Intel and they look at your transcript they want to see a Solid-State Physics course that presumably covered things like how NPN and PNP transistors work, as well as Electronics courses that covered things like "practically, what is an op-amp?".
Now if you take this approach, then clearly you *didn't* cheat the system. Your transcript reflects a skill which you did in fact have; you just got certified as competent in it without spending much time because you had *already invested that time* before you walked in the door, prior to the school year. That's no big moral dilemma; the same thing happens whenever people with great AP scores "test out" of certain required courses and so forth.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Many schools, including the one where I got my undergraduate degree, have a system whereby a student can get credit for a course by proving that he knows the material --- usually by taking exams but possibly by other means. There's usually a limit on how may credits one can get this way. Even if your school doesn't have such a system, the availability of the system in other, reputable schools indicates that there's nothing **morally** wrong with getting credit in this way. So you should have no worries about the morality of your situation.
You are also worried about the administrative situation, specifically that you could get expelled from graduate school if your undergraduate degree is revoked and that this might happen if that one credit is deleted from your record. As far as I can see, your professor acted within the limits of her authority in passing you on the basis of talking with you enough to determine that you know the material of the course (and more). Her actions are supported even more by your later performance on the exams. And she had a legitimate interest in preventing you from participating in the class because your superior knowledge would intimidate other students and possibly decrease their learning. So it's difficult for me to imagine anything in this situation that would cause administrative problems, such as removing that credit from your record.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: The question is: **is it a cheat** and **who is being cheated**?
Instead of giving a straight answer, I give you a recipe to analyse the situation and test your view of the situation:
True story: As a TA, I had a guy in class who didn't work during class, and probably not even at home. Just chatted with me all the time (which was fine, everybody else was working, but that was not a problem with me). *Very smart guy*. Anyway, end of semester, they have to submit, he sat down for a weekend, did the task everyone else worked for a semester on and ended up with the by far strongest submission. Should I have failed him?
Ok, let's change the scenario to a hypothetical one, as you already were fluent in the language before the course: assuming this guy had thought about the same problem at school, before coming to my course. He already had a solution in his head, and joined the course, and could use the solution out of his head. Lucky guy. Should I have failed him?
Now, final hypothetical change: this guy comes to my course *just because* he knows that I am covering just the problem he knows how to solve. And that's where the dilemma begins. He chose the course for that very reason. In other words, he would not have demonstrated improvement during the course, only that he already masters the contents. Should I fail him for fulfilling the requirements of the course better than anybody else? Well, the question is: is the passing for **improvement during the course** or for **final level of mastery**?
The opposite question: A very weak student who improves significantly, but still not really to passing level, should they pass? Normally, standard is that students have to pass at a fixed competence level - and improvement is *not typically* what is measured during the course. Thus, the student will fail. Improvement is not what is measured.
Your dilemma is that typically courses are chosen for improvement and then demonstrating a certain level at the end (implying that the improvement was successful). In your special case, you know that there was no improvement, all you showed is that you *do* have a certain competence (which is all that an exam tests).
You seem to feel that you violated not the letter, but the spirit of taking the course. But, at the end of the day, you didn't cheat about your competency, which is all that the grades guarantee, and actually is what taking this course promises to anybody passing it.
So, who is actually being cheated here? The person you cheated is actually nobody else but **yourself**: after all, academia is about learning - instead of taking the course as an opportunity to develop yourself, you took the easier route and missed an opportunity to develop skills you didn't have to a nice competence level, and rather rehashed skills you already have, to an irrelevant level.
The one that needs to forgive here is therefore yourself: you essentially cheated yourself out of an opportunity, which you wasted. But I think you learnt a lesson. Other opportunities to learn will offer themselves.
Take this message home: Pack this up as a valuable experience and approach your future challenges with eagerness to learn rather than just passing exams. Good luck!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: So many good answers, but one angle still not covered.
When I went to college, there was always the *test out*/*challenge* option available. At the start of the class you could take the final. If you passed you got a grade of CR (credit -- pass with no effect on GPA) and that was that.
I recall some case where somebody challenged a course about two-thirds of the way through (something came up and he couldn't finish...) so the rule appears to not be restricted to start of the course.
I can't imagine anybody looking down on what happened here as you obviously could have passed a challenge, and the instructor may have recorded it as such.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: *This is an edited version of my original answer to one of your deleted questions*.
Juan, you have written about a feeling of panic, which doesn't subside. Panic is a metabolic process. Take it to the doctor. Model the behavior you will want your future patients to exhibit. Please see a doctor.
Seeking treatment for panic is not easy, but neither is living with panic. I know because my son has Tourette Syndrome, OCD, specific phobias, and anxiety. I have seen how panic affects him.
He's been in treatment for a year and a half and is making progress.
Someday you will be a doctor. Wouldn't Dr. Alvez send young Juan to see a doctor about this panic? Show your respect for the profession you want to enter, by allowing a medical provider to start to help you.
A family practitioner, or a student clinic doctor or nurse practitioner, can talk over your options with you. Just print out the question you posted here, and show it to the doctor.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: Let me add a very plain and straightforward answer:
It's fine.
==========
Yes, what you did is morally acceptable. Some aspects:
Effort
------
Grades are and should be given for results achieved, not for the amount of effort invested or relative improvement. Plain and simple.
The people reading your grades later are not interested in the least about how much effort you invested. They are interested in whether you can speak that language or not. So you are not cheating *them*.
Fairness
--------
Your co-students might be irritated that you got the mark without effort, but ... frankly, it is very normal that different students have to invest different effort in a course. Heck, there are also cases where one student hates a course and has to put in 20 hours of work just to barely pass; and another student loves the course and has to put in 0 hours of extra work. Is this "immoral" as well? No, of course not. What good would it do your co-student if you just sat in class, dreaming, wasting everybodies time. So you did not cheat *them* either. Neither did you cheat your professor, as you were very open with them.
If you really had cheated, for example by having a native speaker do a written test and writing your name on it, *then* you would have harmed your co-students by lessening the validity of the grade in and itself (e.g., if word came out that this is a common occurence in this particular school, everybody with a real grade would be under suspicion, devaluating the school itself).
Are you allowed to enjoy your education?
----------------------------------------
Finally, it is not only usual, but also just fine that *every* student choses a path through his studies that fits his own interests, enjoyments etc. - it is obvious that a student who does what he enjoys (or already can do, maybe partly or on a hobby level) will get better results, statistically. Not only better marks, but also better understanding etc. Doing things you enjoy will usually make it easier for you, and this is fine. School/education does not get better if it is artificially made harder.
This does not mean that students should "game the system", but that school/education systems should be structured in a way which allows people to live out their interests and predispositions. Of course, a common base set of knowledge is necessary, but this is easily achieved structurally by having courses being compulsary. The grading system makes sure that people are not just fooling around.
So, having fun during your education does not cheat anyone, either.
Drawback
--------
You did do yourself a slight disfavour. A "mirror student" who already knew that language as well as you did, and got all the same marks as you, could have picked a *real* course for that last point (maybe in addition to your language course, if that is allowed in your school system). That student would have the exact same end result as you, *plus* some additional bonus. An employer would, everything else being the same, hire the other guy instead of you.
This alone easily balances out the fact that you filled up your grades with an easy 1-point course. You did not cheat; you weighed your options and decided on a permitted course, being open about it to your professor. All is well.
So, at the most, you cheated yourself a little bit. But you made up by doing other worthwhile stuff, you presumably did not waste the time you saved by not going to that course.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: I can assure you, that there will never be any consequences from this, that's for certain. You asked the professor - she allowed it. It's her problem, not yours. You won't ever lose this degree, because you did something totally legal.
In terms of morality: Those grades are - in the end - not made for universities, but rather for companies to have a rating of your competence. And you ARE competent in this language. I think there is no moral problem at all.
You have a degree in something you really know. That's only fair.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_9: I was very ill for one semester's exams, and was given an oral exam for one subject. The professor (who was by no stretch of the imagination one to short-cut the system, and was reputed to have obtained his doctorate on the basis of a one-page thesis) explained that originally ALL examinations were oral and it allows the examiners to assess whether they need to extend the inquisition to determine whether the candidate is competent or whether the candidate has an acceptable knowledge of the subject matter.
Naturally, as the number of students grew, this system became incongruous and written examinations became the accepted method. With the rise of the universal doctrine of "fair", a written exam also ensures (at least in theory) that the same assessment criteria are applied to each candidate.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_10: The only thing that really matters is this: do you have a mastery of the subject you studied? The grade you get, and the degree you are awarded, should only be a documentation of this mastery. The purpose of an exam or a paper is to demonstrate your mastery of the subject. The grade is just a way of keeping score and communicating your master to people outside the field.
In light of that perspective, I would argue it's entirely ethical to be awarded a grade based on a personalized study and testing plan with the professor. As long as you are able to demonstrate your mastery of the subject matter *somehow*, you legitimately earned the grade, even if you didn't demonstrate that mastery the same way the other students did. The objective of college is gaining the knowledge, not getting a grade or a diploma. If the professor judged that you had an adequate mastery of the subject to award you the grade on the basis of an oral exam, that is his prerogative. Legally speaking, that is defensible as a reasonable accommodation for a disability under the ADA.
Bottom line:
If you cheat your way to graduation with a 4.0 GPA but don't master the subject matter, you might be able to get hired but you'll quickly be fired for incompetence. As a hiring manager I have to screen out these "paper tigers". I can't tell you how many people I've interviewed who had master's degrees but couldn't perform the most basic skills in their career field.
If you don't have a degree but do have a mastery of the subject matter, it might be harder for you to get your first job, but you'll keep it and advance because you're competent. After your first job, it's your work history that matters much more than your degree, except in licensed professions like law or medicine which have a degree as a prerequisite for licensing. (And even then it's not cast in stone: for instance in Virginia and some other states you can sit for the Bar exam and be admitted to the bar without a law degree if you study law under an attorney or judge)
Upvotes: -1
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2016/10/26
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<issue_start>username_0: As I understand, in academia 'Class of 20XX' refers to students graduating during the year 20XX irrespective of the year they joined college.
Suppose for a postgraduate course, one person chooses the full-time study mode while another chooses the part-time one. Both of them graduate during the same year. Are the both considered as the same class?<issue_comment>username_1: As far as universities in the US go, yes.
Even on a 'full-time' program, it may take a varying amount of calendar time to complete a PhD, depending on the discipline, any issues encountered in the course of performing research, etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Both of them graduate during the same year. Are they both considered as the same class?
>
>
>
Yes and no. Yes, if there's a concept of the "Class of 20XX", then anyone graduating in 20XX will be considered part of it (regardless of when they started or how long they took). However, in my experience this terminology is much less common in graduate school. It makes some sense for programs that typically take a fixed amount of time, like medical school or law school, but it's not a particularly meaningful concept for Ph.D. programs. It's much easier to talk about a Class of 20XX if you can predict well in advance which class you'll be in.
When I was a graduate student, we primarily identified with the cohort we entered grad school with (because of time spent studying together and preparing for the qualifying exam), rather than those who ended up graduating in the same year. Nobody talked about a Class of 19XX. If anyone had, it would have been clear what it meant, but it would have sounded odd.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2016/10/26
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<issue_start>username_0: Recently, morale in the lab that I work in has been dropping. I don't want to speak for everyone in the lab (there's >10 grad students and >5 postdocs/research faculty), but at least 3 or 4 of the other graduate students and 1 or 2 of the postdocs I've talked with have given me similar opinions.
The general reason I've gotten from everyone is that my adviser -- the head of the lab -- seems to be more and more focused on bringing in as many dollars as possible and growing the size of the lab. I think I can safely say that we're all grateful for his hard work in ensuring our continued support -- funding issues are non-existent -- but as they say, money doesn't always buy happiness. We hold meetings where research is discussed and decisions are made, only for my adviser to come back a few days later and change the decision unilaterally. Several of my grad students have intimated to me that our adviser is (seemingly out of nowhere) threatening to pull their funding if they don't switch projects or publish in short order. And finding time to meet with our adviser is harder and harder -- he's frequently out of town meeting with sponsors, and when we do arrange time he's feeling rushed.
I don't want to pin the blame on him -- like I said, we appreciate the hard work he puts into getting funding for us all -- but it's starting to affect morale I think. I'm not sure how to best tell my adviser -- or even *if* I should inform my adviser -- about this, and I'd appreciate any advice the Academia S.E. community has.<issue_comment>username_1: You do it in exactly the same way as you raise most problems with most bosses:
You start by briefly celebrating something successful.
You go on to quickly point out one or more of their objectives that aren't being realised or won't be realised.
You concisely describe how the problem (in this case low morale) is causing that. You don't put blame on people. You just describe how the problem leads to the objectives not being met.
Then you succinctly give them some realistic, usable options to address the problem.
It will really help your case if you can demonstrate that you are aware of some of the pressures and conflicting demands on them.
And do have supporting evidence available to back up your statements, if required. Don't deploy it unless challenged - the goal is to keep things concise and focused.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Great question! My group is also getting crowded, though morale isn't that low, so I've thought through stuff like this recently myself.
The following may or may not apply to you, but I think they may help you as you decide how to proceed:
* Is your advisor approachable? Do you feel comfortable talking openly and honestly with them? Do you have any fear of retaliation?
* If you have a general "graduate student advisor" (usually somebody appointed to be a general-purpose advisor to all graduate students in the dept.), you should definitely consider talking to them. You may want to request before meeting with them that your discussion with them be kept anonymous and confidential.
* Does your institution have one or more designated ombudsman? These people are trained to handle conflicts between individuals and others and will do it confidentially. This is their job, and they'll likely be able to point you to other resources as well.
* Consider talking to other grads in your program, especially those who have been around longer. They'll likely have good advice, and may even know some of your advisor's history (e.g. whether your advisor has a history of treating students this way).
* Does your grad program have a "student body" you could mention this to? If the grad student body as a whole complains to the department (e.g. dept. chair) on behalf of your lab, then it will likely receive more attention and it would be more anonymized than if it were "you vs. your advisor".
* You may want to collect some of what he says *in writing* for evidence later, in case evidence becomes necessary.
If you do bring it up to your advisor personally, here are a few suggestions:
* Begin on a positive note. For example, make sure he knows how much you all appreciate his support.
* Make sure you have the consent of your peers before you tell him that they're upset.
* Bring it up as *information* rather than as a *complaint*.
* I would avoid bringing it up in a research group meeting, as it would put him on the spot and may make him feel cornered and/or defensive.
* If possible, have a few suggestions for how he could proceed. (You could brainstorm this with your peers ahead of time.)
* You could suggest that, because this involves other people, he could address it in a meeting with those affected, either an individual or a a group meeting -- his choice.
* If you suspect that your advisor will get upset, you can always bring a brave labmate with you for moral support.
Your advisor ought to be grateful for the knowledge if he wasn't already aware of it. If he is mature and wise, he should know not to get mad at you for being the messenger.
[Here's a link](http://www.quickbase.com/blog/stop-using-the-compliment-sandwich-and-give-better-feedback) with some other suggestions.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: It sounds as though your advisor is not functioning very well, at least not right now, so I do not recommend anything remotely like a confrontation. That could destabilize him further.
I understood from your comment that the graduate program director wouldn't be a good person to talk to. I suggest:
(a) verify this by going in to talk to the grad program director about something more minor, to get a feel for his administrative style, listening skills, etc.
(b) if you confirm that he's the wrong person to bring this to, then choose a different department administrator. It's okay if it's a mismatch in terms of the person's official role. Mainly you want to find someone that has the right human and administrative qualities -- and I think you have a good sense about that.
(c) if you're still not finding someone, consider a senior faculty member who has some influence in the department, and who cares about the department. A former administrator, for example.
Once you've selected the person to talk to, it would be best if three or more members of the group went to the meeting together.
Upvotes: 0
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2016/10/27
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<issue_start>username_0: Because I teach at a doctoral institution, I get plenty of e-mails from prospective students asking me if I'm taking new doctoral students in the next academic year.
I'm not always sure how to answer them. Because admissions are done as a committee of the whole, I might have a student, I might not. It depends on my colleagues and on the applicant pool. I also don't want to encourage or dissuade prospective students too much either.
Do you have a phrase or response which encapsulates this complexity?<issue_comment>username_1: I explain that admissions decisions are made by committee and encourage the student to apply. No matter how strong or weak the prospective student is, the decision is not mine to make.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I answer truthfully either "yes" or "no". Whether or not I am taking students cannot affect whether applicants are accepted, but it can affect whether or not they choose to attend my institution; so I feel it's important to be honest.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You give one of the two possible answers:
* No, I am not taking on doctoral students.
* Yes, I am interested in taking on doctoral students but who actually gets a place is decided by the admissions committee, not by me.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]
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2016/10/27
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<issue_start>username_0: Basically, I'm asking how to refer to a group of individuals who all have the same degree.
I'm referring to them in the third person, as in, "I work with a group of (x)".
let's just assume for purposes of the title, that all the individuals in said group actually have the literal job title "philosopher", and it is important to call attention to the fact that they have doctorates in (stand up) philosophy.
My inclination would be the first one, but in searching, that doesn't seem very common.
To expand, I'm writing my application essays for graduate school. I work in a non-academic setting that still has a research focus, and I'm trying to briefly describe the organization in a way that would support the narrative I'm building, that working here has fostered my interest in research.
The organization is made up almost entirely of Ph.D. holders in largely the same field. But naming one as a practitioner of that field does not by itself imply that they hold a Ph.D. That's why saying "I work with a group of philosophers" doesn't convey the right message.<issue_comment>username_1: To expand upon @MattSamuel's comment, any/all of the following probably work:
I work with...
* ...a group of philosophy Ph.D.s
* ...a group of philosophers with Ph.D.s
* ...a group of doctors. Doctors of what you ask? Philosophy.
* ...a group of philosophy researchers (ed. note: tends to imply Ph.D.s, but not explicit)
The simplest option in my opinion? "This is Dr. X, Dr. Y, and Dr. Z. They all study philosophy."
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You should be fine with
>
> I work with a group of PhDs in philosophy.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: As "PhD in philosophy" is somewhat redundant (doctor of philosophy in philosophy), and "doctor of philosophy" could be ambiguous (generally considered the abbreviation for PhD in any subject) - I'd probably go for
>
> "a doctorate in philosophy".
>
>
>
This could still be construed as ambiguous, but I think the vast majority would interpret it as what you are describing.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/10/27
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<issue_start>username_0: I understand references make a huge difference when applying to graduate programs.
Over my years in university, I have spoken to professors about projects / exams / papers. I definitely make use of their office hours. I also go to a top school and am set to graduate with high honors. I am an extremely determined and motivated person. Although I have made use of the available resources, this is an extremely difficult/rigorous school and thus very few people achieve anywhere near a 4.0. My cGPA is a 3.5 and my GPA over the last 2 years is a 3.7. I have also been involved in a lot of organizations related to my field of interest/research. Including, volunteer on three projects at a renown research hospital and research for an undergraduate science magazine.
However, I have severe social anxiety. I understand this is “no excuse” in academia for not making connections, but it is extremely difficult for me to be around other people. It is severe. It has been a huge step for me to even go to the office hours (which I am proud of myself for doing), but I have not stood out from the crowd and I doubt any remember my name. I have never wanted anything more (graduate school), and yet my mental illness is a severe restriction on my life. I have been seeing a psychiatrist and have made huge improvements since high school (when the social anxiety became severe).
Is it necessary that I only acquire references from professors with whom I have developed a close relationship? Should I discuss these struggles in my application?<issue_comment>username_1: I can see this is a difficult spot for you. After all, to be good at your work doesn't necessarily require you to love interacting with people, but to get into the field you require letters of recommendation, which are best achieved by... interacting with people.
A few thoughts:
1. Are you more comfortable communicating over email? If you can combine a good email correspondence with good course work, I think there's a path to overcoming this. You can easily email your professors (using the less verbose style of your revised OP!) and ask about graduate school, research interests, and finally letters of recommendation.
2. Have you taken classes with the same professors repeatedly? This is one piece of advice I give to undergraduates a lot. Each good semester with a professor helps reinforce the positive impression. Assuming you still have one semester left before finishing, I would prioritize doing this again. Speaking for myself, student's names I only see once are often quickly forgotten unless I've gotten to know them in person well, but student's names I see repeatedly start to stand out regardless, *especially* if they've done solid work.
3. Related to 2, have you taken only very large classes with the professors you want letters from? If so, and if it's possible, you might try to get into a smaller section they're teaching even if it's of less (but not unrelated) interest to you academically.
4. You would be surprised how far showing up to office hours with good questions will get you, I think. You said you've managed to overcome your anxiety enough to do this, and I don't think you should underestimate the benefit.
In summary, find alternative ways to build relationships with the professors, through repeated interactions and electronic communication. You don't have to be chumming it up regularly with your letter writers in person to get good letters of recommendation, though even the few visits to office hours you have managed will have likely helped. Also make sure you read the posts others have linked in the comments regarding mental health issues and PhD admissions.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You doubt your lecturers remember your name, but do you think they don't remember *you*? Maybe a little background info about you (in an email or even in person) would jog their memory?
I was in a similar situation as you, and was really surprised to find that my point of view, which was that I was practically invisible, was not only not true, but the lecturers I asked for references actually had a good impression of me (note: I had performed well in all their respective classes).
Also, even if they don't remember you, that doesn't mean they won't write you good recommendations, especially if you've performed well in their classes.
My advice is to probe (perhaps informally, say after a lecture) a number of your lecturers how they feel about writing you a recommendation, then try to gauge from their responses how likely it is that they will write you a good recommendation, and then finally ask them for actual recommendations in the order of their likelyhood of writing you a good recommendation.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/10/27
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<issue_start>username_0: To be more specific, how do really top professors think about students who are much less smart than them, the students can be their Ph.D. students or just students who were taking his/her class.
This is a main problem I am concerned about when I have something I don't understand, and because of this, I am often hesitant to ask my professors or other friends, because I am afraid that they would look down upon me and think I am too stupid/useless/incapable, etc?
Can someone who know this give me some advice to overcome this unhealthy attitude?<issue_comment>username_1: People say stupid stuff all the time, even 'top professors'. I believe that most professors would not judge you for asking a question about something you don't understand. Even if what you ask is silly.
If you feel shy about asking questions during lectures, visit the professor during office hours.
I can tell you from experience that professors usually will not remember what questions you asked, but they will remember that you asked questions. At the very least that shows that you are making an effort and they will probably view you in a more positive light than before.
Another thing to keep in mind:
If you don't ask questions and do poorly in the class, the professor will probably think that you do not care about the class and that is why you did poorly.
If you do poorly despite asking questions, the professor may think that you made an effort, and you deserve a better grade than the guy who didn't care.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I wouldn't say I'm a 'top' professor - hopefully someday, heh - but here's my take on it.
I couldn't care less how 'smart' my students are or aren't. It's tough to quantify, and different people have different strengths, and it's easy to mistake *knowledge/experience* for intelligence. At any rate I feel that my job is the *opposite* of competing with my students in any respect. I want to help them do well in (class/research/etc.) and find it all interesting and rewarding.
I always urge my students to ask me for help if need be, because:
1. I do try to explain things well and clearly, but I don't always know if it totally gets across
2. All of my students are different in a gazillion respects, meaning that they're not all going to understand the same things easily
3. Providing extra assistance is part of my job!
I tell my undergrads that someone who has gotten an A in my class and gotten lots of help from me deserves that A *exactly* as much as someone who has gotten an A in my class with no help. Everyone is entitled to my assistance, even on a weekly basis or whatever. I don't think poorly of students who request extra assistance. The course is meant to have my students learn a thing or two; if they're a bit confused, I'm more than happy to clarify. The students I worry about the most are the ones who could benefit from extra help - which all of my students are permitted to seek whenever they'd like - but who *haven't* sought it out!
The only students I actually get at all impatient with are the ones who show indisputable signs of dishonesty or implausible excuse-making or picking on classmates or whatnot. Those ones irritate me. The rest are a joy, whether or not they seek extra help.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_3: As a relatively senior person at a relatively highly-rated place, and having experienced grad school and post-docs at elite places: in math, at least, the basic point is that we're all inadequate to really penetrate the most serious mysteries. Check. So, by the harshest standard, we all fail. Ok, so that's not such an interesting standard. In grad school at an elite place, it quickly became clear that an absolute novice could not interestingly or usefully "compete with" the decades-more-experienced faculty. Check. But the real point was that asking (*inescapably* naive) questions of such people was a terrific *opportunity*, which few people have. If ego were in play, it just diminished acquisition of critical, rare information. Bad.
My subsequent experience and observation: well, sure, people vary. Some people are quick, some are quick-but-shallow, some are slower, etc. Some are more ego-oriented, which I think impairs investigation of serious mathematical things, since, by this year, the low-hanging fruit that anyone cares about has been picked. So what remains is inevitably going to be less-immediately gratifying, etc.
In any case, smartness (or height, or handsomeness, or ...) is not a *moral* virtue. Plus, having a good head but not applying it, or having various perversely nonconstructive bad attitudes, is less effectual than having more modest brains but being focused and sincere (perhaps less ego-ful).
That is, what gets my respect involves not so much the individual's personal gifts, but how they use those gifts, that is, to advance mathematics in contrast to advancing just themselves. That kind of thing.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: People are different. Talented people in academia are people too. Thus follows, some of these may not behave as one would expect, and any general answer like this one won't apply to all of them. Nevertheless here's an answer that focuses on the last sentence of your question:
People judge you when you leave an impression. Whenever you leave a new impression, that judgement changes. If you never open your mouth you will be judged, at best, as one of them many faceless people that are unimportant.
Whenever it doesn't matter if you're judged as unimportant or as stupid, open your mouth, because you've got nothing to lose.
Even better, if things go bad, and as a result people do think you're not as smart as they are, you can use the situation as a learning experience. If you never go through such learning experiences you will indeed not be as experienced/smart as others are.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: When I was a student, I will tell you frankly, I did not generally divide up my professors, instructors, TAs, and fellow students, into the "top brains", the "medium brains" and the "mediocre brains". I suppose I had some awareness of that in the background... but mainly I focused on how best to partner with each of them so as to optimize my progress in my studies. Each instructor is an individual, with strengths and weaknesses as a pedagogue. This approach is similar to going into a relationship with a medical provider with the attitude that the patient and the provider are going to work together toward a common goal.
Think about how it feels from the instructor's point of view. It is hard to help a student who doesn't interact with you!
There are more ways to interact with an instructor than just by asking questions. You can also make a comment, to let the instructor know what was most interesting for you, and what connections you were able to make between what was presented in class, and some other thing you have learned or noticed.
I hope this helps.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: Academia is as much about self-replication as about research or teaching. What professors privately value (and devalue) about their students correlates with what traits they value in themselves.
Different professors attained their positions through different relative proportions of ability, work, and other factors. Hard workers are likelier to want hard-working students, and to expect hard work from their students. Those who were seen, and see themselves, as having spectacular innate talent are likelier to value evidence of high natural ability in their students. Some people may have done a cold analysis that tells them it is optimal in their field to prefer people with a different mixture of skills, but more are looking for proteges who resemble their younger selves.
Because selection into academia demands high levels of many traits it is not always obvious how a particular professor sees themselves. A born superstar may also be a hard worker and value that aspect the most. But it is not so typical for a lazy genius to prefer hard workers, or vice versa.
The usual qualifiers apply. On the average / all else being equal / in my opinion and experience / exceptions exist / ...
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: I think there is one important aspect missing in previous answers: as a professor, **your resources are limited** (resources meaning mostly time and money).
I don't know about other areas, but in math, independent of whether you are "top" or not, one can sometimes see people who would be actually better off changing their career. And I am not saying this to boast, or out of spite, in fact they may have my deepest respect for who they are (including how hard-working they are). Nevertheless, in (almost?) any kind of a job one needs a certain degree of **efficiency**. (Please note, that it does include many different aspects, i.a., if you like what you do. If you do not like something and get burned-out completely, then you become terribly inefficient.)
Thus, I would treat even the most stupid relevant question seriously and try to answer to the best of my ability, but I will get annoyed if I see signs of huge inefficiency. The reason is that I have other matters to attend. Situation would be different if I had any free time to spare, but the truth is there is *always* something else to do.
To give some examples of inefficiencies related to students asking questions:
* students coming to ask a question despite the answer being *easily available* in some other way (say on the web), even without any special vocabulary (which I understand that the students might not know),
* students coming with the very same question or making the very same error for the 42nd time,
* one group of students asking more questions after getting enough answers to previous questions to get them started and some other group of students waiting with their questions wasting time just sitting in my office and not doing anything else.
Even if I get downvoted into oblivion, I hope it will get you an additional perspective.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: >
> The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does
> not ask is a fool for life.
>
>
>
-Confucius(?)
Note: I debated removing this answer, but I really believe it strikes at the heart of OP's conundrum.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: Here's an anecdote from my own career. I just retired from a small, private, liberal arts school. At my school, most of the students think most of their math profs are geniuses (we're not). A few years back, I had a student who was originally a business major and had taken a business math course from my wife. He had done a fair job in her course and then decided he wanted to be a math major because he enjoyed it so much. He signed up for my calculus course and I figured we'll see how this goes. He took several more courses from me as well. He kept asking questions, silly ones in the beginning, but gradually more insightful. What more could I ask for than to see a student growing mathematically right in front of me? I had significant reservations about his prospects as a math major in the beginning, but I never let on to him. What I wanted to do was encourage him and help him as much as possible. The end result was that he was elected to the math honor society and I cannot tell you how proud I was for him when I got to hand him his membership certificate.
The moral to this story is pretty simple, and has been echoed by others in their answers and comments. I have never looked down on a student who was willing to try, even if they didn't get great marks. The ones who really irritated me were the ones who had discernable talent and didn't use it, or the ones who couldn't care less about the course.
In my experience, I have had but a handful of times when I thought that a professor or colloquiam speaker looked down on someone. After all, our job as professors is to inform our students and develop them, not to put them down.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_10: A friend of mine got some advice from his dad that he passed on to me once.
>
> Don't worry about what other people are thinking of you. Most people are mostly thinking about themselves.
>
>
>
I mean, each of us thinks that life's a movie and we're the star, and internally interprets everyone else's actions as part of the plot of our lives. But everybody else is doing the same thing.
To be more specific, many professors are introverts and may seem intimidating, but usually they are passionate about their discipline. It may be the one thing they love to talk about.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_11: I am not saying that I am a smart person. (This is something that my colleagues say, which I know is not actually true in many cases). Anyway, as someone who is ***presumably*** on the other side of your argument, I have taught some courses to some students whose IQ levels were seemingly way below my expectations. I hope it is OK to share my personal experiences in here.
To be honest, I felt very uncomfortable at first to see that my students couldn't understand some trivial things and had a lot of trouble with some really easy concepts. One of my regrets is that at first I treated them in a humiliating way. And I often mocked their seemingly stupid questions. You know, I wasn't used to this and didn't know that humiliating others doesn't make you look smarter, but rather an a\*\*hole. It took me some time to somehow get used to this and learn some manners.
Now let me tell you something, the more you learn, the more you realize that knowing something or being fast at learning something does not necessarily make you a better person. And if someone thinks that these talents give him/her the privilege to think high of himself/herself, the best thing you can do is to feel sorry for him/her. In my point of view, teaching to a person with lower IQ who is doing his best and struggling with easy concepts is way more enjoyable than teaching to a presumably smarter one. Note the key is to do your best, regardless of how fast you get things.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_12: As a student, I got often shot down by professors for asking questions they called stupid. And more than once I had professors calling me stupid. Some might have been right.
What I like about SE is that you are encouraged to ask questions, but if you didn't do enough research to answer yourself then, you get down-voted. So, my advise to you, and to myself from 20 years ago, is to keep asking, ideally after you did a little research to find the answer yourself. The reason is you might not get the answer you are looking for, or maybe not even a good answer, but your own research combined with that, might be exactly what you wanted to know.
Sometimes, you may find out you were asking the wrong or irrelevant question and without asking it, you would have spent 3 months of research getting nowhere. What people think of you for asking might vary, but if you are in an academic environment, do take advantage of that. Ask both colleagues and professors.
It is often that someone who is a specialist in some field you are interested in would be more than happy to answer even absolute beginner questions if they realize you are really interested. As a general rule, however, people don't want to do your homework, or other academic chores for you, so for those you can only count on professor's office hours or your peers willingness to collaborate.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_13: Being stupid is not that bad; we were all stupid at some stage, and some of us are still stupid now. The professors were stupid as kids and are likely to get stupid if they survive till 100. That's how things go.
Use them while they are clever and you are stupid. Professors know to **never underestimate a student**. They are prepared for that. It's their job to teach you and answer your questions regardless how stupid you or your questions are.
Said that, as a student, you can typically only profit from asking. But, to be polite to the society that surrounds you, think over a question a bit harder before asking, simply not to lose the time of your environment.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_14: How long is the professor's career in the field? Decades?
How long is the student's career in the field? Years?
The true top professor (teacher, mentor) knows about this difference and take it to the account. They expect the student to know less than them and assess the student's performance with respect to the expected knowledge rather than their knowledge. Bad professors (teachers) use their (long gathered) knowledge to outclass people with shorter (time to gather the) knowledge.
Some students are slow to connect informations they are given. That does not make them dull. Some students tend to miss or forget some links. That does not make them dull either. True question is whether the student is interested in deeper knowledge of the subject.
If you want to be sure your ideas are true; if you want to know more you must ask.
You may think the question is dull (for the professor). But he may think of the question as "they are asking for A, because they do not know about B and C (are rlative to A) yet." And the response won't be "How do yo dare to ask that", but "That is good question" instead.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a TA who is helping to grade student homework assignments for an undergrad engineering course which involves a lot of mathematics. The homeworks all together count for miserly 5% and is only graded based on completeness. One of my biggest petpeeves is poor hand writing for written work. I don't exactly have good hand writing, but for things that are turned in or show other people (i.e. for communication purposes), I always ensure that the quality of work is top notch quality.
However, most students in my class have terrible handwriting to the point I cannot even decipher what they are trying to communicate. Wherever there is supposed to be a straight line, I see a curve, not even a well drawn curve. If students run out of space on their piece of paper, many resorts to cramming massive amount of calculation in the margins rather than starting a new page or even flipping the sheet over to the other side. Even worse is that most students write in pen, and when there seems to be an error, they have no qualm of scratching it out using a scribble. I am not a pen person so this is something I have difficulty in understanding. Homeworks are rarely stapled. Let's not even talk about the diagrams, I have no idea why they even bother drawing one. Most people just don't seem to care.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/n6Q5B.png)
*(a picture I found online just to give you an idea what it looks like, sometimes the entire page is crossed out because of some mistakes in the calculation)*
I have been telling them to write neatly since homework 1. Yet this problem persists. The main problem is that the homework grades counts for so little, and there is nothing to enforce quality of homework. If a homework is completely done, even if the hand writing is so poor that I could not decipher exactly who handed in the assignment, I am still required to give full grade. I have talked to the professor who is running the course, and he basically gave me a "I don't want students whining over grades" sort of reply. I am powerless to change the policies of the course, and at maximum all I can do now is giving out recommendations to the students on expected, but not enforced, handwriting standards.
Is there anything I can do in my situation? I had hoped I could see a reflection of myself in this pool of students but I have yet to see that person which makes me a bit disappointed to be honest. Whether if these people go directly into the workforce, or remain in academia, clarity in communicating is very important and I fear if they do not change their habits quickly it could lead to some very negative consequences in their professional life.
Am I overreacting?
Should I tell them a white lie that I am going to give zeroes for unclear, poorly written homework but in actuality I will still give full grade for completeness?<issue_comment>username_1: My approach is simple- homework is submitted as a typed .pdf file, no exceptions. Homework is submitted online through the course management system (Instructure's Canvas in our case), which enforces the required file extension.
Yes, this means that my students need to learn how to produce typed mathematical equations. They're welcome to use LaTeX (probably the best choice in the long term), Google Docs (which has a pretty intuitive system for math formulas that's adequate for most purposes), MS Word (which has an awfully complicated and hard to use equation editor), Apple Pages, or whatever software they like, but they have to convert the output to pdf so that I don't have to deal with all of these different word processing software packages.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Although it is plausible and practical to simply demand typeset homeworks, there might still be issues of a similar-though-different nature.
I think the more genuine point is not about handwriting per se, but about readability (which could include issues about broken fonts in electronic documents...). Non-readability is basically a no-op, and gets a "0", or perhaps a low mark and pointed warning on first occurrence.
The question of whether 5 percent is enough to motivate students is different. Odd that even kids would bother to turn in obviously illegible work for a very small percentage of grade...
Rationally, that is, game-theoretically, if you want people to do a thing, it has to be plausibly doable, and not cost more than they can pay, first, or, surely, than they are willing to pay. The idea that one explains to immature people that illegibility will do them harm, or any other such thing, is a second-order effect for kids at that age.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Make a pile of homework submissions that are not legible enough for you to do a good job of grading. Put those in a separate envelope in the professor's mailbox, along with a cover note explaining that you were not able to grade those.
Let the administrator in charge of TAs in your department know about the problem.
---
If you are given responsibility, and authority, to address this problem as you see fit, then I would suggest paperclipping a quarter sheet to each illegible submission, with a xeroxed note, letting the student know that the temporary grade is zero, but that if the assignment is resubmitted in legible form by (deadline), you will grade it as though it had been submitted on time. Explain that if a student is unable to submit a legible version in writing, s/he can see you in office hours to use an alternate method of demonstrating that s/he did the work. Keep a record of which students submitted illegible homework. Use this list to work toward getting the homework submitted legibly and on time.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: You're not overreacting. Your instincts are good, but you cannot do anything about it at this time. Do not white-lie. Krantz, *How to Teach Mathematics* (sec 1.5):
>
> If there is any circumstance in which honesty is the best policy, this
> is it.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: This might be a bit hard for this year, but of future, maybe you could consider making other extra incentives available for those who submit homework.
Here's an example from a course I had:
The homework carried low amount of points (5% or 10%, can't remember now), but it was so spaced out that we'd get graded homework around 1 week before midterm exams and then the other set of homework assignments sometime before the final exam.
The assignments themselves were also quite similar to what we would normally get for the exams. So by turning in a good, readable, homework, you'd get good feedback with enough time to fix all the things you didn't understand before the exam which carries a lot of points. On the other hand, the amount of points carried by the homework was low enough so that cheating on homework wasn't very interesting.
This way, people who cared about the course got the practice and people who only cared about the grade of the course got points and feedback for the exams.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: >
> However, most students in my class have terrible handwriting to the point I cannot even decipher what they are trying to communicate.
>
>
>
Fail them. End of story.
If you can't understand the answer, you can't verify that it's correct.
Zero marks; move on.
The handwriting will quickly improve, from anybody who wishes to pass the module.
Make this policy clear in your lectures then the responsibility is known to be on the students. Frankly this should be blindingly obvious to everybody involved, but I am aware that students sadly take no responsibility for anything nowadays.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_7: It can be frustrating if one does not have the power to enforce the standards that one expects. I would try to be more relaxed about it:
1. I would explain to the students that very poor handwriting is rude and does offend you and possible other TAs in the future.
2. On the other hand, I would be completely open and honest about the grading standards. If a paper full of unreadable rubbish counts 10 points, then say it. The rule is the rule.
3. I would try to minimize the time I spend with grading poor answers. If the student does not put effort into the answer, just barely read through it and give him the points. If I student really tries and is willing to learn, show him that you acknowledge this.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: Frankly, I am a bit confused that you are asking. The writing is of secondary importance. What is important is that the student solves the problem and that you can read and grade it. If the student fails to communicate his solution to you, it is their problem.
If half of their text is just not readable, then they did not solve the problem, and cannot get full grade for completeness. It does not matter how beautiful the handwriting is, but whether you can read it. If they write in the most beautiful calligraphy style, and then pour some coffe over it so nobody can read it anymore, then they still get 0 marks.
Speaking of which...
>
> full grade for completeness
>
>
>
If this really is what your professor is suggesting, then you have wildly different problems than handwriting.
Try to get it in writing from your prof (maybe in a mail), and then basically do as he says.
If a student hands in an assignment where you cannot read the name, then do not grade it! If you cannot decipher it, then it is hardly complete, so you cannot give full marks.
If your prof is afraid of having to handle angry students, then make sure that they come to you instead of the professor.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I had a professor with extremely strict homework guidelines. One example, if your name was not in the *top-right corner* of *very first page* in the format *last name, first name* you got a zero. You could easily spend hours on the homework and get a zero because of that. Homework that was not stapled? *Zero*. Homework handed in A4 instead of 8.5x11? *Zero*.
Being able to communicate clearly is a core concept of engineering. An engineer needs to be rigorous. Handing in sloppy work, with unintelligible writing and diagrams is hardly rigorous. Imagine them attempting to send a rover to mars with this kind of approach. It's not sustainable and thus it is your job to help inculcate these values in these aspiring minds.
Therefore, if anything, I believe you are being too *lenient*. Predetermined requirements, such as legibility, clarity, format, etc... should be established at the beginning of the course and then dole out grades accordingly.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_10: In my university there's no standard that students have to submit electronically typed assignments. We encourage them, but it's not always easy for them to learn and many of them rather just write by hand (and scan, if the submission is online).
My general approach is to say that if I cannot read the assignment, I am not grading it; if the scan is incoherent (you answer 1A, 2C, then 3A, 2B, 3C, 2A, and so on; often due to a misplaced page in the scan), I don't grade the out-of-order answers.
One may appeal, but only by submitting a typed solution instead. It is their responsibility to make their work presentable, and to make sure that the scan is readable, in the correct order, and nothing is cut in the margins.
Others in my department often give an automatic 5-10% bonus for a typed solution as well, which can be encouraging.
In the situation where the homework only count for 5% of the grade, these might not be sufficient incentives, though. In which case your frustration might never be alleviated. Remark this to the students, and if all else fails, talk to the professor. In most cases, if something is truly unreadable, you should have some backing to give a zero grade on that particular assignment.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_11: The homework is worth 5% and the professor wants to give full grades to anyone who completes it. I'm basing my answer on the assumption that the students can get their graded assignments back after you mark them.
If that is the case, explain to them that for you to give adequate feedback, you have to be able to read the assignments.
The assignments aren't worth much, so I imagine the professor is giving them out as an opportunity for the students to make sure they understand how to do the problems assigned. Although it may not directly change their grade, your ability to understand their answers will change the quality of feedback you can give. Explain to the students that if they want constructive feedback, they must write neat enough for you to understand.
The professor doesn't seem to care about giving that 5% away, so you shouldn't worry about it either. Legibility of the answers isn't as much for your benefit as it is for theirs when they receive comments back on their work. If they don't make it legible for you; then it's just less thought that you have to put towards giving feedback (since you can't give feedback on answers you can't understand). That way you aren't wasting your time giving feedback to students who don't really want it; and those who do want it will do a better job.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_12: Yes, you are overreacting. You're not going to get neat homework with this policy, period. Most of these students probably don't write by hand very often, and so they have not spent the time to get good at it. That means it takes a lot of effort to make their handwriting look nice, possibly including carefully rewriting the entire problem on a new sheet off paper once they are done with it. These students have other things to do, possibly including assignments worth more points in this class, other classes, jobs, kids, etc. Time is a finite resource, and they have zero reason to spend it on this. I've had many math classes that graded practice problems in this same way, and I never bothered to do them neatly either. The grader wasn't reading through each problem to give feedback anyway, so it didn't matter. Neat handwriting may be a noble skill, but I guarantee that proper prioritization and time management are more useful ones.
This leads me to your solution: stop trying to make sense of their work! I have never seen an instructor give feedback on homework like this. That's not the point of it. You're just going to give the same feedback 20 times anyway because half the class made the same mistake, so it's a poor use of your time, too. The purpose is to get the students to attempt the problems so that they know which ones they understand and which ones they don't. It's then **their responsibility** to ask for clarification the next class. This does not require or even benefit from you being able to read their work.
**Summary:**
Practice homework is for practice, and a small amount of points are given to encourage people to actually practice. It's not meant for you to dissect and comment on, so don't worry if you can't do so. They should know if they got the problem wrong and can seek help if they need it.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_13: 1. If you can decipher who wrote the assignment, give them full marks.
2. If you can decipher the assignment, give them feedback on the assignment.
3. If you can not decipher the assignment, give them feedback about that.
4. If you can not decipher who wrote the assignment, give them 0. If they complain about it, then they have to identify themselves. Then give them full marks.
5. If they did not do the assignment, give them 0.
The primary purpose of these homeworks is for students to get feedback from you, but if they don't want it, why force it?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_14: >
> Even worse is that most students write in pen, and when there seems to be an error, they have no qualm of scratching it out using a scribble.
>
>
>
Er, that is *completely* normal behaviour. If writing in ink and crossing out errors are unacceptable to you, then the problem is that you have bizarre and unrealistic standards.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm about to apply for postdoc positions in the US through mathjobs. I already did it last year, so I have my reference letters from the previous time (which are probably pretty good).
Now here's my situation: During the last year, I was lucky to solve some well-known open problems in my field (well, it's not going to earn me a Wikipedia entry, but the tiny group of researchers in my esoteric field is impressed), which will probably turn my application from "good" to "outstanding". In order to really make my application look better, my reference letters should address the recent results, so I asked my letter writers to update their letters. Most of them did so, except for one (who didn't reply to my emails). The problem is that I should submit some of my applications by November 1, and as I didn't hear from that letter writer for several weeks now, I'm afraid that he might not update his letter by November 1.
Question 1: When job ads on mathjobs say something like "screening of applications will begin on November 1", do they really mean it, or do they mean something like "screening of applications will begin on mid December, but we want you to submit your application early"?
Question 2: What would you do in my situation (assuming that the relevant letter writer is currently abroad and I have no other way to contact him)? Should I contact the relevant search committees and ask them to check that reference letter a bit later, once it gets updated?
Question 3: If a letter of recommendation is updated on mathjobs past the submission of an application, which version of the letters is available to the search committee? What should I do in order to make sure that they read the updated version?<issue_comment>username_1: Question 1: It depends. In my experience on hiring committees it means that no one will look at the applications until after November 1, that some industrious members of the committee will immediately start looking at applications on November 1, and that other members of the committee won't get around to it for some weeks after November 1. A well organized committee might meet in mid November and screen out 90% of the applicants at that point. A badly organized committee might not do anything until January. You have no way of knowing, so the best that you can do is to have a complete application in place by November 1.
Question 2: I'd get a complete application together now, and submit it for those jobs with early deadlines, even though you don't have this new letter of recommendation yet.
Question 3. You can update the letter of recommendation later, but there's no way to be sure that the committee will look at it. In particular, if you've been screened out in the first round, they'll probably never look at any updates to your application. If you're invited to participate in some kind of an interview (at a meeting, by skype, etc.) than they might look at the updated material. When/if you're contacted to arrange an interview, be sure to mention that you've updated your material on mathjobs.org and ask them to look at the updated material.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Question 1: When job ads on mathjobs say something like "screening of applications will begin on November 1", do they really mean it, or do they mean something like "screening of applications will begin on mid December, but we want you to submit your application early"?
>
>
>
It depends on the department. It is however well known that many faculty members drag their feet with recommendation letters, and this happens more or less independently of the quality of the applicant. So in my experience it is common to allow a grace period of a couple of weeks to allow the letters to trickle in.
>
> Question 2: What would you do in my situation (assuming that the relevant letter writer is currently abroad and I have no other way to contact him)? Should I contact the relevant search committees and ask them to check that reference letter a bit later, once it gets updated?
>
>
>
Frankly I think you're too worried about the entire situation. You did some exciting new work: great. All but one of the letters will describe this exciting new work. The other letter may not. So when people read the letters they will see that your exciting new work is so new that one of your writers is a little out of the loop. I see no big problem here. If one of the letters is more negative than the others, that drags your application down. If one of the letters is *less informative than the others*...frankly, that usually happens and is really much of the reason why you get multiple letters.
>
> Question 3: If a letter of recommendation is updated on mathjobs past the submission of an application, which version of the letters is available to the search committee? What should I do in order to make sure that they read the updated version?
>
>
>
Hmm. I believe what happens is that if the file has not been read by anyone, the letter updates without recording the change. If it has been read, then both versions of the letter appear. But I am not completely sure about this.
In summary: **you solved some well-known open problems in your field**. That's the dream. You say that this will probably turn your application from "good" to "outstanding." Well, I agree. Congratulations, and I hope you enjoy your postdoc.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I spent one summer working in a research lab during my undergraduate degree. Now that I am in 4th-year and applying to graduate schools, my former supervisor has asked if I would like to join his group.
I had an enjoyable experience in his group, but I think my talents lie towards the theoretical side of my field (physics). To be perfectly honest, I think that it is more likely I will choose something other than his group. At the same time, I don't want to "rule out" the possibility of working with him just yet because I can see myself being happy with either scenario (his group or somewhere else).
**So my questions are:**
How do I politely tell him that I am interested, but I want to consider other options too? How transparent should I be with my interest in theoretical research over experiment? Would it be best if he knew that his group would probably not be my first choice?<issue_comment>username_1: Be honest, but be diplomatic. Tell him that you'd be interested, but you've also found some other groups that you're looking into, and it's too early for you to make a straight decision one way or the other.
If he continues to pressure you, you can also take the monetary approach -- tell him that you're waiting to hear back regarding financial packages from the various schools, and you won't commit until you've got a firm idea of what your stipend/funding/responsibilities would look like.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Just explain to him what you have said here (in greater detail, of course). If you are applying to graduate school, you are really going to want a strong recommendation from this professor. You can't get that without giving a clear statement of what you are planning to do. The professor should not be offended; faculty members deal with these kinds of situations regularly.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: When my students ask questions and participate in discussion, class is more thoughtful, more fun, and more effective. I encourage their participation by checking in with them regularly, and making sure that they have time to speak and that they get a respectful hearing. Still, perhaps half of them never say a word. It seems like being in our mutual interest to get them to speak in class.
Because of these positive effects, like other teachers I have tried to encourage participation by making it part of the grading rubric. Some measures assess students' class presence within a particular timeframe, but this is hard to distinguish from attendance. More subtle is to give credit for speech, by filtering and counting contributions, whether online or in person. The speech measure is confounded by the fact that some students are happy to talk all the time while some never even want to. Without rewarding loudmouths or penalizing shy international students, what are best practices in scoring class participation?<issue_comment>username_1: You want to grade people, in part, on their participation. If a person isn't speaking in class, whether it's because they're shy or because they have nothing to say, they're not participating.
If part of the assessment of a class involves an oral presentation, and a student refuses to present because they're shy then it would seem unlikely that we might say "we'll let that person pass the presentation component of the class because it would be unfair to punish them for being shy." Rather, I suspect they might fail that component for not producing material upon which they could be assessed (i.e., not delivering a presentation).
You mention online discussions. Obviously that might pose less of a barrier to shy people. Ultimately though, if you believe that participation is something upon which students should be assessed, and students are made aware of this, then shy students just have to accept that all other things being equal their grade may be poorer than their more outspoken peers. Perhaps this will encourage them to (take steps to) speak up. Perhaps they'll benefit, both in terms of their grade and in their lives, as a result.
As for dealing with loudmouths, I think the answer here is relatively straightforward: You don't assess them on the quantity that they produce, but rather the quality. You decide whether what they're saying reflects meaningful participation and thoughtful contributions, or simply blabbering.
**tl;dr** Grading people on the basis of their informal participation adds a few wrinkles (i.e. punishing shy students, and increasing the subjectivity of grading everyone else) but if a teacher decides that this is something they consider important then these wrinkles may just have to be accepted.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Is "speaking in class" or "communicating about the topic in groups" part of your learning goals for your students? If yes, then you should first communicate this to your students and then think about how to include participation in the grading rubric based on the learning goals you set.
However, if you only want students to participate in the lecture to make your own teaching experience better, I think it is unreasonable to include their participation in their grade.
Put differently: I think that the grading should reflect how well the students achieved the learning goals of the course and nothing else. (This may be different in school, but for a undergraduate and graduate courses, I think this is reasonable.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Provide the students with low-stakes or low-pressure opportunities to participate! Award points for people who send you interesting questions or links by email. Or, if you want, for those who come to your office hours, or talk to you after class. Another option is to do some activities in class and say they're not graded, but that you'll give participation points to people who hand them in (and who clearly at least took a good shot at it). This can double as a way of collecting feedback on what the students are and aren't understanding.
I always have a mix of students in my undergrad classrooms; a lot of them are shy or introverted or non-native speakers of English. Back in my own undergrad years I was pretty timid as well (easy starstruck by professors + still outgrowing childhood shyness), so I get it. Nothing wrong with extraverts, but I'd be uncomfortable if my classroom were set up to give an advantage to the ones who don't have any qualms talking in class.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: What you can do is tell those students that notoriously always answer (in my experience there always are some) to give some others a chance as well. If the few that always contribute also have the best contributions, you should tell them to just wait a little bit for the others to speak up and still hear them out afterwards. If the most frequent contributors have contributions of mixed quality, you should tell them to favor quality over quantity and also adjust your participation grade accordingly.
Other than that, I don't think you can force people to speak up. This is a well known issue in the context of MBAs. Women typically have lower grades in those classes that heavily use participation grades.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: >
> When my students ask questions and participate in discussion, class is more thoughtful, more fun, and more effective.
>
>
>
Here is some food for thought for you.
Your assumption is that participation in class discussions can be encouraged by bestowing a grade benefit on those who participate actively.
Do we know whether that's true?
Aren't there better ways to encourage participation in class discussions?
What would you do if everyone had stellar participation? Unless your groups are small, I bet it would get unwieldy.
Have you surveyed your students to find out what they think about the class discussions? What their individual goals for themselves are?
Side note: I often see a gender correlation when it comes to level of participation during class.
(Personal comment: the most recent class I took, quite a few years after leaving grad school, had almost no student participation, and I hated how quiet all the students were. I really need the give and take. But those students were such lumps on logs, I doubt anything would have gotten them to pry open their jaws.)
Upvotes: 2
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2016/10/28
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a second-year PhD student in the US. I work in my lab during the night-time. I find that one of the senior PhD students in my lab is into drugs big league. I would not mind that if it were not to affect me, but it does in two ways - sometimes the smell in the lab during the late hours is horrible, and he moans incongruously and loudly at times without taking others' presence into consideration.
Talking to the supervisor may not be of use, because he takes it coolly and I have heard the two joke about drug use in casual conversations. The fellow PhDs also take fun in his eerie ways, and him being an excellent and helpful chap, they do not want to fuss about his habits.
If at all, should I raise this issue with my advisor, the department or the police? Sometimes I feel I should be silent about it all, bite my teeth and bear it for a year as he will graduate then. But at other times, I am so heckled about being disturbed during my hours of concentration. Is there a discreet way for me to handle this tricky situation?<issue_comment>username_1: The legality of the type of drug is irrelevant. If he were annoying or otherwise harming the productivity of labmates while drunk, it would be equally problematic, despite alcohol being a legal drug in most of the world. So in my opinion, the legal situation is not really relevant for you personally.
Talk to your supervisor and/or others within the department, such as a health&safety officer. Focus on the problem his behaviour is causing for you; his behaviour is reducing the quality of your working environment and harming your productivity. It is their responsibility to provide a safe and quiet working environment where you can be productive. That may include enforcing that co-workers do not harm such conditions. Here I mean *safe* in a broad sense, not necessarily implying that his drug use is dangerous for you.
---
After that, the question is whether you would choose to report someone for using illicit drugs (even if the law requires you to do so); that is a moral question that is up to you to answer for yourself. We cannot help you with that.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Are you just talking about marijuana? This is (mostly) legal in Washington and Colorado currently, decriminalized in New York (in practice it's similar to a parking ticket), and on ballot measures in many other states (so give it two weeks). In short, the American public (or more than half of it) has shown signs of moving past marijuana as a moral issue.
Here you write:
>
> I find that one of the senior PhD students in my lab is into drugs big league.
>
>
>
Which makes me think he's running a meth lab out of your school. But here:
>
> sometimes the smell in the lab during the late hours is horrible, and he moans incongruously and loudly at times without taking others' presence into consideration
>
>
>
That sounds more like marijuana. (Not sure what you mean by moaning though).
And here:
>
> Talking to the supervisor may not be of use, because he takes it coolly and I have heard the two joke about drug use in casual conversations.
>
>
>
It makes me think it's a drug that's just *actually accepted* for use. Which raises the question: **Is it possible you are being very judgmental here and are in the wrong?**
Normally I would discuss the smell and "moaning" in their own right. You generally have a right to an odor-free work environment. But I also don't know if these are grievances you only have because you have a vendetta against his marijuana use in the first place, and yes, there is a pretty realistic chance that anyone you raise this grievance to will have the same thought. **If you portray recreational drug use to his supervisor or anyone else the way you did in your post, you're going to be laughed at and lose trust.**
You probably want to entirely let this go. See if you can lessen the vendetta against the drug. It's possible the student has some awful behavior but I don't even have enough information in your OP to seriously advise on this.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: *I checked a sample large university's drug and alcohol policy. Here are a few items I found there. The reason for having a policy is to protect the learning environment and reinforce the university's missions of teaching, etc. The goal is to uphold the law and comply with the code of conduct, which has jurisdiction over what occurs on university property. All members of the university community are expected to share responsibility for the members' health and safety.*
*One could also read the code of conduct.*
*A lot has been written on this page about live and let live, but what I think is being overlooked is that we're not talking about someone stinking up your hallway in a dorm, or showing up tipsy or high for class -- we're talking about drug use in a **workplace**.*
I understood from your question that you are not asking whether to take action, but how to take action discreetly.
My suggestion would be to make a confidential report to campus security, without telling them that your supervisor has been aware of what's been going on, without doing anything about it. I looked up confidential report to campus security at the same sample university, and easily found guidance that clearly states that you can report a concern without identifying yourself. You could take a look what has been published about this for your university, to reassure yourself about this.
(By the way, I didn't understand either what the drug is and how the moaning and the smell are connected to the drug use -- but those seem like side issues.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I can’t answer from a US perspective unfortunately, because I’m in the UK, but I’ll try to answer your question in a more general context.
Basically, the key issue for you is that this guy’s drug use is antisocial and is making your working life unpleasant. The possible illegality of it comes into this situation in two ways:
* You may in some jurisdictions have a legal duty to report it to the police.
* If it’s illegal, you’re on extremely firm ground when it comes to getting him to stop, and you shouldn’t be afraid to escalate the situation until it gets resolved.
I suggest the following (with a certain amount of tongue in cheek in places):
* Determine the strength of your hand: first, find out whether or not the drug use is actually illegal where you are. If it’s not, find out to what extent the university has a legal duty to protect your working environment regardless of that.
* If it’s illegal, or the university has a legal duty to protect your working environment, you’re on very strong ground. Talk to the following people in order, being friendly and non-confrontational about it, but making the strength of your hand and your willingness to escalate the situation clear: the guy himself, other people in your group (who may share your view), your advisor, a trusted person in admin/HR in your department who can talk to your advisor discreetly without pulling the trigger on the whole situation, the head of HR in your department, and the head of your department. In the extremely unlikely event that all of these people are more willing to protect a PhD student taking illegal drugs in their lab than their own careers (this will never happen in reality), you have the option of escalating it to the central university, the police (if it’s illegal), the press (if the police in your country are corrupt), and social media (if the press in your country are also corrupt). Once it gets to a certain level, you have to start asking yourself who this guy is and why everyone’s willing to protect him - he may be a scary guy with connections (have your escape planned ahead of time) :) You also have to ask yourself if it wouldn’t just be easier to switch advisors.
* If it’s not illegal and the university has no legal duty to protect your working environment, you’re on weaker ground. You can still escalate things, but more cautiously, looking for someone who might view your situation sympathetically and help sort things out. You should definitely consider switching advisors, if nothing else.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: If I am writing a study paper and I have given some descriptors as to which systems will be measured (things such as "openness" and "availability" in my case) is it acceptable for me to provide a list of this after with a short sentence expanding on what metrics that word in intended to include?
e.g.
* Openness - Measured by the proportion of the human population has access and the ease of entry for those who meet the requirements
* etc...<issue_comment>username_1: One important thing to keep in mind is that the abstract is typically copied to various article databases, which have varying support for markup. As such, much of the formatting will not necessarily be carried over. That nicely formatted bulleted list which appears in the pages of the journal can turn into a confusing mess in online article databases. (e.g. It might lose the bullets and be smashed into a single paragraph.)
For this reason, it's generally recommended to avoid any special formatting in article abstracts - even things like italics should be kept *de minimis*.
If at all possible, skip the bulleted list, and keep the list in plain text format. If you *do* want to keep the bulleted list, be sure to format the list entries such that things stay readable even if the bullets are removed and everything is collapsed into a single paragraph.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Abstracts are almost always formatted as a single paragraphs of plain text. This is for stylistic reasons and because indexing databases often have limited formatting support. By stylistic reasons I am referring to the idea that journals aims for a consistent look for how papers are formatted. This consistency is presumably partly driven by tradition and convention. But consistency also helps readers quickly identify sections of a manuscript.
If you want a list in an abstract, use a standard inline list format such as:
**(a), (b), (c)**
>
> Results showed (a) blah blah blah, (b) blah blah blah, and (c) blah blah blah
>
>
>
or
**(1), (2), (3)**
>
> Results showed (1) blah blah blah, (2) blah blah blah, and (3) blah blah blah
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: There is a stylistic tool that allows for listing in text and looks perfectly natural, the semicolon.
>
> The semi-colon allows you to list: your results, which might also
> require some additional explanation to be put after a comma; other
> people results'; some previous results and pretty much anything else.
>
>
>
This is one of the function of the semicolon, so it should not cause style issues and it should not cause any markup issue either!
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I sent an email to prospective Ph.D advisor asking for a scholarship in his university and position in his research group. His reply was only "please, apply mentioning my name", I didn't understand if he accepted me or not!<issue_comment>username_1: As far as I can tell, he has neither accepted you nor rejected you. Depending on your department's system, he will probably read only the applications that mention his name, so he wants you to mention his name so that he'll remember to read your files. If those are good compared to the other files, he might accept you. Otherwise he might not. It's too early to tell.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You don't mention in which country the professor is located, but it sounds like you may have misunderstood the application process.
His reply of "Please, apply mentioning my name" seems to indicate that he does not have direct responsibility for accepting Ph.D. students. This varies from country to country, but in the USA applications are made to the department as a whole and professors do not have the authority to admit you on their own. (Of course, they can urge the appropriate committee to accept your application if they choose.)
It seems that you hoped to be offered a position and scholarship on the basis of a single e-mail, without having submitted an application. This is not how academia works (possibly unless the prospective advisor already knows you, and usually not even then). Positions are competitive, and there are proper channels that you need to go through.
In any case, I would say that his reply is neither positive nor negative; certainly it is not either an acceptance or a rejection. I recommend that you look on the department's website for application instructions, and follow them. After you apply, if you are accepted, you might contact this professor again and ask if you can join his group.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: Research indicates that taking notes by hand is better than using a computer, for long-term comprehension ([source](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/)). As an engineering grad student, I also find that using pencil and paper for graphs, diagrams, and tables is much quicker and easier than keyboard/mouse (or even stylus).
To circumvent the issue of losing my notes, I take them on loose sheets of letter paper, then drop the stack in a feed scanner every week or so, and the file to a backed up folder on my laptop.
But here is my issue: later on, when looking for specific items in my notes, it is hard to find things without scrolling through the whole PDF. Even if OCR was reliable with handwriting, it would be little use or circuits, diagrams, complex equations, etc.
So, is there a quick and easy way to index these notes, perhaps adding something like bookmarks or an index?<issue_comment>username_1: Disclaimer: I do not endorse any of the products in this answer, nor have I necessarily used them in the past.
I've circumvented this problem largely by switching to Microsoft OneNote on a Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga with a stylus. For me, it gives me the best of both worlds: highly-accurate handwritten notes on a digital platform. (I only wish it was an open-source solution!)
That said, if you aren't interested in using a stylus/electronic means of taking notes, here's a couple of suggestions:
* Check out a product like the Livescribe Echo pen. Using their special paper, you can take paper notes, get a digital copy stored on the pen, and record the audio of the lecture (synced with the notes themselves). There's also the Evernote Moleskin notebooks, which are specially-designed for OCR.
* Before (or after) each diagram, provide a little description of the diagram itself. That way, if you use OCR, you can search for the description instead of the diagram/equation itself.
* Learn LaTeX (for the equations, at least). It's not perfect, but once you've got a good idea of how to write an equation in LaTeX, you'd be surprised as to how quickly you can type them in.
* As you pointed out -- after scanning the notes in, annotate them yourself using an electronic PDF tool. Most of them let you add comments that can then be saved (and searched).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The professional version of Adobe Acrobat provides advanced functions like commenting and indexing, but it's not cheap.
The free [PDFOnlineReader](http://www.pdfonlinereader.com/WebPdf2/) enables annotations and bookmarks and works well. It's quick, easy, and I can save the updated versions and access the bookmarks, etc in free Adobe Reader.
Writing some big keywords in [black Sharpie](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00006IFHD) on my written notes (before scanning) has been a big help.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2016/10/29
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<issue_start>username_0: About 18 months ago, I found a published paper which plagiarised my work.
I initially contacted the journal editors, but they did not respond. I then contacted Elsevier, which publishes the journal. After a series of emails over several months I was forwarded a fairly cold response from an editor, which denied the issue with little apparent investigation (even though I had already presented detailed evidence of the plagiarised sections). I eventually contacted one of the authors who readily admitted the problem (the authors had previously attempted to plagiarise my work, but I caught this early because I was invited to peer-review that paper). The authors offered to request that the paper is retracted. However, I suspect that the authors have experienced the same issue I faced when trying to request action from the editors, and the paper is still available in published form online.
How should I proceed to deal with this situation? I have already tried contacting the journal editors and Elsevier via the "Contact us" link (<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/contactus>), but this has been a waste of time.
This is not a well-respected journal within my field of work, so I could try to ignore it. But, as well as the obvious reasons why the paper should be retracted, it has already received a citation - which potentially could have been attributed to one of my original publications.<issue_comment>username_1: If you are feeling gutsy -- do you know and have the respect of anyone who works on the editorial board of *any* Elsevier journal? You might consider taking your problem to them, and asking them if they are willing to intervene on your behalf. This could annoy them and not solve your problem, and I can't honestly recommend it. But if you are tenured or can otherwise afford to risk burning a bridge or two, they might be sympathetic and see to it that the offending paper is retracted.
If you decide to give up on taking any practical action towards getting the paper retracted, you might consider [joining the Elsevier boycott](http://thecostofknowledge.com), if you have not done so already. Joining a boycott would give you a good excuse to no longer deal with a company which has not treated you well. It would also help the scholarly community put pressure on them to be more responsive to our needs and not only their bottom line.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: As others have mentioned, contacting the editors of the journal (and authors of the paper) is the recommended first step. However, since that didn't work ...
You can always take a "name and shame" approach.
One possible step is to write an official "letter to the editor". That is, not just a short unofficial, back-channel email to the editors, but a full on official letter of the form that would be typically published in the front part of the journal. This would indicate to the editors that you're serious about this issue, and are willing to stake your name and reputation on the accusations of plagiarism. -- Keep in mind, though, that the editors may decide not to publish your letter.
If the journal itself is not willing to be an outlet for informing readers about the plagiarism, you can seek alternative venues for it. Other journals are unlikely to be interested, but social media might be a possibility. I don't know about Elsevier, but many companies monitor places like Twitter, and respond in a more timely manner to issues raised there. If you post the information there (with the appropriate "@ mentions" to bring it to the journal's and Elsevier's attention) you may get more traction - particularly if you mention that approaching it through the standard channels didn't work. Again, you will want to do this "officially", from a Twitter account associated with your academic presence, rather than from a recreational, pseudonymous account.
There are also social media accounts and organizations which are interested in misconduct in journal publishing, and they may be interested in helping you pursue this, or at the least serve as a platform to inform people of the issue. [Retraction Watch](http://retractionwatch.com/) may be an option, particularly if you can demonstrate that the journal in question is stonewalling you and the author(s) in pursuing a retraction. (They can also serve as a neutral third party to let you know if the issue is compelling/serious as you think it is, so this might be a good first choice.)
As final note, I'd caution you to be careful in pursuing a "name and shame" approach. As I alluded to, it works best if you are willing to put your name and academic reputation behind the accusations of plagiarism. Be sure you can adequately demonstrate evidence for all of the accusations (of plagiarism or stonewalling) before making them.
Also keep in mind that there may be a difference of opinion here. The editors are not going to retract the paper just on your say-so. Journal-originated retraction, or retraction when *not all* the authors agree to it is a serious deal, and the editors will be (rightfully) hesitant to do it. The editors may err on the side of caution, and believe that the evidence of plagiarism is not as compelling as you make it out to be.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: If you work in mathematics, the European Mathematical Society has an *[Ethics Committee](http://www.euro-math-soc.eu/committee/ethics)* to who you can present your case. They should contact the editor and Elsevier, hopefully with more traction than you had, and can issue public statements if there is no satisfying resolution. This could help you substantiate your claims whenever you need to, and also should harm the offenders.
If you don't work in mathematics, I suggest you look whether any learned society in your field has a similar ethic committee you could appeal to. Note that the EMS ethics committee considers cases from any mathematician, not only European ones.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: If you have tried the journal/publisher's complaint process without success, and you believe that the journal editors are not handling the matter according to commonly accepted [publication ethics standards](http://publicationethics.org/resources/code-conduct), you can contact COPE, the Committee on Publication Ethics. [All Elsevier journals](https://www.elsevier.com/editors/perk/about-cope) are members of COPE.
>
> If a reader or an author has concerns about a member editor, journal or publisher which they wish to raise to the attention of COPE, they should email the COPE Membership Assistant and supply the following information:
>
>
> * A summary of the concerns in 500 words—this will be shared with the editor and/or publisher and thus the summary should be as clear as possible and provided in a polite tone.
> * An outline of the points within the COPE Code of Conduct which are relevant to the concerns.
>
>
>
Source: [COPE: Contact Us](http://publicationethics.org/contact-us)
[This flowchart](http://publicationethics.org/files/u7140/FlowchartComplaints_rev_July172012_ComplaintsOfficer_0.pdf) explains how COPE handles complaints about member journals.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
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2016/10/29
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<issue_start>username_0: During a 3 hour midterm, my phone was confiscated because I had it on my person, when we weren't suppose to have the phone with us. My phone was on the chair in between my legs, but I was not using it.
Before the exam started I was reading a forum on my phone (forum for that course) and then I put my phone in my bag. The first hour and a half of the exam (approximately) the prof failed to put up the time. I was extremely worried about my time and I was not wearing a watch. I quickly took out my phone, checked the time and then left the phone on my lap. I checked the time twice and then I realized that the time was on display.
When I was done with my answers, I then realized how bad it is that I have my phone on me. I was about to put my phone back in my bag when I noticed that a TA was watching me. She probably suspected there was something going on because I was jittery and I was moving a lot. Before the exam was done, the TA asked to give up my phone and I did and I told her I just checked the time. Which was the truth. She asked me to open my phone and show it to her and I did. She only looked at the homepage and didn't go through my phone. She put the phone on my desk and I continued checking my exam.
A week later I got a letter that I had to attend a meeting with the department because I was cheating during the exam.
What are my options here? How are they possibly going to accuse me of cheating when it never happened? I've been thinking of witnesses, asking the girl who sat beside me or the girl who was sitting behind me. Do professors or the head of the departments actually believe what anyone would tell them the truth? What if the girl feels the need to lie that I was cheating?
The other thing that worries me is that I usually answer questions very nicely and sometimes word for word. That's just how I memorize things sometimes. Can that work against me?! can they tell me that the answers are too close to what was on the slides and that could count as cheating?!
I am in good academic standing in my program. The lowest grade I've ha din the last year was a B. I don't want this stupid mistake to mess up my future.
I appreciate your insight.<issue_comment>username_1: You admit that you knew that phones were not allowed in the testing room (being realistic, that they were not allowed on your person/in-plain-sight) during the exam. Yet the fact of the matter is that you had your phone out in-plain-sight, in the testing room, during the exam.
The short answer here is that there's isn't much you *can* do -- it's your word against the TA's, and unfortunately the evidence is not in your favor. I believe that you're being honest -- but I'm a random individual on the internet. And even if your professor/instructor/department believes that you're being honest, they can still fault you for having your phone out, period.
So the only advice I have: be honest, acknowledge that you made a poor decision but deny that you were actively cheating, buy a cheap $10 watch, and accept that there isn't much you can do here. Best-case scenario is that you get a stern warning; I can't tell you if that's likely or not. There's a variety of worst-case scenarios -- I'm sure you know that though.
As for the individual questions at the end of your post:
* ***What are my options here?*** Be honest with your department. Study up on your school's honor code violation policy and be aware of the possible proceedings, as well as your rights as a student.
* ***How are they possibly going to accuse me of cheating when it never happened?*** You had your phone out during an exam when you knew you shouldn't. That alone might be their motivation. As to "how" -- again, read the honor code violation policy to see what official actions they would have to take.
* ***I've been thinking of witnesses...*** This may be helpful in an official proceeding, but only if these women can explicitly testify that you weren't cheating. Which, unfortunately, is unlikely if they were focused on their exams. In any event, I wouldn't bring this up in the meeting with your department.
* ***The other thing that worries me is that I usually answer questions very nicely and sometimes word for word.*** Could go either way. You're not that different from a lot of students most likely -- but they could also cite this as evidence that you were reading the slides on your phone. Unfortunately, not much you can do about that now.
Mistakes happen. If this is your first run-in with the school's honor code, odds of it destroying your future are slim -- I'm not sure I've heard of someone being suspended or worse on a first offense. But make sure you learn from this experience -- that's about all you can do now.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I doubt this will prevent you from graduating
But do you really want prospective employers finding this post when they google your name? If not, see if you can get some help from the moderators to change your username.
You followed one instance of poor judgment with another. It's time to buy a notebook where you write down "Lessons Learned." Each time you write one down, take a deep breath and move on with life.
We all make mistakes. They're most useful when we learn from them.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: As some have mentioned, you clearly violated rules that you were aware of when you brought your phone in with you. In a higher learning environment, one is expected to follow the rules once they have been explained.
Here is an example: One of the classes I am taking this year had a midterm where everything was laid out. We were to answer essay questions in plain text, in the body of an email to the professor. No text editor documents, no formatting, all plain text.
The subject line was to be LastName-CourseNumber-Midterm. Some people did not pay attention to these instructions. Some used Word, some used OpenOffice, some used whatever. Some decided to create their own subject lines. Some students got zeroes on their midterms. And for those that followed directions, we had to endure a 45 minute lecture on what happens in the corporate environment when you do not follow guidelines.
You state you are to attend a meeting. This is where you can make your case that you were not in fact cheating. Own up to bringing in your cell phone, admit that you knew it was against the rules. Do not make excuses for your actions. State your case calmly and hope that whoever is running this meeting has a fair sense of justice.
You likely face some sort of disciplinary action for not following the rules, even if you are found to not have cheated.
Also: [buy a cheap watch](http://www.sears.com/men-s-two-tone-black-dial-watch/p-04497162000P?sid=IDx01192011x000001&gclid=CKvh4Kq1_88CFQqPfgod-5IObw&gclsrc=aw.ds)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> How are they possibly going to accuse me of cheating when it never
> happened?
>
>
>
The problem is that a student with a quickly accessible cellphone could take a look round, pick a time when nobody is looking their way, and look up an answer on the phone. It would be almost impossible to catch the student in the act, with the phone open and displaying prohibited material.
The solution used by many schools is to prohibit phones and similar devices with substantial storage and/or Internet access from being accessible during exams. They either have to be stowed in backpacks or not in the room at all. Breaches of that rule have to be treated as cheating, even if nobody saw the student in the act of reading an answer from the phone.
I don't think witnesses are going to be useful. They cannot possibly know everything that you looked at on your phone, unless they were looking over your shoulder all the time.
Your best option is to be open and apologetic at the meeting. Before the meeting, equip yourself with a watch that just tells the time, and, if permitted, a calculator without storage or Internet access. Promise that those are the only devices you will bring into future exams.
If, and only if, they raise the issue of word-for-word answers as evidence of cheating, offer to take a similar test to demonstrate that you do produce that sort of answer from memory.
Incidentally, the TA is probably a woman, not a girl. Referring to an adult female as a "girl" tends to diminish her status and authority. That is not something you should be doing, especially in this situation.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: Although it is somewhat discipline specific, in Australia, to receive honours for a bachelors degree, a student must undertake an additional, optional year of fulltime study, turning a three year degree into a four year degree. Generally, the vast majority of that year is spent conducting an independent research project which is written up as an honours thesis. An honours project generally has two supervisors, and is examined by two independent academics, including one from another university. In my field (human geography), they are usually 12,000 - 20,000 words long, and generally include the collection and analysis of new research data. Although they are somewhat more detailed and verbose, an honours thesis in my field should contain research equivalent to one or two academic papers in terms of the quantity and scope of the work, although obviously quality varies from student to student.
1st class honours in Australia is generally sufficient for admission to a PhD program here, although a scholarship will generally require either exceptionally high grades or additional demonstration of research potential.
I understand that a New Zealand honours is similar to its Australian counterpart.
I have supervised several honours theses in Australia. I am currently applying for lectureships in Britain, where I understand that the honours system is quite different. How can I explain succinctly to a British audience the scope and magnitude of honours supervision? Is there a simple equivalence with some other form of thesis in Britain?<issue_comment>username_1: in England, honours is granted after three years without a mandatory thesis or essay component. Scotland is more similar to Australia but not identical.
Even in Australia, the requirement for an honours thesis varies. I don't see why you can't be explicit. Explain that honours is an optional fourth year similar to a one-year English masters and detail what fraction of the year was spent on the thesis. If your students' theses were publishable, get them published and say they led to publications.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: ### How can I explain succinctly to a British audience the scope and magnitude of honours supervision?
I suggest emphasizing the similarity to Masters.
Something like:
>
> In Australia Honours is a postgraduate degree, very similar to a heavily condensed Masters degree. It runs in 1 year, instead of 2; and like most Masters comprises coursework, and a research thesis competent. A Honours degree, can allow talented students to fast-track their entry into a PhD program. Australian universities and scholarship organizers consider earning high marks in Honours as equivalent to completing a regular Masters.
>
>
>
If that is too long, just use the first sentence or 2.
Give them enough so they know what to lookup.
But that explains the scope of the honours, not the scope of the supervision.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: As I know 'Emerging science citation index (ESCI) listed journals' will not receive an impact factor from '<NAME>'. Further, Science citation indexed (SCI) and Science citation index expanded (SCIE) journals receive impact factors.
Suppose I'm gonna apply for a scholarship for a PhD and that scholarship requires me to have some contribution to the world as a researcher, is there a probability that they will ever consider a research published in a 'SCI' or 'SCIE' listed journal than 'ESCI' listed journal? provided those journals are from reputed publishers.
And is it worth to publish in a 'ESCI' journal? or am I just wasting my precious paper in a non-worthy journal? any other factors to be considered when publishing papers?
P.S: Suppose, my study area as 'Construction Management and Economics'<issue_comment>username_1: There is no one generally applicable strategy to select a journal to publish in. Metrics such as Impact Factor and Citations help but they vary a lot between fields. It also depends a lot on the content, quality, and scope of your work for whether you will get into a prestigious journal. Note that some smaller specialised journals are not necessarily easier to get in to, they may even have higher standards in technical skills even if they will accept work that is not so groundbreaking or novel.
There are many reasons that a journal could be "emerging" and they're not all necessarily for dubious reasons. Many subfields have emerged recently and of course new journals must be formed for the purpose of publishing this work. Similarly, there is a trend towards more interdisciplinary research and more demand for Open Access journals. You should still be careful with unknown journals as they can be "predatory". Some will publish almost anything to get your precious open access fees. If you are unsure and have not heard of the journal, it is probably not a good idea to submit there. However, there can be many valid reasons that a new journal has been formed that does not yet have an impact factor (it takes years to accrue citations so the IF is uncertain until the journal has been established). You can still assess the quality of the journal based on other factors: the quality of the existing publications, whether editors are well-known members of your field, or whether it is affiliated with an established academic society or publisher (publishers such as Springer-Nature and Elsevier start new journals quite often).
If you are unsure, you should consult with other researchers in your field. If you are a student, this should be one of the roles of your supervisor(s) and advisory committee. They are experts in your field and have more experience with this than you. Prospective supervisors will often also give advice on how to apply if you ask them. If you are a postdoc or above, you can still consult with your colleagues and get their advice. Generally, what matters is the reputation of the journal and publisher. If members of your department think the journal is okay, so too should your thesis examiners and future prospective employers. Impact Factor is just one of the considerations for the quality of a publication and a journal. Of course, they will also read your work and assess it on its own merits as well (as will your reviewers).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You have your ordering wrong. ESCI is the lowest-ranking index, followed by SCIE, followed by SCI. Journals listed in ESCI are being considered for SCIE, and journals in SCIE are being considered for SCI. The most prestigious journals are in SCI. Therefore, if you care only about prestige of the publication venue (and there are people who'll pour cold water on this, arguing that what's in your paper is much more important than where it's published), then you should publish in SCI journals and avoid ESCI journals.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I have a 3-min presentation for a conference. I am an early researcher who has never done any presentation, so this will be my first.
Presentation is my weakness, and it is a challenge for me to give a smooth talk. I am feeling nervous.
**Q:** How common is to write out a script for a 3-min talk and just follow the papers?<issue_comment>username_1: Reading from a script is not a common practice, but should be completely OK for an early-career (and even more experienced) researcher if it helps them, not only to memorise what they wants to say, but more important, *to give a good presentation to the audience*.
This technique could be very useful for people who have little or no presentation experience, have some fear of public speaking, or are not so articulate in the presentation language (e.g., not their native language).
The "speaker's notes" feature in many presentation tools (e.g., Powerpoint) is there *to be used by the speaker* (if needed). For each slides, you can put either the key points to remember or the whole script. For the latter, try to make a structured (e.g., bullet points) 2:45-minute script, and highlight the key points in bold/colors -- could be easier for you to memorize and follow, then practice the script and improve it as needed.
But in order to give a smooth presentation experience for the audience, you still need to take care of the other aspects of your presentation skills (e.g., good slides, body language, eye contact, *effective pointing at figures/tables on the slides while reading from notes*, etc).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you literally read a script, word-for-word, and do not have a teleprompter, you are going to be looking down too much and not looking at your audience enough.
Even if you write a script, it would be better to have notes that help you keep the main points in order, and practice until you can give the complete talk in the required time just glancing occasionally at your notes.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: **Practice, practice, practice!** To directly answer your question: no, it is neither common nor advisable to simply read from a page at a conference. If it were, we'd all just hand out slips of paper or email paragraphs of text and not bother with real people talking. Giving a three minute presentation is not easy. Even for people who make it look easy, it's not -- that comes after lots of practice. I've been giving talks for a long time, and still I always write out beforehand what I'll say and *practice* it -- the words, the timing, etc. If you're new to this, and it's a 3-minute talk, you should be rehearsing this repeatedly, by yourself and with others (e.g. group-mates).
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I think many here have had the experience of seeing a paper that uses grammar dramatically different than its student author has shown in the past, and naturally questioning the authorship follows. But what about when the student uses a single word or short phrase that is out of character? Is that sufficient to justify doubting the authorship? Is it appropriate to suspect plagiarism based on *correct* usage of a single word by a student who never (in your direct experience) used this word/phrase before? Should we make allowances for age (do older people know more words?) or native language (does this improve or diminish vocabulary?) in deciding the likelihood of the word being a red flag for (mis)appropriated work?
The above question is inspired by the incident described in [**this blog post**](https://vivatiffany.wordpress.com/2016/10/27/academia-love-me-back) by an undergraduate student at Suffolk University. In this blog post the student describes an incident where a professor negatively challenged her vocabulary skills and proceeded to publicly humiliated her in front of her classmates:
>
> This morning, my professor handed me back a paper (a literature review) in front of my entire class and exclaimed “this is not your language.” On the top of the page they wrote in blue ink: “Please go back and indicate where you cut and paste.” The period was included. They assumed that the work I turned in was not my own. My professor did not ask me if it was my language, instead they immediately blamed me in front of peers. On the second page the professor circled the word “hence” and wrote in between the typed lines “This is not your word.” The word “not” was underlined. Twice. My professor assumed someone like me would never use language like that.
>
>
>
Ordinarily some might assume this is just the griping of an unhappy undergrad, but the article starts with the student describing her *bona fides* which are rather impressive (URL link added by me):
>
> As a [McNair Fellow](http://mcnairscholars.com/about/) and student scholar, I’ve presented at national conferences in San Francisco, San Diego, and Miami. I have crafted a critical reflection piece that was published in a peer-reviewed journal managed by the Pell Institute for the Study of Higher Education and Council for Opportunity in Education. I have consistently juggled at least two jobs and maintained the status of a full-time student and Dean’s list recipient since my first year at Suffolk University. I have used this past summer to supervise a teen girls empower program and craft a thirty page intensive research project funded by the federal government. As a first generation college student, first generation U.S. citizen, and aspiring professor I have confronted a number of obstacles in order to earn every accomplishment and award I have accumulated. In the face of struggle, I have persevered and continuously produced content that is of high caliber.
>
>
>
Let me be clear that in my asking this Question and others providing an Answer it is important for everyone here to do two things:
1. Ignore the shameful behavior of the instructor, and
2. Ignore the student's opinion about her instructor's bias.
I am not saying that these two issues are unimportant, they definitely are, but neither of these issues is the focus of this question. The key question I want to ask is expressed in the title: "**What to do when you think a student is incapable of using certain vocabulary?**" I use this blog post as an example of the situation that may arise and need to be dealt with.
If I see such a one-word red flag should I speak with the author and express my concern that it makes the work suspect? If so then how do I balance that against the fact that (a) it is a given that students doing academic research are exposed to academic language and are likely to acquire some of this vocabulary by sheer osmosis, and (b) isn't there a danger of discouraging students from expanding their vocabulary if use of new words creates negative reactions?<issue_comment>username_1: Thesauri are a thing. The internet is a thing. As such, everyone is capable of using all vocabulary and dialects at all times. They're also capable of changing their minds about how they express themselves at any moment. One could write a serious mathematics paper entirely in Middle English (modulo terminology a bit, which will be hard to adapt, unless the mathematics is historically appropriate to the time) if they were so inclined.
If the words are used correctly in the student's work, then in the absence of actually substantive evidence of plagiarism or academic dishonesty, then there's nothing to do. At best you can comment on whether the choice of phrasing is suitable for the topic or not, and if it helps or hinders the clarity of the exposition. That Middle English math paper is fairly unsuitable and inappropriate, and almost certainly unspeakably unclear, unless, say, the assignment was specifically concerned with writing in Middle English (in which case maybe the math is the inappropriate and unclear thing).
Furthermore, academic writing is often a dialect of its own. In mathematics we often say things like "We will show..." even in single author papers, because that's the history and convention. It is entirely reasonable that efforts at serious academic writing will not sound like natural conversation, and that anyone familiar with how a person sounds in only one of those will be surprised by how they sound in the other.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If the entire paper was out of the student's league, you may have a reason to doubt authorship. A single word or phrase might simply be an imitation of the style found in papers serving as references.
I would not doubt too much. In cases where more doubts are appropriate, you can tell the student to make a short oral presentation of the excellent paper so that the classmates benefit from it as well. (Do the same with excellent papers where you don't have doubts.) I the student can't express his own ideas properly, you have a more tangible reason to doubt.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: It's okay for a single word—or even phrase or two— to set off red flags for plagiarism. But a red flag isn't a guarantee of guilt. I'd treat those words like anything else suspect: Google around and see if I can find what they may have grabbed it from. If I come up with nothing, I let it go. It could be they plagiarized, it could be my mind paying tricks on me, or it could be I just wrongly set low expectations for a student (depending on what triggered the mental flag).
If the word isn't appropriate to the paper (due to register or style), then I mark it for *that*, and suggest a replacement. If they tried to get out of their comfort zone and used a word incorrectly, then same thing, I mark them for *that* (rather than accuse) and supply what seems like the word they probably needed.
If they come into my office I'll give them a more detailed explanation.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Two words: viva & proof.
It is ok for a word seemingly out of character to *trigger* an investigation. This is, however, far from a proof, for which you need much stronger evidence. Get evidence, then accuse, not the other way round.
One way of checking up on the originality claim is to talk or viva the student in question.
Langugage is a tricky thing, and sometimes people get enamoured in words which may be ordinarily out of their league.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: This is more of a comment than an answer, but I don't have enough reputation on this stackexchange to comment.
I feel it's important to point out a few simple facts that are sometimes lost on people.
1. Most academics come from middle class or above backgrounds. They are typically not first generation students. They are also very likely to be white. These kinds of backgrounds will naturally affect how they tend to perceive and judge writing and speech of people from different backgrounds.
(I'm sure there is a sex/gender component to this but I don't think I'm qualified to comment)
2. Students who don't fit the mold of (1) are usually aware of it, and especially a successful student will try to 'correct' their style of speech when writing. That can become hyper-correction.
I actively try to write in a much more formal way than I speak, which is closer to lower class than to higher class style. I can't claim to Know exactly what happened and why it happened to this Suffolk student, but I can empathize with her story.
I think the oral presentation idea expressed by username_2 is good, as is the "google around" idea of guifa.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: Anyone can "pick up" a single word or short phrase anywhere at any time. That could include even a grade schooler (I've seen a fourth grader use the word "gerund" because a high schooler taught it to him).
I wouldn't attach much significance to one or two isolated incidences of this. It might become an issue if it becomes a "pattern." Even then, you can't be sure that this student didn't suddenly befriend someone who "spruced up" his vocabulary.
For a charge of "plagiarism," you need more than just suspicion; you need "proof beyond a reasonable doubt."
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: Has there a study been done regarding the issue? Because I've seen a lot of people directly pasting the doi at scihub without even checking if our institution library wifi has access to the particular journal (even when they are right in the lib).<issue_comment>username_1: The only study that I'm aware of is the [magazine article that Orion linked to in the comments](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/04/whos-downloading-pirated-papers-everyone). Anecdotally, however, my experience matches yours -- even in places with institutional access, some people prefer sci-hub as it's quicker and easier. No need for a lab-specific login or password, no need to check if the journal is actually one that your institution subscribes to; just paste in the DOI and go. In fact, there are even web browser extensions that automatically append the sci-hub URL to the page you're visiting, so with a few keypresses you can be automatically forwarded to sci-hub's cache of that page.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Yes, as [this 2016 case study](https://im2punt0.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/sci-hub-access-or-convenience-a-utrecht-case-study-part-2/) from Utrecht University points out.
It found that 75% of Utrecht Sci-hub downloads would've been available through existing subscriptions or open-access alternatives.
This is a very interesting discovery, and thankfully today there are more PDF discovery tools available.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I got my master’s degree in China and had worked for two years as a visiting student in the US. Although my master thesis’s supervisor promised to write me a recommendation letter, my visiting student advisor refused. He is the corresponding author of all my publications. What's more, research experience in his lab was included in my personal statement. He said he would offer me a recommendation letter only if I apply for his lab. When I asked whether he could recommend me for other universities, he did not reply to my email. Is there any possibility that I get an offer without his reference letter? How should I explain this to an admission committee?<issue_comment>username_1: You will need to find another reference.
I recommend not keeping this supervisor up-to-date on your application status.
When asked why his reference was not included, probably you could just say factually and without sounding judgemental that the student advisor offered a reference only under condition that you would work for them, so you sought another reference [pretend that you do not realise what that means - coming from China, you can probably present it, if asked, as if you assume this may be the norm to only give out references under these conditions; of course, this is not true, but I think your best bet is to take the "naive" route].
You also have publications with this student advisor, so that already proves that your work is good enough to pass peer review - a direct reference from them would be nice, but is not anymore vital at this stage.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: While not illegal, the behavior of your advisor is completely unethical. The behavior is so bad, that it can tarnish the reputation of an entire department. I suggest you attempt to get his position in writing. Make sure you clearly understand that he will recommend you for a position in his lab but no where else. Not recommending someone to a particular program, or even every program, is not unethical. Limiting letters for people to only places where you will benefit is unethical.
Once you have it in writing (or at least a clear understanding), you should approach your department chair asking for a letter of recommendation. Explain that your supervisor is willing to write a letter for his lab, but not for any other labs. Then show him the email. The department chair will also likely feel guilty and read over your papers and write a reasonable letter. More importantly, the department chair can explain why you don't have a letter from your supervisor (i.e., that the chair believes the supervisor is happy with your work, but refuses to write letters because he does not want to lose you). The chair will most likely then have a private discussion with the supervisor about his behavior.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I have noticed that the ETHZ gives the following degrees / titles upon graduating:
>
> Bsc ETH [Subject] instead of BSc [Subject].
>
>
> Msc ETH [Subject] instead of MSc [Subject].
>
>
> Dr. sc. ETH Zurich instead of Ph.D [Subject].
>
>
>
I am aware that there already is a question on academia stackexchange about why this is the case.
More interesting is the question about their equivalence in industry or academia. Please don't misunderstand. I don't want to ask if they have the same value as an Ivy-League degree or not. If a college or university asked for people having a master's degree or a Ph.D. degree, are candidates with a Msc ETH or Dr. sc. ETH considered too? Would they think something like 'Oh hey, he has a Bsc **ETH**, so he has no real bachelor.', or do they think that Bsc ETH = Bsc?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> are candidates with a Msc ETH or Dr. sc. ETH considered too?
>
>
>
Of course, yes.
The reason for the presence of the ETH qualifier is well explained in [this answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/63541/20058), and the (possible legal) validity of a certain degree can be established regardless of any qualifier attached to the degree.
Moreover, if you look at the position of [ETH Zurich](https://www.ethz.ch/en/the-eth-zurich/portrait/rankings.html) in international rankings, you will see that it can be certainly classified among the top universities. Whatever one can say about the real validity of such rankings, a university would probably not be able to stand in top positions if its graduates were systematically ignored in other university selections. And if this were the case just for the presence of the ETH qualifier, I'm sure they would have already removed it.
>
> do they think that Bsc ETH = Bsc?
>
>
>
Given the prestige of the ETH Zurich, I'm sure that several if not many selection committees would think Bsc ETH > Bsc.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Yes, it is.
The reason why ETH issue degree like MSc ETH rather than just MSc is that, in Switzerland, there is degrees like BSc FH or MSc FH (FH = Fachhochschule = University of Applied Science) which issued by the Universities of Applied Sciences and ETH wants to make difference (aka. show superiority)
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I was to take the math subject GRE for the first time today, for my application to math Phd programs this December.
I receive accomodations because of my disability and ETS did not get back to me in time, though I did submit my paperwork well in advance of the exam. Because of this I could not take the GRE with my accomodations so I did not take it. I was doing very well on practice tests with my accomodations.
I have done research at top rated REU's, have taken nearly all graduate courses, since I was in high school, and I have good letters of recommendation, and I am interested in Homotopy theory.
**I want to ask the stackexchange community if you know of any options that I have right now.** Do foreign universities require GRE scores? I am open to learning Japanese for instance to study in the RIMS, or learning French to study in Paris-Sud.
I am not sure that waiting for a year is a good idea for me because a lot of my application is based off of having accomplished a lot at a relatively young age, and I want to do everything I can at this point to avoid it.<issue_comment>username_1: I'd recommend applying anyway, with an explanation of why you didn't take the exam. Not having a math GRE score could hurt your application, but at many schools it won't conclusively rule it out. (You can always ask the school in advance whether they will consider your application under these circumstances. I'd bet they say yes.) Assuming the self-assessment in your question is accurate, you should be a strong candidate for graduate school, and I don't think a missing GRE score would derail everything given that you have a compelling excuse.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In Germany, and probably in most other countries, most people do not know what GRE means and certainly nobody will care about it when it comes to an application for a Ph.D. The GRE results show that you can answer simple questions with high accuracy and speed. This is somewhat correlated to solving difficult problems, but computational skills are more a sign of good short-term memory then of mathematical abilities. So at least in Europe you would have no problems at all.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It is certainly worth a try to apply without the GRE. (I don't know what your chances will be.) Here are two other options you may want to consider:
* start out in a relatively less competitive program, with a plan to transfer later
* start out taking classes as a non-matriculated student. That means the classes would not initially be part of a degree program. However, they can count after the fact.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I agree with @username_1 that you should consider applying to American programs anyway. You should write to each one, explaining your situation, and ask if your application can still be considered anyway.
Perhaps I should say that as the Graduate Coordinator of my PhD program in mathematics, I am now getting emails from students saying they didn't take the math subject exam and asking whether can they apply anyway. What I tell these students is that their application can still be considered but will be regarded as incomplete without this exam, so that they should expect to be at a competitive disadvantage. I imagine that this is somewhere in the interior of a continuum of responses that one might receive: some places really might not consider your application and others might not downgrade applicants at all.
In your particular case you have a bit more to say for yourself, namely the part about the accommodations. I don't know what special accommodations you were seeking and it is not my place to ask about it here, but I think that does figure in how sympathetic the committee will be. For instance, if you have severely impaired vision and were asking for larger print and a very well-lighted room, then it sounds bad that the ETS was not able to accommodate that in a timely way. If you were asking for extra time because of text anxiety, the response may be different.
I also want to say that if the special accommodations were in the vein of giving you extra time, then it might have been in your best interests to take the exam anyway. I don't want to get into the issue of how extra time on exams for various conditions is viewed by graduate admissions...so I won't. But you would have given yourself more options by doing so: for instance, perhaps you would have done well anyway.
As others have said, you can certainly apply to math PhD programs in most countries in the world without GRE scores. In fact, I don't know any country outside the US in which most programs require the GRE, although I just checked that a top Canadian program "strongly encourages" it, which is not so far off. (Indeed, in more than half of the academic world, the response to such an inquiry would be "What's a GRE?")
Because advising current and prospective graduate students really is my job now, I am a bit more conscious not to answer too much more than the question was asked. But briefly, I think you should talk to a mentor about your overall grad school strategy and career plans. Learning Japanese and going to graduate school in Japan is a huge undertaking compared to waiting another year to get your application fully in order, especially if your application is otherwise strong. You write:
>
> I am not sure that waiting for a year is a good idea for me because a lot of my application is based off of having accomplished a lot at a relatively young age, and I want to do everything I can at this point to avoid it.
>
>
>
With respect, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Programs, even the top programs, are not selecting for precocity; we're selecting for the likelihood and degree of future success. We most certainly do not "normalize" the application by the age of the applicant. I would encourage you to focus on mastery and success in absolute terms, not on getting as far ahead of your age cohort as you can. As I have written elsewhere, in my experience math PhD students who are *slightly older than average* -- say, starting the program around 24-26 instead of 21-23 -- actually tend to do a bit better, on average. People who get their PhDs in their late 20s need not be "slower" in any way than those who get their PhDs in their mid 20s: rather, they may be more fully using the time and resources they have been allotted.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/10/29
| 1,037
| 4,005
|
<issue_start>username_0: I want to have a routine life habit: having lunch at lunchtime, having dinner at dinnertime, going to sleep at 10pm, etc. After all, a healthy brain is in a health body. Moreover, while I can prioritize my thinking flow over my hunger, other people that I care can't. One or two days breaking the routine is fine, as long as the "breaking the routine" doesn't become a routine.
However, this life habit seems unachievable to me, since my brain usually isn't tired when my body is. In uncountable occasions, I can literally stop caring the outside world to focus thinking about my problem. It's not what I want, but when the idea comes it's really frustrating for me to not thinking about it. I have the idea for this question when I was brushing my teeth before going to sleep, and after a consideration I decide to open the laptop to write it down, despite knowing it will take me an hour to think about it carefully.
I have tried many things to maintain the habit: taking notes, using calendar, using task manager. Sometimes the habit slowly starts, but is doesn't last for one month. I'm not feeling guilty about unfinished work, I'm feeling guilty about losing ideas if I don't note *all of them* down immediately. Noting briefly is only good for simple keywords to research later, not when you have a flood of idea.
So, is there any way to maintain a routine life habit?
Related questions:
* [How to avoid thinking about research in free time?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/9200/14341)
* [How to stop feeling guilty about the unfinished work?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/17988/14341)<issue_comment>username_1: Consider imposing the discipline that your notes-to-self be just one sentence long. The sentence just has to encapsulate enough about the idea to give you an entry back to it.
Notice whether your use of food, caffeine, or any other psychoactive substance is affecting your sleep cycle -- which you may not prefer to start at 10 PM. Everyone's circadian rhythm is different: I prefer a bedtime around 12:30 AM.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I see you are having a few completely normal issues that many people in academia face.
Strict routines are good, and for some people they work wonders. But in my experience, the vast majority of people use more dynamic routines, where it doesn't matter, for example, if you've decided to go to bed at 01:00 instead of 21:00 in a particular day, as long as you are getting enough sleep.
As a researcher, get used to the fact that there will *always* be something to think about or to do. And since you are (unfortunately) not a robot, and your body needs rest to perform well, you have to set up some ground rules, the most important of which should be to make sure you get at least 7-7.5 (preferably 8) hours of sleep every day.
And there are different strategies how to "shut off" your brain in order to fall asleep: ambient music, alcohol, reading, a winding-down routine, etc. I've found that, for me, a good way to fall asleep is to think about floating in nothingness. Gets me snoring in a jiffy.
To help you record ideas, there is a very simple, but very effective, strategy: make sure you always have something near you to write on. Get a notepad (or notebook, or even simple printer paper) for your bedside table, you should have at least one notepad for all of your desks, get a pocket notebook to carry with you (and put it on a reel, so that you don't lose it).
So now, when you get an idea, but can't work on it at the moment, simply write it down in a concise way, and pick it up whenever you have time.
In fact, for ideas you know you won't have time in the foreseeable future to work on, or you are not sure how they fit in with the rest of your work, it may be desirable to keep an electronic list (or list of lists) of ideas, where you can elaborate ideas in greater detail, have references, associate ideas with keywords, sort them by importance, etc.
Upvotes: 3
|
2016/10/30
| 1,264
| 5,454
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm at a relatively small Liberal Arts College (top 25, so not "bad", just relatively small) and there are limited opportunities for research in the field I am interested in: behavioral science of resource consumption.
How strange would it be to email a professor from another undergrad institution, asking if I can work in their lab over the summer?<issue_comment>username_1: Not strange at all, just don't expect a quick response!
A plan of attack can be summarised in the following way:
1) Be specific
--------------
Make sure your email is brief, polite and clearly outlines why you want to work in *their* lab in particular.
I would recommend searching for a few different labs that do the specific research you're interested in, which you can find out by looking for recent publications or on the websites of the relevant institutions. Perhaps someone in your current department can recommend a lab- they may have connections, or would be willing to write you a reference letter.
2) Be persistent
----------------
If you don't get a reply within a few weeks, follow up once and then let it lie. Try asking someone else.
Most importantly, don't give up- it took me nearly three months of emailing back and forth with ten different people when I was in a similar situation last year.
3) Be enthusiastic
------------------
Remember professors are generally happy when someone expresses an interest in their niche field and shouldn't just dismiss you offhand.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: This is common, so feel free to email to ask, but know there may be limitations. For example, the lab may typically hire students from their university at hourly positions or give credit for lab work, but may only be able to take volunteers from another institution.
Also, know that even if you are offering to volunteer your time, as an undergraduate with little to no experience, you will likely be more of a drain on the resources of the lab you join rather than an asset, so be gracious and expect rejection; you might need to try multiple options if your first choice doesn't work out. It will be crucial in your email to make clear your level of interest and a demonstration of your commitment (for example, by understanding something about the current research being done in the lab).
I would also consider getting advice from a professor at your current institution who may have contacts at nearby institutions.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: When you approach someone who doesn't know you, make sure that the recipient of your mail understands that you are specifically addressing this person. I get about one email per week asking for supervision in "your institution" by someone who is interested in "your subject of research". For some time I asked back about which of my interests they are actually interested in, and never got a response, so now every email which looks as it was indiscriminately sent out to 100 professors is treated like an email that was indiscriminately sent out to 100 professors, i.e. spam.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Another suggestion if you are prepared to be a bit bold. Find a paper (preferably published as recent as possible) that especially interests you and is written (primarily) by a researchers about half-way in the hierarchy in the institution. Then try calling that researcher. You should say something along the lines of:
"Hi I am so-and-so, a student at stage X of my degree Y. I am very interested in your research on subject Z, especially your paper A. I was wondering if you have any positions for students like me for over the summer. Can I e-mail you about this or should I e-mail someone else?".
In my experience, almost always they will say: sent me/that person an e-mail on this e-mail address. Of course you have your e-mail ready to go, so you hit send as soon as you hang up.
This strategy has several advantages:
1. It humanizes you. An e-mail can be sent to dozens of people with
fairly little effort, a call takes more commitment. Or, it at least
feels like more focused. It also shows you are interested in the
actual research, instead of just the name of the top professor and
the institution.
2. Usually e-mails get read sporadically and e-mails from outside students get very low priority or at times forgotten. After this call the researchers knows to expect an e-mail at a specific e-mail address about this specific topic. If you are lucky the researchers gets curious and looks at it right away.
3. If there is no chance of getting a position over the summer or you need to approach a specific person to get a chance, you get to hear it right away.
Check their website first if they have any policy on it for students wanting a position like you are looking for. If they do, follow that protocol. If not, the above protocol is fair game.
If there is no published e-mail of the person you want to contact, contact the general e-mail of the institution and ask for the researcher you want to contact. You might get a secretary that ask you to mail, in that case just mail.
I expect academics to disagree with this advice. They don't want to be called by students and want to let requests like this linger in their inbox for days or weeks until they have a moment. However in my experience calling works anyway, and academics prioritize people who called over people who only mail.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/10/30
| 657
| 2,579
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a little curious as to how mathematics graduate programs in the United States view subject GRE scores. Does a low score in the range of 60th percentile rule one out of top 20 programs?
I am quite slow and I probably got 35-38 (attempted 38) out of 66 questions right in the subject test which will probably put me somewhere between 55th and 65th percentile. As an international student, I have no idea how terrible such a score is and I am considering stopping the application process to US universities since I doubt if I stand a chance.<issue_comment>username_1: I didn't do well on the math GRE. That may have been a factor in a rejection I received from a math department.
However, I was accepted by a very good comp sci department. In my statement of purpose I indicated a strong interest in the mathematical side of things. I was able to do a lot of math in my CS coursework.
So, that might be an option for you too. Also, don't forget about the option of taking courses as a non-matriculated student.
I don't remember what specific number I got. Maybe your result is fine, viewed in the context of the whole student. (Which hopefully is the approach the departments you applied to will take.)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Does a low score in the range of 60th percentile rule one out of top 20 programs?
>
>
>
I am already confused by "a low score in the range of the 60th percentile." A score in the 60th percentile is, by definition, high rather than low. A math PhD student should know that. :)
In terms of whether that score would "rule you out": again, every program and even every member of every admissions committee has to decide how to weigh the various factors. But that is why you apply to more than one program. I think that if your application is otherwise magnificent, you are a very likely admit at several top 20 programs.
>
> As an international student, I have no idea how terrible such a score is and I am considering stopping the application process to US universities since I doubt if I stand a chance.
>
>
>
Yes, you stand a chance, so please don't stop your application for this reason. The smart thing to do is to divide the programs of interest to you into tiers and apply to a few schools in each tier. For instance, my program (at UGA) is about the 50th best in the US, and for us a 60th percentile score would in all likelihood not hurt your application at all. So it would be smart to apply to some schools in the UGA tier. (Perhaps even UGA itself...)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2016/10/30
| 1,338
| 5,246
|
<issue_start>username_0: I would like to apply for Master of Science about electrical engineering, in USA. Most universities require 3 letters of recommendation and I am a little confused about from whom to get them.
I scored a very high GPA but I did not participate in any kind of research activities. However, there are many professors that know me very well, particularly my enthusiasm, my potential, my passion to learn new things and my ability to critical think and judge the information without taking it for granted.
I want to apply to the schools with the "electronics, semi-conductors" branch.
However, the professors who know me well are from : 1) electrical engineering, power electronics area 2) electrical engineering, computer branch and 3) mathematics department, I took differential equations and calculus from this professor.
I want to ask the followings:
1) Are old professors regarded more important or less important compared to younger professors ?
2) Is it OK to take letter of recommendation from a professor in another discipline or even different faculty, knowing that he will write a very good letter ?
3) Is a letter of recommendation from a famous faculty member that does not know me very well is better than a letter of recommendation from a less well-known professor that knows me very well ?
4) Is a professor that did his/her Masters or doctorate in USA regarded as more important compared to ones who did not ?<issue_comment>username_1: I can only speak to # 2, but maybe I can tide you over until someone can give a better answer.
I currently study computer science, and was talking with one of the administrators about letters of rec and grad school, and I was told that they wan't letters from CS faculty, but beyond that they didn't care who. I would imagine letters from people in your field will generally carry more weight.
It's a bit anecdotal, but since we're both in the U.S in related fields, hopefully it will help
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Today, I talked with one of my professors in department and the professor from the Maths department who knows me well. Their ideas were in agreement and they stated the following order of importance, when it comes to taking letters of recommendation
1) A professor from my own field (electronics, semi-conductors, photonics) that knows me well.
2) A renown professor in my department (electrical engineering), but from another field (such as power, computers) that knows me very well.
3) A renown professor in my own field that does not necessarily know me very well, who may write a monotone letter.
4) A professor from another department (maths, physics) that knows me very well.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: ***1) Are old professors regarded more important or less important compared to younger professors ?***
>
> I cannot speak to this, but in general, a well known researcher in the
> field you are applying to is more valuable than a not as well known
> researcher. For example, <NAME> is only 41
> (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Tao>), and <NAME> is only 42, (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manjul_Bhargava>). Their age is considered decades younger
> than many profs in math, but I would wager any mathematician would do
> anything to get a recommendation letter from the profs I have mentioned above.
>
>
>
***2) Is it OK to take letter of recommendation from a professor in another discipline or even different faculty, knowing that he will write a very good letter ?***
>
> I can speak to this. I am an electrical engineer who has done a MASc. and two of my
> recommendation letter were from mathematicians, one pure and one
> applied. But then again I applied for a very mathy branch of EE.
>
>
> I would not consider semiconductor research to be an extremely mathy branch of EE, (compared to research in signal processing, or control theory)
> and this is coming from another EE. In semiconductor research they
> need people with good simulation skills and will be able to write
> softwares of which the theories are grounded in PDE. You can find an
> applied mathematician who works in PDE (preferably computational PDE)
> or a physicist who will provide you a letter.
>
>
>
***3) Is a letter of recommendation from a famous faculty member that does not know me very well is better than a letter of recommendation from a less well-known professor that knows me very well ?***
>
> The best case scenario is that you receive a letter from someone who
> knows you very well and who have written a good letter. Otherwise, you
> need someone who knows you a little but will write a good letter. The
> last you want is someone who knows you very little and will probably
> write an average letter.
>
>
>
***4) Is a professor that did his/her Masters or doctorate in USA regarded as more important compared to ones who did not ?***
>
> This is an important question and I think it is highly dependent on
> the tier of school you are applying to. I can't imagine the top 5
> engineering universities will ever perceive a letter from a reputable
> researcher from overseas (outside of US or even Canada) to be less
> valuable.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/10/31
| 1,198
| 5,231
|
<issue_start>username_0: A professor at a top USA university recently assigned a take-home exam for a masters-level computer science course. One of the questions was extremely difficult, but the answer was available online. However, the exam clearly stated, "Do not look online".
Most of the students know enough to discern whether the online answer is correct. It will be practically impossible for the professor to detect any cheating, assuming there is basically only one way to answer the question.
While writing the exam, most students will assume that the answer is available online, as many answers are, and that some students will inevitably cheat. They will know that the cheaters will have an unfair advantage, and thus may obtain the highest grades. So there is pressure on all of the students to cheat, to eliminate the unfair advantage.
However, there is an extremely remote chance of getting caught, and being penalized for academic misconduct. Moreover, the honest students naturally want to be honest, because they have integrity.
I have four questions:
1. Is it ethical for a professor to give such a take-home exam, which tends to reward and encourage cheating?
2. If the professor becomes aware that one answer was available online, should he discard all answers to the extremely difficult question?
3. Should the Dean intervene to ensure fairness and to stop such take-home exams?
4. How can an honest student report that the answer was available online, without risking retaliation? (The student has no evidence that the professor or Dean care.)<issue_comment>username_1: To answer in order:
1. I don't see why it's unethical for the professor to give a take-home exam. I don't dispute your (implied) assertion that this may benefit those who are willing to ignore the professor's explicit directions -- but that's unethical of *them*, not the professor, in my opinion.
2. This is entirely up to the professor. It would likely be within their right to do so, but my guess is that most professors would shrug their shoulders and make a note to themselves not to ask that question on a take-home exam again. You'll argue that this is unfair to students who follow the professor's instructions -- and you're right. Unfortunately, however, the world is not fair. That doesn't mean I -- or the professor -- condone cheating, but the professor likely knows that this risk exists with a take-home exam, and has judged it an acceptable risk.
3. What is the dean going to do in this situation? Force everyone to retake the exam? This may not be feasible -- for example, at my university, some classes have online sections off students who aren't physically present on the main campus. This precludes in-person exams oftentimes.
4. My advice would be to use a throw-away email account if you're so inclined. Keep it anonymous, but alert the professor. Understand though that they may choose not to act on the information -- and there likely isn't much you can do.
I don't mean to this be harsh -- just realistic. A better solution for the professor might be to *explicitly allow* online resources, but then structure the exam such that those resources don't help students any more than memorizing the material would. The easiest ways I can think of doing this are (1) opinion-based questions and (2) time limits that make accessing such resources a costly waste of the available time.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: It isn't good practice to set an assessment (of which a take-home exam is simply a time limited assessment) where the answer is easily available online.
This goes against one of the first principles of educational integrity, which is set to assessments which aren't easy to cheat on. Setting an assessment where the answer is easily available could even be said to be encouraging cheating.
For a programming assessment at this level, I'd expect students to look at example code fragments, to research algorithms that could be used etc. That's just normal practice. In this day and age, all that information is on the Internet by default. Many programming environments don't even have offline help documentation.
I would note that take home examinations are particularly susceptible to contract cheating (see, for instance, [my recent paper on exam cheating here](http://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/3608)). They are unsupervised and third parties love to complete these for students as they can charge a premium due to the short deadlines. It's often difficult to see what a take home exam is designed to accomplish over a standard piece of coursework (or an invigilated exam).
I did note people advocating for professors to deliberately put wrong answers online to see if students use them. To me, that's a severe breach of principles of academic integrity. It might even encourage a student to cheat who would not have considered doing so otherwise. In the UK, I'd expect that to be treated as a staff disciplinary issue. With the number of law firms now who widely advertise on the Internet and represent students in such cases, the university (or professor) may also find themselves at financial risk if this breaches documented university processes, policies and regulations.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/10/31
| 239
| 1,037
|
<issue_start>username_0: Supposed someone is the editor of a book, in which individual chapters of the book are contributed by different authors. Other researchers cite individual chapters of the book.
Can the editor of the book add these citations (for the individual chapters) to his own citation count?<issue_comment>username_1: No. Generally, an individual's citation count includes only work which they have authored or co-authored.
An editor counting citations of individual chapters of an edited book would be substantially similar to e.g. the editor of a journal adding to her citation count every time an article in the journal is cited. Definitely not an accepted practice.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: As an addition to what @username_1 wrote:
Automatic citation detectors may include such "inappropriate" citations if in addition to citing the chapter, the authors decide to separately cite the whole volume. This can happen if it's an obscure or unusual volume and the authors want to be extra clear.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/10/31
| 490
| 1,987
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm currently applying for Ph.D programs (applications are due in mid December, my semester ends in early December, and I am applying for the Fall semester) and I am asked to list my GPA. I currently have a 4.0 GPA, but that might change in between the end of my semester and the due date for applications. My question is, should I list my GPA as 4.0 on my applications and let the school know if this changes? Should I list it as a 4.0 and not let them know, even if I end up with a B or two this semester (this feels unethical to me)? Should I just wait to submit my application after I've gotten my grades for this semester? I would like to avoid doing anything unethical or dishonest that would involve the admissions committee believing I have a GPA that I no longer have, as I understand they might not even look at my application until next year, and at that point, I may not even have the GPA that I said I had.<issue_comment>username_1: This kind of overlap happens all the time. The usual approach would be to write something along the lines of "GPA 4.0 (last term pending)".
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Submit your current GPA. Don't do anything else unless required by the school.
No one thinks you're going to know your final GPA now. Schools wants your current GPA to get an idea of what sort of student you are and will make their decision based upon that.
That said, a school may require future transcripts to ensure you haven't bombed all your classes and that you've actually graduated. Any acceptance you get will be dependent upon you graduating. Some schools might also only accept you pending your final grades. As long as your GPA doesn't drop too much (or you don't have a good excuse if it does), you're in the clear.
If you're still concerned you should contact the schools' admission departments, tell them you're still awaiting your semester grades and ask them if your current GPA is fine.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2016/10/31
| 637
| 2,586
|
<issue_start>username_0: I wrote my SOP very closely to JeffE's answer here: [Choosing research ideas to include in a statement of purpose](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1529/choosing-research-ideas-to-include-in-a-statement-of-purpose) Just a very straightforward, all research no BS statement.
My 3 letter writers liked it quite a bit and said it was very well written and "ambitious". However, I received a comment saying that, while the technical aspect is very solid, I should "say something more about myself as a person". He said I should elaborate on "what drives me and my interests, and what is it about my research that makes it so rewarding." I asked him for clarification but didn't get a very clear answer so I thought I'd ask some academics what they think.
I'm very passionate about my research (as is expected of anyone applying for a PhD, nothing new here), and after 3 years of research experience in multiple areas of physics, and 4 semesters of TA'ing, there's honestly nothing else I imagine myself doing. It's very simple, I really have no other explanation. Research is rewarding because I enjoy discovering and learning new stuff, period. I don't want to make the world a better place (would that I could), and I haven't been passionate about solid state physics since I was in diapers. I'm not one for cliches.
My introduction currently discusses: a) my general research interests in two sentences b) my goal to work in academia.
How should I add a flavor of personality, as my professor suggests?<issue_comment>username_1: This kind of overlap happens all the time. The usual approach would be to write something along the lines of "GPA 4.0 (last term pending)".
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Submit your current GPA. Don't do anything else unless required by the school.
No one thinks you're going to know your final GPA now. Schools wants your current GPA to get an idea of what sort of student you are and will make their decision based upon that.
That said, a school may require future transcripts to ensure you haven't bombed all your classes and that you've actually graduated. Any acceptance you get will be dependent upon you graduating. Some schools might also only accept you pending your final grades. As long as your GPA doesn't drop too much (or you don't have a good excuse if it does), you're in the clear.
If you're still concerned you should contact the schools' admission departments, tell them you're still awaiting your semester grades and ask them if your current GPA is fine.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2016/10/31
| 2,746
| 12,183
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD student and I wrote a computer program for my dissertation research. Recently my advisor professor got a grant and she wants to use my computer program in her grant and she asks me for the computer source-code. I will graduate next May and I am planning to use this program in my other studies. So I am not willing to share the code with her. She didn't mention future cooperation and I will also not cooperate with her because of huge differences in our research interests and perspectives.
So how can I refuse her properly?
Note: I was not a RA for her when I wrote the computer program, but this semester she got a grant and she set me as RA.<issue_comment>username_1: One of the reasons Science has been so successful is that scientists treat knowledge and tools as public goods. We don't hoard knowledge, but rather we write papers, share techniques, offer suggestions, etc. There are certainly cases in which sharing isn't beneficial, but these seem not to apply here. So *of course* you should share your computer program! You should share it with people you like, people you don't like, and people you don't even know.
Upvotes: 8 <issue_comment>username_2: If you wrote the code as part of your work as a PhD candidate, and were at all considered an employee of the institution as a PhD candidate, then the institution may well own intellectual property rights to the code you write ("work for hire" rules). This of course depends on the laws of the country where your institution resides.
If you wrote code that is essential for some future work of your supervisor, and which reflects an important intellectual contribution, then either (a) it should be cited if a publication describing the code exists; or (b) you should be an author on publications using the code.
In any case you have a moral (and possibly legal) responsibility to share the code; your supervisor has a reciprocal responsibility to acknowledge your contribution properly. Ideally you should publish your method (e.g. Frontiers Neuroinformatics), and then it can be cited in academic work.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: Code used in research should be peer reviewed just like any other methods anyway.
First things first: **find out who is the owner!** I'm not a lawyer. Depending on situation, country etc, code may already belong to institution, research group etc. Before refusing, first make sure it's really your decision to make.
If it's yours, I suggest making it public, but put licence that will require mentioning use of it when results are used, and require sharing improvements with you.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Ideally in this situation you would make your program publicly available.
Giving others access to this code does not prevent you from using it, and will help you build reputation within your field.
Not only that, but by making it publicly available rather than to just your advisor there is no risk of them claiming your work as their own - which I would assume to be your primary concern with the current power balance of your relationship.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_5: It's generally considered good practice to publish code that you use for research/analysis related to things you publish. Not everyone does but then lots of people fail to follow best practices.
Not publishing it is like keeping part of your methods secret or using confidential chemistries.
If you've used it for other publications then not only should you provide it to her: you should provide it to everyone who might want to inspect/replicate your work.
Also, as someone working in a neurology dept who writes a lot of code: Yes citations for analysis does still count positively, not as much as citations for things in your exact specialty but it shows you as being more well rounded.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: A lot of people have mentioned making your code available, and I entirely second that. **But to get more specific, put it on GitHub.**
Public repositories are free, it keeps a version history of your work so that even you can't mess it up in a terminal way, and others can branch your code off in another direction and develop it, all while keeping the proper reference back to you as the originator. You can **include your licensing in the repository**; you often want one that [allows free usage but requires citation](https://opensource.org/licenses). GitHub even [automates it for you](https://help.github.com/articles/open-source-licensing/).
You can also explain your code and leave links to your website/published work/etc using markdown in the readme.md file
Then when someone like your professor asks for your code, you just share your GitHub link.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_7: As someone who works in scientific computing, I agree with what others say, and would likely take it a step further. To put it hyperbolicly:
Refusing reasonable requests to code used in a published article is ethical misconduct.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you relied on the output of a program to produce your scientific result, then that program is part of the "materials" of your paper, and the same guidelines for sharing other materials used in making papers apply. Just like you're ethically obligated to reasonably make available (non-commercially available) plasmids, cell lines, mouse strains, etc. which you generated for your published research, you're likewise obligated to make available the (non-commercially available) code that you generated for your published research.
That's even more applicable to code, as code is not just a "material", but also a "method". While you certainly should describe the algorithm in text, there's typically a large number of details which are only apparent on examining the code. It's unlikely that a researcher would be adequately able to recapitulate your results from a reimplementation of the algorithm from just the methods section. This is particularly true in the (unlikely?) event you have a bug. Not releasing code is equivalent to just saying "We purified the protein" or "We measured the X" in the methods section: lacking in the needed details for someone to adequately reproduce your results.
Of course, "reasonably" is there in the release requirements, but "reasonable" refusals for wet-lab materials tend toward availability and time considerations: there's not currently enough of it to share or it would be a significant burden on the lab to send it to you. These tend not to apply for software - you can make as many copies as you want, and it's cheap to do so.
"Reasonable" refusals of software tend toward licensing issues. For example, if you don't have the legal ability to distribute the code due to the libraries you used. Or if your institution is selling the code commercially, you may need to require others to obtain the software commercially.
In your case, it doesn't sound like you have an effort-based or license-based reason for refusal. It doesn't even sound like you're refusing due to potential competition ("huge difference in our research interests and perspectives"). Instead, it sounds like you're more refusing because you are nursing a grudge. That's not good. It certainly happens that others act that way, but I think most people would agree that refusing reasonable requests for methods and materials sharing because of pique is unethical.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_8: One of my friends has been in a similar situation. He was not willing to give his LaTeX notes to our boss, because a former postdoc in the group did that before and our boss (according to them) published stuff in the notes without giving this former postdoc co-authorship. As a result, the relationship between my friend and my boss at the time soured and my friend lost a few job opportunities because of bad recommendation letters.
I, on the other hand, always share codes. The codes are not meant for advisers who rarely have the time to dive into them. They are meant for future graduate students who have the time to learn from them and, sometimes, happen to find bugs we never thought of.
There might be some rules, as other posters said, on sharing intellectual property generated while working at the university, and your adviser might try to enforce them, depending on your relationship with them. Instead of refusing, I would rather ask for being cited properly, and if there is any extra-work needed to help her with running the code you should tell her you want co-authorship of the papers.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: Read your institution's policies.
=================================
Your position assumes that you own the copyright for said code, and that's false in general. This will strongly depend on which university you attend, your formal student/staff status, and the institutions that fund you, but there are plenty of cases where the copyright for a PhD candidate's research output rests with the university. Moreover, in those cases, the person responsible for this bit of intellectual property is usually your line manager - i.e. your supervisor.
That means that your supervisor may well have the legal right to *demand* that you give her the code, and that you refrain from using it in further research outside of your current institution. This means that your very first stop here needs to be verifying that this is not actually the case.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_10: If you must refuse, refuse in person, or refuse by phone. Do not put anything in writing, unless you're absolutely sure of your rights.
Since your advisor is making you a Research Assistant, note that she could be implicitly buying your future collaboration as well. After all, if your code is sufficiently complex, she may require your expertise to install it, understand it, run it properly, and possibly modify it.
In which case, you could use the fact that you don't have the time to work with her, nor the time to clean up your code to make it more readable or usable right now. Or you could simply refuse her request without justifying yourself to her (but again, do not put any of this in writing, just tell her in person or over the phone, if you're not absolutely sure of your rights).
And some people mentioned that you might want to get cited for your source code, but it could also be that you don't want your name associated with her project. So you could ask for that as well if you wanted.
Or perhaps, you could set the goal to release the source code, but only a year or two from now, by which time, it will be too late for her to use it in her grant. Or perhaps, you could release an older less usable version of the code.
Or if your relationship ended really badly, you could just tell her that you won't help and that you don't wish her to ever contact you again. And then, you could make a filter that ensures that you never see her email messages ever again.
My point is that you have many options. It's just that I am not really clear about your reason for refusing her request. If we knew your exact reason, then maybe we could supply you with a more exact answer.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_11: Here's what I would advise: write a paper that uses and explains the code. Then when you share the code, request that whoever you share it with cites your paper.
A good example is here: <http://www.modelinginfectiousdiseases.org/>. Read the last line, where some code is distributed with the line "if you use any of the programs in your research, we ask that you reference..."
Especially in your case where you say you have different research interests, and so your advisor will not be competing with you, you're just throwing away free citations (and good letters of recommendation) if you refuse to share. The fact that no-one has given a good answer to "how to refuse" is because we can't think of any good justification for doing it. If you really need an answer to this question, you need to explain what the reason is to do it. "I don't want to collaborate" is not a good reason.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/10/31
| 1,464
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm in my second year of my PhD and my advisor is very, very positive. She never gives me negative feedback, even when I objectively have made a mistake.
For instance, two months ago, I noticed that I had made a mistake in my code that invalidated about 6 months of work. She wasn't even mad, saying things like "everyone makes mistakes" and "we can fix this." I was able to redo the analysis and still find interesting results, so it did more or less work out. But this is just one example of how positive she is.
Last year she encouraged me to apply to an university internal poster session and strongly suggested that it was highly probable that I would win one of the prizes offered. I did not win, nor do I feel like I was that close to winning. I was a first year student competing against fourth and fifth years.
Additionally, she is always happy with whatever I present to her. I'll admit, some weeks I do not produce much work, sometimes I'm slow to give her abstracts to review for conferences, etc, but she is always happy with whatever I give her.
She praises me excessively for every little thing, no matter how good or bad. She says "excellent work, great job, you're making fantastic progress." I get the same exact level of praise on the weeks I do a lot of work and weeks I do little work.
I'm used to working with PIs were much more blunt. Not necessarily negative, but told me how I was doing. If I didn't do much work, they would say "that's all you've done?" However, if I actually did a good job, I would get a "good job" or something.
It's very hard for me to manage my expectations with my advisor. I don't know if I am actually doing a good job or not. I don't know what my approximate actual chances are for awards and acceptances to conferences.
I'm afraid to ask her to be more blunt, because I'm afraid she would completely switch and criticize me too much.
How can I manage my expectations and work better with my perpetually positive professor?<issue_comment>username_1: It seems to me that the problem isn't her being positive, it is that you:
>
> get the same exact level of praise on the weeks I do a lot of work and weeks I do little work.
>
>
>
If she calls your work 'great' on good weeks and 'pretty good' on bad weeks, you can work with that. However if she says 'good job' in both instances, there is no way differentiate between good weeks and bad weeks.
One way to deal with that is to explicitly ask her to compare your work with previous work. "How does this paper compare with my previous papers in your eyes"? "How does my work this week compare to my work in previous weeks"? "Would you say these results are a more significant contribution to the field than my earlier results X, Y and Z"? Emphasize that you want to know when you did better then other times to help you learn and what to emphasize in publications/posters. Hopefully she will respond along the lines of: X, Y and Z are all great results, but Z really stands out. Still very positive, but differentiating between the good and the great.
Another option would be when considering major results/things you want to publish is to ask other senior academics for their opinion. In this case, remember to keep your supervisor in the loop. A way to approach it could be: "I am really proud of this part of my work and you agree that it is great. Do you mind if I show it to person X and discuss it with her/him"?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: (1) Learn to let all the effusing she does wash over you like water off a duck's back.
Look elsewhere for ego stroking. Hers is clearly not working for you. But ego stroking is not the main thing one needs from an advisor.
(2) Train her to give you substantive guidance. Email can be helpful for this.
If she is incapable of giving you substantive guidance, look for a different advisor.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I sympathize with this because I had an overly positive advisor for approximately 3.5 years, until I was getting ready to go on the job market and then suddenly he had tons of problems with my work. Others have told you to go elsewhere for criticism. This is probably a good idea, but you should also be able to have a good, balanced discussion with your main advisor who knows your work best.
Two things might be helpful:
1) Ask her what criticisms a reviewer might have of your approach to X
2) Ask her what needs to be done to improve Y
The first may help because she may be able to get in a different mindset about criticism if she is asked to think about the paper like a reviewer (a reviewer's "job" is to be critical, but she may feel that an advisor's "job" is to be encouraging). The second may help because it invites her to frame problems in an encouraging, positive way (which seems to be her comfort zone).
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: I wish I had your problem. My advisor was contradictory at best and purposefully confusing at worst. The problem is that you may very well have an excellent grasp of the topic area and are doing an amazing job. Some people can not accept praise and only respond to negativity.
Also what happens a lot is that many PhD scholars become discouraged and give up because their advisors are not supportive. I think she wants to not be that kind of advisor. If you know that there are errors in your work that needs to be fixed maybe she wants you to fix it without being told to fix it. Could that be a tactic?
Also, there are those PhD candidates who are afraid of success. Are you one of those people? At the end of the day, when you complain about her to her superiors and colleagues all you can say is that she was too supportive, too encouragine, she liked your project too much. For her that is a win-win because you are the kind of person who just likes to complain and she can prove her point.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/10/31
| 694
| 3,159
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<issue_start>username_0: For reproducibility I see the use of mentioning the equipment type, version number and manufacturer. But in the internet age it seems unnecessary to me to mention the town and country of an equipment manufacturer in the methods section of an academic paper.
In my opinion it was probably useful when you needed a phone book to look up the company details. Nowadays, I think these details make the papers less readable because they break the flow of the text.
However, my PI and some coworkers always want me to add this information without giving a reason why. (If they give reasons they are: "the journal wants it" [not true], or "everybody does it this way" [bad reason])
Is there any good reason to add the town/country that I did not think of?<issue_comment>username_1: I've always assumed that this is in case there are two different companies with the same name. The location of those companies will almost certainly remove any ambiguity.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I think this is especially common in the medical literature. The objective, as you said, is to make sure readers can find the exact same product you used to get the full picture and for the purpose of evaluating or reproducing your work.
Even in the "Internet age", there are many reasons why one might need the physical location of a manufacturer in order to access their products. Here are a few that come to my mind:
* Many companies are not easy to locate with a google search and I know several that don't have a public website or any sort of web presence at all. It might feel silly to write "we used Gmail (Google, Mountain View, California)" but there are many businesses that are not as publicly known. If you're looking in an online phone book you still need to know where to look for.
* Companies might have many subsidiaries and divisions that could be developing products and prototypes without the other ones necessarily knowing about it, especially prototypes. Contacting the wrong one might lead to a dead end.
* Due to different regulations (and that is especially true for drugs and medical equipment) it can be that the same company is selling different products depending on the location. The exact composition of a drug or the firmware might differ depending on where the products were sold.
* It actually sometimes happens that two completely unrelated companies providing the same type of services or goods that are active in separate countries have the *exact same name*. Confusing, I know.
* Companies disappear, get bought, change name, etc. Knowing the location at time *t* might help locate the new entity that could deliver the product.
This being said "the journal wants it" is a valid argument, if it's effectively the case and "everybody does it this way" is not that bad of a reason when it comes to article structure and writing practices. Be creative on the content, not on the form. I personally don't feel brackets with (Nvidia Corporation) "break the flow" less than (Nvidia Corporation, Santa Clara, California).
Plus it brings back good memories of time spent in California.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]
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| 357
| 1,515
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<issue_start>username_0: Are there any sources where I can find the information regarding the research funds for PhD students and the purposes list on which it can be used?
There is 10% of annual stipend amount available as research fund for PhD students in my University, however I cannot find the regulations for it in English, only in Italian.
I know that these money might be used to cover the travelling expenses for the conferences, but what I wonder is if I can transfer these money to my stipend if I don't use it totally?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know the regulations of your institution, but normally, in Italy like anywhere in the world, one is not allowed to transfer research funds directly into their pockets, for many good reasons. There are strict regulations on which expenses and activities you can use them for, to prevent abuses.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> but what I wonder is if I can transfer these money to my stipend if I don't use it totally?
>
>
>
No, usually you can't.
In Italy, typically, funds cannot be transferred directly to non-employees (a PhD student is not an employee of a university), and only certain funds, like those coming from research contracts, can be transferred to employees. In the latter case, the payment should be approved by the department.
Moreover, as a PhD student, you are probably not even directly responsible of those research funds, which are probably under the responsibility of your advisor.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2016/10/31
| 497
| 1,805
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<issue_start>username_0: I am considering buying an e-reader and my friend lent me a Kobo to have a go (and buy if I liked it), but I found I could not highlight PDFs. Clearly that is useless to me. I see Mendeley has a Kindle sync. Does anyone have experience with this?
I wonder if I am better off with a tablet despite the eyestrain.<issue_comment>username_1: I have Kindle Paperwhite, Firmware 5.3.4, and I am able to higlight text in pdfs or add notes to higlighted text. I can also browse my marks and notes there.
To do so, you just tap and hold or tap and swipe the text you want to higlight / make comment on. In context menu you can choose `Add Note` or `Highlight` option.
I don't know if the highlights are in-device notes or in-pdf notes.
My conclusion: It depends on the device you have.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have the standard Kindle (the cheapest one) and it lets you highlight both pdfs and epubs.
However putting pdfs in your ebook can be quite annoying as the size of the page may not match the size of the ebook and it forces you to zoom and move constantly.
I've seen classmates being a bit more efficient than me (struggling with Kindle pdfs) with their iPads combined with both [GoodNotes](http://www.goodnotesapp.com/) and [Adonit Jot Pro](http://www.adonit.net/jot/pro/).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I have used two Kindles, one the basic, and also the Fire H10 [borrowed].
I found the basic Kindle would never highlight anything. The more advanced one would only highlight reluctantly and unpredictably, in pale yellow, ONE line in any text of any length. As soon as you move on and highlight a second line, the first highlight vanishes, and when you close the text, even that vanishes!
So altogether it's a very poor quality device.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/10/31
| 899
| 3,552
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<issue_start>username_0: I currently teach part-time at a Canadian technical college. Over the past few years I've applied to full professorship openings in my department, while they require at least a masters degree preference is given to PhDs.
Each time I've been beaten out by PhD applicants, including those who are fresh out of school, and upon speaking with HR they've said that there is a lot of pressure on them to hire PhDs, and that if I have any PhD even loosely related to my field then they'd be happy to make me a full time offer.
Taking 4-6 years off of my academic career, and my full-time work seems like it would be a huge set back, and a huge financial burden. But, I can't seem to find any part-time or distance education PhD's that do provide funding/research funding/TA work.
I thought I'd see if anyone here has any insights or advice?<issue_comment>username_1: The MA glass ceiling is real.
I can't talk specifically to the situation at a Canadian technical college, but the same thing happens in the DC policy world I work in. A lot of think tanks and policy shops have researchers with years of experience who can't get promoted above a certain point that is practically entry level for incoming PhDs. Some places are starting to address this, recognizing that a PhD is not better than years of successful research experience, but it's still a wide-spread phenomenon.
So, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out you don't have any recourse. If anything it's likely to be a *harder* ceiling since you're actually at an academic institution.
As for whether taking the time off to do a PhD is worth it, which I think is the root of your question? That's hard to answer. You could run down some hypothetical bullet points:
* If I did the PhD, and then got the SAME job at the same pay after, would it still be worth it? That is, would the accomplishment on its own be gratifying?
* If I did the PhD, and then got a better job but no more money, would it still be worth it? That is, would getting through that glass ceiling be enough of a motivator?
* How much more money would I expect to make after my PhD, and how much money would I be giving up by leaving the job market for 4-6 years, and would I be coming out ahead? Also account for whether you can get funding for your PhD or would have to self-fund it all. In other words, the pure economics of it (you say it would be a financial burden, but that's not necessarily so in the long run).
* All other things aside, am I willing to make the sacrifices necessary? You would likely have to temporarily give up lots of things to do this, like having disposable income and the ability to relax on nights and weekends. If you have a family that can be a hard adjustment, though lots of people do it, myself included.
Good luck! My overarching piece of advice would be that if you're not passionate for the subject you shouldn't do a PhD in it. But if you can tick that box off, the rest is up to your preferences.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> Taking 4-6 years off of my academic career, and my full-time work seems like it would be a huge set back, and a huge financial burden. But, I can't seem to find any part-time or distance education PhD's that do provide funding/research funding/TA work.
>
>
>
If you have published in your field of expertise, you could compile publications that come around a common theme into a thesis for a PhD by publication.
Saves you the career break and make the most of your work so far.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/10/31
| 955
| 3,836
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<issue_start>username_0: So far, I puplished a paper (literature review) using the "classical" structure: Introduction-Method-Results-Discussion-Conclusion.
At the moment I am writing another paper which presents the result of our developments of a simulation approach. The paper should contain the following parts:
1. Literature study
2. Description of the mathematical theory behind some methods
3. How we implemented (2) into the actual modeling language
4. Use cases
My question: How would you structure (+ name) the sections? My first idea was:
* Introduction (including lit-review)?
* Method (does the description of the mathematical theory belong to that section?)?
* Implementation?
* Results?
* Conclusion?
Two more specific questions:
1. In which section would you place the description of the tool (f.i. a certain Matlab package)? In the "Introduction/lit-rev" section? Or in the "Implementation" section?
2. It is necessary to compare two fundamental modelling approaches (in order to motivate why we use one of them): Where would you place this section? In the section method, or lit-rev?
Thank you very much for your help!<issue_comment>username_1: The MA glass ceiling is real.
I can't talk specifically to the situation at a Canadian technical college, but the same thing happens in the DC policy world I work in. A lot of think tanks and policy shops have researchers with years of experience who can't get promoted above a certain point that is practically entry level for incoming PhDs. Some places are starting to address this, recognizing that a PhD is not better than years of successful research experience, but it's still a wide-spread phenomenon.
So, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out you don't have any recourse. If anything it's likely to be a *harder* ceiling since you're actually at an academic institution.
As for whether taking the time off to do a PhD is worth it, which I think is the root of your question? That's hard to answer. You could run down some hypothetical bullet points:
* If I did the PhD, and then got the SAME job at the same pay after, would it still be worth it? That is, would the accomplishment on its own be gratifying?
* If I did the PhD, and then got a better job but no more money, would it still be worth it? That is, would getting through that glass ceiling be enough of a motivator?
* How much more money would I expect to make after my PhD, and how much money would I be giving up by leaving the job market for 4-6 years, and would I be coming out ahead? Also account for whether you can get funding for your PhD or would have to self-fund it all. In other words, the pure economics of it (you say it would be a financial burden, but that's not necessarily so in the long run).
* All other things aside, am I willing to make the sacrifices necessary? You would likely have to temporarily give up lots of things to do this, like having disposable income and the ability to relax on nights and weekends. If you have a family that can be a hard adjustment, though lots of people do it, myself included.
Good luck! My overarching piece of advice would be that if you're not passionate for the subject you shouldn't do a PhD in it. But if you can tick that box off, the rest is up to your preferences.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> Taking 4-6 years off of my academic career, and my full-time work seems like it would be a huge set back, and a huge financial burden. But, I can't seem to find any part-time or distance education PhD's that do provide funding/research funding/TA work.
>
>
>
If you have published in your field of expertise, you could compile publications that come around a common theme into a thesis for a PhD by publication.
Saves you the career break and make the most of your work so far.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/10/31
| 679
| 2,821
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<issue_start>username_0: I have received an immediate reject notice from the journal `ACM CSUR` mentioning that my written `survey` had 13% similar materials with respect to the online available sources. Passing through the instances one by one, it sounds to me that the majority are just the text of the references to the citations, e.g., "Authors et al. [first\_author et al. Year]", some standard terms such as "performance", "tuning", and many standard ACM sections such as the `ACM` Copyright section, etc.
P.S:
1- To be noted that I am aware of plagiarism policy and I strongly support it. However, the fact that we are dealing with a `survey journal` instead of a regular computer science experimental research paper made me confused on the outcome of the similarity check and the immediate rejection.
2- The application that does this check is called "iThenticate".
Had anyone experienced the same issue ? Normally what do we do to proceed in this status? Does ACM have a fixed threshold on this similarity score?<issue_comment>username_1: I cannot find anything about the use of the [ithenticate](http://www.ithenticate.com/) in the [ACM CSUR instructions for authors](http://csur.acm.org/acm-author-guidelines.cfm#how-to-submit-to-acm-journals). The ACM magazine [*Inroads*](http://inroads.acm.org/Participation.cfm) says:
>
> Please note that ACM Inroads as well as all ACM publications expect new, unpublished material, unless specifically reprinting an item from another publication with attribution. In support of this goal, ACM Inroads uses iThenticate to develop a similarity index for all submissions. As a first step after an initial submission, iThenticate compares the text to published material (at least 43 billion web pages and over 130 million content items). It provides editors with a set of similarity indices and helps them identify original material, including prior publications of authors.
>
>
>
This suggests that there is not a hard cut off, but rather a set of metrics and comparisons that the editors use in making a decision. While it is possible that the ACM system is poorly tuned, this seems unlikely. In my experience, a 13% similarity is quite high and is often indicative of issues.
While it is not cheap, you can purchase a single paper use of [iThenticate](http://www.ithenticate.com/products). It appears that iThenticate is owned by [TurnItIn](http://www.turnitin.com/) which many universities have access to. It is not clear what the different systems do, but it may help you identify what is being flagged up.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Contact an editor and explain it like you have explained it to us.
Unless this Ithenticate thing is new, it is likely that they have already encountered this problem before and they know what to do.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/11/01
| 779
| 3,364
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a Computer Science graduate (presently, working towards *Ph.D.*). I have been working in the field of Computational Biology/Chemistry, Bioinformatics which involves many different computational approaches. I am rather working towards the development of new computational methods.
However, we report our results in interdisciplinary journals or pure biology/chemistry journals.
**Question**: I have often heard that -- in my country, many organizations are giving lesser weight to such interdisciplinary publications. But, while I started *Ph.D.*, I used to think that it does not matter much. Even, the recruitment committee does ask questions like *Why did you publish in J. Computational X or J. Theoretical X ?* How one should respond to such questions being an applicant for a position in Computer Science department?
I did find it funny, though. Either the recruitment committee is not suitable or such candidates are not preferable.
I came a not-so-similar question on SE: [When should I publish in interdisciplinary versus subject-specific scientific journals?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/41472/when-should-i-publish-in-interdisciplinary-versus-subject-specific-scientific-jo)<issue_comment>username_1: If your question is related to the area of research, then you can respond as:
1. We have a collaboration with XYZ organizations to work on it.
2. Heard about this interesting topic in xyz seminar or conference. So tried to do some research on it during my free time.
3. I would like to widen my research areas from core to interdisciplinary or sharpen from interdisciplinary to core.
If your question is related to the journal, then you can respond as:
1. We found that many similar results have been published in these journals.
2. Journal has `n` impact factor and the aim & scope of the journal was suit to my results.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Your key statement is "Either the recruitment committee is not suitable or such candidates are not preferable." But this starts from the wrong point -- you complain that the recruitment committee is unqualified or has the wrong metrics, but this complaint will not help you get a job. You need to accept the fact that they have their criteria and that you won't be able to change them. It is an entirely irrelevant question (for your purposes) whether these criteria are useful in advancing the stature of that organization, the community of computer scientists, or the state of science altogether.
In other words, you need to dissociate yourself from your philosophical objections to the questions they ask, and just come up with a good, even-keeled answer that goes back to the core mission of computer science as understand by the hiring organization. For example, if they ask you why you published in the Journal of Computational X, then you should say "During our research, we did some fundamental development of algorithms and data structures and evaluated how best to map them to the currently existing programming languages. This was core computer science work, but we wanted to show that what we did was also applicable to a broader range of sciences, and so we took our work and mapped it to some problems in X. It was important to us to demonstrate our CS work to other disciplines, and so published it in JCompX."
Upvotes: 2
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2016/11/01
| 631
| 2,851
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<issue_start>username_0: I am applying for postdoc in physics this year. Every place asks for a statement of research or research plan/proposal for the application procedure. I have been recently following papers on a very interesting topic of research. Although I have no concrete problem/question in mind. I cannot resist myself from mentioning this topic of interest. I was wondering if I can write something like the following in a statement of research :
"I am also very interested in X. I have been closely following the rapid progress in this direction and hope to contribute in recent future."
(I want this part to write at the end of my statement of research but these sentences don't sound nice to me at all!)<issue_comment>username_1: If your question is related to the area of research, then you can respond as:
1. We have a collaboration with XYZ organizations to work on it.
2. Heard about this interesting topic in xyz seminar or conference. So tried to do some research on it during my free time.
3. I would like to widen my research areas from core to interdisciplinary or sharpen from interdisciplinary to core.
If your question is related to the journal, then you can respond as:
1. We found that many similar results have been published in these journals.
2. Journal has `n` impact factor and the aim & scope of the journal was suit to my results.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Your key statement is "Either the recruitment committee is not suitable or such candidates are not preferable." But this starts from the wrong point -- you complain that the recruitment committee is unqualified or has the wrong metrics, but this complaint will not help you get a job. You need to accept the fact that they have their criteria and that you won't be able to change them. It is an entirely irrelevant question (for your purposes) whether these criteria are useful in advancing the stature of that organization, the community of computer scientists, or the state of science altogether.
In other words, you need to dissociate yourself from your philosophical objections to the questions they ask, and just come up with a good, even-keeled answer that goes back to the core mission of computer science as understand by the hiring organization. For example, if they ask you why you published in the Journal of Computational X, then you should say "During our research, we did some fundamental development of algorithms and data structures and evaluated how best to map them to the currently existing programming languages. This was core computer science work, but we wanted to show that what we did was also applicable to a broader range of sciences, and so we took our work and mapped it to some problems in X. It was important to us to demonstrate our CS work to other disciplines, and so published it in JCompX."
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/01
| 341
| 1,371
|
<issue_start>username_0: I applied for PhD position and later I received an email telling that: *I regret to inform that you have not been selected for this position*, how may I send a follow up email, if should I do so?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> how may I send a follow up email, if should I do so?
>
>
>
That's not expected. You got the answer.
Time to move on and get on.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: In my opinion, there's really no need to respond to this. The sender was in all likelihood support staff and so won't forward your response further. But if you feel compelled anyway, you can write a very short message along the lines of: "Thank you very much for your consideration." Perhaps you would like some explanation, too. (I found their message to you rather terse!). In that case you may add: "I'd appreciate any insight into the Committee's decision not to pursue my candidacy for this position."
Dear Sir or Madam,
Thank you very much for your consideration. While it's regrettable that the decision was not made to support my candidacy, I would nonetheless appreciate any insight into the Committee's decision not to pursue my application further so that I can improve the competitiveness of my profile for future applications. If possible, could you kindly provide some input on that issue? Thanks again.
Sincerely,
X"
Upvotes: 3
|
2016/11/01
| 554
| 2,218
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm writing my master thesis and found some master and PhD theses with the similar subject. They have lots of useful references at their introduction chapter, and I use those references and create my own text with a similar thought flow, would this be considered plagiarism?<issue_comment>username_1: There are actually two concerns here:
1. **Is it plagiarism?**
The authors of the theses you are reading have made an intellectual contribution: interpretation, summarization, organization and curation of references.
If you just paraphrase their work, the reader will assume that *you* carefully curated that list from the literature and that *you* came up with that "flow" yourself. If you don't tell the reader otherwise, it *is* plagiarism.
However, you can avoid concerns of plagiarism by citing the thesis from which you got got this, and making it clear to the reader what is your original work (the text) and what isn't (the reference list and the "thought flow").
2. **Does it satisfy expectations for a masters thesis in your department?**
Generally, a masters student is supposed to be able to read and curate the literature, and place their work in the context of the literature (the "thought flow") themself.
If you copy this from someone else, even if you cite them (so it isn't plagiarism), you may not be doing what's expected from you as a masters student.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: You can do this:
"ThesesAuthorA [ref to their work] anaylsed the works of Bob [ref] , Jane [ref] , and Alice [ref] using some\_method and found that their\_conclusion. However the evidence can also be interpreted to show your\_conclusion.
or this
"ThesesAuthorA [ref to their work] states 'direct quote of the thesis' in their analysis of Bob [ref] , Jane [ref] , and Alice [ref].
"
Either way you need to make it obvious that the conclusions are drawn from someone else's work, and that the references are only those required to support the points and arguments that *you* are making.
As @username_1 said this is *your* theses for *your* research project, so you are going to have to find, evaluate, discuss and defend your sources.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
|
2016/11/02
| 521
| 2,058
|
<issue_start>username_0: In qualitative research (semi- structured interviews) do we have to use verbatim quotes in reporting the findings?<issue_comment>username_1: There are actually two concerns here:
1. **Is it plagiarism?**
The authors of the theses you are reading have made an intellectual contribution: interpretation, summarization, organization and curation of references.
If you just paraphrase their work, the reader will assume that *you* carefully curated that list from the literature and that *you* came up with that "flow" yourself. If you don't tell the reader otherwise, it *is* plagiarism.
However, you can avoid concerns of plagiarism by citing the thesis from which you got got this, and making it clear to the reader what is your original work (the text) and what isn't (the reference list and the "thought flow").
2. **Does it satisfy expectations for a masters thesis in your department?**
Generally, a masters student is supposed to be able to read and curate the literature, and place their work in the context of the literature (the "thought flow") themself.
If you copy this from someone else, even if you cite them (so it isn't plagiarism), you may not be doing what's expected from you as a masters student.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: You can do this:
"ThesesAuthorA [ref to their work] anaylsed the works of Bob [ref] , Jane [ref] , and Alice [ref] using some\_method and found that their\_conclusion. However the evidence can also be interpreted to show your\_conclusion.
or this
"ThesesAuthorA [ref to their work] states 'direct quote of the thesis' in their analysis of Bob [ref] , Jane [ref] , and Alice [ref].
"
Either way you need to make it obvious that the conclusions are drawn from someone else's work, and that the references are only those required to support the points and arguments that *you* are making.
As @username_1 said this is *your* theses for *your* research project, so you are going to have to find, evaluate, discuss and defend your sources.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
|
2016/11/02
| 756
| 3,034
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have couple questions for you guys and I hope to find some answers here.
Scenario:
---------
I finished my master's degree with a thesis at school A. During my master's program at school A, I was a research assistant for my thesis adviser (Let's call him Professor A).
Now, I am applying to school B for PhD (because PhD isn't offered at school A) and I am hoping to work with Professor B who has a same research interest as Professor A.
Professor A has requested that:
1. I do not share any codes with Professor B.
2. Choose a research topic that is different from my master's thesis for the conflict of interest.
Questions:
----------
My questions are:
1. Is this understandable and typical situation for many students? What do you do about this?
2. Do I need to completely change the trajectory of my PhD research topic from Master's and start a new topic in the same research area?
*Edit:
We are in the US.
Codes were collaborated. And already received my masters.*<issue_comment>username_1: II don't know anything about the law in your country, but I think that the request of Professor A has a weak justification:
1. As lang as *you* wrote the code in the course of your master
program, your advisor has no right. The algorithms should be considered as public domain (unless you've
signed an NDA). It is different, if (parts of) the code are done by
others.
2. Being a master student does not constitue an employment relation. There is simply no base for any restriction to your further academic career.
Beside of this, I consider the behaviour of Prof. A (given you've presented all facts) as a bad academic style. Knowledge exchange, a.o. by exchange of people is a well established academic method. To answer your direct questions:
1. While conflicting loyalty may be a typical problem, I've never heard that a colleague of mine issued such request. Your course of actions depends (of course) on practical issues, too: Is there any danger that Prof. A prevent you from getting the master degree? If so, explain the situation to Prof. B and try to reach an agreement that you "officially" apply after you get your degree.
2. As I explain above: IMHO **no**. I would be a waste academic
resources, i.e. your knowledge and abilities. (Beside of this, it is
always a good advice to at least widen your area of expertise as
well as include at least few topics that are totally new for you: It
make you a better researcher)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I think restricting the use of the code, if the advisor was a co-author, is a legitimate request (even if not protected by law, so you had in principle the option to - legally - ignore the request).
Forcing you to switch topics is not.
If you want to be cooperative with A, you could try to avoid using, say, "state-of-the-art" techniques which A has not published yet, until the publication is completed. But it is unreasonable of A to expect that you abandon a potential future career direction on their behest.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/02
| 3,010
| 12,265
|
<issue_start>username_0: Let's say I find an article online. I contact the writer of this article and, without expecting anything in return, they agree to give me full, unrestricted rights to use any portion of their article, including directly using quotes from the article, without citing it. The agreement even allows me to claim the work as my own, even though it isn't.
Because I have all the rights to do this, would this be considered plagiarism?<issue_comment>username_1: It doesn't really matter that the author gave you "unrestricted rights to use any portion of their article" without the need of citing it. *We*, the readers, want to know that you're using it.
>
> Because I have all the rights to do this, would this be considered plagiarism?
>
>
>
Yes.
Upvotes: 9 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Plagiarism is passing of the work of someone else as your own. So regardless of the authors permission, this is absolutely plagiarism.
This is quite similar an increasingly common form of plagiarism where students purchase an essay or pay someone to complete their assignment for them. At the universities I've been involved in this is treated very seriously and students fail entire units when they are caught. As serious academic misconduct they can in fact be removed from a course entirely.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes, it is plagiarism. The permission is irrelevant.
Consider this simplified but actually equivalent example: if your neighbor allows you to copy her answers in a written exam, is that not cheating just because she allowed you to use her answers? Of course not, that is ridiculous! It is cheating simply because you didn't come up with the answers yourself; whether or not you had your neighbor's permission is completely irrelevant.
**You are confusing two orthogonal things: plagiarism and copyright violation**.
Plagiarism is an *ethical* concept; it refers to passing off other's work as your own. Copyright violation is a *legal* concept; it means using a creative work in a way that is reserved for the copyright holder without acquiring a license from the copyright holder.
Those concepts are orthogonal: if you copy large portions from a book and you properly cite and attribute them, it's still a copyright violation even though it's not plagiarism. And **in your example, it's still plagiarism even though it's not a copyright violation**.
Note: plagiarism *may* come up in a legal context as well. For example, in most institutions of higher education, there are rules forbidding plagiarism, if you are a student, you often have to sign or acknowledge an honor code forbidding plagiarism, if you are faculty, a tutor, a TA, an employee, there might be a statute about plagiarism in your employment contract, making it a finable or fireable offense. Also, your thesis will have a signed statement that you did not plagiarize, and if you *did*, signing that statement may be considered fraudulent. In that case, plagiarism may not only have ethical/moral dimensions but a legal one as well (you get expelled / fired / fined / your degree revoked). In the case that the degree is a prerequisite for practicing in a legally protected profession (e.g. lawyer, doctor), falsely signing that document may even be considered a criminal offense or even a felony.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_4: Others have pointed out that something can be plagiarism without violating copyright.
In addition, even if an author gave you permission to use something from an article it may well still be a copyright violation because in many cases when you publish in a journal you also sign over the copyright. As such even if the author gives you permission, they may not be the copyright holders so legally it's not theirs to give.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Even if you yourself are that other author, you still need to cite your old work in your new.
Citation has nothing to do with copyright. You cite your sources to give attribution to the ones before you, to let your readers know which giants' shoulders you stand upon and to differentiate the parts you wrote from the previous works of others, avoiding passing their work off as your own. It's perfectly fine to cite something that nobody in the world is allowed to read due to copyright reasons or what have you (allthough a bit mean to your readers).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: Regrading the authorship:
If you buy <NAME>'s paintings and copyrights to them, you own the paintings, you can earn money for displaying them etc., but they must be creditted as Pablo's paintings, not yours. Period.
Regarding the copyrights:
When a paper is published the copyright to the paper usually belongs to the publisher. Copyright to property, that the article is based on, belongs to the writers.
In your case you are entitled to use, edit and make profit based on their work freely. Still, they shall be creditted for their work.
Approaching from different point of view:
Scientists are said to be people with higer knowledge, wisdom and morality than the average folks. At least, not citing actual authors is immoral.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: [Other answers have pointed it out - this answer attempts instead to put it in terms that someone who simply doesn't understand the difference between copyright violation and plagiarism could understand]
This happens every single time a work is placed in the public domain.
Every work by or for the US government; every work produced before some dates and some works thereafter; every work explicitly licensed CC0.
All of these works grant complete ability to reproduce, remix, and reuse the entire work without credit. Doing so is perfectly acceptable.
Whether it is OK to do this, however...
Consider that any one of us may reprint the entire works of Shakespeare and put our own name to them, without crediting Shakespeare. Or Nabokov. Or translate the Illiad or Odyssey to English without crediting Homer. Or...
And then consider the fact that despite it being perfectly 100% legal, *nobody ever does this*.
In the field of academia, plagiarism is seen as a far greater sin than elsewhere, so the backlash would be far worse.
[Edit: You could argue that you were using only some small, fair-use portion of a document in a copyright sense. But that could still get you an accusation of plagiarism in adademia.]
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: 1. Plagiarism is committed when you don't cite the article regardless of any written consents.
2. Copyright is violated when you reproduce portions of a published article in the sense described by a copyright law.
3. Stealing intellectual property may be committed when you reuse ideas from the article without the consent of the owner of the intellectual contents of the article.
The writer cannot protect you from 1. In usual cases, from 2 neither. In certain cases, his/her consent might be your protection from 3.
Said that, don't copy-and-paste. Rewrite, quote, and cite properly.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: One general comment about plagiarism:
If an African-American says, "I have a dream," any allegation of having plagiarized MLK is ludicrous. Such allusions are shorthand quotations.
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work as your own, according to the combination of stated and implied claim to originality, without explicitly marking the quote. An allusion is not intended to be perceived as original; it is intended to be a shorthand quote, and it just does so without quotation marks as a metaphor drops the word "like" from a simile so that "time is like a river" becomes "time is a river".
I found it rather ludicrous when <NAME> was accused of plagiarism in incorporating bits of story that are apparently well-known to people who know Mormon Scripture. I am not a Mormon and personally have no interest in reading Mormon Scripture, but there seemed something extraordinarily confused about what, to Mormons or non-Mormons who understand that tradition, is a common theme. Neither my own [The Sign of the Grail](http://tinyurl.com/the-sign-of-the-grail) nor any other work since the twelfth century *Historia Regum Britanniae* or the Brut pseudo-history is simply guilty of plagiarism by vice of using the character of Merlin without explaining that Merlin was taken from earlier works (and the Brut is probably not original; Merlin's name was altered from an earlier Celtic character name apparently to avoid collision with a French swear word).
(And as those of us in the U.S. are nearing an election, I might point out that it is a thoroughly established practice for anyone remotely near POTUS candidacy to use speechwriters, and needless to say I have not heard anyone indict anyone else for giving a speech written by a speechwriter without an academic style of attribution. On a much less influential scale, authorship is a bit fuzzy in the business world; there is such a thing as unacceptably stealing credit, but most of a company's messages to its audience do not include attribution of who made the copy, who made the graphics, who did XYZ in the background.)
The standards for plagiarism are different in academia from other places; for me it has been only in academic settings that people have been concerned about what constitutes plagiarism. I've run into people who care about honesty and I've run into people who thoroughly believe in giving credit where credit is due (one CEO asked me to co-sign a letter to customers about a new offering, although that is a novelty). And this question isn't really in a grey area; it arises from failing to distinguish plagiarism from copyright issues. But I have only seen fine-grained discussions of shades of grey about plagiarism in academic circles, where a good probable rule of thumb is probably, "*If you can express quotation or debt to a source you have used, however unimportant, footnote it.*"
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: My two cents: If you have to ask if something is plagiarism, consider it plagiarism.
Always err on the side of caution. An ethics/honor code violation is not something you want.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_11: 1. Although you have rights, It comes under "Plagiarism"
2. When you use it without citing it (although you have full rights) which gives readers the impression that you have written this (which is not), it comes under "Academic misconduct"
3. You're confused all of those things with copyright law.
4. You can say that the writing is owned by you (copyright holder), but you cannot claim that it was written by you, if you say that you've written this by your self (which is not) it comes under "criminal law"
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_12: If the "author wants or needs to not be named," I would cite this way (Anon. 2016). The format is my school's style guide; the content is my application. In USA, "fair use" limits copyright slightly, but I ould still consider an author's wishes if I thought there were a chance he/she might be in a situation where they must protect their identity or their location.
I would never pretend someone else's words were my own. Although, I must admit there were times I have read something after saying it myself and wondered whether I had come up with it independently or whether I had read the work earlier and forgotten.
Anonymous (Anon.) 2016. Private communication (author wishes to remain anonymous).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_13: While I generally agree this would be plagiarism, in some circumstances it would not - and not only in the allusion case (see @JonathanHayward 's answer).
Specifically, if you believe and have the author's concurrence that part of the article is folklore, or should not be considered an integral part of the article somehow and not really attributed to the author, then it's *possible* you're not committing plagiarism.
But you really should:
1. Apply common sense, but
2. Always err on the side of caution = the side of citation
Note also that you can make a qualified citation, e.g.
```
\footnote{This is discussed in Prof's <NAME>'s monograph on
the Frobincation of Bars \cite{JSFrob}, but blah blah blah}.
```
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/11/02
| 1,353
| 5,822
|
<issue_start>username_0: I need to choose a supervisor for my upcoming term project. I asked one of my professors if he had any ideas for a project for a student with my skill set, and he offered to supervise me as he wasn't teaching during the project timeline.
Getting to the point, this was way early in the course, and my professor has witnessed me do terribly in the course so far. My interests lie in the subject matter of this course, and I really enjoy this prof and want to do well, but for some reason, the way we are tested really throws me off and I end up overthinking and eventually screwing up the answer.
I'm worried about bringing the topic of my term project up to him again, because I'm worried he will not be impressed with me and refuse to work with a student doing terribly in his course.
Should I bother talking to him about it, or should I disregard the possibility that he could be my supervisor?
Edit: I do want to clarify that the testing style has nothing to do with what my prof asks, it is more of the type of question that throws me off... Because this is somewhat of a computer science class (which I have never taken before) we are asked to come up with algorithms on the spot, and that's what I have trouble with. I can only imagine that this can be remedied by more practice with the software we use.<issue_comment>username_1: When in doubt, **communicate**.
That is a golden rule that I have learned that works well in virtually any scenario. If you explain what you think your issues are, the prof can try to help you. Not talking to him won't magically make this go away.
If anything, he would probably think higher of you for discussing this with him.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I suggest the following:
First, take each of the exams you did poorly on, and re-do them as take-home exams. Not to try to raise your grade, but as a learning activity.
Ask your professor if he would be willing to go over them, to help you master the material.
This can help in several ways:
1) It will help you master the material.
2) It will help you prepare for the remaining exams.
3) It will show your professor that you are a conscientious student, with a true interest and aptitude.
4) It might give your professor the idea that his exams may have some design flaws and get him thinking about how to fairly test his students' understanding of the course material.
Through your interchanges resulting from the exam reworking, I think you will pick up on more signals from your professor, and then will hopefully have an easier time knowing which direction to go for the project.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> I'm worried about bringing the topic of my term project up to him again, because I'm worried he will not be impressed with me and refuse to work with a student doing terribly in his course.
>
>
>
Your hesitation comes from the fear of confirming the notion (**that you have developed in your mind**) that your professor won't want to supervise you because you've done poorly in his class.
Do not stop yourself because of your fear. If he doesn't want to work with you, and he tells you that, you suffer no less than by having never asked him in the first place *as long as you forego your ego*. Instead, almost every other outcome of pursuing this opportunity with your professor has an upside; he may accept to supervise you, or he may decline but give you a lead or suggestion of an alternative (that will at the very least give you a platform to ask more questions and move ahead in your progress). Or simply you will learn more about yourself and your professor.
Don't be afraid. Ask. And when in doubt of situations like this, assume the kindness of others. You'll be surprised at how often this assumption can become actualized once you've tested it (and sometimes, the assumption alone is enough to make it a reality).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I have completely different advice than everyone else:
Regarding the testing issue: contact your college's test center/academic support services. Inform them of which test(s) and the specific problem you are having for the first time. You are likely not the first one with this same issue. An alternate format may already be on file or you can retake the test at the test center with extra time allowed. Academic support will explain your options. Many students use these services.
Important: faculty are used to working with the college testing facility whatever their system is and must do so only when they are asked to provide content.
If you were to mention a testing issue to your instructor they would refer you anyway, the volume of requests is high and they open themselves/college to lawsuits if the formal route isn't followed. Professors don't think twice about it and certainly would not draw conclusions about you based on your use of this academic service.
Regarding the project, meet with him/her in person and speak to them directly about the project. You can explain your strengths, interests, etc. and make genuine inquires. See if there are reservations you can likely resolve by providing information to him.
For this, definitely use face-to-face dialogue; no one appreciates requests via social media or explanations via email. Do not assume that they made a connection about your progress in the course and your project request. This would result in your display of anxiety at best. Or worse, be an insulted you believe their decision making process is inept.
However, should your coursework come up in conversation you may want to let him know you've experienced a testing issue in this course that you were previously unaware of. And assure him that you are addressing it and have already contacted the support services department.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/11/02
| 1,688
| 7,421
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a senior freelance software engineer, with about 10 years' experience. I've been working in a university setting for the past year, as a contractor. Usually I work in a commercial environment.
During the year, I've done 15-20 days' work on each of 2 different projects that should have turned into papers, but didn't due to lack of time from the PI. These projects are more or less complete from a coding point of view: they just haven't been written up by the PI. I believe the time required to write up should be 2-4 days each.
I've now decided to move on from the team (partly due to frustration at projects like these being blocked, which means I don't have much visible output) and am documenting and handing over my projects.
My question is this. On these projects, is it reasonable to ask for authorship on any paper that is written based on my work after I leave? And - assuming that my estimate of 2-4 days' work remaining above is correct - is it reasonable to ask for first authorship? (Our field is epidemiology / life sciences, so I believe that authorship order reflects overall contribution.)
We weren't doing traditional scientific experiments - these are data-driven research projects. So the hierarchy is probably more like the wider digital world, in which execution is generally acknowledged to be more important than ideas. Specifically, my code would have collected the data; my coding decisions would have driven 95% of the design; and I would have written an iPython notebook forming the basis of the methods and results sections of the paper. The PI would write the intro and conclusions and pull together the paper. For example, one project was to do comparison of datasets in the scientific literature, and the PI's idea was pretty much "hey, let's look at dataset A, see if we could match it with dataset B, and draw some conclusions". My contribution was to see if that was possible, learn about datasets C and D and E and F, decide F was the best match, do the actual matching of A and F, and draw the conclusions. The PI will literally just write up the conclusions.
In both cases the original idea was the PI's, and they have provided guidance as I worked, but probably not more than 0.5-1 day in total.
I'm not sure how authorship works after I've left. The ICMJE's author definition says that authors should be involved [in drafting and approving the paper](http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html), but I won't be involved in that (well, unless I work for free).
However, it's very important for my commercial reputation that I can point to visible work done during the year, so I would like to be named as an author, rather than all the work just vanishing under the PI's name.
One other point: the PI previously put me down as second author on a project where I'd done 99% of the work, and when I queried this, claimed there was no convention on authorship order in our field. Fortunately, I was able to resolve this amicably. But given that experience, I'm now keen to clarify the position about authorship before I leave, and I'd welcome advice on convention and etiquette in this situation.<issue_comment>username_1: If you only did programming support for a project, and did not design or collect data, or design the experiment, and did not have a role in writing the manuscript, you probably qualify for only an acknowledgement, and not full authorship. I'm not clear what you mean by "feasibility research" - it's possible that work would qualify if it went beyond normal software design processes (i.e., are you determining whether the idea was feasible for YOU to accomplish in a certain time frame, or feasible at all, and what was the extent of other approaches that you considered...given the time frame you state of 15-20 days work, I am very skeptical there was extensive feasibility research necessary).
15-20 days work is a miniscule amount of time for a typical scientific publication - I would say the normal range is 6 months to 2 years. This range counts all of the failures and false starts inherent in science, refining ideas, etc. Though it is possible all of the data and analysis that goes into a paper takes place on a shorter time frame, it is unfair to exclude all of the productive failure along the way.
Programming by itself isn't really a direct contribution to a scientific project, regardless of the time spent, unless you are developing algorithms, or doing something novel (for example, optimizing a program to the extent that a previously computationally intractable question can be solved in a reasonable timeframe).
I doubt your PI actually does not know the conventions of authorship in the field; it seems more likely that they knew you were overestimating your role in the project, gave you the appropriate credit, and didn't want to argue with you over it further.
More generally, and not speaking to your situation specifically, leaving a lab should not affect your claim to authorship on any work you did while you were a member. However, meeting all the requirements for authorship will indeed require further, unpaid work. At a minimum, this would include review of the manuscript before submission and publication, and in most cases would include substantial writing/editing support, preparation of final figures, etc.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: When people move on and write a paper based on their previous work, "working for free" is exactly what they often end up doing. If they move to another position in academia they can probably work in whatever passes for normal academic hours, but that's not your position.
*All* authors need to know the manuscript well enough to put their name to it. By not putting the effort in to do this (in your own time presumably) the mostly likely effect is that the work doesn't get published.
As a freelancer, you run your own business. You know that some work has to be done that can't be billed to clients. Earning some publications for your own publication record could easily fall into that category. you have to make a decision whether to make that investment (and if you plan on taking contracts in academia in the future, the publications will help you).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Doing programming support for a research project, in my experience, leads to a mention in the acknowledgments, not co-authorship. Often times that work can be substantial, but that doesn't change anything. This is particularly true if you're an outside contractor who is paid to offer that support. In academia execution is pretty much never valued over ideas, unless the point of the paper itself is developing a new method of execution.
I should add, my experience is almost entirely in data-driven projects, as you mentioned this project is, from retrieval to cleaning to processing to running models and analyzing. Maybe it's different when the support involves lab work, I couldn't say for sure.
As with most of the authorship questions I see come up on this SE, I think the best approach is to always sort it out, preferably in writing, before the work is done. If your goal is to have co-authorship on published papers then talk to the researchers about it when you get involved. That won't help you now, but it might in the future.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/11/02
| 1,329
| 5,912
|
<issue_start>username_0: I work in a small interdisciplinary field in which one group writes a lot of papers that aren't good but are often read. When I publish on a topic that they have published on before, should I cite them even if their work is irrelevant to mine?
More context:
The prolific group publishes a lot of mathematical modeling papers in which the model is hidden behind a cascade of self-citation, is written in somewhat non-standard terminology, and no code or calibration data is published. My field is dominated by non-modelers who are often not equipped to judge the modeling, but who read the papers for the figures and discussion (and open peer review has shown that they often review the papers without reviewing the model).
The ethics of citation as I understand them agree with [this answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/44377/37716 "What are we expected to do when citing literature?") in that we must cite (1) intellectual precedents of our work, (2) supporting evidence, and (3) papers that provide appropriate context. Because their methods are opaque to other modelers like myself, (1) and (2) aren't possible. The papers are also not (3) *appropriate* context because the science between the intro and discussion isn't done well and I view these papers as opinion pieces.
But, I can expect my non-modeler readers to look askance at my minimal citations of the group's work. As a less-established member of the community, it can look like I'm playing games with priority when I'm actually concerned about advancing the poor state of modeling in my field. I'm debating whether to stick to my principles or give in to what I perceive are poor citation practices to lower friction and look more collegial.<issue_comment>username_1: If you only did programming support for a project, and did not design or collect data, or design the experiment, and did not have a role in writing the manuscript, you probably qualify for only an acknowledgement, and not full authorship. I'm not clear what you mean by "feasibility research" - it's possible that work would qualify if it went beyond normal software design processes (i.e., are you determining whether the idea was feasible for YOU to accomplish in a certain time frame, or feasible at all, and what was the extent of other approaches that you considered...given the time frame you state of 15-20 days work, I am very skeptical there was extensive feasibility research necessary).
15-20 days work is a miniscule amount of time for a typical scientific publication - I would say the normal range is 6 months to 2 years. This range counts all of the failures and false starts inherent in science, refining ideas, etc. Though it is possible all of the data and analysis that goes into a paper takes place on a shorter time frame, it is unfair to exclude all of the productive failure along the way.
Programming by itself isn't really a direct contribution to a scientific project, regardless of the time spent, unless you are developing algorithms, or doing something novel (for example, optimizing a program to the extent that a previously computationally intractable question can be solved in a reasonable timeframe).
I doubt your PI actually does not know the conventions of authorship in the field; it seems more likely that they knew you were overestimating your role in the project, gave you the appropriate credit, and didn't want to argue with you over it further.
More generally, and not speaking to your situation specifically, leaving a lab should not affect your claim to authorship on any work you did while you were a member. However, meeting all the requirements for authorship will indeed require further, unpaid work. At a minimum, this would include review of the manuscript before submission and publication, and in most cases would include substantial writing/editing support, preparation of final figures, etc.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: When people move on and write a paper based on their previous work, "working for free" is exactly what they often end up doing. If they move to another position in academia they can probably work in whatever passes for normal academic hours, but that's not your position.
*All* authors need to know the manuscript well enough to put their name to it. By not putting the effort in to do this (in your own time presumably) the mostly likely effect is that the work doesn't get published.
As a freelancer, you run your own business. You know that some work has to be done that can't be billed to clients. Earning some publications for your own publication record could easily fall into that category. you have to make a decision whether to make that investment (and if you plan on taking contracts in academia in the future, the publications will help you).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Doing programming support for a research project, in my experience, leads to a mention in the acknowledgments, not co-authorship. Often times that work can be substantial, but that doesn't change anything. This is particularly true if you're an outside contractor who is paid to offer that support. In academia execution is pretty much never valued over ideas, unless the point of the paper itself is developing a new method of execution.
I should add, my experience is almost entirely in data-driven projects, as you mentioned this project is, from retrieval to cleaning to processing to running models and analyzing. Maybe it's different when the support involves lab work, I couldn't say for sure.
As with most of the authorship questions I see come up on this SE, I think the best approach is to always sort it out, preferably in writing, before the work is done. If your goal is to have co-authorship on published papers then talk to the researchers about it when you get involved. That won't help you now, but it might in the future.
Upvotes: 0
|
2016/11/02
| 589
| 2,431
|
<issue_start>username_0: I would like to go to a strong graduate school. Currently I have a somewhat high GPA at about 3.8. However, there is a program at my university where we can spend an extra year to obtain a Master's Degree.
I initially intended on spreading my workload and graduate on time by taking about 3 classes per semester. Would it better for me to take 4 classes per semester and graduate about half a semester late with a Master's degree? Currently, the workload is very hard, so I know my GPA will drop a lot, maybe 0.3 points or more if I take 4 classes.
I would like to attend a strong graduate school in Electrical engineering, so which choice would be more suitable?<issue_comment>username_1: My initial impression is that the master's degree won't count for too much in your graduate admissions unless it is giving you a substantial benefit in some way - i.e. access to more research experience, or a depth of knowledge in an area tangential to your undergraduate work but applicable to the graduate work you want to do. Since you are describing this as something you can fit in with your undergraduate work, I don't get that impression.
I would get some advice from faculty at your current institution - an "add-on" 1 year masters sounds a bit sketchy to me - if it isn't a full masters program it sounds like just an add-on, and is probably intended more for people who are ending their education there.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: There is no rush.
Admissions won't give you bonus points for finishing early, so you're having to compete with people who took more time on the same amount of classes.
From my personal experience, I rushed and completed my undergrad a year early and my masters a semester early, but it didn't gain me much. In fact, my GPA took a beating.
Also, I wouldn't call it late if you're completing the masters in one additional semester, that would still be one semester *early* since it sounds like a 5 year program (4 + 1).
If you want the best chances of getting into a top school: **take your time**. Either graduate with your bachelors or spend the two additional semesters getting your masters while attempting to get good letters, some research experience, and maybe even a publication. Trying to rush it further isn't going to help and gives you less time to do the important stuff for admissions (e.g., research and letters).
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
|
2016/11/03
| 286
| 1,295
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<issue_start>username_0: I have received this reviewers comment ("REFERENCES" section should be block ), what does it mean?
**Update:** There comment was
>
> All reference in the “"REFERENCES" section should be block
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: Based on the updated question, I'm more inclined to think that the reviewer is asking you to adopt a certain style to the actual references. I think you need to find out what that is. Perhaps some aspect of the references need to be in all caps. But I imagine once you know the style that applies which should be clear from either looking up author instructions or looking at previous publications.
**My original guess**:
I think a block font can sometimes refer to an upper case font. My guess is that the style guide in operation requires that your references heading be written as "REFERENCES" rather than "References". Thus, I imagine the reviewer is simply asking you to conform to this stylistic requirement.
More broadly, make sure you know which style guide applies when submitting your work and endeavour to conform to its requirements.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: "Block" style normally just indicates that no lines should be indented. That is a pretty common style layout for reference sections in papers.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/11/03
| 447
| 1,982
|
<issue_start>username_0: I got my article rejected from two journals in a row as they think my work is not suitable for submission in their journals. It was my fault that I could not properly understand the aim and scope of these journals. Now I am submitting my work to a third journal after thoroughly checking the aim and scope along with already published articles related to my field.
My question is, as I will not provide the previous rejection history of my article to the third journal, would this third journal have any information about the rejection history of my article ?<issue_comment>username_1: It depends. Reviewer work for often for more than one journal. Depending on the size of the community in your area and how specific your problem is, there is a good chance that a reviewer has read the previous version of your paper.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There's at least two types of rejections:
1. Desk rejection where the editor says an article is out of scope.
2. Rejection upon review where the editor in consultation with the reviewers' recommendations rejects the paper for publication.
For a great description of the process, [see here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/55665/what-does-the-typical-workflow-of-a-journal-look-like).
Forgive the convoluted wording on the second one -- basically, it means your paper was reviewed and then rejected. The precise relation between the reviewer's reviews and the outcome varies by journal, but it is the editor who ultimately rejects.
In contrast, a "desk rejection" means that the article never went to reviewers and was rejected upon receipt due to some issue -- scope? formatting? bad English?
If you got a desk rejection, the odds that the next journal or reviewers will know anything about this paper is nil. If you were rejected post-review, then it's quite possible (and in some fields probable) that the same people might be reviewers even for a different journal.
Upvotes: 3
|
2016/11/03
| 824
| 3,375
|
<issue_start>username_0: I don't think my research professor takes me seriously. I have noticed that in several of my meetings with my PI, he gets distracted very easily.
Now I know of people my age who get distracted (in their 20s), but he insists it's something natural... and he's way older. For example at our last meeting, he was advising me on what I should do for the next part of my project, I was writing all that stuff down, and then he spaced off. I was looking through my notes to see if I understood everything correctly, and he stared up at the ceiling. Next, he asked me if I knew what the ceiling material consisted of. When I said I had no idea (I was trying to brush off the question because there are more important tasks at hand), he made me look it up on the spot. At the moment I thought he might have become bored, maybe there was an awkward silence, but now that I've been thinking about it more, this is not the first instance where this has occurred. He does this in front of my other classmates as well.
Is he just joking around? Trying to lighten up the mood? Am I awkward? Am I not important? How do I address this to him?<issue_comment>username_1: I have a few practical suggestions for you, to cope with your advisor's distractibility.
* Set the scene. For example, if squirrels or interesting people outside his office window are drawing his attention, tell him the light bothers you and ask permission to lower the blinds. If he gets mesmerized by his screen saver, ask if it would be okay to turn off the monitor, or position yourself so that his back will be to his monitor. Etc.
* Ask permission to tape record your meetings. Write down your notes later. Keep things moving in your meetings, so that he doesn't have a chance to get too interested in the ceiling.
* Bring along a couple of quiet fidget items, and put them in on the edge of the desk or table, where you can both reach them. For example, one of the modern forms of silly putty. The little donkey who takes a bow when you push up on the base. Etc.
* Observe how many minutes it takes for him to get distracted, subtract 5, and try to wrap up your meetings in that many minutes.
* Have some of your conversations while on a small hike together.
* Give him a yoga ball as a gift, for sitting and bouncing in his office. Tell him you heard it's recommended for optimal back health and concentration.
* Observe what time of day seems to work best, and schedule your meetings accordingly.
* Bring along a high-protein snack to share.
* Allow yourselves a 25% failure rate. Be philosophical about it. As mentioned in a comment -- don't take it personally.
I have experience collaborating with people with ADD and ADHD. Not all of the above ideas are guaranteed to be helpful with any individual distractible person. Experiment.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: Most people can concentrate better when they are still fresh, so my suggestion is try to schedule a meeting with him early in the morning, or as early as possible. Like the other answer has suggested, try to keep the meeting as compact as possible. Also, you might also have to try to keep him occupied on you so that he don't have any time to start thinking of something else. This can be done by keeping the discussion on. You have to learn to write while thinking and talking at the same time.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/03
| 701
| 2,945
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am an European citizen applying for some academic jobs in US.
I have some doubts on one question I have to answer during the application process
**1) Are you presently legally authorized to work in the United States?**
My answer to this question is NO
**2) Will you be able to provide proof of your identity and employment eligibility if you are hired?**
What should I reply here? Is it referred to my future or current eligibility?<issue_comment>username_1: These are standard questions that Human Resources needs to know the answers to in order to deal with international hires. The answer to the first question is presumably no. HR needs to know this, because if you are hired, they will need to start the paperwork to get you a work visa. The second question covers whether you have the documentation (principally a passport) that you and they will need to complete the visa application process.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Unless you're already eligible to work in the US (e.g. as a permanent resident), you'll have to answer the second question with a "no."
The three aspects of US employment/immigration law that you need to know about are that
1. Newly hired employees are required to prove that they're eligible to work in the US by filling out an I-9 form and providing the required documentation. Most universities than use an online service called e-verify to verify the information on the I-9 form. You'll typically be required to provide this documentation immediately upon being hired (not six months later when your first semester starts.) You're being asked if you can fill out the I-9 form.
2. Practically all of the options for a visa that would enable you to work in the US require sponsorship by the employer. This sponsorship requires the employer to declare that there were no qualified applicants that weren't already eligible to work in the US and obtain an authorization from the US Department of Labor. The process takes weeks to months, and can cost thousands of dollars. If you say that you're good to go, and the employer later finds out that they'd have to sponsor you for a visa, they may simply withdraw your job offer rather than sponsor you for a visa.
3. It's not legal to discriminate between various classes of people who do already have the right to work in the US (e.g. between permanent residents vs. citizens.) The particular wording of that question is designed to protect against that kind of discirimination.
Going beyond the "yes/no" answer to this question, you could provide additional information that could be helpful. For example, if you hold Canadian citizenship than its easy for you to be employed on a NAFTA visa, and you wouldn't need to be sponsored for an H-1B visa. On the other hand, if you're currently on an expiring J-1 visa with a "return home" requirement, it could be difficult for them to sponsor you for an H-1B visa.
Upvotes: 5
|
2016/11/03
| 950
| 3,885
|
<issue_start>username_0: I recently got my Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (2015), and now I am doing a postdoc in Computer Science at a top tier university. I have a decent number of publications (>12) in respectable journals in my field, and an h-index of 5, some awards, travel grants, and so on. While I know numbers don't do justice to a person, unfortunately that's how you rate academics (which I think is part of the problem).
Despite the above, I feel increasingly lost, and not sure whether I want to pursue an academic career. I have been moving around in the world a lot, and combined with the delayed gratification of research, fixed-term contracts, intense competition, etc., I feel like I am burning out.
On the other hand, transitioning to industry scares me, since I have been dwelling in university laboratories for the past 10 years of my life. What if I don't like it there and want to come back? With the "publish or perish" attitude, after a few years of not publishing the doors of academia would be shut for me. Or at least that's my impression.
The result of all the above is a feeling of angst and despair, and wondering whether I have been wasting my time all these years, even though the numbers say the opposite (goddamn numbers!). Taking a break from everything and pursuing some of my hobbies for a while, on the other hand, seems like a decision that could be fruitful.<issue_comment>username_1: These are standard questions that Human Resources needs to know the answers to in order to deal with international hires. The answer to the first question is presumably no. HR needs to know this, because if you are hired, they will need to start the paperwork to get you a work visa. The second question covers whether you have the documentation (principally a passport) that you and they will need to complete the visa application process.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Unless you're already eligible to work in the US (e.g. as a permanent resident), you'll have to answer the second question with a "no."
The three aspects of US employment/immigration law that you need to know about are that
1. Newly hired employees are required to prove that they're eligible to work in the US by filling out an I-9 form and providing the required documentation. Most universities than use an online service called e-verify to verify the information on the I-9 form. You'll typically be required to provide this documentation immediately upon being hired (not six months later when your first semester starts.) You're being asked if you can fill out the I-9 form.
2. Practically all of the options for a visa that would enable you to work in the US require sponsorship by the employer. This sponsorship requires the employer to declare that there were no qualified applicants that weren't already eligible to work in the US and obtain an authorization from the US Department of Labor. The process takes weeks to months, and can cost thousands of dollars. If you say that you're good to go, and the employer later finds out that they'd have to sponsor you for a visa, they may simply withdraw your job offer rather than sponsor you for a visa.
3. It's not legal to discriminate between various classes of people who do already have the right to work in the US (e.g. between permanent residents vs. citizens.) The particular wording of that question is designed to protect against that kind of discirimination.
Going beyond the "yes/no" answer to this question, you could provide additional information that could be helpful. For example, if you hold Canadian citizenship than its easy for you to be employed on a NAFTA visa, and you wouldn't need to be sponsored for an H-1B visa. On the other hand, if you're currently on an expiring J-1 visa with a "return home" requirement, it could be difficult for them to sponsor you for an H-1B visa.
Upvotes: 5
|
2016/11/03
| 949
| 4,032
|
<issue_start>username_0: I was asked by the editor of a mathematical journal to review a submission by an author (unknown to me) which heavily relies upon some of my earlier work. I do not have much experience with writing peer reviews, but I have a good grasp of the topic of the submission.
The new results in the submission build heavily on earlier results in my published work; they are interesting and, in my opinion, worth publishing. However, while reading the mathematical proofs, I couldn't shake the feeling that they were overly complicated. Indeed, after thinking about it some more, I found that the proofs can be dramatically shortened by using insights that the author may not have had. For instance, one proof would go from roughly three pages to around half a page. For another proof, it seems that it can be reduced to a more standard situation, again drastically shortening it.
My work-in-progress report on the paper now 1) sketches the shortened proof for the first situation, 2) describes the needed insight to reduce the proof in the second situation to the more standard situation. At this point, the suggested changes seem to amount to a significant contribution to the paper since they touch not just minor parts of the paper, but the bulk of it.
At this point, I wonder what the best way to proceed is. Should I just submit the report with these suggestions? Or may it be appropriate in this situation to suggest to the editor that, if the original author is interested, he may contact me so that we can co-author a revised paper together? Or would that be considered unethical?
I do not want to overstep my bounds as a reviewer, but on the other hand I don't know how common it is for reviewers to contribute significant improvements to a paper anonymously.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> At this point, I wonder what the best way to proceed is. Should I just submit the report with these suggestions?
>
>
>
This is indeed the high road to take here. As a reviewer, you explain your ideas on how the paper can be improved. The authors will or will not take all or some of them into account.
Asking for co-authorship in return for your service would likely be perceived as very cocky and unprofessional. I doubt that either the editor or the authors would be pleased about this or seriously consider taking you up for your offer.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I have been on the receiving end of such an extremely helpful review, and I am grateful for that. Since (s)he is anonymous all I could do was thank the anonymous reviewer at the usual "thank you footnote". That won't help her or him much, but if he or she reads it he or she will know that the help was appreciated.
However, the editor does know that you have written an exceptionally helpful review. Leaving good impressions like that does tend to come back at some point: maybe (s)he is in a hiring committee for a position you are applying for, maybe the journal is looking for new (associate) editors, ...
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: If the paper is otherwise sound and of acceptable quality, you could submit your review saying as much, and then also include your improved proofs as a follow-on submission to be published, ideally in the same journal issue. The original authors come out ahead, because not only does their paper get published, but also cited right away.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: In line with the other answers, I agree that you should not suggest becoming a coauthor.
However, an alternate route could be to relinquish your anonymity by signing your review. This would allow the authors, should they choose, to acknowledge you by name or contact you directly.
There is the possibility that your choice to do so could be regarded as self-serving in this case, but there is [clear](http://www.molecularecologist.com/2014/04/do-we-sign-our-peer-reviews-mostly-no/) [precedent](https://blog.publons.com/should-i-sign-my-review/) for signing peer reviews.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/03
| 566
| 2,561
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am writing a research proposal and I plan to approach it by dividing the most important functions of university into three categories--teaching, research and service.
Teaching will include all forms of education afforded to students.
Research broadly refers to all attempts at generating new knowledge.
Service refer to service to the monarchy, state, the public and in some situations, to the students as customers.
Do these categories sufficiently cover most functions of a university? Is there anything important that I could not include in these categories?<issue_comment>username_1: Universities, and their students, do a lot of community service. While this might fall under your *service* category, I wouldn't describe it as service directly tied to the monarchy, state or "public".
At a minimum I think your list is missing
* Social: At the undergraduate level many universities actively promote social interactions via [*greek life*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraternities_and_sororities) which I would not describe as teaching, research, or service. Even at the graduate student level the social networking that students engage in is a critical part of university life.
* Sports: Many universities, especially in the US, also stress sports.
* Fund Raising: Unfortunately a large portion, at least in the US, of the university function is to promote the university by raising funds
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Since you cite service to the monarchy, I'm assuming that you aren't in the US. The following therefore may or may not apply to your country (I simply don't know):
In the US, each state has a "land grant university" whose mission -- other than research, teaching, and general service -- it is to provide technical and agricultural support to the state. These universities typically have stations in every county in the state where they provide training to farmers through their Agricultural Extension Service, and mechanical advice to individuals and companies as well. These Extension Services are *big* organizations. They have *some* connection to the rest of the university through occasional joint appointments of central staff with academic apartments, but the majority of employees are out in the counties and are not directly connected to the academic enterprise.
I suppose you could subsume them into "service", but the mission of these Extension Services is sufficiently different from that of the academic departments that that doesn't do the situation real justice.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/11/03
| 424
| 1,919
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am currently finding a supervisor for an MSc program. It is incredibly difficult to get research experience as an undergraduate student (especially since I attend a large school with an incredible amount of competition). However, I make the best use of resources available to me. I have joined several organizations at school which are directly related to my masters program. As a member, I have researched and published several student papers (not in scientific journals). These papers are well written and researched (as they go through an extensive editing process) and demonstrate my passion. I will mention these projects in my emails / CV. However, in my emails, should I mention that these are "available upon request"?<issue_comment>username_1: If you believe that these papers provide evidence of your abilities as a researcher, and you can make them available to a potential supervisor then I see no reason not to state that they are "available upon request". This way they can read them if they want to, but aren't being sent documents unsolicited.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: As stated in comments, you should make the papers available to the potential supervisor online:
* Create yourself a basic webpage with a sensible address.
* List the papers, with full details and references.
* Link to the pages of the places they are published.
* If the copyright agreement allows, link also to a copy of the paper.
* Given the option, make this copy on the arXiv (get the supervisor from the paper to endorse you, assuming it's in their field).
* If you cannot use the arXiv, store the copies on the same website.
* Alternatively, your current institution may have an eprint system you can use.
* Make sure your co-authors are happy with this.
* Include the web address when you contact potential supervisors (if it is long, perhaps use a tinyurl *with preview*).
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/11/03
| 566
| 2,544
|
<issue_start>username_0: To be honest, I'm not sure how exactly to word my question in order not to cause any miss-understanding.
During my literature review sometimes I encounter with researches which propose an approach with promising results. Then when I try to use it or to investigate its theoretical principles I notice it is not as straightforward as it was mentioned in the paper to expect such great results. Then I contact the guy asking for more details about the method or even for the code to implement the approach and reproduce the results, but I hear no answer from them or some thing like "sorry we do not know where the code is now!" or "we have no right to give the code" or some vague answer which is not helpful.
Well, these papers always have tables and numbers related to real data to support their hypothesis, but sometimes I wonder if it is even rarely possible than the authors were faking something? or I'm totally wrong about it?
Even some of these papers are published in high ranked conferences which makes it harder to be skeptical about them!
So my question is how much should we trust works of others in academia even if they published their work in well-known conferences?
p.s: my field is computer science and mostly about algorithms and methods and the implementation results which can support the claimed performance for the algorithm.<issue_comment>username_1: If you believe that these papers provide evidence of your abilities as a researcher, and you can make them available to a potential supervisor then I see no reason not to state that they are "available upon request". This way they can read them if they want to, but aren't being sent documents unsolicited.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: As stated in comments, you should make the papers available to the potential supervisor online:
* Create yourself a basic webpage with a sensible address.
* List the papers, with full details and references.
* Link to the pages of the places they are published.
* If the copyright agreement allows, link also to a copy of the paper.
* Given the option, make this copy on the arXiv (get the supervisor from the paper to endorse you, assuming it's in their field).
* If you cannot use the arXiv, store the copies on the same website.
* Alternatively, your current institution may have an eprint system you can use.
* Make sure your co-authors are happy with this.
* Include the web address when you contact potential supervisors (if it is long, perhaps use a tinyurl *with preview*).
Upvotes: 1
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2016/11/03
| 1,261
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<issue_start>username_0: I started graduate school recently. A professor was talking about impostor syndrome and said that everyone goes through it. They made a joke saying that if you don't feel like an impostor, something is wrong.
Well, I certainly don't feel like an impostor. I'm doing well in my studies and a professor even said that I'm doing "outstanding".
So, is there something wrong with me that I feel confident in my abilities?<issue_comment>username_1: This professor was just trying to reassure the folks who are feeling doubtful or worried.
Bottom line: if you feel worried about something, that's okay, it's a common phenomenon, and feeling that way is nothing to worry about; if you don't feel worried about something, great! No need to feel worried!
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I'd suggest to look at this more generally.
Up to recently, there was science that required one to have a philosophical mind. There were such people, scientists, who thought and felt differently than others, and who were literally a different kind of people, because they wanted to know the hidden truth of things and think more rationally than others who looked only at the surface. They were special people to talk to; they were interesting not only by their deeds like most other people, for example engineers — from whom it is always a result that is eventually required, and nothing else than a result, — but also, and especially, by their words. They could be spiritually enlightening people to converse with, and that was the main value that they brought to the society as a whole: rationality, and education. They could not only give you what you need, like other intelligent people who do not shy away from some work, but they could also tell you what you should in fact need, and what you should think about things in general. To sum up, they knew something, and they wanted to know, and they changed and moulded their minds in order to know, and they strove to know by all ways, all their life. And what they would tell you could well be much better than what you could think by yourself. It was not merely sporadic, there was indeed such role in the society.
Now, such science is gone, or almost gone, and certainly it is being pushed away as philosophical nonsense, or as a violation of liberty, or under many more pretexts. People who take the place nowadays are usually just ordinary people with an ordinary organisation of mind, to the ordinary exception that their mind be well suited to their profession at hand. And that profession has nothing to do with knowing the hidden truth, rather it is centred around deliviring a result, like all other people do. Of course, still someone entering academia might do so because he has a philosophical inkling in his mind, but what matters is that he can do all his duties no matter whether he is a philosopher or not, without paying any attention to the philosophical spirit even if he is endowed with it, and that, therefore, even in the case he is, still his philosophical spirit undergoes no meaningful development during his education and work, his conclusions remain as meagre from the philosophical point of view as anyone else's would be. Quite generally one might say that such people perform the role of, so to say, a meta-engineer: the object of their job is to endow other people of action with ways to go and templates to use.
So there is a mix of the present and of the past. The memories of the past role of scientist still remain. A young scientist can see that he is bright and hard-working, but he also is still taught, often implicitly, that there is something more that is required from him, and he feels, quite vaguely, that he does not possess in his soul that which he should have. He is not that special in his thoughts and in his feelings, he is just like all other people around him, especially like those of them who have acquired, too, a difficult profession: for example, a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, an economist. What is worse, his own profession differs from most other professions in that he does not deliver any results immediately, his results might or might not make a difference only in the future, sometimes in the distant future. He is like, say, an IT security specialist, who is only thanked in a handful of unlikely events, or even not at all. That exarcerberates his feeling that he is not doing enough.
Now, of course, if he can see his real position, and is not trying to think he is one who he is not, namely a scientist of the past, a man of wisdom, then certainly he shall not feel he is an impostor, and will simply take for granted the contingencies of his own profession. In society, all memories wane eventually, and one of this special role of a scientist is probably destined to go the same path, unfortunately. One might make a prediction that in twenty to fifty years there will be no more impostor syndrome in academia. This is merely a thing of our days, a result of a social change not yet complete.
What does that mean, eventually? That it is actually quite fine not to have any "syndrome", as usual. It should be just like elsewhere: some work, some do not, but those who do not usually leave… or are supposed to.
Upvotes: -1
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2016/11/03
| 731
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<issue_start>username_0: I want to know how I can shop for an advisor (between departments) that does his job: advises students without coercing them to put things in their dissertation they don't believe in or choosing topics for them so that they themselves can profit. I guess I want to find the signs of a not-bad advisor (not harmful) who is interested in the topic rather than a positively good advisor.<issue_comment>username_1: With a few obvious exceptions, a "good advisor" is totally dependent on the fit with the student. You have some opinions already on what you are looking for, which is good, but not everyone may share your opinions, for example, I disagree with "choosing topics for them so that they themselves can profit" - I would much rather work with an advisor who expects to profit from the work I do (giving the student appropriate credit, of course), and would highly value the guidance on choosing a fruitful direction of study from a seasoned mentor rather than follow blindly my own naive assumptions. (note: I'm not saying your opinions/qualifications are wrong, just supporting my assertion that "good" is relative)
That said, here are my suggestions:
1) If your field allows it, I would highly recommend a graduate program that has some sort of "rotation" system where you spend time(1-3 months) with 2-4 different advisors so you can learn their styles and interests. Of course this isn't always an option, so...
2) Be honest about your expectations with any mentors you are interested in. You will get the most helpful response if you don't include value judgments in your expectations - don't ask "are you good at meeting regularly with your students?" Instead ask, "How often do you meet with your students? What does a regular meeting with you look like?"
3) Talk with current and former students of your advisors of interest; make your personal interests and expectations clear. Ask about all phases of their project, from initial planning to final writing. Find out how successful they have been publishing their work and if their expectations related to publication were met.
4) Make sure your methodological approaches agree with your advisor, not just research interests - if you believe strongly in quantitative methods and statistical analysis, but your advisor publishes on anecdotes and case studies, there is going to be friction and your advisor may not be equipped to mentor you.
5) Most of the stories I have heard about professors who are inflexible with their students or who have taken unfair credit for their students work are related to pressure around the time of tenure or in very large labs where projects are pre-defined - these situations might be fine for other students but given your concerns you may want to avoid them unless everything else makes it a great fit.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: By those criteria, the best advisor is the one whose students have the best placements - post doc, TT, or otherwise. It might be hell, but track record (considering attrition rate as well) speaks volumes. High attrition rates suggests bad environment. Low placement suggests inadequate advising and career-advance credit given. Faculty with a proven succession of placements must be doing something right.
Upvotes: -1
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2016/11/03
| 503
| 2,221
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<issue_start>username_0: Is possible to apply to a PhD psychology program, and if accepted, then transfer a year later to another program that is higher in ranking?<issue_comment>username_1: It might be possible, but I would not recommend it unless there are very special circumstances. For example, if your advisor is moving institutions, it might be appropriate to follow them if you have their backing.
The higher ranking program is going to wonder why you were unable to complete your studies at the original institution, and will question your ability to play well with others. They will have many, many applicants that are as qualified or more qualified than you that lack the uncertainties you will bring ("will they stay?" "why did they leave?" "are they being totally honest?"). Further, there is almost nothing you will be able to accomplish in your first year of graduate school that will distinguish you to the point that a school that originally rejected you will suddenly want to drop everything to have you.
Two more pieces of advice: first, the ranking of the school you do your graduate work at matters less than your choice of advisor and ability to thrive in the lab you join.
Second, if you feel like you need more experience or to improve your resume to get into the school you want, you will be much better off getting a research job for a year that is not part of a graduate program - this is very common, and will not be looked upon as strange by an admissions committee. Changing universities after a year will.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In theory, your PhD application should be your "last stop."
The idea of transferring to a better program might work if you "woke up" late in your academic career, say in your master's program or the senior year of a bachelor's program. Then if you get "top grades" in the first year or so of a middling PhD program to overshadow worse grades earlier in your academic career, that might enable you to transfer to a better program.
My own experience, and that of several of my PhD classmates was the opposite; that if you get into the best program warranted by your earlier grades and can't "hack it," the transfers are "downward."
Upvotes: 1
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2016/11/03
| 667
| 2,855
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<issue_start>username_0: Is the prestige / difficulty of my undergraduate school taken into consideration when I apply to graduate school? I understand that it is not an excuse my lower grades (however, my GPA is respectable). I am wondering if this has an influence.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, it will not be a huge factor, but if admissions are competitive for the program you are applying to, imagine another application identical to yours in every way except your institution: that might be the only way for the admissions committee to make a decision. Furthermore, graduate schools can be rated on the pedigree of their students, both before admission and after graduation. Not all is lost, however - you have many other ways to distinguish yourself, and I would never recommend someone choose an undergraduate institution solely for its prestige when applying to graduate schools.
Broadly speaking, I think the importance of your undergraduate institution is very dependent on the institution you are applying to - the most prestigious institutions are probably the ones that care the most about prestige.
Lastly, if you have already completed/are near completion of your undergraduate program, you don't have much control over this anymore - focus on what you can actually influence instead of what you cannot.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The admission committee I serve has 11 members and there will probably be 11 unique answers to this question. Generally, it matters, but the degree it matters and how much it'd factor into the decision varies member to member, committee to committee.
There is thought such as "A grade B+ in prestigious university is better than a grade A in a so-so university." And there is thought such as "This so-called prestigious university tends to inflate grades, so a mediocre grade is going to be a bad news." The amount of subjectivity and variation can be astounding.
To complicate the problem further, what is "prestige?" Generally, people can name up to 10 prestigious universities, and then the rest are somewhat hazy. Some committees attempt to use acceptance rates as a representation and yet it's far from perfect: program by program the acceptance rates can differ, and such fine information is seldom available.
So, they do care, but it's difficult to predict how much. I'd say don't worry too much about the existing GPAs. If you can improve it, take some relevant courses and get some good grades, if not, then present the best aspects of yours through showcasing your course combination (e.g. did you take more challenging courses over the easier?) and trend (e.g. did your grades improve along time?), clear sense of a long-term plan, a convincing personal statement, and impressive open exam scores (such as TOEFL and GRE in the US) to order to leave a good impression.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/11/04
| 1,150
| 5,205
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<issue_start>username_0: Since the purpose of a PhD is to learn proper research skills, which should be applicable to any subject area, and since people can publish in subject areas unrelated to their dissertation, does it really matter which subject one chooses to research for their PhD?
Clearly, there are issues of motivation (if someone gets bored, it will be difficult to put in the effort required to complete the program) but if someone is interested in education/pedagogy, finance, leadership, and other areas, does the initial research area matter?
If someone gets a PhD in education/pedagogy and later wants to do more research in the area of finance, will the fact that the PhD was done in a different area introduce problems later?<issue_comment>username_1: On the one hand it does not really matter in what field you did your PhD. If you have time, energy, knowledge and skills you can do and publish research in any field you like. Actually, it is not uncommon for people to switch from one field to another or even stay somehow active in more than one field.
Of course, it is not simple as that. A PhD does not only let you to learn "proper research skills", it also brings you to the cutting edge in one small field, to the area where exciting new things may be found. And getting to that edge is hard work. Getting to another edge in a totally different area will take hard work again. You need to learn the jargon, the basics, the recent literature, grasp the driving questions in that field… On top of that, research in different fields can be surprisingly different. What may look like an interesting accomplishment in one field may sound ridiculous or even boring for another field. So I would say, starting research in a different field on your own is a risky endeavor. Having good contacts to different fields can lead to good collaborations and make research in a different field easier. I managed to do a bit of research in measurement technology, pharmacy, computer graphics, even politics while my core field is applied mathematics. However, I only contributed to the work of some team and could never contributed one bit to these fields on my own.
On a more practical note you need the environment to do research, e.g. a tenured position and to get one you need a great reputation in at least one field - being active and good in different fields will probably not work out if you do not manage to be great and visible in one of the fields.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I believe a person with access to research tools (which are far more sophisticated today -- technology does so much for us) and some knowledge of methodology, can produce a research project. I think the more important question is why and to what end does the person carry out that research. Also, I did not earn a PhD to learn proper research skills; I took *courses* for that. In fact, I had acquired some of the skills I needed on the master's level. Rather it was to make a meaningful contribution to my field of study (theological education). Thankfully, from the insights gained in the study, I made the first steps toward doing just that. Will the switch from one field to another cause a problem? I don't see why. Consultation and collaboration should address credibility issues that might arise. The bigger issue is understanding what purpose is served when deciding to make the switch in the first place.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: In my handful of interdisciplinary forays (all within social science), I've actually been struck by how different the fields can be, particularly in regards to the assumptions that are easily digested. In one example I found economists and sociologists were accomplishing the exact same thing using a completely different method, and no one in either field seems to have any idea why anyone in the other field does it that way.
There is also the issue of learning the specific research skills used in a given field. The skills I've learned as an economist are not the same skills learned by someone studying education. Even within the field of economics there are divisions with stark differences in skills, micro vs macro, empirical vs theoretical, and so on, that would make it very difficult to move between them as a researcher. That would likely be greatly compounded going to entirely different fields, even though all of the fields rely on "general research skills".
There's also a huge signaling aspect. You mentioned finance; this is a competitive area, and jobs will always have more applicants than openings. Someone with a finance degree has a leg up on someone with, say, an economics degree, while someone with an economics degree may have a leg up on someone with a business or statistics degree, while those researchers would be ahead of someone with a degree in education. I'm sure you can extend that chain if desired.
So in short, yes, it absolutely matters what your PhD is in. That doesn't mean you can't be an interdisciplinary researcher, particularly once you're tenured somewhere, or that it's *impossible* to switch to related but different fields, but your degree should be in your primary interest.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/11/04
| 670
| 2,893
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<issue_start>username_0: Is there a procedure in place to cover the possibility that someone might find an efficient algorithm to factor large numbers and thereby break RSA encryption? This is just an instance of the more general problem where someone wants to publish a result that breaks an encryption standard. It seems like there are two main possibilities (I welcome the consideration of others):
1. Full publication, say, to a widely-read web site, newsgroup, etc. Likely outcome: chaos on a large scale as criminals break into the private spaces of innocent individuals.
2. Limited dissemination, perhaps to a few mathematicians or a government agency. Likely outcome: the government grabs control of the algorithm (and potentially its discoverer) and does the unpleasant things governments do with such things.
Of course, possibility 2 could easily devolve into possibility 1 if the algorithm becomes public.
Is there a consensus in the academic world about what to do with this problem?<issue_comment>username_1: Yup: [name the algorithm after its creator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shor%27s_algorithm).
What you're referring to is called "Shor's Algorithm". It's a (quantum) algorithm for integer factorization that runs in polynomial time. In layman's terms, that's a fancy way of saying it can break most public-key encryption schemes (including RSA) in a feasible, scalable, efficient manner. Of course, the catch here is that it requires a quantum computer of sufficient size -- which doesn't exist yet, but likely will in the foreseeable future.
---
What follows is more speculation on my part than anything else, but the question itself is (in my opinion) highly speculative, so I figure that's fair.
I imagine a variation of option 1 is the most likely scenario (but instead of a widely-read website, it would be a *highly* prestigious mathematical journal). Woud mass hysteria follows? I think that's unlikely. For one, symmetric-key encryption (AES) wouldn't be touched. For another, there are [other asymmetric-key encryption systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McEliece_cryptosystem) that don't rely on integer factorization but rather another hard mathematical problem. And I think we can safely say that all of those hard problems won't be solved overnight.
And then there's always [quantum cryptography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_cryptography). So I think we're going to be fine for a while longer.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: You can prove that you have the algorithm without publishing it by publishing the factorization of a large number of well known test cases. Then people have time to adapt to a possible threat. If you are afraid of the government or the mafia, there is a sufficient number of ways to publish the algorithm at a preset date in the future, from cron jobs to hidden messages to good old notaries.
Upvotes: 3
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2016/11/04
| 1,441
| 6,141
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<issue_start>username_0: Would a professor find it strange or be irritated if an unknown student asks him a question during his office hours that is related to his field but either is or isn't related to any class he is teaching?
Sometimes I encounter a math problem in my engineering class where I'd find it helpful if a math professor could explain a concept to me when I don't have any satisfactory answers. Another example is if I am working on an outside of class project and would like to ask a CS professor what an apache log is?
Is this acceptable?<issue_comment>username_1: You can certainly ask a professor politely if he/she would be willing to talk to you about some research topic that might be of mutual interest to you. Don't be too surprised if the professor isn't interested in discussing it with you though- what's interesting to you might well not be interesting to that professor.
Furthermore, it is unreasonable to expect a professor to help you with a class that you are taking from some other professor or in a different academic department. You have an instructor for that other course, and you probably also have access to a tutoring center where you can get help from people whose job it is to provide tutoring.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In general, yes. Personally I've been pretty open to answering questions about my field of expertise from "random" students during my office hours. *But*:
* Ask first: "I was working on X and am wondering about Y. Do you think you would have time to answer a few questions?" Be prepared to hear "No, I'm sorry, I don't."
* Ask the right person. Don't assume that a CS professor who teaches machine learning will know anything about Apache logs.
* Come prepared with a specific question - don't expect me to explain an entire topic to you from beginning to end, or spend an hour walking you through a tutorial on some programming concept you want to learn.
* Don't abuse office hours as a substitute for doing basic research on your own (e.g. "I know I could easily find the answer to my question online, but it was quicker to come ask you during office hours.")
* Professors may want to give "priority" to students who are actually enrolled in their classes. If the office hours are busy, try not to monopolize the professor's time - or come back at a less busy time, like the week *after* the midterm exam instead of the week *before* ;)
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Ordinarily, I'd say go ahead and ask, but both the examples you cite sound like you should not need to ask an outside professor. The first is clearly the responsibility of the prof of your engineering class -- AFTER you've done all you can do to learn the math on your own -- and the second seems like enough time in front of a search engine should do the job.
To expand a little bit, for the question about the apache log, it doesn't sound like you're anywhere near prepared enough to even ask the question. Spend an hour trying to find your own answer. Do some prelim research to better inform your question. If you haven't found the answer, you might consider looking for the appropriate Stack Exchange group, and asking there. If you still haven't gotten the answer you need, now would be the time to try to find an expert to talk to.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Although I certainly do aim to be civil to students who "drop in", and, yes, am able to gauge earnestness... : the point is that anything that comes up in undergrad engineering or undergrad math classes or first or second-year grad courses is (almost surely) *standard*. That is, many sources exist for it, on-line and off. That does *not* entail that an experienced expert can't add any insights to the standard sources, but it *does* mean that a student who hasn't looked at (or found...) the standard sources is asking (probably inadvertently) for tooooo much help. That is, very likely looking at any one of the standard sources would instantly resolve the question, and truly expert insights are irrelevant and unnecessary (and a waste of an expert's time).
One advantage of on-line sites like MathStackExchange is the asynchronousness: I only look at them when I'm in the mood, and no one is offended if I don't respond at all, and, indeed, I can give whatever response I want and then I'm done.
In that regard, I almost *prefer* drop-ins to appointments, since, in fact, appointments consume more mental resources than spur-of-the-moment things. Nevertheless, of course, all my time *is* planned out for nearly every day. Thus, "drop in" questions by email are preferable to in-person. But/and, yes, my email response may be that this is standard and one can easily look it up... e.g., in notes I've written that are on-line.
The worst-case scenario is non-math people (e.g., engineering students, sorry) vastly under-estimating the effort often required to really prove things, if that's what they believe that they want. It is a happy miracle that mathematics works so well, especially at "modest scales" in the physical world, and, mostly, it is easy to obtain physical corroboration for *heuristic* mathematics. That is, plausibility arguments are often straightforward, even if requiring some wishful thinking. Part of the "miracle" is that, historically, it has often proven difficult to distill a physical narrative into genuine mathematical terms that no longer depend on literal physical intuition for their sense or proof. (Sure, for physical scientists, there may indeed be no reason to even attempt to abstract mathematics from the physical.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: If you send email to a professor, introduce yourself properly and politely, compose it nicely, and don't be offhanded about it. Otherwise the professor might not take you seriously and ignore the email. I had an otherwise very smart student doing research on land use who wanted to meet professors working in the field. She'd write something like, "hey, could I come meet you?" and then wonder why she got no reply. I had to teach her in etiquette as well as the subject.
Upvotes: -1
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2016/11/04
| 850
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<issue_start>username_0: I recently received the review reports for my first grant. All four scores were 5 out of 6. The comments are also mostly positive. Two criticised a bit about the pathways to impact and the support from the department, but nothing major.
What do you think I should write in my response? I've drafted a version and made a response to each point raised by the reviewers. However, my mentor thinks that probably the reviewers were not enthusiastic enough or something like that - and that’s the really serious thing, and that I need to emphasise my proposal is great, not to answer the "lazy" questions from reviewers.
I am a bit confused. What shall I write then?<issue_comment>username_1: I assume your question is about one of the UK Research Councils, probably EPSRC. If that's true, then 5555 is currently considered quite a *low* score, and such a proposal is not likely to be put forward for funding during the Panel meeting (unless you have a year with unusually low competition level, or someone in Panel is really keen to fund your research). In fact, the competition levels in EPSRC right now are so insane, that even proposals scored 6666 are not always supported.
The fact that you have "lazy" comments from Reviewers makes your situation even more difficult, as you are not given a good chance to stand for yourself by answering the questions. Your mentor is right that at this stage you have to write a really brilliant Response to Reviewers to make your proposal fundable.
Good luck with it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: My experience with panels and proposal review is that it's impossible to read from reviews what reviewers or the panel really thought unless you've been on panels many times and have experienced the dynamics of discussions there. As such, I read your question that you are interpreting the reviews you have in a more literal way, whereas your adviser (who may have been on panels before) reads them through the lens of what the reviewers were probably thinking when they wrote them. She is probably right, and you'd do well following her advice.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: In the US, for many scientific review panels, the person to talk to at this stage is the Program Officer or somebody in a similar role, who works within the organizational structure of the funding agency and who was in the room while the proposal was discussed. Such a person is often very skilled at helping the investigator determine what the mood was in the room (or on the phone) while the grant was being discussed, and can help you frame your response.
I don't know the mechanisms where you are, but you should see if there is such person in your local infrastructure, but I'm sure your mentors will.
I wouldn't agree with Dmitry's assessment that across the board 5's are a *low* score. Fact is, there are so many proposals compared to awards granted in many fields, that many fine grants that deserve funding just don't make the cut. Reviewers feel bad about it, funding institutes feel bad about it, and obviously investigators feel bad about it, but that's the life we lead.
My recommendation for how to come out the other side of this, and work your way into the "funded" column, is to partake in, or start up, a formal mentorship program where the experienced help new investigators. Get some people with established grant records to preview grants before they go in, even starting discussion as the proposal is in its formative stages, and help newbies tone them up before submission. At this point, you have what we in the US call "pink sheets" with the reviews. Get three or four funded investigators to read your grant and your pink sheets, and help you plan a response.
Upvotes: 0
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2016/11/04
| 551
| 2,355
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<issue_start>username_0: I am planning to apply to a PhD program in applied mathematics next year, and by that time my MSc thesis (which is in pure mathematics) should be finished.
In case my research results are not significant enough to be published in a journal, how will my thesis be evaluated for the sake of the admission process? Will someone from the committee actually read parts of it (note that a potential advisor will probably not be very familiar with my MSc field)? Will my research potential be judged solely based on my references' recommendation letters referring to my thesis/research? (In which case, is it even worth putting effort in how the thesis is written, assuming my grad school is happy enough with it to award me a degree?)<issue_comment>username_1: Although it is hard for me to talk about a phd program in applied math. In my field, for phd in immunology, proffessors like you to have a paper but it is not absolute. If you do have one you have a better chance to find a good option. Your grades will also count. Because, it might help you to get a scholarship. When it comes to your thesis, a closer subject to Phd supervisors field will be a better choice. But nobody will ever read any part of your thesis.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Given the fact that is extremely rare to have a decent publication out of a Master thesis in pure maths, the content and quality of your thesis will be reflected on the recommendation letters.
This, together with your grades and other activities you may have would be the ticket to your admission.
Note that *nobody* will read your thesis. For the admission committee should be enough if it is apparent from the letters that you did a decent work in your thesis. Your application should show that you have *potential* of doing research but nobody has the time (or the will) to go through a thesis document.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I am a pure mathematician in the UK. If people apply to do a PhD with me then I will always ask to see a final year undergraduate project or a masters thesis or similar piece of work, if possible. One can often learn a lot by reading a small section of such work. In some cases I might read the whole thing, if it seemed sufficiently interesting. Of course I will also pay close attention to grades and references.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/11/04
| 1,026
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<issue_start>username_0: I will be graduating with a PhD and so I have one coming up soon. It seems like a new trend in academia. It is usually for all graduate students who enter the program when they leave it, with or without finishing. For example: ece.rice.edu/~suman/grad\_council/exit.html. It is not to be confused with the thesis defense and will have no impact on my graduation. The interview is going to be with only the graduate program coordinator in my case. I assume, though, he will share the input with others including my advisor.
I searched the web and found answers for exit interviews in the corporate workplace instead. Most of the websites seem to suggest not to be completely honest to avoid burning bridges. These websites also suggest that HR people don't make any structural changes anyways to accommodate your concern. Can I extrapolate these ideas to a PhD exit interview? Is there anything to be gained by being honest in this interview? In particular, should I be honest about the advice and guidance I received from my advisor especially if I feel I didn't receive enough attention and advice from them? I know this is a common complaint among graduate students, should I be honest nonetheless?<issue_comment>username_1: If you have experienced sexual harassment from a professor at your university, you *could* choose to report that at the exist interview. From my experience at ***cough*** Penn State, the implications of different types of reporting are not explained to students. For example, I made a report against a fellow student to the appropriate sexual harassment contact person on campus. She was understanding and made the student apologize to me and the objectionable behavior ceased. However, I am almost certain there is nothing in that student's file. If there was something in that student's file, then a person subsequently suing for sexual harassment would potentially have access to that report - increasing the consequences for the university. (the student in question was almost certain to offend again in the future)
So, lets say you are leaving because of harassment or unfair gender-based treatment from a prof. You could make that statement in an "exit interview" or, to you could make a statement to a sexual harassment contact person on campus. What you want, ideally, is a written complaint. Eventually enough of those written complaints could trigger protective behavior on the part of the university - i.e. "we need to retire prof. X or we will eventually get sued."
In the engineering industry, the opinion of your professor generally has very little weight in industry 2 or 10 years down the road. If your goal is to pursue a career in academia, this would be a very different calculation.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I had an exit interview when I left my graduate program and I have also had exit interviews in industry. My feeling is that exit interviews in Academia have the potential to be productive, whereas in industry, it's mostly just HR covering the company from liability.
There is probably no perfect answer, but I would say that you should be honest while remaining professional and constructive. If you have criticisms of your degree program, try to keep them general (don't focus on your PI or your lab unless they ask about it). My program director was very defensive when anyone criticized the program, so I was careful and tried to provide solutions to my criticisms. I do think that he took some of the suggestions to heart, such as moving the qualifying exam so that it did not overlap with certification board exams.
In my opinion, the exit exam is not the time to bring up anything along the lines of harassment, mostly because I don't think it would be recorded properly, as random\_non\_bot\_person mentioned.
Industry is different. Exit exams seem to be only there to cover the company. If you were sexually harassed at the company, HR wants to know so that they can prepare for a legal defense (I'm guessing, I'm no lawyer). They want to know if you were fired, they want you to understand the implications of any NDAs that you signed, and they want to know that you aren't going to sue them.
**Summary:** Academia exit interviews have some potential to change the program, but is highly dependent on the program itself. Industry exit exams will almost definitely not change a thing.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2016/11/04
| 538
| 2,286
|
<issue_start>username_0: Would you have an advantage when applying for some graduate school if you write in your forms that you own some useful equipment already from your independent research and you would offer free time to the institute to use it or for undergraduate teaching purposes. Something in the price range of 90'000$, like a bioluminescence microscope or a large telescope?<issue_comment>username_1: That might certainly catch my eye if I read your application, but I'm not sure how much weight it would carry. I would be a bit nervous offering it quid pro quo - that seems to get into a dangerous or at least gray area in the vicinity of a bribe for admission.
My suggestion, if you include such information, would be to limit your disclosure to a demonstration of your commitment to the topic of interest, or to talk about ways you have *already* used the equipment for outreach purposes to demonstrate your value to the community as an emerging scholar - and not as a condition on accepting your application.
The problem is the perception, and whether you offer it directly or not you could be perceived as trying to sway the admissions committee. For example, a police officer has some leeway in choosing whether to cite you or not; offering the officer $100 is going to get you in trouble, whether you say "I will give you $100 if you let me go" or if you say "Hey I just wanted to let you know how much I care about police officers in general, so I am going to put this $100 on your car, you can take it if you want."
Your situation is different because the legality is much less clear than the example I just gave, but I would be uncomfortable accepting a student who wouldn't normally meet the expectations of the university because they were offering the use of some equipment.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Smacks of bribery. I would avoid any quid pro quo. If you get in, you should owe your department your best efforts, and nothing else, and they owe you an opportunity for an education.
Mention in your statement the kind of research that you do and the types of experience that you have, because that's relevant to your package. Do not mention that you will make the equipment available to them, because that would not be appropriate.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/04
| 477
| 2,015
|
<issue_start>username_0: Can you apply and be admitted to a graduate school without having an undergraduate degree?<issue_comment>username_1: That might certainly catch my eye if I read your application, but I'm not sure how much weight it would carry. I would be a bit nervous offering it quid pro quo - that seems to get into a dangerous or at least gray area in the vicinity of a bribe for admission.
My suggestion, if you include such information, would be to limit your disclosure to a demonstration of your commitment to the topic of interest, or to talk about ways you have *already* used the equipment for outreach purposes to demonstrate your value to the community as an emerging scholar - and not as a condition on accepting your application.
The problem is the perception, and whether you offer it directly or not you could be perceived as trying to sway the admissions committee. For example, a police officer has some leeway in choosing whether to cite you or not; offering the officer $100 is going to get you in trouble, whether you say "I will give you $100 if you let me go" or if you say "Hey I just wanted to let you know how much I care about police officers in general, so I am going to put this $100 on your car, you can take it if you want."
Your situation is different because the legality is much less clear than the example I just gave, but I would be uncomfortable accepting a student who wouldn't normally meet the expectations of the university because they were offering the use of some equipment.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Smacks of bribery. I would avoid any quid pro quo. If you get in, you should owe your department your best efforts, and nothing else, and they owe you an opportunity for an education.
Mention in your statement the kind of research that you do and the types of experience that you have, because that's relevant to your package. Do not mention that you will make the equipment available to them, because that would not be appropriate.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/04
| 460
| 1,743
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have a respectable cGPA of 3.5 and annual GPA of 3.7. I am hoping to graduate with at least a cGPA of 3.5 which would award me with "high honours". I am not trying to find an "excuse" for a low GPA (since mine is rather high), but rather emphasize that I was able to achieve those marks while volunteering / commuting. I am hoping this demonstrates my hard work. Anyways, I volunteer on research 3 hours a week (not a huge time commitment). However, I also commute 5 hours total to and from school (so about 25 hours a week simply commuting). I am wondering if this would be worthwhile to mention in my letter or if I should leave it out? I am definitely mentioning my volunteering since it relates to the program.<issue_comment>username_1: I agree with @BryanKrause.
I would avoid mentioning anything related to your commute. To the outside observer this appears to be "your choice" thus you will have to deal with the consequences of that decision (i.e. 5 hour commute). Additionally, these hours spent are percived as "wasted" because the other person with the 1 hour commute has more time for thier studies & research.
Some context for my answer: My relative's commute was 3 hours each way for almost 15 years. Often, employers, colleagues & even strangers told me her she was crazy. In many cases, this cost her the job & when that was not the case she was advised to downplay the commute.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I'd advise against bringing up anything that might seem like an excuse, so I'd forego mentioning the commute. That said, this is an EXCELLENT thing to have mentioned in a letter of recommendation that reinforces your dedication. Try to get a recommender to bring it up.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/11/04
| 142
| 580
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have sent an academic job application with a cover letter starting "Dear Madam or Sir,..." and I've just realised that the correct form is instead "Dear Search Committee Chair,...". Have I made a huge mistake?<issue_comment>username_1: Probably not. I doubt anyone is going to catch it and, if they do, they probably won't care.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You haven't even made a small mistake. The salutation you used is just fine. I actually like it better than the other idea you find (Search Committee Chair).
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/04
| 537
| 2,272
|
<issue_start>username_0: If somebody receives an email from a journal stating that their paper is accepted for publication, should they write back? If so, what should they say?<issue_comment>username_1: There might be exceptions of which I'm not aware of, but usually, no, you don't reply, unless there are specific queries from the editor.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The courteous thing to do is to write back and say "Thank you for the good news! -- Best, Anonymous Physicist"
There is no need to write back, but being nice is never a bad idea.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: Usually, together with an acceptance letter, there are instructions of what you should do next. Like: make any final edits, sign these copyright forms, etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: You don't need to reply them back, and most probably it will be bothersome to read every email receives from the author which is not relevant to the progress of your paper. But, if they ask questions etc, then you need to reply.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: It depends on the nature of the email you receive.
Needless to say, if you are asked a question in the email, you will want to reply. Moreover, if you have any questions related to how things will continue past acceptance, this can be a good occasion to raise them.
Yet, given your question, I assume neither is the case and we are in a situation where you are asked no questions and everything is clear to you.
* If the email is auto-generated by an editorial management tool and/or pure boilerplate text there is no need to reply and I would advise against doing so.
* If the email is a personal email written to you by a (scientific) editor I recommend to reply. Just thank the editor for the information and express some appreciation. If the process was quick, you could mention this. If the report was detailed, say something positive related to this. If there was a lot of back-and-forth and the editor was helpful and patient, thank for this. If there is nothing specific or you are unsure, just go with "thank you for the good news" as suggested in another answer.
There are some gray-areas, such as email written by technical staff. In doubt, I'd go with a brief reply.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/05
| 480
| 2,061
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am applying for some kind of Visa. Part of the application is to prove my contributions to the research community and one of these contributions is the list of papers I reviewed. Not just the number of articles but the titles, emails from editors inviting me, screenshots from editorial management websites, etc. I feel uncomfortable doing so where these reviews were intended to be anonymous. Is it unethical to do so? Is it a bad thing to do? Should I refuse to do so and just include the number of articles I reviewed per journal/conference?
**Update:** I have consulted a lawyer and she said that "there should not be any privacy issues with that, at least to what I am aware of".<issue_comment>username_1: It's just unethical, but, no one will be mad if you reveal those details, provided that the papers are already been published.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: I believe that this sort of disclosure can be ethical, especially to a neutral third party, and when only discussing papers that have already been accepted and/or published elsewhere. (Papers still in the process somewhere else might be different.). Anonymity of referees isn't a deep ethical good in its own right - it has very clear and specific reasons, and this doesn't seem like a relevant violation.
Consider the reasons why referees are often given anonymity: 1) to allow referees to give honest feedback without fear of (real or imagined) retaliation, 2) to encourage authors to engage with the referee's arguments, not their personality or status, 3) to avoid the appearance/possibility of quid pro quo reviews, and 4) to ensure that broader perceptions of the article are not influenced by knowledge of its referees.
None of these problems would occur by giving the names of articles to a (I'm going to assume) completely uninterested immigration clerk. If you want to be very conscientious, google your contact to make sure they aren't doing immigration processing to make ends meet while an adjunct professor :)
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
|
2016/11/05
| 647
| 2,894
|
<issue_start>username_0: My wife is finishing her doctorate in a few years in a very specific field: Assessment (or Language Testing) of learners' English as a Foreign Language. She will probably apply for research professorships (including advising doctoral graduate students) when she graduates and I have suggested that she try to broaden her horizons and look for positions in Europe as well as in North America. She is nervous in part because she only speaks English (and Mandarin Chinese, which I imagine wouldn't be too helpful).
Are there professors in Europe who don't speak the local native language? Are there areas or universities in particular where people working in academia can get by while only speaking English? Any personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: You can certainly do with just English in most countries.
This is true even for countries like Spain or Italy where English is not that widespread.
Personally, I've worked on a few Spanish universities and some of my colleagues didn't know any Spanish at all when they first arrived.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I wil assume that your wife is not interested in a postdoc position, since you explicitly mention a professorship. In the countries (Netherlands and Germany) and discipline I am that would typically mean a lecturer type position (UD in the Netherlands and W1 in Germany). Getting a full professorship immediately after a PhD is pretty much impossible in the Netherlands and extremely unlikely in Germany. Teaching will be part of the job, and it will be the part where the language is most problematic. If they are interested in hiring internationaly then a typical entry level contract would allow her to teach in English in the first year and offer intensive language courses, in the next year the students should be allowed to ask questions in the local language, but she can answer in English. In the third year she would have to teach in the local language. The speed of progress is typically open for negotiation, e.g. dependent on how closely related the applicant's language is to the local language. The progress is monitored and difficulties and possible solutions are discussed in an annual progress report. The contract specifies the pay raises and promotions that follow automatically when the goals are met.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Besides what the other answers point,I'd like to add there are a few countries in Europe where English is the official and the primary spoken language (UK and Ireland) and some more countries where it is one of the official languages (Cyprus, Malta).
In the first two, there is no problem at all.
And in the other two, I'd expect knowing only English would be less of a problem than in say France or Hungary, although it might be expected to learn some Greek or Maltese at some point.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/05
| 1,255
| 5,086
|
<issue_start>username_0: I recently had a paper accepted in a Springer journal, which allows "Open Choice", meaning that the article can be made Open Access. My institution covers the charges, so I agreed to do it and now it's in process of publication.
My question is: when I first submitted the manuscript, I also put a version on the arXiv and on my webpage. Now in the accepted version there are a couple of updates coming from referee revisions. I already put the new version in my webpage, since I know I can do that.
But what about the arXiv? When using non-Open Access, there is a 12 month embargo period. But it's not clear for me from
<https://www.springer.com/gp/open-access/authors-rights/self-archiving-policy/2124>
whether I can update the version with the accepted version in the arXiv. I don't care for the journal typesetting; I'm happy with just putting the revisions in my own LaTeX file.
Can I do it without issue?<issue_comment>username_1: I agree that the link you provided is somehow contradictory.
So, for the open access option, you can publish the final "official" pdf in any website and/or depository (as you have paid the publications costs and you retain the rights).
For the non-open access option, the information are more confusing. The copyright transfer statement says:
>
> "Authors may self-archive the author’s accepted manuscript of their
> articles on their own websites. Authors may also deposit this version
> of the article in any repository, provided it is only made publicly
> available 12 months after official publication or later. He/ she may
> not use the publisher's version (the final article), which is posted
> on SpringerLink and other Springer websites, for the purpose of
> self-archiving or deposit. Furthermore, the author may only post
> his/her version provided acknowledgement is given to the original
> source of publication and a link is inserted to the published article
> on Springer's website. The link must be provided by inserting the DOI
> number of the article in the following sentence: “The final
> publication is available at Springer via <http://dx.doi.org/[insert>
> DOI]”."
>
>
>
From this it seems that:
1. The accepted version of the manuscript (but not the final pdf) can be published in your own website.
2. The accepted version of the manuscript can be deposited to any repository as long as it is available publicly at least 12 months after the publication.
3. You **cannot** use the official pdf generated by the publisher anywhere.
4. For 1 and 2, you have to add a link to the official pdf.
The second part reads:
>
> Prior versions of the article published on non-commercial pre-print
> servers like arXiv.org can remain on these servers and/or can be
> updated with the author’s accepted version. The final published
> version (in PDF or HTML/XML format) cannot be used for this purpose.
>
>
>
From my understanding, you can have the accepted (or earlier) version on arXiv. But still, it doesn't mention the clause about the 12 month time to be publicly available. Since the last part is not the one you sign when you transfer the copyright, it is probably not legally binding and you are still obliged to keep the 12 month period before you have it publicly available.
I.e. "Any repository" is the legal term and seems to include the non-commercial pre-print repositories.
Now, since you plan to have it open access, there is nothing to worry about. But if you still consider the non-open access option, I would refrain from having the accepted version of the manuscript and I would add a link to the official pdf as well. I would also contact the editor or the support of the journal to clarify if non-commercial pre-print repositories are OK and I wouldn't sign something that is unclear to me.
Contacting them might also lead to a clarification of the instructions or update the Copyright transfer statement you have to sign (which would help other researchers avoid a potential issue).
As a last comment, I suspect that if it would be possible to submit the accepted version to any non-commercial pre-print repository, it kind of negates the whole point of them selling access to your paper...
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Under Springer [Open Choice](https://www.springer.com/gp/open-access/springer-open-choice), you retain copyright and the journal releases the published article under a CC-BY license.
So:
* By the terms of CC-BY, **everyone can make a copy the published paper and redistribute it under the same license**, including on Arxiv.
* Even better: **you, the copyright holder, can relicense the paper to anyone**, with the terms you want. As long as you don't give them an "exclusive right to distribute", of course, because you cannot take back the rights you have already granted others.
Some Open Choice journals use CC-BY-NC, though which may make redistribution under the first method trickier, because Arxiv does not have an option for CC-BY-NC. The other method is always ok, though.
Note: I am not a lawyer.
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/05
| 1,477
| 6,508
|
<issue_start>username_0: There are two tracks for my field of study. One is taught in Dutch and the other in English. This is in the Netherlands. A while ago we had to take a multiple choice exam in English, which looked a bit odd. The sentence construction of the questions makes little sense at first glance, and it took a while to even grasp the content. Furthermore, it seemed quite obvious that the exam was only roughly translated (possibly by a machine) as the exam just sounded as if someone used a thesaurus to make it. In addition some of the answer options were still in Dutch, which made it *extremely* difficult to understand the content. Moreover, some questions had literally the same answer option twice.
So in summary, the students in the English track took the botched translation version, while the students in the Dutch track took the Dutch version.
Is it unethical to give English speaking students a poorly translated version of the same exam that the Dutch students receive?<issue_comment>username_1: There are two different questions in here that are mixed up: one about whether the Dutch and English exams should be identical and one about exam quality.
Regarding the first question: I fail to see why this should be unethical. On the contrary: It seems very *good* that the standards on what you are supposed to know are the same. After all, you get the same degree.
Regarding the second question: Also here, the answer is obvious: Of course, exams need to be of good quality. If that is not the case, sure, this is a problem to be addressed. But that has nothing to do with the question of whether they are a translation or not.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: The key point is whether the poor quality of the exams affected the marks. If translation was poor but students could understand all questions - even with help of professors or assistants present at the exam - bad translation is just an small problem of lack of professionalism that should be fixed before next exam. However, if bad translation prevented students to produce good questions, then it's worse and there are grounds to ask for the exam be repeated.
And I wouldn't focus the issue in ethics. Of course, ethics command to offer students a good service without mistakes like this one, but I see this mistake more as a practical problem than anything else.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I wanted to add an answer that concentrates more specifically on the issues of *fairness* and *ethics*.
Along with some (but not all) of the commenters, I don't think it is a good idea to characterize a poorly written exam as an *ethical problem* (without further information; it is a strange feature of ethical problems that almost anything *could become an ethical problem* under certain circumstances). A poorly written exam is problematic *because it is poorly written*. One does not need to launch an investigation of *why* the exam was poorly written in order to complain about it or seek redress for it.
I find (and have written here elsewhere) that students have a very strong sense of "fairness" and often want things to be completely fair. We could be completely fair by giving all students everywhere the same grades; otherwise I believe it is provably impossible to be completely fair in all situations. Different students are taught by instructors of different levels of abilities or enthusiasms at universities with differing resources in countries with differing resources...and so forth. As a student, there is always going to be some other student who is in a more favorable situation than you. It is not reasonable to ask for otherwise. What is reasonable is to (i) ask to be treated *well* rather than *badly* and (ii) be willing to change from one academic situation to another if you see a better opportunity.
In this particular case:
>
> Is this fair to the students in the English track? Is it even ethical?
>
>
>
Neither one is the right question. Imagine there was no Dutch track, or imagine the Dutch track was experiencing the mirror image situation: getting exams that are poorly translated from English. It would be fair, and arguably ethical, to give poorly translated exams to *everyone*. But it would be *bad* for all parties. As a student you deserve to have exams which are not so poorly written that fluent speakers of the language have trouble understanding the wording of the questions. And you should ask for that. In my view it does not strengthen your case to ask for exams which are "as good as the Dutch track": rather they should be good, full stop. If they aren't, and if faculty there are not interested in conducting their business well rather than badly, consider going elsewhere.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> Is this fair to the students in the English track? Is it even ethical?
>
>
>
It is too early to answer this question. For an exam, a final judgment can only be spoken after the grades have been determined.
Certainly, the way you describe the translation, it seems to have been badly done. This should be avoided in exams - and yet, sometimes it isn't. However, when bad quality creeps into some aspect of an exam, there is always still the option of adjusting the grading. For instance, completely incrompehensible questions might be ignored while grading, ambiguous questions could be graded as correctly answered for either interpretation, etc.
Now, making exam questions truly unambiguous can be hard, and making two exams in two languages express exactly the same information is really hard. Whenever this is attempted, there is a high probability the two language versions will differ at least in some nuances. What is more, this is aggravated by the fact that each question is often designed by very few people (or even just one person), and they are usually not native in all languages the question needs to be written in. Hence, it is almost unavoidable that different language versions of an exam are somewhat "unfairly" different.
Now, if that difference is enough to have a noticeable effect (approximately as in, students complain that had they used the other version, they could have solved a question that they failed to solve), the way to go is to treat the language versions as different exams and slightly decouple their grading schemes. (This only works to a limited extent, when only a few questions are really problematic, before something may have to be done about the entire exam.)
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/11/05
| 1,255
| 5,136
|
<issue_start>username_0: Is it OK to still ask for references, if I know I may not use some of them in my PhD applications?
I wanted to ask the potential referees if they're willing first - but I might not necessarily use some of them, because - for example a stronger prospective referee agrees to write letters for me later on; or that I decide to apply for fewer programmes than I originally intended to.
More specifically:
1. Is it appropriate to approach all (or more than enough) potential referees, in the first place, in one go?
2. Should I keep them (those whose letters I did not use) updated? And if needed, how does one politely do so?<issue_comment>username_1: I would say be respectful of people's time. Rank your reference people from the most desirable to least, then ask from the top. If you need 3, ask the top 3, and if any of them declines, ask the next best one. If you don't have all 3 by a certain time, also start asking the next best one. If you are in a time crunch and very risk-adverse, asking 1 more than what you need is also understandable.
>
> Is it appropriate to approach all (or more than enough) potential
> referees, in the first place, in one go?
>
>
>
Don't do that in one go. Most of your reference people probably know each other and if they found out you're using a flooding approach they may decide not to write one because they may think someone else will be writing one.
>
> Should I keep them (those whose letters I did not use) updated? And if
> needed, how does one politely do so?
>
>
>
Not necessary. That kind of update will only bring bad flavor, as you're telling them that i) I consider someone else's words a lot more valuable than yours and ii) I just wasted your time.
Most application processes (at least in the US) are online now. If you have gathered more than what you need, you can check with the school if you can submit them all or have to drop some. My belief is that the schools do not follow up with the writers of the reference letter. I have never received any follow up on my letters after I submitted them through the system.
So, some safety measures is fine but don't overdo it. And remember to thank everyone who wrote a letter for you. And if you do get accepted, inform and thank them all as if you have used all their letters.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: You can ask several people *whether* they'd be willing to write recommendations for you. Do not ask them to do any actual work until you need it and intend to use it. Recommendations will generally go directly to the institution to which you are applying, so "keeping them updated" doesn't really apply. You'll never see the letters that get written.
When you are ready to ask for the actual recommendation, be sure you provide all the information the referee needs. Substitute "research" or "lab work" for "classes" below as appropriate.Here is what I tell students:
1. **Tell me what the deadline is!**
2. Include your student number.
3. Remind me which of my classes you have taken, and when.
4. How did you distinguish yourself in those classes?
5. How would you describe yourself? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? I am going to have to answer those questions when I write your reference, so the more details the better, but these have to be things I've observed myself.
6. What are some of your academic and nonacademic accomplishments that I may not remember?
7. What makes me particularly qualified to write a letter for you? That is, why should the recipient of the letter value it over a letter from someone else?
Be sure to tell how and where to submit the recommendation: online link, address for paper letter, etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: There is certainly nothing wrong in asking an employer for a reference and then not using it. It is part of the employee/employer contract that a reference, if desired, will be provided - much like it is part of the contract that you will work on things from time-to-time that benefit the company/institute/lab/boss more than yourself and your work. It's just a given, and it helps the world go around.
However, any reference should be tailored for the time and application it is needed. If i ask for a reference in 2015, act inappropriately during all of 2016, then use that 2015 reference in a 2017 job application, i am misleading my future employer. So a reference should be timely.
Regarding the application of the reference, this is more to do with the referee writing relatively. For example, you may be the best in the lab with computers, and your PI might write that in a reference, but would they have written that if they'd known you were applying for a job as a programmer in a tech company? Perhaps not. Many adjectives are relative, and so it obviously helps to know what the application will be used for before overstating how "good" or "proficient" you really are.
So bottom line it's absolutely within your right to ask for a reference and then not use it - but it's probably not OK to hoard references to pick and choose for them at some point in the future.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/11/06
| 1,053
| 4,640
|
<issue_start>username_0: As an instructor or teaching assistant for a graduate class at a top institution, is it okay to tell students (e.g. in homework feedback) that they need to improve their English? What's the best way to do so without offending or discouraging them?
I'm specifically asking for math/science-based classes where, for instance, students are required to write proofs which involve a lot of "informal" (i.e. using English rather than mathematical notation) proofs and reasoning.
This happens mostly with international students.<issue_comment>username_1: You may prepare a list of local resources where an international student could improve his or her English language skills. For example
* campus writing center
* volunteer language practice pairing service
* special courses or workshops for English language learners
* opportunities to improve one's public speaking skills (the focus may not be on English, but this can be incredibly helpful) -- this might be offered in the Business school in your university
* literacy volunteers program located in your town or city
Once you have your specific list prepared, you might ask your professor to distribute it for you. You can point out in the intro that strong English skills increase one's employability!
In the meantime... set yourself a maximum amount of time per assignment you feel you can afford to spend correcting a student's English, and go ahead and make some corrections. (Think what this will do for your karma!)
If a particular assignment is not gradable due to incomprehensibility, bump it up to the professor.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I realize this is an old question. Still, the question itself is fairly timeless. I can see this question has having been asked just this morning and having just as much validity as it did 5½ years ago when it was originally asked. That said, I have a few thoughts…
* It seems clear (or at least I inferred such) the students have done reasonably well on the assignment. That is, they have satisfied the mathematics requirements to some degree of proficiency. So no matter what, you’re not going to adjust their grade based on their English proficiency. It’s really only *suggestions* you’re offering with regard to their English.
* You no doubt have enough on your plate, but if you’re willing and if the number of students who need such assistance isn’t too great, offer to provide some assistance yourself. In doing so, first determine if the student wants help. If not, that implies no disrespect of the student(s) toward you, so don’t take it as such. If so, then follow through. If you can’t or don’t want to provide the help yourself, that’s fine but it’s good if you can point the student to other sources of help.
* It’s important for the student to understand why you think this is important enough to mention. Describe it however you want, but the student should understand why it’s important to you. The student may or may not agree as to its importance. If it’s merely so you can understand the student’s reasoning and explanation of the assignment that’s a valid reason, but help the student understand how important communication is.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I think it's not so much "tell students to improve their English", but to make the point that coherent, precise English (if that's the ambient language) is *important* for communication. *And* to give specific details in feedback on write-ups, as I do in my graduate math courses.
It is certainly true that there is a widespread belief that math (for example) is insensitive to the ambient language. Of course, in some sense, this is true. But the *communication* of math certainly depends on the ambient language, unless we "go completely symbolic", which (in my opinion) leads to pretty unreadable stuff. It is inefficient to *not* take advantage of the built-in features of the ambient language... oop, but, then, we have to be acquainted with them.
A specific claim I'd make is that "natural language" (English, for example) is more robust to typos and small errors than is very formal, terse, symbolic mathematical writing. This is both an argument in favor of not-so-formal mathematical writing, and an explanation of why somewhat-flawed English mathematical writing is still "decipherable", at least by experienced people. But, then, there is also the point that this decipherability is much more difficult when the reader is *not* sufficiently expert...
... so, apart from getting grades on homework, improved quality of ambient language writing improves communication. (Not surprising...)
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/06
| 976
| 4,326
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am trying to submit a paper for publication. The journal is asking to provide a list of experts who have published several high quality papers in the field of interest. Is there away to find this out easily?<issue_comment>username_1: You may prepare a list of local resources where an international student could improve his or her English language skills. For example
* campus writing center
* volunteer language practice pairing service
* special courses or workshops for English language learners
* opportunities to improve one's public speaking skills (the focus may not be on English, but this can be incredibly helpful) -- this might be offered in the Business school in your university
* literacy volunteers program located in your town or city
Once you have your specific list prepared, you might ask your professor to distribute it for you. You can point out in the intro that strong English skills increase one's employability!
In the meantime... set yourself a maximum amount of time per assignment you feel you can afford to spend correcting a student's English, and go ahead and make some corrections. (Think what this will do for your karma!)
If a particular assignment is not gradable due to incomprehensibility, bump it up to the professor.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I realize this is an old question. Still, the question itself is fairly timeless. I can see this question has having been asked just this morning and having just as much validity as it did 5½ years ago when it was originally asked. That said, I have a few thoughts…
* It seems clear (or at least I inferred such) the students have done reasonably well on the assignment. That is, they have satisfied the mathematics requirements to some degree of proficiency. So no matter what, you’re not going to adjust their grade based on their English proficiency. It’s really only *suggestions* you’re offering with regard to their English.
* You no doubt have enough on your plate, but if you’re willing and if the number of students who need such assistance isn’t too great, offer to provide some assistance yourself. In doing so, first determine if the student wants help. If not, that implies no disrespect of the student(s) toward you, so don’t take it as such. If so, then follow through. If you can’t or don’t want to provide the help yourself, that’s fine but it’s good if you can point the student to other sources of help.
* It’s important for the student to understand why you think this is important enough to mention. Describe it however you want, but the student should understand why it’s important to you. The student may or may not agree as to its importance. If it’s merely so you can understand the student’s reasoning and explanation of the assignment that’s a valid reason, but help the student understand how important communication is.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I think it's not so much "tell students to improve their English", but to make the point that coherent, precise English (if that's the ambient language) is *important* for communication. *And* to give specific details in feedback on write-ups, as I do in my graduate math courses.
It is certainly true that there is a widespread belief that math (for example) is insensitive to the ambient language. Of course, in some sense, this is true. But the *communication* of math certainly depends on the ambient language, unless we "go completely symbolic", which (in my opinion) leads to pretty unreadable stuff. It is inefficient to *not* take advantage of the built-in features of the ambient language... oop, but, then, we have to be acquainted with them.
A specific claim I'd make is that "natural language" (English, for example) is more robust to typos and small errors than is very formal, terse, symbolic mathematical writing. This is both an argument in favor of not-so-formal mathematical writing, and an explanation of why somewhat-flawed English mathematical writing is still "decipherable", at least by experienced people. But, then, there is also the point that this decipherability is much more difficult when the reader is *not* sufficiently expert...
... so, apart from getting grades on homework, improved quality of ambient language writing improves communication. (Not surprising...)
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/07
| 1,068
| 4,659
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am writing a 3 page letter and my advisor basically told me to prepare it by myself and send it for submission.
I have written papers before, but in most of those cases my advisors helped me a lot in revising the papers. Perhaps my advisor wants me to see how much trouble it is to publish a paper lol
I have revised and re-revised and re-re-revised my paper, but I am never sure whether my paper will get rejected because my logic is not perfectly right or maybe its horribly wrong.
When do you know you are ready to submit your paper?<issue_comment>username_1: You may prepare a list of local resources where an international student could improve his or her English language skills. For example
* campus writing center
* volunteer language practice pairing service
* special courses or workshops for English language learners
* opportunities to improve one's public speaking skills (the focus may not be on English, but this can be incredibly helpful) -- this might be offered in the Business school in your university
* literacy volunteers program located in your town or city
Once you have your specific list prepared, you might ask your professor to distribute it for you. You can point out in the intro that strong English skills increase one's employability!
In the meantime... set yourself a maximum amount of time per assignment you feel you can afford to spend correcting a student's English, and go ahead and make some corrections. (Think what this will do for your karma!)
If a particular assignment is not gradable due to incomprehensibility, bump it up to the professor.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I realize this is an old question. Still, the question itself is fairly timeless. I can see this question has having been asked just this morning and having just as much validity as it did 5½ years ago when it was originally asked. That said, I have a few thoughts…
* It seems clear (or at least I inferred such) the students have done reasonably well on the assignment. That is, they have satisfied the mathematics requirements to some degree of proficiency. So no matter what, you’re not going to adjust their grade based on their English proficiency. It’s really only *suggestions* you’re offering with regard to their English.
* You no doubt have enough on your plate, but if you’re willing and if the number of students who need such assistance isn’t too great, offer to provide some assistance yourself. In doing so, first determine if the student wants help. If not, that implies no disrespect of the student(s) toward you, so don’t take it as such. If so, then follow through. If you can’t or don’t want to provide the help yourself, that’s fine but it’s good if you can point the student to other sources of help.
* It’s important for the student to understand why you think this is important enough to mention. Describe it however you want, but the student should understand why it’s important to you. The student may or may not agree as to its importance. If it’s merely so you can understand the student’s reasoning and explanation of the assignment that’s a valid reason, but help the student understand how important communication is.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I think it's not so much "tell students to improve their English", but to make the point that coherent, precise English (if that's the ambient language) is *important* for communication. *And* to give specific details in feedback on write-ups, as I do in my graduate math courses.
It is certainly true that there is a widespread belief that math (for example) is insensitive to the ambient language. Of course, in some sense, this is true. But the *communication* of math certainly depends on the ambient language, unless we "go completely symbolic", which (in my opinion) leads to pretty unreadable stuff. It is inefficient to *not* take advantage of the built-in features of the ambient language... oop, but, then, we have to be acquainted with them.
A specific claim I'd make is that "natural language" (English, for example) is more robust to typos and small errors than is very formal, terse, symbolic mathematical writing. This is both an argument in favor of not-so-formal mathematical writing, and an explanation of why somewhat-flawed English mathematical writing is still "decipherable", at least by experienced people. But, then, there is also the point that this decipherability is much more difficult when the reader is *not* sufficiently expert...
... so, apart from getting grades on homework, improved quality of ambient language writing improves communication. (Not surprising...)
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/07
| 1,090
| 4,736
|
<issue_start>username_0: English is sadly my only language even though my parents and majority of my relatives are bilingual, and I completed my bachelor's and master's in a university where the medium of instruction is English and in a country where English is one of the official languages.
Despite this, some departments/countries/universities insist on TOEFL/IELTS, which is expensive and a hassle.
**Which of the two tests covers more countries/universities/depatments?**
I mean, let's say we pick 10 random universities on Earth that require at least one for fluent English speakers, how many are we expecting will accept TOEFL? IELTS?<issue_comment>username_1: You may prepare a list of local resources where an international student could improve his or her English language skills. For example
* campus writing center
* volunteer language practice pairing service
* special courses or workshops for English language learners
* opportunities to improve one's public speaking skills (the focus may not be on English, but this can be incredibly helpful) -- this might be offered in the Business school in your university
* literacy volunteers program located in your town or city
Once you have your specific list prepared, you might ask your professor to distribute it for you. You can point out in the intro that strong English skills increase one's employability!
In the meantime... set yourself a maximum amount of time per assignment you feel you can afford to spend correcting a student's English, and go ahead and make some corrections. (Think what this will do for your karma!)
If a particular assignment is not gradable due to incomprehensibility, bump it up to the professor.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I realize this is an old question. Still, the question itself is fairly timeless. I can see this question has having been asked just this morning and having just as much validity as it did 5½ years ago when it was originally asked. That said, I have a few thoughts…
* It seems clear (or at least I inferred such) the students have done reasonably well on the assignment. That is, they have satisfied the mathematics requirements to some degree of proficiency. So no matter what, you’re not going to adjust their grade based on their English proficiency. It’s really only *suggestions* you’re offering with regard to their English.
* You no doubt have enough on your plate, but if you’re willing and if the number of students who need such assistance isn’t too great, offer to provide some assistance yourself. In doing so, first determine if the student wants help. If not, that implies no disrespect of the student(s) toward you, so don’t take it as such. If so, then follow through. If you can’t or don’t want to provide the help yourself, that’s fine but it’s good if you can point the student to other sources of help.
* It’s important for the student to understand why you think this is important enough to mention. Describe it however you want, but the student should understand why it’s important to you. The student may or may not agree as to its importance. If it’s merely so you can understand the student’s reasoning and explanation of the assignment that’s a valid reason, but help the student understand how important communication is.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I think it's not so much "tell students to improve their English", but to make the point that coherent, precise English (if that's the ambient language) is *important* for communication. *And* to give specific details in feedback on write-ups, as I do in my graduate math courses.
It is certainly true that there is a widespread belief that math (for example) is insensitive to the ambient language. Of course, in some sense, this is true. But the *communication* of math certainly depends on the ambient language, unless we "go completely symbolic", which (in my opinion) leads to pretty unreadable stuff. It is inefficient to *not* take advantage of the built-in features of the ambient language... oop, but, then, we have to be acquainted with them.
A specific claim I'd make is that "natural language" (English, for example) is more robust to typos and small errors than is very formal, terse, symbolic mathematical writing. This is both an argument in favor of not-so-formal mathematical writing, and an explanation of why somewhat-flawed English mathematical writing is still "decipherable", at least by experienced people. But, then, there is also the point that this decipherability is much more difficult when the reader is *not* sufficiently expert...
... so, apart from getting grades on homework, improved quality of ambient language writing improves communication. (Not surprising...)
Upvotes: 2
|
2016/11/07
| 2,739
| 11,814
|
<issue_start>username_0: Is it ethical for a journal to cancel an accepted review request when they have obtained sufficient number of reviews to make a decision?
This happened to me recently and I think this is not the first time. They set a deadline for submitting the review, and sent a reminder. I did not reply, as I felt that I should be able to meet the deadline and even if I couldn't, it should not be a problem to submit my review slightly later. I am in the midst of reviewing this paper, and have spent some time on it, when suddenly they told me that my review is no longer needed.
I cannot know for sure if the way they work is as I described above, but that seems to be the case.
---
**Edit:**
Sorry my mistake, they had actually sent only one reminder, not a few reminders, as I stated earlier.
**Update:**
This is from the cancellation email I received earlier (note that I had accepted their request to review the paper less than a month ago):
>
> We have now received sufficient peer-review reports from other
> referees and would like to cancel our request for you to review the
> following manuscript:
>
>
> ...
>
>
> However, if you have already started your report, please forward any
> valuable comments you have as soon as possible. We apologize for any
> inconvenience this may cause and hope that we will be able to call on
> you to review for ... in the future.
>
>
>
Since I have started reviewing the paper, I wrote to them saying that I would like to send my review as soon as possible. The journal agreed to accept my review. In their reply, they say
>
> Since we have received enough review reports and have processed this
> manuscript further, the link to submit your review report was closed
> automatically. We have reopened the link for you.
>
>
>
I finished my review today and just submitted it to them. I could see from their system that there are two other reviewers, and both of them recommended minor revision.
I know that I should have informed them if I missed the deadline, but other journals seem to be OK with this. I think a 2-3 week deadline that this particular publisher gave is a bit short. In my field, 3 months from submission to acceptance is really fast. The average is more like half a year. Some can take more than a year.
**Additional point:**
In this journal/publisher, communication with reviewers are not handled by the editor.<issue_comment>username_1: I think this journal's behavior is indeed unethical. Mostly, in its complete disregard for the effort you and potentially other academics voluntarily put into critically assessing their submissions. It would have been courteous of you to let them know that your review would be a few days late, but I can't imagine the review to be such a pressing issue that it can't wait a few days.
The most likely reason for this haste in completing the review has its origin in the information you gave in the comments: **the journal is pay-for-publish.**
In such a setting where *authors* are the customers of the journal - as opposed to readers for a subscription journal - pay-for-publish (sometimes called "gold" open access) journals have two main selling arguments:
* the impact factor.
* the speed of review turnover.
Of course, a very strong tacit argument is a high acceptance rate but that is not the subject of this thread.
By gearing the publishing process towards satisfying authors in order to encourage them spending grant money on "article-processing charges", it's not a surprise that absurd situations like the one you describe start to appear.
On a similar topic, I have heard from the staff of a very fashionable gold OA publisher, that they had an automatic spamming system to urge authors to complete the additional work requested by the reviewers (sometimes including tedious experimental work) quicker. This, I imagine, in an attempt to keep the average review turnover marketable.
After having myself given a go at gold OA journals, I now refuse to have any kind of interaction with them. That includes reviewing.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: I think that in this particular case, the journal behaved ethically. A deadline is a contract, and if one of the involved parties breaks that contract (notably, without seeking communication), it's up to the other party to decide how to deal with that.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: Actually, for this result to happen, it is not necessarily the case that the journal "solicited more reviewers than what is necessary".
I know that there are journals that request two referee reports, but as soon as one negative report arrives, the paper is rejected and the other referee report is cancelled.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: **Cancelling a solicited review is as much "unethical" as not keeping the deadline without noticing the editor.**
However, I would say this more as a question of
**good manners instead of ethics.**
Keep in mind that in most cases the solicitation and handling of reviews is in fact communication between scientists. You do not really communicate "with a journal" or "with a company", but more with a colleague. While this is often obfuscated by software and automatically generated emails, there is usually a colleague sitting on the other side, asking you for a review within some time frame. Editors often strive (and sometimes get pressure) to drive the review time down and hence, try to insist on their time frame. Somehow loosely speaking: "If you don't bother to reply if you can't make the deadline, why should they bother to wait for your review?" In case you can't make the deadline, inform the editor and ask for extension. That is the way to go - it's polite and everybody knows what is going on.
For example, if you write "I can't meet the deadline, but I am halfway through to the paper and will have my report on…", the editor will most like extend the deadline. If you, however, write "I can't meet the deadline, and I haven't started to review yet." it may well be that the editor answers, that your report is not longer necessary (although, I do not expect this to happen too often).
**To the edit:** I think you have done the exact right thing. Also this shows that politeness and respect are central to the conversation between editor and reviewer. Both do an extremely valuable, important and time consuming job for the scientific community and know that of each other. A reasonable question asked a the right time usually gets a reasonable answer and one email spend to clear up an issue is usually worth it.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: My experience is as a mathematician, and I was in a [somewhat similar situation](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/12380/do-editors-ever-overbook-referees%E2%80%8C%E2%80%8B). In my situation, the referee request came from the publisher (and *not* a scientist on the editorial board) and they tried to unilaterally impose a deadline of one week. In mathematics referee reports typically take six months or more; I found their deadline absurd and I told them that I had no intention of meeting it. They told me that they were willing to wait, but then after I had started they tried to tell me they didn't need my report after all. I complained to the (scientific) editorial board, and the publisher relented again and waited for my report.
Did they act unethically? Not egregiously so. But I believe that it is helpful to remember that you are not required to do something just because a publisher or editor asks you to. If they try to unilaterally impose a deadline that you can't meet, or even that you find inconvenient, tell them (immediately) that you can't meet it. They might withdraw their referee request, or they might decide they have the extra time after all; it's up to them.
You are obliged to keep whatever promises you make (or, at the very least, to apologize if you find you can't), but you are not obliged to keep promises that others try to impose upon you.
If you actually agreed to this deadline at some point, I would contact them and apologize. If your communications were with an actual scientist in your field, then again I would contact them and apologize. But it sounds *possibly* as if an unscrupulous and not-well-regarded journal tried to take advantage of you. If that is the case -- then although I can't quite fault their ethics, and although you made a misstep as well by not responding to their reminder, in your situation I would decline future refereeing requests from this journal.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_6: There are a lot of specific details in your question that obscure the general issues. Here are some general principles:
### Situations where it is reasonable to inform reviewer that their review is no longer required:
* **If you do not meet a deadline for reviewing a manuscript and you have not negotiated an extension**, then it is reasonable for the editor to make a decision without your review. This would typically involve relying on the input of the reviewers that have already submitted their reviews.
* **If the deadline for review has not been reached, yet it becomes clear to the editor that the manuscript should clearly be rejected**, then it is reasonable for an editor to notify you that your review is no longer needed. This can occur because the editor has already received enough information from the other reviewers to know that the work has no chance of being published. In many respects, this is a courtesy to other reviewers. If they have not commenced their review, then this saves them the hassle of completing the review. It also speeds up the process of notifying the authors.
### Situations where it is less reasonable to inform reviewer that their review is no longer required.
* **If the deadline for reviewing a manuscript has not passed and other reviewers have given a positive response**, it would be unusual and slightly concerning to inform a reviewer that their review is no longer required. Even if the editor thinks that the article will be accepted, it is beneficial to have an additional reviewer look over an article and offer suggestions for improvement. This might be even more concerning if this was at an online pay-to-publish journal where there is a greater conflict of interest between maintaining quality and publishing more. It would also be particularly concerning if there were other signs that the editor was trying to rush the publication through peer review (e.g., close relationship between authors and editor, etc.).
### General advice
If you are worried about your reviewing being in vain, try to complete your review in one sitting, or if you need time to absorb the content, do it over a day or two. If you make a start, and then don't return to the article until a few weeks later, you're more likely to have the issue of your partially completed review not being needed.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: No, there is nothing unethical about them cancelling their review request. The only thing it does is waste your time but you've already wasted the editor and authors' time by failing to submit your review on time.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: I met several times a situation when deadline was not passed but the editor canceled the review request. At that time I already spent a lot of my time analyzing the work and preparing the review. I find such a situation totally unacceptable. This is just demonstrates complete disrespect of the editor to the reviewer. By the way, we as reviewer demonstrate just our favor agreeing to provide review and are not paid for this. In my case I just informed the editor that next time I am not available to review any article coming from his office.
Upvotes: 1
|
2016/11/07
| 744
| 3,254
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have been involved in my PhD now for about half a year but my setup is potentially more uncommon. It feels very independent because I havent got a research group I'm involved in at all. It's literally just me and two of my supervisors and I work in a completely separate building to both of them and I have absolutely no one to collaborate with or talk to about my research or ask for help. Is anyone else in this same or similar situation and if so/or do you have any advice on how I could improve my work situation because at the moment it feels very lonely and when I get stuck there is no one around to ask.<issue_comment>username_1: Besides the obvious answers (try to move closer to the place where your supervisors and their groups are and meet them more often) I suggest
**try to find or initiate a seminar close to your interests.**
This would provide a regular meeting point for you and your supervisors (besides meetings directly related to your PhD) and hopefully other people with interests similar to yours. Your supervisors may help to find a theme and spread the word (and probably take formal responsibility for the seminar) but you can and should offer to organize the schedule and the collection and circulation of abstracts.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For two years, it was just me and my advisor. We were in the same building, but nobody else did anything like our work in our department. It's hard.
I would suggest looking for ways to branch out--particularly at your institution. You'll need committee members. Start looking early. Presumably there are some people in your department (or another department?) who do something tangentially related. Try to get their input at least once per semester so that you keep the lines of communication open.
Try to network with others in your subfield. If there really is a dearth of people you can talk to at your institution, you'll need to look beyond it. Ask your advisor(s?) if they would be willing to introduce you to some individuals. Going to a conference is excellent for this. (Some believe it's worth going to at least one or two conferences per year as a grad student even if you aren't presenting, and even if you have to pay for it yourself!) Networking beyond your institution has numerous benefits after graduation, as you can imagine. You could also do this by sneakily asking really good questions to a select few people who publish in your field (most journal articles include contact info).
The above approaches are aimed at finding people you can talk about your research with. We're not merely research-bots, however. Loneliness in general is a real problem that hinders a lot of grad students in a lot of ways (e.g. imposter syndrome, depression, and so much more). Grads who are already isolated from others (grads and/or advisors) are often more prone to it than others. Research aside, I would make sure that you have friends at your institution that can relate with you. They may be able to give better, institution-specific advice for you as well. I was part of a group of grads from a variety of departments. Their friendship and support was what got me through grad school.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2016/11/07
| 828
| 3,438
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am applying for post-doc position. I was invited for two interviews on close dates. I already did the first one and got the job. I am going to accept the offer because the research is very nice, the institution has high publication-records and it is closer to my family. Unfortunately one of the tasks at this post-doc requires close collaboration with the second interviewer. My question is:
* how to inform the second interviewer that I got a post-doc position already?
* Should I go to the interview anyway, although I know I am going to reject the offer?
* Could I say something like:
>
> Dear blablabla, In the past few days I was offered to work somewhere and I think I am going to accept the offer for personal reasons, but in any case, as our research is going to be close I would like to use my "interview-time" for giving a talk and know the research being conducted at your institute better?
>
>
>
Some of my colleagues told me that they have had very bad experience while rejecting job's offers or interview, so please, let's me know if you have been in a similar situation and which way you think is the less "harmful"?<issue_comment>username_1: Don't go -- it's a waste of everyone's time if you go to an interview without any intention of taking the job. People get (rightfully) more upset about you wasting their time than you not wanting a job because you've already found one elsewhere.
Besides, if you will be required to collaborate with the person with whom you were to have your second interview, they (i) may have personal contacts with the research group where you accepted the job, (ii) may already know that you took the first job, and (iii) will need to be among your friends. Simply inform them that you took the first job (and not beat around the bush by saying "somewhere" or "think I am accepting" when you have already accepted). Offering to come anyway for a collaboration or a seminar is fine.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: I recommend honesty. Call well before the interview and explain what happened.
If they'd still like a shot at selling you, I'd go and feel utterly guiltless for wasting their time. Otherwise, you saved everybody a couple hours.
Either way, this will make you seem bold, thoughtful, and honest. Not a bad beginning to a relationship, working or otherwise. If there *is* friction after that, it was not your doing.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: You're over-thinking this. Tell the second interviewer what you just told us: you've already accepted a job at the other institution because being closer to your family and so on made you prefer to be closer to be there.
Don't say that you want to use your "interview time" to give them a presentation. That feels like you're saying, "You agreed to spend time with me for reason X. Now the reason has changed to Y but I feel you're obliged to give me the time anyway." Honestly, interviewing people requires enough concentration that I'd much rather take an hour off if a candidate cancelled, rather than sitting through yet another talk.
However, given that you will be working with these people anyway, it would be completely appropriate to *offer* to visit the institution at a time that's convenient for everyone. Bear in mind, though, that the "convenient time" might just be, "Well, you'll be visiting anyway as part of your new job so we'll just meet you then."
Upvotes: 4
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2016/11/08
| 1,411
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<issue_start>username_0: When applying for PhD programs (or [MPhil](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/79389/mphil-applications-how-flexible-sure-should-i-be-and-should-i-mention-this-po) or [MS](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/42304/with-a-background-in-mathematical-finance-and-desire-to-apply-for-a-mathematics)) that require only a statement of purpose and [not a research proposal](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/43313/why-are-us-phds-different-from-european-phds), I was advised to first check if some faculty members (or is one good enough?) in the university have the same research interests as I do. I remember reading or hearing something like, it may be helpful to read up on the research that those faculty members have done and possibly contact some of those faculty members, and then incorporate the reading and contacting in the statement of purpose.
1. So what could I ask those faculty members? What I think:
>
> Hello Prof/Dr \_\_\_ .I'm interested in applying in your univ and am interested in X. Can I ask more about what you research? This is my [background](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/42304/with-a-background-in-mathematical-finance-and-desire-to-apply-for-a-mathematics) (I'm from blah blah blah. I have a master's, but it's in applied not pure math. I've done some self-study blah blah blah). Do you think I am a good fit for the university? Would you consider taking me on as a PhD student? Do you think I am better suited for MS/MPhil than a PhD?
>
>
>
2. And then how do I incorporate the e-mails in my statement of purpose?<issue_comment>username_1: 1. 1. >
> Can I ask more about what you research?
>
>
>
Don’t be so vague. You can find out for yourself what a professor is researching by reading some of their most recent publications. Think about the papers carefully and try and ask a pertinent question, for example:
>
> I was reading your paper X and have a question about Theorem Y. Is it related to Lemma Z as described in paper Q?
>
>
>
2. >
> Do you think I am a good fit for the university?
>
>
>
Instead of asking what the professor thinks, I would emphasise why *I* know I’m a good fit for that university. If you don’t like the look of the department, why bother contacting them in the first place?
3. >
> Would you consider taking me on as a PhD student?
>
>
>
I prefer “Will you be taking on a PhD student next year?”, although this may be just a cultural/ politeness thing.
4. >
> Do you think I am better suited for MS/MPhil than a PhD?
>
>
>
Again, I feel this is something *you* need to decide before contacting them. Look closely at the program requirements and think critically about your own skills and knowledge and where you will fit best. If you’re still in doubt, contact the admissions tutor with this question, not a potential supervisor.
2. Many of the PhDs I’ve been applying for lately strongly encourage inclusion of a potential supervisor's name in the statement of purpose, so they can direct the application to the relevant person. You could include a mention of the professor you contacted in the following way:
>
> My research interests lie in the field of pure maths, and more specifically how Lemma Z can be applied to Theorem Y. I would like to work with Professor A in research group B.
>
>
>
All of this is based on my own experience of applying to UK physics PhDs (which I am still in the process of doing).
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I think you have misunderstood the advice you were given.
When you are advised to make sure your research interests align with those of some of the people working at the place you are applying to, people typically expect you to do the work yourself, not delegate it to random faculty members.
If I received an email asking me what my research interests are, I'd either bin your email or, if I'm feeling generous, redirect you to my easy to find personal webpage where I've listed my research interests in great detail.
What you should do is go to the webpage of the institute/school/centre/unit/whatever you are applying to, and look through their staff directory. For each faculty member, there will often be a short summary of their research interests, and/or a link to their personal page, and/or recent/important publications (publications can be found in many other places as well, e.g. Google Scholar). If you cannot figure out the research interests of a faculty member using any of this information, perhaps graduate studies are not for you.
Or if that's too tedious for you, you can always look at research groups first to narrow down the list of faculty members. In this case, go to the webpage of each research group affiliated with the place you are applying to, and there should be a summary of the group's interests/goals somewhere there. If that information is not enough for your needs, but so far you think that group may be a match, go through the staff directory of the group and check the research interests of each group member. And if you want to know the specific things the group is working on, check the group publications.
So, contacting faculty for research proposals is inevitable, but completely unnecessary for research statements.
Upvotes: 3
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2016/11/08
| 858
| 3,550
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<issue_start>username_0: In e-mail correspondence, the author of an competing paper has admitted a shortcoming of their method, roughly: "Yes, our method X does not work when used with Y." This is not obvious from their paper and is quite a big point from my perspective.
Can I cite this e-mail correspondence in my master thesis/paper (is there a difference?) and use as motivation for my work? Is this impolite?
If I just say, X does not work with Y without citation, I feel reviewers will not believe me/say I did not apply the method accordingly.<issue_comment>username_1: The exact manner of how you should cite the communication may vary from style to style (often the date is included), but it's entirely reasonable to cite such a communication in a paper or thesis. Typically this is referred to as a **Personal Communication**. Obviously, wherever possible, you should look for information in published sources, but where this is not possible citing such a personal communication will suffice.
From memory, I think there might be one in my own thesis. A specific detail of an experimental method used in a published article was not discussed, but I thought it relevant to my argument so I contacted the author to get the information I needed.
Edit: Typically personal communications should not be included in the reference list as they are not evidence that can be readily recovered by anybody reading your work. This is made explicit in several prominent styles (e.g., Harvard, Chicago, APA).
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This is called *personal communication* and can be (and is occasionally) cited if no better references are available. There is nothing wrong with something like this (and it is certainly not impolite):
>
> Method X (Smith et al., 2015) can very efficiently solve problem Z
> provided a number of prerequisites are fulfilled, but it cannot be
> applied with Y (Smith, personal communication, 2016).
>
>
> **References**
>
>
> <NAME> (2015): The great method X, Nature, ...
>
>
>
Adjust to your citation style, which should have a template for personal communications.
Obviously, it would be better if you could elaborate on *why* it can't be applied with Y. Then you would not rely only on the personal communication.
Note that some journals ask for written permission from the person who is quoted [[1]](http://www.nature.com/ncomms/submit/how-to-submit). It would also be polite to ask for this permission.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I would strongly advise against citing personal communications without express permissions (written or oral) of their authors.
As far as I understand, e-mail correspondence is deemed confidential "unless noted otherwise". For example, I often share my unpublished results with trustworthy colleagues . If they broke my trust, somebody could scoop the results.
Let me give you another reason. I believe people are much more casual in their e-mail than, say, in their journal articles, they do not check them as thoroughly, so they may be unhappy about their casual thoughts being published as their opinion without their permission. By asking their permission, you give them an opportunity "to think twice" about airing their views.
Maybe I should add an example. Some time ago a colleague disclosed my age in a forum. He had obtained the information from my e-mail. It is not that I hide my age, but neither do I publicly advertise it, so I had to reproach him for disclosing my personal information.
Upvotes: 3
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2016/11/08
| 991
| 4,638
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<issue_start>username_0: Suppose that I make a new algorithm to calculate something. How do I know that the exact algorithm has been found or not? I know that I can check scientific journals to figure that out. But surely checking every single journals available is not a feasible way to figure that out, especially since I'll have to read them before I can tell whether they use the same algorithm or not as the title can only tell the general idea of how the calculation is done. Also many journals requires one to subscribe or pay for their service. It'd be ridiculus to pay huge sum of money just to ensure whether my algorithm has been found or not.
So, how do I figure whether a certain algorithm has been found or not?<issue_comment>username_1: I'm afraid I have bad news:
Unless you are writing algorithms for entirely new scientific areas, you can safely assume that every algorithm anyone can come up without being familiar with the literature is either (i) already known, or (ii) inferior to already known algorithms. In other words, since you don't seem to be familiar with the literature in your field, I would think that the chances for your algorithm to be new and better are slim. It may of course be new, but inferior to existing methods, in which case it's not useful.
(The reason for this is that people who *are* familiar with the literature, have been thinking about these issues for a long time, and know about the limitations of the existing methods, are most likely to come up with improvements. It is unlikely that people who are not familiar with an area waltz in, come up with something, and it turns out to be better than what all of the experts have come up with. It probably happens every once in a while, but it's *unlikely*.)
This doesn't help you find out whether your algorithm has been found so far. But it helps you determine whether it's worthwhile pursuing this further -- which it is likely not. You are probably better off spending your time reading the literature in the field to understand what others have been doing, what the limitations of existing algorithms are, etc.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: To answer your question: the only way to know whether your algorithm has been published before is doing a literature search. You will eventually have to do this, anyway. No paper with an empty references section will be published, unless it is a truly extraordinary paper defining a new field of science.
But, I may have some good news for you. The other accepted answer conveyed bad news that your algorithm most likely has been published already. I have invented in the last two years three algorithms for which my literature search has not found prior art. The algorithms were invented before knowing the literature of the field, and I only did the literature search later to find out if the algorithms were novel. Not only that, but all of the algorithms are practically as simple as or simpler than the prior art. Two of the algorithms are 10x faster than prior art; the remaining one of them 2x faster for sorted data but 2x slower for unsorted data. I intend to publish the first paper about one of the 10x faster algorithms in a conference the next summer.
So, I would not omit doing the literature search merely based on the bad news of the accepted answer that your work most likely has been published already (yes, I know the other answer encouraged you to do a literature search but on the other hand presented it as "bad news"). You should, however, avoid calling your algorithm "novel" if the literature search failed to find prior art, because there is always a possibility of somebody already knowing your algorithm. And, if the paper is only about that algorithm, then it is expected by the reader that the algorithm is novel, so why mention it explicitly?
In order to publish your paper, you must obviously have heavy supporting evidence for the performance of your algorithm in comparison to the prior art. How fast it is? Does it parallelize? If so, what is the performance as a function of the CPU core count? If the literature search finds prior art, perhaps you could anyway publish your performance measurement results. After all, a thorough analysis of the real-world performance of various already known algorithms might be something that has been missing. But, getting a performance comparison paper accepted without containing a novel algorithm is obviously harder than getting a paper about a novel algorithm accepted, so you should do the literature search as early as possible in order to know which direction to take.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/11/08
| 1,196
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<issue_start>username_0: I teach in a social services environment, where adult dropouts are working toward a GED and perhaps furthering their education. I embrace a transformative education model (Mezirow, 1991) and strive to instill confidence in my students. Most of the learners are female with multiple lifestyle challenges, such as addiction, domestic violence, and so on; when they enter the class, they face an uphill battle. Some give up; others stay, but constantly complain about the time commitment or workload.
I am considering some kind of point system or reward to motivate the students who complete assignments on time and are prompt with meeting deadlines. I wonder if this incentive idea is going too far with adults? Should it not be enough to pull themselves up out of their situation and move forward? Unlike young learners, where candy and snacks are shamelessly used to motivate, I wonder if this too much?<issue_comment>username_1: Well, the only way to be sure is to try. However, I would never encourage anyone to use candy in an incentive system, for children or adults.
For anyone interested in using an incentive system, I would suggest that the first step would be to brainstorm lots and lots of possibilities. Here are a few ideas and considerations to get you started.
* In my piano lessons at age five, the teacher would put a sticky star on the page once I had "finished" a piece. There were three colors. Gold was the best, of course.
* Sometimes it is helpful to let the student self-evaluate. (As an example, you could offer the three-bin box of stars and ask if she wants to choose one. She could then fish one out herself, or point or tell you a color.)
* One of the most effective incentive systems I ever saw for my son, who was 10 at the time, was the following: his art teacher kept the kids motivated to stay on task by reminding them from time to time that the reward for productive work was a popcorn party at the end of the month.
* My dentist has a basket of inexpensive toys for the patient to choose from at the end of the visit. I'm thinking, if a large number of your students are mothers, they might enjoy picking something out to take home to their child (not every day of course). You can get some real bargains at thrift stores. Also try the party favor aisle at a big box store. Children may like a strip of animal stickers, a tiny box or a strip of fake tattoos, a fancy pencil, silly putty, Groucho glasses, etc., etc.
That's just to get you started. This list can be expanded.
But I wanted to bring up another aspect of this. You mentioned they "complain about the time commitment or workload" and you mentioned also the challenge to "complete assignments on time and are prompt with meeting deadlines." This makes me wonder what the homework load is. I remember in college the rule of thumb was to expect to put in 2 hours on my own for every 1 hour in class. Of course this is quite variable but that was a general rule of thumb I heard at some point. What is the ratio you are anticipating to be needed by your students, on average?
A homework to classwork ratio that is difficult for your students to carry out might be part of the root of the problem.
If so, it might be helpful to design into your program some required or strongly encouraged "lab" hours. The "lab" could be staffed by a minimum wage person (as opposed to you, who hopefully have a substantially higher pay rate). The "lab" could be the place where the homework assignments are done.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The beauty of teaching adults is that you can have conversations about *how they learn* and *how they learn best* with them. You can make them *partners* in your quest to make them learn what they need to move forward in their lives.
In my (college) classes, I often emphasize that -- while it is true that formally I'm a teacher and they are students -- ultimately we are partners in learning. As such, we need to have conversations not only about the material being taught, but also about *how* it is taught, and that between partners and as a group, we need to find ways to make this work best. I see no reason why incentives should be off topic in such a conversation, but surely there are other ways as well in which you can affect how motivated they are. For example, let your students come up with a schedule for when what is due, when exams are held, etc, within the constraints that you need to keep some form of rigor for your class. As an example, I usually let my students determine whether they want the deadline for homework be a Monday or Friday -- i.e., whether they do or do not want the weekend for work. I imagine that that would certainly be something very relevant for people who have a day job and who may have much greater trouble meeting Friday deadlines than Monday deadlines.
Either way, since you're teaching adults: Talk to them about these issues. Make them part of the solution!
Upvotes: 1
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2016/11/08
| 398
| 1,605
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<issue_start>username_0: I am planning to apply to PhD courses at 2 different universities.
Professor A is at the first school, and professor B is at the second school.
I already communicated with the professor A. I am also thinking of writing a contact e-mail to professor B.
Professor A and Professor B are quite close (academically), as they are working on the upcoming project as co-authors.
Would it be inappropriate if I contact professor B to show my academic interest?
I'm just worried that they might find it unethical to talk about my interest to them simultaneously.<issue_comment>username_1: There is no issue here. You're not going to burning any bridges or make anyone upset if you talk to other professors. Your job right now is to find the best university that will take you. The professors at these universities understand that. If they don't, you don't want to work with them.
Personal story time: When I was applying to grad school, I ended up chatting with a husband and wife who were professors at different universities. They had different last names and didn't let on they were married so I didn't find out until another professor told me. I thought it was hilarious and they didn't care that their spouse was also trying to recruit me.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: This is very common, particularly in the close-knit communities often found in science. To avoid awkwardness, be up front with both. In the best case scenario, they both bend over backwards to get you so that they 'win'. Use ego to your benefit and know that you're doing nothing wrong.
Upvotes: 2
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2016/11/08
| 596
| 2,511
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<issue_start>username_0: So this is an interesting thing I've come across. I recently purchased a modern book for my research and whoever had the book before me had some pretty great things written in the margins.
As a medievalist, citing marginalia is par the course, but this strikes me as a bit different for two reasons:
1. Normally, we cite the library where the book came in our works cited so that others can reference it. In this case, it's in my personal library.
2. I don't know who actually wrote the marginalia, but the likelihood that they could be actively publishing now makes me less inclined to want to "steal" (scare quotes because obviously I'm intending to cite it) their ideas before they get a chance to, something that's definitely not the case with books written several hundred years ago.
What approach should I use to using the marginalia both in terms of integrating its ideas into my work (as if it were another paper, though obviously not peer-reviewed) and in terms of citing it (I'm using MLA 7, but may need to switch to MLA 8 depending on when I finish this particular work)?<issue_comment>username_1: As far as I can see, you have 3 options: not using the material, using it without citing it and using it with citation. As you have no idea whether anyone is ever going to publish the ideas in those margins, not publishing seems overly cautious. Especially since you want to use the ideas there but seem to have no other source to credit.
Using without citing it seems like a very bad idea. Even disregarding the risk of the original author of those margins coming forward, passing someone else's ideas as your own is unethical.
That leaves citing the margins as is. You could explain the unusual circumstances in the publication you intent to use it in. If you have a personal webpage, you could publish photo's of the margins and also refer to those. Also you could simply offer anyone interested in those margins to contact you.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The APA, MLA, and Chicago formats suggest that you cite the title of a work when the author is unknown. That doesn't work here for obvious reasons, so I think you'll have to do something creative such as making a note in the citation itself. In-line citations will also be tricky to do unambiguously, but I think I'd go with something like (Marginalia, 2017) or (Anonymous, 2017) in addition to explaining the unusual circumstances in the text as username_1 suggests.
Upvotes: 1
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2016/11/09
| 422
| 1,832
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<issue_start>username_0: The title is the question: can you plagiarize yourself within the same document? For example within a book of thousand pages, do you have to reference ideas from page 50 when you use them on page 950?<issue_comment>username_1: If the part of concern contains any cited materials, when reused it is better to cite the sources again in case readers had skipped the previous chapter.
If the part of concern is your own words, then for readers' convenience it is better to reference the chapter, section, or page number for easy cross-referencing.
In my opinion, self-plagiaring is more of a misnomer. Plagiarizing is when one presents others' work as if it is his/her own. You cannot steal your own idea. One of the actual concerns is while referring to one's own work, the author could have violated copyright of the publisher that published the work. Since you are referring to another part in the same piece of work, I don't think the copyright violation described here is likely. The other, as one of the commentators pointed out, could be project a false impression on one's productivity.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The short answer is: No, it is not (self-)plagiarism because it is the same book.
The longer answer is that a reader may want to know more about the subject when reading only the chapter on page 950. It would be highly beneficial for him/her to have a reference to the earlier section on page 50 where more information or more detail about the subject is given.
Finally, you should consider whether it is really necessary to literally repeat yourself within the same book (hint: probably not). This could be an indication of a sub-optimal structure of the book, or maybe providing a short summary and referring to the earlier section for more details is enough.
Upvotes: 3
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