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2017/04/04
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<issue_start>username_0: How do reviewers/referees make sure that the author has done the work as he described in his paper and the written results are achieved?
Do they ask for the code or the tools that you have used? Will they test the output to make sure that the results are not faked?
I know that reviewers with 20+ years experience in the specific field can figure out if the results are real or fake or if they are even accomplishable, but it is still easy for the writer to fake results without any monitors..
For example in CS machine learning, you can extract an extra feature from the texts and claim that you got better results in classification than others have done before, when in reality you did not. So how do reviewers make sure that your work is sincere?<issue_comment>username_1: They don't. Reviewing papers is volunteer work, which has to be done besides the regular job. So no more than half a day is spent on reading the paper and writing the review. That is enough to filter out obvious scams. But for more sophisticated fraud we rely on people trying to use the results once published and finding out that it does not work. The threat of the subsequent sanctions (and for most, the internalized honor code) is hoped to prevent most fraud.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: when I review papers, as an example, I have limited time between other tasks that must be done. I generally do 2 'read throughs', where I will go through the paper in about a couple of hours (depending on the length of the paper).
Asides from checking for consistencies between sections (e.g. are the results accurately mentioned in the abstract etc), I check:
* that the method of how the data is obtained is clear
* the data is clearly and descriptively displayed
* evidence of some data validation (important in my field)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: In software conferences, it is becoming a trend to have [artifact evaluation](http://www.artifact-eval.org/) sessions where produced data or software is provided to be evaluated according to the claims given in the submitted paper.
While the process is currently optional, it does increase confidence in the claims that are made by the papers that had undergone such process.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: There are notorious wrongful claims that peer review failed to catch for the exact reason mentioned in the question. Reviewers don't and most of the time cannot check the validity of the data.
[Cold Fusion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_fusion "Cold Fusion"), is an example where hundreds of peer-reviewed manuscripts got published.
[<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sch%C3%B6n_scandal) is another case where lots of fabricated data got published in very high impact journals.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2017/04/04
| 442
| 1,899
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<issue_start>username_0: I have an article I'm writing where I'm the senior author, but I also did the majority of the work and wrote the paper. I have two co-authors who have also contributed.
In my field (physical sciences) the norm is that the senior author goes last and the person who wrote the paper/did the majority of the work is first author. Everyone else goes in between.
What should the order should be in this situation when lead and senior author are same person?<issue_comment>username_1: I've been in a similar situation as a co-author in a paper where the corresponding and the senior author are the same. In this case, this author listed herself as the first author (since she made most of the work and wrote the paper) and the remaining co-authors were listed alphabetically. An important detail is that some journals allow or even require that you specify the contributions of each author.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I have been in a similar situation recently (I did about 70% of the work) and in the end I decided to go as last author and put the persons that contributed second most (about 15%) as first author.
The decision was mainly based on what would benefit me personally more and at my current career stage and it seemed more important to me to get the number of senior authorships up (n=4) than the number of first authorships (n=16) - especially for the tenure-track evaluation ... and it also made the fist author very happy.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I would disagree with the other posters: you should be last author. Reasons:
* Being last author is more prestigious/important.
* Students are expected to be first author. If any other authors are your student, if you make yourself first author, people who are not familiar with the situation may assume you have stolen the first authorship from someone you have power over.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/04
| 1,427
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<issue_start>username_0: I currently am studying on an Undergraduate Maths course, in my third year. At my university there are various modules from which students can pick to make up the required number of credits for the year.
5/6 of my circle of friends take a particular (popular) module which I do not. Recently, they had a piece of coursework due for submission. They had about two weeks to do it, and the submission deadline has now passed.
One of the students, with whom I am friends, has informed me that she took pictures of her answers and gave them to another student (with whom I am not friends) three hours before the deadline, because that student had done little/no work and was going to fail. This was not a group piece of coursework, and she essentially gave the other student her answers.
I'm not entirely sure why I'm so upset about this, considering I don't take that module and it has nothing to do with me. I have my personal opinions about the student, but I feel like that shouldn't be relevant to the situation.
I do want to report this as cheating, but I'm also well aware that it's effectively hearsay. None of the others of my friends (who do take the module and who are also aware of this incident happening) has reported it.
I'm wondering whether it may even be out of line for me to report this incident, given that I have absolutely no evidence in my possession of what happened, and I do not take the module, and I wasn't involved in any way.
Is it *appropriate* in these circumstances to report what I've heard to the lecturer of the module?<issue_comment>username_1: The question of morality–is it right or wrong–that you pose is one that can only be determined by you. Some people might give you the opinion that it's never right to, for example, break the law; others are more lenient with exceptions. Ultimately, it is an exercise for you to discover your "moral compass."
In terms of the practicality of doing the report. No, it is not out of line for you to report. However, keep in mind that cheating is a very severe matter in most universities and your allegations will (or should) prompt the professor to conduct an investigation. It is likely that your professor will have to involve your friend (who took the pictures) both to uncover the student who took advantage of the answers, as well as her for facilitating them. The results of the investigation will depend on the approach your professor takes. If he/she is able to simply deduct that cheating occurred by looking at the two submissions, then perhaps you won't have to sit through a student conduct committee. However, if more evidence is required, be ready to testify against them in front of a committee (if your school utilizes one for such violations).
Finally, as mentioned in one of the comments, the impact of their academic integrity violation does affect you. In the long run, it can impact the quality of the course, the perception of your undergraduate program, etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: As faculty members, we know that cheating is an ongoing problem - both for in-person courses and online courses. The reasons for students cheating vary, but it's frustrating for faculty.
I imagine other students' cheating bothers you, because you completed the work yourself and cheating overall compromises the integrity of the class. I agree with the comment stated earlier that if cheating is widespread, then students aren't leaving the course or degree program adequately prepared. In time, this can undermined the quality associated with your program.
That being said, you have observed academic dishonesty - it is not hearsay when someone admits to you that she shared her work with another student. You do not need testimony from the third party for this to be an observed case of cheating.
Most university Academic Honesty Codes do require students to report cases of dishonesty. That being said, the faculty member may not realize that his or her course has assignments or assessments where students can easily cheat. If you are unclear about the overall situation, you may explain to your professor that you believe that cheating could be a problem, but are not 100% sure. Then, it would be the faculty member's role to evaluate and take action for what is happening in the class. I'm sorry that this other student put you in this predicament.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Plagiarism may not affect you directly *in this course* but doing nothing increases the likelihood it will affect you *in another course*.
As a result of doing little or no work in one course, this student can possibly invest more time in another course in which you are also registered, thereby affecting your comparative level of performance.
Now... there is a caveat here: getting photos from someone is not plagiarism in itself. There is nothing to prevent students from looking at posts on SE for hints or indications on how to proceed with solving a problem.
The situation you describe becomes a plagiarism situation when the work submitted by a person is not his/hers, and when this person gets credit for this work without properly acknowledging the source of this work.
You should report what you saw through the appropriate channels, but stay away from accusations and keep in mind that the recipient may not have used the information.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: As others have already mentioned, cheating is wrong and it's the right thing to speak up when someone commits a wrong. It may also indirectly affect you when someone cheats (eg. through grade inflation).
However, by reporting the cheater you are also implicating your friend who passed on the photos and facilitated the cheating. Your friend might feel upset (and perhaps rightly so) that you didn't put your friendship above some general (and perhaps minor) moral obligation. I caution that your obligation to report is not unconditional in the sense that you have to accept a disadvantage for yourself, such as a spoiled friendship. Moreover, I would argue that you also have an obligation of loyalty towards your friend; whether or not that 'trumps' your obligation to report depends on how close your relationship is.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2017/04/04
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<issue_start>username_0: Background: I have an incomplete from an old course. I have submitted now all the old homeworks to the professor, with a couple weeks to grade them before the I lapses to an F. She wrote that she is going to a conference soon and doesn't have time now to grade it. I'm totally ok with getting a low grade in this course (just not an F; maybe a C+ or B-) even though I think my work is worth more than that.
Is it inappropriate to write the professor and suggest that she just estimates a low grade for me and not actually grade the work? I'm fine with that (and it's definitely easier for her, whether or not she'll admit it). The alternative is she slaves over grading it in a day or two (which she understandably doesn't seem excited about) or we petition for an extension from the department (or I fail). Would this be an offensive suggestion? A good suggestion? Not worth trying? Worth trying, even if she does say no? I don't want to offend anyone though (that's not going to help my cause at all).
I'm not trying to be unethical to get out of work (a short look through the homework should show that it's not just chicken-scratch and I really worked on it); this is just to try and simplify life for both of us. The idea is roughly that she can give me a grade which definitely does not overestimate my ability, so she doesn't have to feel unethical. The fact that it may underestimate my ability is my loss and I'm willing to accept it.
(I understand that I should have been in better contact with the professor about when to submit the old homeworks.)<issue_comment>username_1: It is the professor's ethical, professional, and potentially legal obligation to ensure that the grade you receive is the grade you earn, according to the grading schemes, course syllabus, and school policy. It is *highly* inappropriate to ask the professor to just guess at a grade, and it is equally inappropriate for the professor to actually do that.
The school grants degrees (or diplomas), and in most places the ability of a school's degree to get people a job is based entirely on that school's reputation. If a school starts randomly assigning grades, even low ones, it undermines that reputation and potentially makes their degrees suspect.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: A lot of markers at university would love to just guess a grade, because most people would agree marking is the most tedious part of the job... However they don't because doing so and being found out would get them in serious trouble. There's no harm (to you) in asking, but the answer will almost certainly be no, because there's a lot of harm to them if they're found out, regardless of if the student is fine with it.
(Obviously depends on institution, but I can't imagine an institution where there wouldn't be trouble for the marker if this happened that's also an institution that issues degrees worth the paper they're written on).
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: As a professor, I would say that giving an incomplete is extra work - I still have to attend to a student from a class I no longer am teaching. So, if a student came to me with this request I would take it as "You let me take longer than allowed to complete the coursework and now I'm asking you to hurry up." Plus, why take a lower grade automatically if you completed the required work?
If your professor does not have time now to grade it because a conference is coming up (conferences only last 3-5 days), simply ask your professor when would be a good time to contact her as a follow-up before the final grade is due. This is not an unreasonable request and is more professional. It also doesn't undermined the importance and effort she gave to the assignment she developed and assigned. Also, make sure you have a record that you submitted the materials to her in time - an email documenting you sent it, her email acknowledging she received it, a receipt from Blackboard, etc. This is her responsibility to get the grade in on time. If she doesn't, you will have proof that you submitted the coursework within the time frame agreed upon.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: In any half-way reasonable system (though I make no guarantees that you are dealing with one or not), this situation should be easily handled with a quick form or email to the administration from the professor. They need only confirm the student has turned in all work required to satisfy the incomplete, but they need additional time to render a final grade. It shouldn't be a big stumper for anyone, so I suspect there may be a communication issue - ie, the professor means they'll handle it but just was letting you know it'll be a few weeks to get your grade, but I wouldn't totally assume that.
I would suggest you simply inform the professor of your concern of the incomplete being automatically applied on X date, and ask if there is some form or something you need to do to ensure you aren't automatically failed even though you turned in the work.
That **ought** to be the end of it.
I would not suggest or imply in any way that the professor should BS you a low grade in exchange for being rid of you. Honestly, only a fabulously terrible instructor would go "oh good, so you just need a C - you can have one if you agree not to ask any questions, because I don't want to read this crap." Really, that's just an embarrassing attitude to have towards your job and students, though again I can't say there aren't people out in the world with this attitude.
Regardless, I have never, ever found it useful to assume or imply people are effectively an embarrassment to their field and so unethical as to give short shrift to their student by giving them a lower grade than they deserve in exchange for a quick grade. If they are not so cut-rate as to be enticed, they will either be sad that you think the system would actually work that way, think it's a silly request and ignore it, or be insulted that you think they would actually behave in such a way.
I don't know your instructor or institution, but I would personally suggest you just send a short, clarifying email ensuring they are considering the deadline from the institution and asking if you need to do anything to get an extension. Save the email to show to administrators later if there is an issue, and maybe talk to your advisor to make sure the proposed solution sounds right to them as well.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2017/04/04
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<issue_start>username_0: I recently obtained my Ph.D., and I am looking in various states for an assistant professor or instructor position. Since I will be moving to another state, I would ideally like to find a tenure-track position. However, some of the jobs postings I found do not mention whether or not the position is tenure-track. They usually list the position as full-time 9/10 month, with no mention of a contract or fixed term.
Is it considered impolite to email the university's HR and ask if the position is tenure-track? If not, what would be the best way to ask?<issue_comment>username_1: It is not impolite to ask. Usually the tenure-track and non-tenure-track descriptions are a major consideration of academic job postings. I find it a little odd that any job posting would neglect to mention this.
Getting in touch with the department chair or search committee (or other responsible faculty member listed in the solicitation) might be a better option than contacting the HR department.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: In many cases, they might think it is clear from the job title. In the US, job titles with the words "Lecturer", "Instructor", "Adjunct", "Visiting", "Clinical" are almost always non-tenure-track.
The job title "Assistant Professor" is *usually* tenure-track, though with some exceptions: "named" assistant professorships like "<NAME> Assistant Professor" may be effectively postdocs. But it does not hurt to ask for clarification.
As username_1 says, talk to someone in the department instead of HR. The HR office is usually not closely involved in a faculty search and isn't likely to be the best source of information.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]
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2017/04/05
| 1,025
| 4,221
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a first year Biochemist but I am sick and tired of being told to wait and that will be covered in Level 5 (2nd Year) or Level 6 (3rd Year).
I have a couple of areas of research that I would love to go into and feel that I would not be held back by a lack of education.
Is there anyway to get onto a PhD or MSc at all without the undergrad as I fell that by the time I am in my 3rd year I will have gave up with the whole of science.<issue_comment>username_1: You definitely don't lack confidence, can't judge about knowledge.
It is possible to skip and go straight into PhD, but it is hard and I don't see the point.
If it is all too easy, it shouldn't take that much time and that should leave you free time to pursue independent research projects. Researchers are always happy to take on free workforce, especially if it is good. You can have a few papers by the time your graduate and then you can go into any school for PhD. I know a person in my field who had like 15 papers and hundreds of citations before he graduated.
If you think undergraduate courses are boring compared to real research, think again.
If you think you're wasting your time, because you think you can get PhD earlier, think again. In fact, you want to stay in PhD program as long as you need to become really independent. Many people push their PhD through before they are ready and by the time they are for truly independent research, the "up to 3 years after PhD" postdocs are all gone.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: No, it is not possible. Your feeling that you "would not be held back by a lack of education" is inaccurate, and graduate programs will know that. They have plenty of qualified applicants who have more experience and background than you do; they have no reason to admit you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes. There are many examples (in math) that this can be done in some countries. Here is one example: <NAME>. Note that he had to finish his undergraduate degree concurrently with his PhD so that his degree would have legal value.
However, it was not his iniciative. He first caught attention of some professor (while still in high school), where he proved that he had an exceptional talent. So the best thing you can do is look for a mentor and star doing research. Being formally an undergraduate or a PhD student should make little difference.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Isn't this very much a case of the academic grass being greener? You don't like how your bachelor's has so far turned out and you would much rather jump the gun and get involved in an area which seems more appealing but which you haven't begun research in yet?
If you are in your first year, it's very common for students to feel disillusioned with their courses. This is why there is so much doubt, soul-searching and drop-outs among first years. I know in my own case, my BA was not what I expected it to be and I considered leaving but I stuck with it and graduated. If this is how your bachelor's has turned out, what makes you think a master's would be different?
I would advise the same for you - stick with it. Remember that you are studying a discipline, not one cherrypicked aspect of it, and your love should be for that discipline as a whole rather than those parts that seem more illustrious. Of course there are parts of any course which we favour more as researchers, but part of the academic ethic includes working through those, since you never know when they may prove useful.
I would caution against going to your professor. I don't think it will be looked on in a favourable light unless you are extremely bright and different to other students. And even if you were, there's little reason for them to make a special difference for you, unless you can put forward an extremely compelling case.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Ideally, one does research with a professor/advisor as an undergrad - either directly or through connections to other research groups - and learns how to research in the process. If you think you can compete against many people with an exceptional Masters thesis and solid research experience, then go for it.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/04/05
| 1,016
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<issue_start>username_0: I just started my PhD and I was planning to submit a paper from my MSc work to a conference soon. The paper was finished before I join my PhD program.
Now my new PhD supervisor want to add his name and his post-doc name on the paper. He asked me to send the paper for his post-doc to review and then add both their names. Although my previous supervisor already reviewed the paper.
How should I proceed? My new supervisor definitely has no contribution in the paper and feels like he just wants his name on more papers with no regard to how he contributed.<issue_comment>username_1: I'm in the social sciences, but I can't imagine that this is a discipline-specific issue. Is your new supervisor pre-tenure? If so, he may be pressured to have a stronger CV and publishing with his post-doc would look extra favorable. Regardless, (from your description) this appears to be an inappropriate request and I'm sorry that you were put in this predicament. I find the fact that the supervisor wants the post-doc to also co-author is especially troubling.
First, I echo that you should find a new supervisor. If there is someone else whose work is close or closer to your interest, you can ask to transfer supervisors and claim this as an academic request and not a personal one.
Second, is your MSc a co-author? If so, you can state that the prior supervisor is the co-author and you do not feel comfortable adding additional co-authors when the previous supervisor put in much of the work.
If not, you can still claim that you did the majority of the work and that if neither your supervisor nor his post-doc have any significant additional contributions to your paper, you do not feel comfortable adding them as co-authors. To further decline with professionalism, you could explain to the supervisor that you have other paper drafts or other projects that you would like to publish and/or present at conferences...if the two are interested in co-authoring you could collaborate on revising something else to publish together.
If your new supervisor is somewhat junior, he may not know that this was inappropriate (I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt), so I would try to be as professional about this as possible. It also might not surprise other faculty or administrators that this person asked you to do this (there are always faculty members here and there who are known to minimize student contribution and credit, though unfortunate). Good luck!!!
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I largely agree with comments by <NAME>, JeffE, and username_1, but there's another angle that has not been considered, namely, the supervisor might be acting in the OP's best interests.
**THIS ANSWER IS CONTROVERSIAL**. *At the time of adding this remark, down-votes outweigh up-votes. The comments suggest that down-votes are due to the supervisor being presumed guilty of malpractice. This is a serious, worrisome accusation. Let's step-back momentarily and presume innocence.*
The OP has stated that their supervisor wants his post-doc to review a paper co-authored by the OP and OP's previous supervisor. It has been assumed that the supervisor is acting in his own interests. This might not be the case. Perhaps the supervisor believes the paper can be improved, after review. The OP should assess whether this might be the case. If so, then the OP should consider whether such improvements are worth adding the supervisor and post-doc as co-authors. They might well be worth it. For instance, if the improvements enable publication at a more prestigious journal, then I'd consider such improvements worth adding the supervisor and post-doc as co-authors.
I fully appreciate that reviewing is insufficient for authorship and, as I have hinted, I fully agree with <NAME>, JeffE, and username_1, if the supervisor wants co-authorship without contribution. That's not the issue I want to address; I want to establish whether the OP has fully understood the supervisor's intent. In particular, I want to establish whether the supervisor/post-doc is also offering a scholarly contribution. If so, then the OP should consider co-authorship.
(In using the phrase "feels like," the OP is hinting that the supervisor's intent is unclear. Hence, the need for clarification and the potential importance of this response.)
Upvotes: -1
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2017/04/05
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm moving to Germany in a couple of weeks and I'll be setting up as a freelancer. I'm just curious about my title though.
I got my PhD in the UK in 2015, it states "Doctor of Philosophy" on the certificate, as usual, but my research was in Computer Science, specifically experimental application of Computer Science techniques to Engineering problems (in fact, my work was actually funded by an automobile company based in Germany whom I visited quite regularly).
I'm no longer in academia, but last summer I was briefly at Hannover University, where somebody suggested that I would be eligible for the Dr.-Ing. title instead of the plain Dr. title.
Fact is, I would like the Dr.-Ing. given the technical nature of my freelance work, but I am not sure whether I am legally allowed to use it.
Can anybody advise me?<issue_comment>username_1: One important thing you need to know about the German *Doktorgrad* is (alongside other non-academic titles) that its use is restricted [by federal law](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stgb/__132a.html). Adding a *Doktortitel* to your name in public without being entitled to do so is a punishable offence. This means that you should not trust any answer that you get from the Internet on this topic. Make sure that you verify whatever answer you get with an official side. One way of doing so is pointed out in @username_2's useful answer from the point of view of someone who already went through this.
Having said that: First of all, a British *Doctor of Philosophy* is indeed considered equivalent to a German *Doktorgrad*. You can verify that using [this database](http://anabin.kmk.org/no_cache/filter/hochschulabschluesse.html) (unfortunately only available in German). This means that you're fully qualified for whatever position or task that requires a *Dr.*
However, while you're entitled to use your *PhD* in public as an academic title, it is not possible to convert your PhD into a German *Doktorgrad*, and doing so might be an offense according to German law. This is based on a statement issued by the [*Kultusministerkonferenz*](https://www.kmk.org/themen/anerkennung-auslaendischer-abschluesse/anerkennung-im-hochschulbereich/fuehrung-auslaendischer-hochschulgrade.html) (the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany"). These are the crucial points:
>
> * Akademische Grade sind in Deutschland rechtlich geschützt.
> * Der ausländische Grad muss ordnungsgemäß verliehen sein.
> * Die Umwandlung eines ausländischen Grades in einen deutschen Grad ist nicht möglich (…).
>
>
>
My translation:
* Academic titles are protected by the law in Germany.
* A foreign title has to have been granted lawfully.
* It is not possible to convert a foreign title into a German title.
This statement is very explicit in my opinion, and it means that you cannot just add *Dr.-Ing.* to your name if you haven't been granted the title by a German university. It also means that no German university can grant you a *Dr.-Ing.* simply because you have a foreign equivalent title.
Yet, you can use your *PhD* in public, because it's acknowledged as an academic title. Plus, the *Kultusministerkonferenz* has decided that EU members can also choose to use *Dr.* instead of the designation used in their country of origin, this is regulated in (2) in the ["Vereinbarung
über begünstigende Regelungen der 'Grundsätze für die Regelung der Führung ausländischer Hochschulgrade'"](https://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/Dateien/pdf/ZAB/Gradfuehrung_Beschluesse_der_KMK/grundaus3.pdf) (thanks to @Pont for pointing that out), but this does *not* include the "-Ing." part. To quote:
>
> 1. Hochschulgrade aus Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union (EU) oder des Europäischen Wirtschaftsraumes (EWR) […] können in der Originalform ohne Herkunftsbezeichnung geführt werden.
>
>
>
This means that academic titles from the EU, the EEA may be used as part of the name in their original form without stating their origin.
>
> 2. Inhaber von in einem wissenschaftlichen Promotionsverfahren erworbenen Doktorgraden, die in den in Ziff. 1 bezeichneten Staaten oder Institutionen erworben wurden, können anstelle der im Herkunftsland zugelassenen oder nachweislich allgemein üblichen Abkürzung […] wahlweise die Abkürzung „Dr.“ ohne fachlichen Zusatz und ohne Herkunftsbezeichnung führen. […] Führung beider Abkürzungen ist nicht zulässig.
>
>
>
This means that a holder of a doctorate from one of the countries described in (1) may decide to use the abbreviation *Dr.* instead of the abbreviation that is usually used in their country of origin, but without the addition of an abbreviation indicating the title-granting discipline – that's the part referring to the *-Ing.* suffix. Also, it's not possible to combine both abbreviations, i.e. "Dr. username_1, PhD" is not allowed.
**Edit (March 2021)**
The answer above reflects the state of affairs from 2017, a time at which the UK had already voted in favor of Brexit but was still a EU member. Now that the UK is not a member state anymore, paragraphs (1) and (2) don't apply to UK PhD holders. Consequently, the "Vereinbarung" [was revised in 2019](https://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/Dateien/pdf/ZAB/Gradfuehrung_Beschluesse_der_KMK/VereinbarungGrundsaetzeAuslHSGrade_i.d.F._vom_24-05-2019.pdf) by adding the UK to the list of exceptions in paragraph (4) (alongside Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, and the US):
>
> 4. Inhaber von folgenden Doktorgraden [...] **Vereinigtes Königreich: „Doctor of ...“ mit jeweils unterschiedlicher Abkürzung** [...] können anstelle der im Herkunftsland zugelassenen oder nachweislich allgemein üblichen Abkürzungen die Abkürzung „Dr.“ jeweils ohne fachlichen Zusatz und Herkunftsbezeichnung führen.
>
>
>
According to this revision, any scholar from the UK who holds a PhD (which is an instance of a „Doctor of ...“ degree) may still use *Dr.* in their name, but as before, you may not add the degree-granting discipline. So, at least as far as the regulations concerning using an UK PhD in Germany is concerned, Brexit didn't cause any substantial change after all.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: username_1 already gave a very complete answer above, but I can add my personal experience since I am in the exact same situation: I completed my PhD in Engineering at a British university and am currently residing in Germany.
When you arrive in Germany you will have to do your *Anmeldung* - register yourself with your city's local authority. You can officially declare your PhD/Dr. title in that process and it will appear in the document you will get from them. I feel that's the safest way to use the title since it's been accepted by the state. As stated above, Germans take their titles very seriously and you **do not** want to use it incorrectly.
In order to register the title officially you'll need to bring proof of enrolment and completion of the PhD program. In my case I had to ask for a letter from my university with my full name and birthdate confirming my enrolment. For proof of completion I simply brought my diploma. Both documents were in English and were accepted without issue.
Finally, I prefer to sign as "Dr." rather than "PhD" since most Germans aren't familiar with the latter and even many of those who heard of it think they're not equivalent. I've also had a lot of people ask me if I studied Philosophy - consider this if you decide to hang your diploma where others can see it.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: I would have commented to @username_2's answer, but I don't have the reputation...
I'd like to relate my story: I attempted to claim the Dr. title from Finland in the local Einwohnermeldeamt. I was asked for a German translation of the diploma that was already written in English. This probably **depends on the state you are in**, if not even on the language skills of the officials. In any case, having the diploma translated by a certified translator would have been ridiculously expensive, so I gave up. Therefore I do not dare to include the title at the moment. Perhaps I'll try the Amt again later.
Here are some relevant pieces of information I found:
"Foreign Academic Degrees
Questions regarding the use of foreign academic degrees and titles should be addressed to the ministry of science of the respective Land. As a rule, it is possible to use the academic degree or title in the original language – this is also stipulated in the Länder higher education laws. It is not possible to convert a foreign academic degree or title into a German academic degree or title. The only exception is in the case of ethnic German resettlers. The anabin database provides further information on the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications. " [1]
There is actually a whole database, called "ANABIN", of degrees that are already recognised. [2]
[1] <https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/en/academic_recognition.php>
[2] <http://anabin.kmk.org/no_cache/filter/institutionen.html>
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: If you belong to a recognised Engineering Institution you may be entitled to apply to FEANI for the prenominals EUR ING in addidion to Dr.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: A way is to give specific marks, like 80/100. Another is to give grades like A+, B-. I am not sure which grading scheme is better for the work.<issue_comment>username_1: If you give one student a 80/100 and another 79/100, is that 1 point difference real or just random noise? In my courses it would be the latter. So, if possible, I tend to avoid such fine grained schemes, that suggest precision which I just cannot deliver. However, I don't have perfect freedom in choosing schemes.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Consult with your university assessment guides as to the standard way they express the grade on student work and follow this to the letter. Especially for summative tasks, but also for formative tasks. If a desriptor is available for the grade, then use that also.
This would ensure consistency in assessment feedback.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/04/05
| 374
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm writing my masters thesis in computer science and I haven't found a good source for evaluation criteria of the protocols I'm looking at in my thesis.
What are the requirements before I can say "There is nothing on evaluation criteria in the literature."
Is the fact that I couldn't find any enough? When do I know that I put enough effort into searching?<issue_comment>username_1: In my thesis, my supervisors advised me to put something along the lines of...
>
> Based on the literature review undertaken (see Chapter 2), this is the first analysis of evaluation criteria.
>
>
>
You could also list the search terms you used.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Is the fact that I couldn't find any enough? When do I know that I put enough effort into searching?
>
>
>
Obviously, there is no way to "prove" that something does not exist, so on a fundamental level that you did not find anything *has to* be enough. Of course, you need to make evident that you searched in a reasonable way. The guidelines of structured literature reviews have some rules on how to do this, but essentially it boils down to (1) searching all reasonable sources, and (2) searching for all the terms that could reasonably be used to describe what you are looking for.
>
> how to phrase it?
>
>
>
The usual phrase is *"to the best of our knowledge, this methodology has not been used before to (...)"*.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
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| 836
| 3,298
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<issue_start>username_0: SPIE policy for web posting of papers states the following:
>
> SPIE grants to authors (and their employers) of papers, posters, and presentation recordings published in SPIE Proceedings or SPIE Journals on the SPIE Digital Library (hereinafter "publications") the right to post an author-prepared version or an official version (preferred version) of the publication on an **internal or external server controlled exclusively by the author/employer**, provided that (a) such posting is noncommercial in nature and the publication is made available to users without charge; **(b)** an appropriate copyright notice and citation appear with the publication; and **(c)** a link to SPIE's official online version of the publication is provided using the item's DOI.
>
>
> This authorization does **not** extend to third-party web sites not owned and maintained by the author/employer such as ResearchGate, Academia.edu, YouTube, etc.
>
>
> SPIE content published under a Creative Commons CC-BY license is exempt from the above requirements.
>
>
>
Emphasis in the above text is mine.
So if I understand correctly, once the paper is accepted in SPIE (journal or proceedings) for publication, then I cannot post it on arXiv (since the arXiv server is neither exclusively controlled by me/my employer). I am talking about my own version, not the published one.
I tried to submit my own version on arXiv and they understandably rejected it saying that they cannot accept anything that has a journal copyright. So is there a way around it for me to submit my article to arXiv?
If not, I think I can surely post it on my own website, right? I will post the copyright and the DOI in that version.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> So is there a way around it for me to submit my article to arXiv?
>
>
>
It's reasonable for you to ask SPIE for permission to post the paper to the arXiv (under conditions (a), (b), and (c)). They might not grant permission, but it can't hurt to ask. Even if they deny permission, at least you've given them feedback about what authors like you want.
One possibility is that they actively object to posting on the arXiv. In that case, you are probably stuck. Another possibility is that they don't specifically object to the arXiv, but don't want to authorize arbitrary websites they are unfamiliar with or other websites they object to. In that case, they might grant you permission. If they do, then that should suffice for the arXiv administrators.
>
> If not, I think I can surely post it on my own website, right?
>
>
>
Yes, assuming it is controlled exclusively by you or your employer. (That's true for most people's websites, but it could fail in unusual cases, for example if you are treating a social network page as your home page.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Some update on this.
It states SPIE's official "SPIE Article-Sharing Policies" website:
(<https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/article-sharing-policies>, accessed 2018-06-18)
>
> What about arXiv?
>
>
> Authors may post draft manuscripts on preprint servers such as arXiv. If the full citation and Digital Object Identifier (DOI) are known, authors are encouraged to add this information to the preprint record.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
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2017/04/05
| 1,010
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<issue_start>username_0: Many papers use nonstandard data sets, which means the authors could have manipulated the data behind the scenes to make their paper look more impressive. It seems that this could be done very easily: for example, one could cherry pick the items of the data set to make it seem like an algorithm has 90%+ accuracy while in reality it's about 60%.
What prevents people from doing this? Is there something I'm missing?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Can I use what I described above to publish a paper without much hassle?
>
>
>
Yes, it's easy to write a fraudulent paper, and it's not hard to get it published if you are willing to publish in a journal with low standards. (Some predatory publishers will publish literally anything if you are willing to pay them.) You might even get it published somewhere respectable if you fake everything convincingly, by getting results that are good enough to be impressive without being so implausible that reviewers become suspicious.
>
> Is there something I am missing?
>
>
>
I'd bet that what you're missing is the role of reputation in academia. If you don't maintain a good reputation, you'll be ignored and marginalized, with no ability to influence the field. If your only goal is to produce a paper, then there's a lot of scope for mischief, but this generally won't lead to a successful research career. If people are unable to build on your work, they'll become suspicious and your reputation will suffer. (And if they aren't even interested in trying to build on your work, then by definition you aren't having an influential career.)
It's not impossible to succeed in academia by fraud, as demonstrated by the people who succeeded for some years before they were caught. However, it's much harder than faking a single paper.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> What prevents people from doing this? Is there something I'm missing?
>
>
>
In addition to the factors mentioned in username_1's excellent answer, I think another factor at play is that while it is not very difficult for a dishonest person to (temporarily) get ahead by faking data, the rewards for doing it aren't very great compared to the effort it takes to implement this strategy successfully. Even the barrier to entry in academia, getting a PhD, is high enough to deter the most dishonest people, who are the kinds of people who may be tempted to use fraudulent strategies to attain professional success, money etc. And the payoff for this kind of fraud is ultimately quite modest -- you might get a job with tenure, but is that really worth the trouble of working on something you have no real passion for, and doing so in a dishonest way, for so many years?
The bottom line is that Academia is simply not an attractive place for fraudsters, certainly much less attractive than other industries or career tracks (which I won't name) where fraud and other antisocial behavior can reap you much greater rewards in a much shorter period of time. So yes, a hypothetical fraudster who ends up in academia can gain some traction in their career using dishonest methods (until they are caught at least), and occasionally we hear stories about such people. But these stories are rare precisely because academic research as a career option is most appealing to people who by and large are passionate about advancing human knowledge, and therefore are not predisposed to committing major acts of scientific fraud.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: An example is [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sch%C3%B6n_scandal). He manipulated data on a big scale. But after people found out about it, he lost his job (and academic career) and even got stripped of his doctor title.
Apart from this, I guess that most scientists are actually interested in honest academic research (i.e. finding out something truly new) and not in a career build on lies. Moreover, many scientists suffer from some other extreme, they believe that they are [imposters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome) (while producing valid science).
Upvotes: 3
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2017/04/06
| 1,201
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a junior in high school and fear that I have messed up. In my freshman and sophomore year, I worked very hard to maintain good grades and participate in extracurriculars. I participated in robotics and research and was able to win a variety of awards. When junior year came around, I was in the mindset that I had to do as much as possible. I signed up for a bunch of extracurriculars, decided to hold 3 leadership positions, etc. The stress has been killing me for months. Recently, I had most of my competitions, and I performed poorly in all of them (except for one research competition). Also, my grades have dropped from last year (by about 0.4 on a 100 point scale). It really depresses me that I went through all of the stress for what feels like nothing. As most of the competitions are over now, I plan to start focusing on my passions again (physics and programming). Nonetheless, I feel as if I messed up my competitiveness when it comes to college admissions and I am afraid that I will look back on my junior year with regret. I don't know what to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Can I use what I described above to publish a paper without much hassle?
>
>
>
Yes, it's easy to write a fraudulent paper, and it's not hard to get it published if you are willing to publish in a journal with low standards. (Some predatory publishers will publish literally anything if you are willing to pay them.) You might even get it published somewhere respectable if you fake everything convincingly, by getting results that are good enough to be impressive without being so implausible that reviewers become suspicious.
>
> Is there something I am missing?
>
>
>
I'd bet that what you're missing is the role of reputation in academia. If you don't maintain a good reputation, you'll be ignored and marginalized, with no ability to influence the field. If your only goal is to produce a paper, then there's a lot of scope for mischief, but this generally won't lead to a successful research career. If people are unable to build on your work, they'll become suspicious and your reputation will suffer. (And if they aren't even interested in trying to build on your work, then by definition you aren't having an influential career.)
It's not impossible to succeed in academia by fraud, as demonstrated by the people who succeeded for some years before they were caught. However, it's much harder than faking a single paper.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> What prevents people from doing this? Is there something I'm missing?
>
>
>
In addition to the factors mentioned in username_1's excellent answer, I think another factor at play is that while it is not very difficult for a dishonest person to (temporarily) get ahead by faking data, the rewards for doing it aren't very great compared to the effort it takes to implement this strategy successfully. Even the barrier to entry in academia, getting a PhD, is high enough to deter the most dishonest people, who are the kinds of people who may be tempted to use fraudulent strategies to attain professional success, money etc. And the payoff for this kind of fraud is ultimately quite modest -- you might get a job with tenure, but is that really worth the trouble of working on something you have no real passion for, and doing so in a dishonest way, for so many years?
The bottom line is that Academia is simply not an attractive place for fraudsters, certainly much less attractive than other industries or career tracks (which I won't name) where fraud and other antisocial behavior can reap you much greater rewards in a much shorter period of time. So yes, a hypothetical fraudster who ends up in academia can gain some traction in their career using dishonest methods (until they are caught at least), and occasionally we hear stories about such people. But these stories are rare precisely because academic research as a career option is most appealing to people who by and large are passionate about advancing human knowledge, and therefore are not predisposed to committing major acts of scientific fraud.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: An example is [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sch%C3%B6n_scandal). He manipulated data on a big scale. But after people found out about it, he lost his job (and academic career) and even got stripped of his doctor title.
Apart from this, I guess that most scientists are actually interested in honest academic research (i.e. finding out something truly new) and not in a career build on lies. Moreover, many scientists suffer from some other extreme, they believe that they are [imposters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome) (while producing valid science).
Upvotes: 3
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| 7,615
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<issue_start>username_0: I am currently a PhD student advised by a new (and awesome, in my opinion) theoretical computer scientist in the field of optimization. This was my dream ever since I took a class on convex optimization a few years ago during my MS.
However, I don’t have a math or CS background. My master’s and industry experience have both been in applied signal processing. When I recently looked at the kind of grad students who work in my current choice of research area, I realized the level of competition I am up against.
These are all from amazing institutes around the world and had been the brightest kids in their colleges, the ones with medals in olympiads, top Putnam scores, etc. I am from a mid-tier college in my country and never won an award for excelling in math/algorithms.
How do you come to terms with the fact that you might be doing research in what you love with an amazing mentor, but you’ll just never be the best in even your research community? How's that not discouraging?<issue_comment>username_1: If every swimmer were to compete with the latest 20 year old Olympic gold medalist, they would soon give up. That's why we have different leagues. They provide more relevant frames of reference to compare different athletes. Thus you need to:
Shift the frame.
----------------
**Adjusting a bad frame:**
You are a PhD student who completed some regular college and an outsider to your field. But you are comparing yourself with your supervisor and with "the brightest kids" in the world and, what is more, with scientist who specialized in your field from the get-go. How can that not be disappointing?
What about: You are an up-and-coming young researcher with real-world experience and a background that is not the usual run-of-the-mill in the field you are working in. You have an amazing supervisor who trusts your work and you are at least as successful as the other PhD students in your cohort. Perhaps you are the only one from your college who made it to graduate school in the last couple of years. You still have plenty of time as a researcher to develop your *own* profile according to *your* interests. Don't be fooled by the [impostor syndrome](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/11765/ive-somehow-convinced-everyone-that-im-actually-good-at-this-how-to-effect).
**Dropping a bad frame:**
Never mind what I said in the beginning. Science is not a competition -- at least it shouldn't be.
If you're doing research *mainly* to outcompete your colleagues, to improve your social status, to feel pleased with yourself: you're doing it wrong. Then you are extrinsically motivated, and this is neither sustainable nor does it make you happy. Have you ever delved into a problem and forgotten to drink or eat until the sun went down? Have you ever felt deeply frustrated because you just couldn't wrap your head around some strange finding, only to realize later that it completely makes sense when you look at it from a different angle? Experienced the enthusiasm that came with that discovery? Do you deeply feel that you *have* to understand *this*? Then you know the feeling of *[flow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology))* that really only comes from intrinsic motivation. Forget the competition; enjoy the game.
Upvotes: 9 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The vast majority of people working in academia are not the best. That is just a logical consequence of the fact that only one person can be the best and all others are not. Even if you relax the definitions by subdividing all fields and defining "the best" to be a group of individuals in a very specific sub-sub-sub-field rather than one individual, the group who is not the best must be significantly larger than the group who is the best in order for the concept of being the best to be meaningful.
A lot of work that needs to be done to move a field forward is just checking and re-checking, applying a result to different contexts, etc., etc. That does not require super intelligence, but is still vital. Identifying with my sub-field, and doing vital work to move that field forward is what motivates me.
Also remember that as you move up, you are entering an increasingly selective group: There is no shame in not being the most intelligent person of the world.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: I've upvoted both the answers by username_2 and username_1, but I want to highlight and make even more clear and blunt a principle that one of the answers touches on and I personally adhere to:
Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses and start keeping up with the @convexityftws.
All kidding aside:
>
> *[Be your best self.](http://olympians.org/news/679/be-your-best-self--inspiring-message-from-london-1948-olympian-in-rio/)*
>
>
> ~[<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ru%C5%BEa_Vojsk), 1948 Olympian
>
>
>
The idea is that yes, we may be in competition with others, but at the same time, we must be even more in competition with ourselves.
>
> *[The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before.](http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/385727-the-principle-is-competing-against-yourself-it-s-about-self-improvement-about)*
>
>
> ~[<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Young), Former NFL Quarterback
>
>
>
It's the secret of great athletes such as those above, but as Ms. Voisk affirms, it can also be applied to "every field, not just in sport but in everything we do."
And if you feel like these people are out of your league, then how about out of the mouth of a Paralympian with muscular dystrophy?
>
> *[I am my biggest competitor.](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38504257?ocid=socialflow_twitter)*
>
>
> ~[<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yip_Pin_Xiu), Three-time Paralympic Gold Medalist and One-time IPC Gold Medalist
>
>
>
And wait until you really get the hang of it and you can start getting into some friendly cooperative competition, [co-opetition](https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2015/07/08/competition-at-work-positive-or-positively-awful/#63ad99072da8).
Then you'll really be on the ball, and then, who knows. Perhaps "[being among the best in your research community](http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/12/28/self-made-men/)" won't be so far out of reach after all.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: I have come to a similar thought as you have mentioned. The feeling of perceived inferiority can be very strong and somewhat academically-debilitating (sometimes leading to counter-productive thoughts as 'why am I even bothering').
I am PhD graduate from mid-tier rural university in Australia, the first experience I had in my research area was through my MSc and then the PhD. I am self taught in the programming part - I have never achieved any awards and in terms of employment I have just achieved an Adjunct position from one university and a part time (1 day per week) research fellowship.
Time has eluded me, as I have to do 2 more jobs to pay the bills etc. So I have only 2 dozen publications to my name over 4 years.
All this working with remarkable academics with dozens (and even hundreds) of papers... but:
* a couple of the papers of mine are considered to be cornerstone papers (dozens of citations each).
* Recently, I am being approached by many academics who wish to collaborate on similar projects.
One of the academics I work with, someone with almost 300 publications (including books) summed it up for me when I asked a similar question to him - **perseverance is key**
Give it time, keep persevering and chase the dream, not the competition.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Keep in mind that there's *virtually always* someone "better" no matter who you are. Are the "best" people in your community better than, for example, <NAME> or <NAME>?
It was a huge deal when <NAME> broke the 4-minute mile, but other people have done a mile faster since then. Does that mean that <NAME> should drive himself nuts until he does better than the people who beat his record?
In fact, a lot of world records have eventually been broken, so you could ask the same about them.
The best thing to do is to let go of comparison. To learn more about that, I suggest reading *The Gifts of Imperfection* by <NAME>, who's one of the better authors on the topic.
You may also want to look into the idea of Unconditional Self-Acceptance, which implies that you don't really *need* to be "the best" or to hold a particular position in the "pecking order" in order to be able to accept yourself. This is particularly important given that your position in the "pecking order" will likely be changing constantly.
Besides, as others have indicated, the concept of "the best" in this kind of work is remarkably amorphous anyway, so it's not a reasonable standard to judge yourself against. Who's a "better" scientist - <NAME> or <NAME>? How would you even define or measure that?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: **TL;DR**
It really isn't important to be the best,
as most people in the world aren't the best at their jobs,
and yet many of them can choose to be happy about it.
### My story
I empathize with you because when I was a PhD student,
just as you did, I had dreams of grandeur.
I would publish amazing papers,
get a job in one of the best universities,
give amazing talks, etc.
Unfortunately, my dreams didn't come true.
My PhD research projects did not go as smoothly as I wished,
and I graduated one year later than I had planned.
Nevertheless, I did graduate and find a tenure track job.
Along the way, I got married and had kids.
Being a father has changed my priorities,
and I would say that I realized that **contentment**
is much more important than **achievement**.
What do I mean?
A billionaire could still feel unhappy because he/she wants more,
on the other hand a homeless person could be full of joy
because he/she is grateful for what he/she has.
Why am I content?
I am content because:
* I enjoy my research
* I am reasonably good at my research
* I and some other people find my research meaningful
* I am paid reasonably well for research and teaching
### My advice for the OP
Paraphrasing what you wrote:
>
> The grad students who work in my current choice of research area... are all from amazing institutes around the world and had been the brightest kids in their colleges, the ones with medals in olympiads, top Putnam scores, etc. I am from a mid-tier college in my country and never won an award for excelling in math/algorithms.
>
>
>
In my opinion,
you shouldn't be too hard on yourself
that you didn't take part in olympiads.
I say this as someone who did get a medal in an olympiad (the IMO).
In fact, someone who got a PhD from the same institution as myself
is a much more successful in math-related research than I am,
even though he did not take part in any olympiads.
(I suspect he probably would have been good at the olympiads,
but he just never knew he was good at math until he got into university.)
I would say that to succeed at olympiads,
you need to be smart and work hard,
but you also need to grow up in an environment
where you are exposed to information about olympiads
and you need to have the opportunity to train for them.
I would use the analogy that earning a medal at an olympiad
is like being certified to have a high IQ score ---
it suggests that you **could** do high-quality math/CS research,
but it definitely does not guarantee
that you **will** do high-quality math/CS research.
**In short, my advice is:**
Don't look at your competition,
how many awards they are winning,
how many papers they are writing,
just do your best to work with your awesome advisor,
and to do the best research and write the best papers that you can!
Related:
In a separate answer,
I explain how [you do learn some problem solving skills
in your preparation for the IMO](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/86489/8802),
however, real academic research in math or theoretical computer science
is quite different from olympiad math.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: >
> How do you come to terms with the fact that you might be doing research in what you love with an amazing mentor, but you’ll just never be the best in even your research community? How's that not discouraging?
>
>
>
The same way that a police officer comes to terms with the fact that they'll just never be the best police officer. Or a doctor. The same way that a business owner comes to terms with the fact that they'll just never be the richest person on the planet.
There's nothing to come to terms with, because "being the best" isn't the goal and "the best" isn't even a meaningful concept. People enter academia to study the subject that they love and to share their knowledge with others who want to know about it. None of that has anything to do with being "the best" because it's not a competitive pursuit. Sure, there are competitive aspects, such as getting jobs or studentships or funding, but job applications are competitive in any walk of life. And even if you ask ultra-competitive people, like athletes, they'll say that they're motivated by loving their job and wanting to be the best they can be. Almost nobody says, "I play sport X because I want to be world champion."
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_8: What counts are the results you have obtained. Even if you're the dumbest of them all, if you find an interesting results and get it published, you'll have been the first person that has ever lived on this planet to have found that result. This is then analogous to you being the first successful climber of, say, Mount Everest. Many other people have climbed more mountains than you? Yes, but none of them have managed to climb that particular mountain you have climbed. So, even from the point of view of competition (and I agree here with the other answerers that this perspective isn't all that useful in academia in practice for many reasons), it's not the same as in sports where different competitors are trying to out-compete each other.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_9: Being the best researcher isn't about having gone to the best school, having won the best prizes at Olympiads, or being the most intelligent. Sure, they are factors (intelligence is useful, and success before the PhD correlates somewhat to success during the PhD), but they are not the only factor at all.
There are lots of other factors that matter:
* **Motivation**: lots of smart kids do a PhD by default, and then don't do well, because they don't like research, or they don't like what they are doing, and all the intelligence in the world will not make a PhD write itself. You say that you love your research and that it was your dream to work on what you work on: I think this is a great sign, as not many PhD students would say that.
* **Tenacity**: being intelligent and being hardworking do not correlate so much. Further, Olympiads-type exercises that you do before the PhD are like sprints, whereas research is like a marathon. If you work very hard and reliably, you may end up achieving more than some smart people who are just goofing off most of the time.
* **Adequate supervision**, an extrinsic which you say you have, and which is very helpful and motivating, but that not everybody manages to get.
* **Writing skills**: if you like to write stuff and are good at it, it will help you a lot to write papers, whereas again there are smart people who don't express themselves clearly or don't like to write, so they have lots of ideas but never get around to writing them up.
* **Social skills**, to some extent: someone with very high intelligence but zero charisma (or who is socially unpleasant) may miss a lot of opportunities that would be afforded to someone who is charismatic even if less intelligent.
See also a better written post about the qualities that matter in PhD students: <http://matt.might.net/articles/successful-phd-students/>
So I don't think that your comparison to other students is fair, if it is just based on the criteria that you gave. I have no idea how well you perform of course, but I would say, just try your best. :)
[I would worry more about the fact that people from top schools may get better opportunities later for the same PhD research. As research is very competitive, coming from a less prestigious background before the PhD may be a slight handicap for later. However, good research should quickly make up for it: once you can compare people based on their track record as researchers, you usually stop caring about where they come from.]
So I think the reasonable question is, "how to deal with the fact that you are not currently the best in your research community, and probably never will be?". Not "... that you never will be", because usually it's hard to tell.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_10: Academia is just means to an end, not an end by itself. As we study to learn the basics, to learn how to learn, to do research, etc., we have a system of incentives like a teacher's praise, a good grade, a citation of our publication by a peer, and ultimately a prestigious prize or reward. None of those things are real goals, they are just incentives to help us get through. Once you have learned enough, you go on and try to fix the world's problems. When you work improves the lives of people just a tiny bit, that will feel like a reward greater than any of the incentives your received throughout your academic development.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_11: ### You're never going to be good enough
If you're struggling with feelings like falling short of being a leader in a competitive field, you're probably already a fairly competitive individual. If anything, that feeling of inadequacy is evidence of your drive to push forward and do better.
But, you're never going to win. ***Never*.**
Sure, perhaps one day you might discover some world-shaking truth. Maybe the Nobel committee will grovel for the privilege of throwing medals at your feet, and the world might come to celebrate your name and deeds. But no matter what, no matter what you achieve, you will never be *good enough*. You will always stand in the shadow of what you dream of becoming.
Your "betters" are figureheads. You're not envious of them; there're merely symbolic of the ideal that you chase. And if you come to stand in their shoes, you'll find them inadequate. If you surpass them, you'll forget that they ever meant anything. Just like that A+ you got on that spelling test in 1st grade; remember being proud of that? 'course not.
### It's fine...
Not posting this answer to provide you with any personal comfort or reassurance. That isn't even a particularly enviable thing to seek.
Keep seeing yourself as imperfect; keep striving. In the end, as you find yourself a failure for all of your mistakes and shortcomings, the world'll be better off for the shining star that you actually were.
### ...maybe
Unless it's really bugging you. Obviously I like the hardcore critical approach to things, but it's probably not for everyone.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_12: 〈HUMOR〉 It is discouraging. You are a loser. Go sell ice-cream instead. 〈/HUMOR〉
Now more seriously. You are in a great place with the folks who are better than you. This is **the best situation** you can find yourself in. If feeling inferior bothers you so much, you could try to overcome such thoughts by trying to be **the best in a nearby field**. E.g., you will create or contribute to a *phenomenal*, *usable*, and *useful* implementation of an algorithm which folks would be really eager to use. Or you will be giving *excellent*, *1-alpha-class* talks on well-known material. Or you will be great at *acquiring research funds*. Or something else. Be the best in some area in which you have a chance to win. Don't compete in areas in which you have no chance to win — there, simply learn from the winners.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_13: [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Adleman) invented the genetic computer.
Hand the paper to a computer science researcher, and they'll find the CS to be really easy, and say "I don't know
The computer science in the paper was basic stuff. The biology stuff was basic stuff.
He was an expert computer scientist who decided to study some biology, and wrote a paper that few understood, simply because he knew two different fields.
Hard work isn't enough. But neither is smarts. And neither is both. Hard work and smarts and luck together.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_14: I will add to all the answers by saying that the fact that you consider yourself to be *unlike* the people you consider 'wiz-kids' can actually be a *positive* thing. There's a lot of discoveries that could be considered to be 'low-hanging fruit' but are actually extremely important, and would have been completely overlooked by the 'wiz-kids' for looking 'not-complicated-enough', or for not following the usual expected recipes.
There is enough high-level incremental obfuscated research already. Science is in dire need of fresh, unusual, simple approaches. Here's where you might come in, *especially* given your more diverse experience. Don't be fooled into thinking simple isn't groundbreaking; if anything, most often the opposite applies. Just dare to follow your ideas in your own individual style, and only good can come of it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_15: At least you will never be perfectly **Average**.
Just as it is somewhat impossible to be that ideal average of a researcher (Joe Nothing-special), it is likewise impossible to achieve that ideal of becoming some other preordained best in someone else's field. Just be the best in a field of your own choosing. It is much easier to be a big fish in a small pond (or niche of a bigger pond).
There is a story (probably apocryphal) of doctor who wanted to become an international specialist, so studied the diseases of the belly-button to help that focus (navel gazing with attitude). You only need 33 bits of entropy to be unique (the best in the world) anyway, <https://33bits.org/about/>
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_16: Maybe flip the question over? Why would it matter if you are or aren't, and why do you feel being "best" is important?
One way to view this is that you are in a world of 7 billion people. Almost without exception, and almost in every field of work or hobby endeavour, everyone will be more capable than some, and less capable than some. That's been the status quo throughout your life, will continue to be so, and is so for almost everyone on the planet, for all of human history. If "not being the best" is a disincentive then its going to be a pretty universal one. Best know that and consider why you might choose such an incentive to nail yourself to in the first place, and if its really a good choice for you. Is it all that keeps you going, in all areas of life?
What would you say to your best friend who said that they won't be a parent and have children, unless they can feel they are the best parent on the planet and no other parent does it as well, because they can't handle if someone else could possibly parent better than them? Is being "best" *really* needed and the only thing able to motivate you to do all you can and to enjoy what you do, find happiness doing it, and fulfillment in what comes of it? Putting it in other contexts like that may show just how much it really is a choice, how unhelpful and sometimes harmful it can be as a choice, and that other valid choices and measures can and do exist.
And if it isn't the only motivator for all that you do, then what else does?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_17: **There will be a day when you don't have a teacher or a professor**. This is important to prepare some students for as they otherwise risk getting rather lost when they finally graduate and realize there is no list of correct answers, no grades and no golden stars on their papers any longer. Many a student have had a tough time after graduation because they were not prepared for this fact.
---
Try and find **happiness in the work itself** and not so much through validation. Most researchers will at some point reach a level of specialization where they don't have a teacher who can teach them more, because there is no one who has worked that much on the same things as they have.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_18: I suspect that you *are* one of the best.
Look at it this way:
* the best want to work with you (your advisor)
* most of the time the best want to work with the best
Maybe you have compensating factors, that when you look more widely or less rigidly, make you a peer - to the best.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_19: It's OK not to be the world's best.
Nobel prizes honor disciplines, but they do not in a vague and general sense say that e.g. physics is a good thing. Rather, they pick out (usually) one representative, and give a compliment to physics as a whole.
At least on present terms, there is not going to be a Nobel prize for bilking seniors out of their nest eggs. Even if the Nobel prize parody gave sarcastic honors to 419 scammers.
A Nobel prize compliments a community of research, but instead of a general and faceless way, they give excellence in a particular field a concrete face. But a Nobel prize in physics is in no sense a dig at every community member save the individual recognized as laureate. If a fields has a Nobel prize, that's a compliment to all true members.
(N.B. For mathematics, substitute "Fields medal" for "Nobel prize.")
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: There's a major flaw in your thinking. Research is a team sport. Whether you're "the best" is mostly a factor of social acceptance (aka, popularity), with only a slight correlation to above average competency. The ones often considered "the best" may or may not be above average competency, but they are all popular because of some single discovery, their personality, prevalence in the lecture/conference circuit, or a book/paper they wrote two decades ago. Whatever good you do in research will be from persistence and consistency. Continually provide good work and do your part. Some days you'll feel like the hero, some days the damsel. Most days, you're somewhere in between. But when your team comes together, standing on the shoulders of the ones before you, together you all can be "the best".
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_20: You have got a lot of answers. Here is my 2 cents.
First of all, as a PhD, you are comparing yourself to some of the most committed, intelligent, and passionate people there are. it is a given that competition will be very rough.
Second, looking at where successful researchers come from (institution, country...) and losing motivation because you are not coming from quite as fancy places is very similar to looking kids with rich fathers and losing your motivation in life in general. Academia is just as unfair as any other aspect of life.
**- How to deal with this unfair or handicapped start?**
You need to work your ass off and focus on your strengths when it comes to building your career. Learn as much you can from different but related disciplines. Develop hands-on skills, if it is something valued or sought after in your field. Be sociable, likable. If you know an employer who values a particular thing, being a hardworker for example, don't say you are a hardworker. Show that you are hardworker.
Just be the best that you can be with a positive look on life and never give up. Because, I truly believe that the most successful people in this field are not the most intelligent ones, but the ones that have unyielding perseverance.
**- Am I just talking out of my butt?**
I am at a similar position. It took me far longer than average to finish my PhD (7 years) due to several reasons. I had two colleagues quit during my time without conducting an ounce of research. We were supposed to be working as a team. Instead, I was forced work completely alone in a multi-disciplinary research field. Like, literally alone, no one to get guidance from for lab methods. I am really shocked that I didn't blow up a lab during the early years of my PhD. I have okay amount of journals but compared to other people in my field, I am in trouble.
So I focused on my hands-on experience in the lab and my multi-disciplinary working capacity when looking for postdoc and industry jobs. I had to develop those skills blood and sweat, but they are highly sought for in my field. And very recently I was able to land a postdoc position which I cannot wait to start. The principle investigator of the new group is from Stanford. Her other two postdocs are from top 30 universities in the world (QS ratings). I am from a 200+ ranked university. But The professor happened to need someone who can work with multiple disciplines and conduct hand on experiments. She didn't want just anybody as long as they are from a fancy university.
TLDR: Focus on your strengths, be very good at a few things that are highly sought in your field, be knowledgeable enough at several disciplines, stay positive (people can smell stress!), try to be the best that you can be, persevere (honestly, this is the number 1 quality of a researcher, you cannot give up in research).
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: Some general recommendations on master theses are:
>
> a master thesis should be readable without looking up external references
>
>
> a master thesis should present the topic in a way a someone with a bachelor can understand it
>
>
>
Based on these, I want to have a background chapter which explains particular concepts individually, out of context of the thesis problem. The reader would skip any topic they feel knowledgeable about in this chapter with the confidence that parts of the thesis problem was not skipped when they did so, because the chapter was free-standing.
I feel operating-system internals and malware analysis are not common knowledge, but I don't want to talk about them more than necessary, only the relevant parts. I could weave this into the main text, but I feel it would make it harder to read for both the inexperienced reader and also the experienced reader if at every turn I have to explain other concepts.
My advisor has allowed me to make such a chapter, but I haven’t seen any free-standing background chapters like this in any other papers. What is the consensus?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know if there is a broad consensus but I have seen background chapters in several papers I read recently in my field (computer engineering). If you have the space to spare (I guess a master thesis will not have a strict page limit?), this seems perfectly reasonable. Make sure to only describe things that are relevant to your research, and highlight/foreshadow how they will matter to the rest of the paper. This will also help clearly demarcate your own contribution from prior work.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I think it's fine and normal (and can be done in a Ph.D. thesis as well).
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I want to get back in touch with professor so he won't forget me but don't know what to say! I took a class with him, but that's about it. I would like to keep in touch, so that he will remember me in the future but it's already been a few months, I just have no idea what to say, as I do not have anything to say *really* (Haven't been able to catch up with any research or so due to work). Any advice?<issue_comment>username_1: Had a very similar situation recently, with an academic I worked with over 15 years ago.
The email I sent was related to his current work (research displayed on his professional website - this is an important 'hook' I found), and also linking it to the research that we collaborated with all that time ago and the classes I took from him earlier still.
After the usual greetings, I firstly asked about about some of his current research that was of interest. Then in the next paragraph, I wrote a reminder of when we worked together in the context of how I have worked from there (once again linking it to his research). Then wished him well and signed off.
He remembered me - and answered my questions and we are now back in dialogue.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I enjoy it when former students let me know what they are working on and how what they learned in my course is assisting them in their career.
I would suggest an email sharing this information and thanking the professor for teaching such a useful course.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: A student of mine has told me about Sci-Hub, where people can download copyrighted scholarly articles for free.
I have cautioned him that it is illegal, but he challenged me asking me what would be the consequences for him if he only downloads files uploaded by others.
So my question is, what are the potential consequences of using Sci-Hub?<issue_comment>username_1: It's of questionable legality, but it's not going to lead to prosecution. For me personally using sci-hub has led to new research results in fields outside of my specialization that will (very likely) appear in leading peer reviewed journals. One problem I'm not sure about is whether it's wise to say in the acknowledgements: "I thank [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Elbakyan) for setting up Sci-Hub without which the research results reported in this paper would have been impossible", in an Elsevier paper.
Using sci-hub therefore has at least the consequence of your personal scientific enlightenment, and possibly even of many other people who benefit from research you have been able to as a result of using sci-hub.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: Sci-Hub is not a repository of user-uploaded material. See e.g. [this explanation](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/04/whos-downloading-pirated-papers-everyone) - it uses institutional usernames and passwords to obtain the material. When you request a paper, if it's not already in the repository, Sci-Hub uses someone else's institutional access to get the paper. How Sci-Hub got those usernames and passwords is unknown. It's possible they were donated by Sci-Hub supporters, or they might have phished for them (remember also that it is almost certainly against your institutional policies to give out your username and password).
In other words you are correct and your student is wrong: Sci-Hub is illegal.
As for consequences, as in the linked article, if you are doing analysis of the papers themselves, then you're stuck because you can't publish data which you obtained illegally. Beyond that there's likely to be no consequences. There are simply too many people using the service. On a personal level it comes to one's moral values and how much one is willing to do something that's illegal, which I won't comment on.
In the long term if everyone decided to use the service then the publishing world will change massively, although it's complex enough that it's hard to forecast what actually will happen. Also, remember that the *modus operandi* of Sci-Hub isn't unique to academic publishing. Sci-Hub is a threat to all publishers of non-free electronic content, since it will probably work on *Wall Street Journal* articles and whatnot.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: There would likely be no consequences for a student to use sci-hub. In fact, for a student to *not* use it is foolish, considering that much valuable research that could be used for school assignments is hidden behind paywalls that no student can be reasonably asked to pay.
I could see the argument being made against using sci-hub *for a professional research paper*, in which the user actually stands to receive some form of profit from their work. But a student can only gain knowledge and assignment completion, with no monetary profit from using this site.
The legality of the site itself is dubious, but there are not likely legal consequences for simply using the site, especially if there is no monetary gain for the user.
Morally, there is much to be said about academic monopolization. Too many publications and companies control knowledge, inflating prices to take advantage of already poor students with few other options. This was a legal question, not a moral one, so I will say no more about it, but I would not take action against the student if I were you.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Using Sci Hub can also be like reading books in a library without borrowing them: 1) Is it operating as the library intended? No and yes. 2) I agree that it's arguably less ethically wrong than outright stealing. After reading copious articles on a subject, I can then decide which articles I want to cite/include/research further. Impossible to gain such knowledge and familiarity with the subject if I had to purchase each paper.
As a teenager I would go to a Barnes and Noble and read another chapter of the same book every day till I finished it. Then on to new book. Was it stealing? I didn't really care because I couldn't afford to buy school lunch much less books. I see this much the same way.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: The consequences are **overwhelmingly positive**!
1. Gaining access to research papers one would probably not otherwise have access to.
2. Undermining the control major publishers (Elsevier etc.) have over access to scientific findings.
3. Contributing to a social norm of free access to scientific information.
There is effectively no possibility of your friend being sanctioned for downloading articles from Sci-Hub. I do not know of world states in which researchers have been penalized or sued in court for doing so - although, caveat: I have not followed the question of such legal action closely.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I have a very simple question. I read a paper and need to take a look on one of the references. Say
5. <NAME> and S.U. Sexl. Gen. Rel. Grav. 8, 497 (1977).
Well, it was easy to search it if there were any title. How can I find the paper? I mean, its title or the journal it was published in. Thanks.<issue_comment>username_1: The following worked for me:
* Google "Gen. Rel. Grav." to discover that it abbreviates journal "
General Relativity and Gravitation"
* Google the journal's title to discover <http://link.springer.com/journal/volumesAndIssues/10714>
* Look for issue 8 in 1977, don't find anything, assume 8 is a mistake (it later turned out to be the volume, which is redundant, because everything published in 1977 belongs to volume 8)
* Look for page 497 in 1977, find the result (<http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00762634>), namely,
>
> <NAME> & <NAME>l (1997) A test theory of special relativity: I. Simultaneity and clock synchronization, General Relativity and Gravitation, Volume 8, Issue 7, pp 497–513.
>
>
>
In essence, I recognized that *Gen. Rel. Grav.* was most likely the journal's name. (The other possibility was *Sexl. Gen. Rel. Grav.*, but it seemed less likely, because *S.U. Sexl.* seemed likely to be the second author's name followed by a period.) Once I had found the journal, the year was most useful to me. I then guessed that 8 was the issue. This didn't turn up anything. (Later I discovered that 8 is the volumne.) Next, I guessed that 497 was a page reference, which guided be towards Issue 7. From their, I searched for (what I presumed was the first author's name) Mansouri, which gave me my result.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_1: Recognize that *<NAME>* is the first author's name and that *1977* is the year of publication, and search Google Scholar using that information, i.e., visit <https://scholar.google.fr/scholar?q=author%3AR.+Mansouri&as_ylo=1977&as_yhi=1977>. From those results, deduce that
>
> <NAME> & <NAME> (1977) *A test theory of special relativity: I. Simultaneity and clock synchronization*, General Relativity and Gravitation, Volume 8, Issue 7, pp 497–513
>
>
>
is the correct result, because it is the only result that starts on page 497.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: Our team successfully participated in a challenge. We are now in the process of describing our approach in a paper. Initially, each team was supposed to write a separate article which would have appeared in a special issue of a journal. Unfortunately, the editor of the issue changed his mind and there aren't enough pages in the issue to cover each team separately. Instead, the organizers are writing an overview paper where each team is allowed to append 3 pages describing their approach. This will result in one paper with ~15 authors.
We sort of anticipated to write more than 3 pages. Therefore, we are thinking about writing a more in-depth article that sort of extends our part in the joint article and publishing it on arXiv.
For the sake of not confusing anyone, let's
* call the joint article A. A will be published in a Springer journal
* call and the extended version intended for arXiv B
Both articles are written in English and are about the same content. We basically want the content (examples, figures, screenshots, and text if possible) from A to also appear in B.
What do you think is the best option?
1. Create the B first and refer to it in A? There shouldn't be any problem with blind submissions, only copyright issues
2. Submit the A first and publish B later.
3. Refuse to participate in A since we only have control over 3 of the 14 pages and cannot control what the other teams are contributing to the paper. Instead, only publish B.<issue_comment>username_1: For A, I think the introduction should make it clear that each team contributed to a particular part of the document, moreover, each team should have the opportunity to review/comment/improve sections by other teams, this should help address concerns regarding 3, thus, lead us to favour options 1 & 2.
Option 1 appears to be the easiest option, because problems might emerge during option 2: B might have copyright issues (because A was published first and is subject to copyright), and addressing these issues (e.g., perhaps by attributing content in B to A) is likely to be time-consuming.
On this basis, I recommend option 1.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Your situation is similar to when publishing in journals that have tight word limits. A common strategy is to put additional material in an online supplement. The idea of an online supplement is that the material does not repeat what is in the main document. Rather it adds additional information. You might want to consider adopting that paradigm. That way, there is no overlap between the two documents.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am experimenting with a game mechanism in my course in which students can progress through 4 core competencies, A, B, C, and D. Each competency has 3 levels, 1, 2, and 3. The game component is optional. The idea is that each level of each competency will be linked to a few homework activities that, once completed, achieves the level. When all levels are achieved for a given competency, the competency itself is achieved.
In my department, homework assignments are not graded (projects and so forth are, but I can't assign a few questions for grading). As a result, I want to ensure that my students are actually going to do the homework I've assigned. I can give bonus marks.
I'd like to give rewards for completing these competencies, but I don't want the course so overloaded with bonus marks that students can too easily get 100% without doing well on the final/midterm/projects. So far, the ideas I have are:
1. Complete level 1 for any competency - earn 1 grace day for handing in an assignment late without penalty
2. Complete level 1 for *all* competencies - earn 5 grace days, in addition to the 1 you gain for doing the above
3. Complete all levels for any competency - bonus quizzes now worth 7% (originally they were worth 5%)
4. Complete all competencies - 2% course bonus
I'm not a big fan of all of this bonus, but other than bonus marks and late days I'm not sure what other options I have. Any ideas?<issue_comment>username_1: One idea is to include some problems/tasks in the final exam related to those competencies. This might not be possible.
A student who achieved the highest level in that competency automatically gets full grade on that question, and doesn't have to solve it (thus getting extra time for the rest of the exam).
For levels 1 and 2 you can award free part marks, and the student gets either the free marks or his grade on the problem (whichever which is larger).
**Added**
Depending on how long/short it needs to be, something like below might work (or could be terrible):
Exam:
**Part A** (short questions testing the competency parts)
Question 1 (competency A): bla bla bla
Question 2 (competency B): bla bla bla
Question 3 (competency C): bla bla bla
Question 4 (competency D): bla bla bla
**Part B** Actual exam, Questions 5- ...
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: My answer is based on the following points:
1. In theory, if a student has achieved a competency at a certain skill they should be able to repeatedly demonstrate said skill.
2. Students at the same proficiency levels should received the same grade.
3. Your gamification approach exists to *help them* achieve mastery in competencies A, B, C and D. It is not the only way of doing so and it shouldn't matter how they get there, as long as they do get there.
4. Your extra activities are well thought and helpful for students to achieve mastery in competencies A, B, C and D.
5. Students can see value in achieving the course's competencies.
Given these assumptions, an alternative idea is to not give bonus marks at all, but instead make the exam (or other high stakes assessment activities) an opportunity for students to demonstrate their mastery of competencies A, B, C and D. The questions posed should relate to all the optional activities and you can even make some a little more complicated to gauge proficiency in higher skills levels.
For those who have joined the gamified part of the course the exam should look like just another activity they have already completed. We expect their performance to match their level of skill obtained in the gamified part and students should be able to self-assess their performance with reasonable precision.
For those who do not join the gamified part of the course the exam might be their first opportunity to demonstrate the competencies. They may or may not do well, as they might not have prepared themselves for the exam. It is their risk in doing so, as joining the gamified part would have made the exam much easier (or at least much more predictable).
---
Note that points 3 and 4 are essential for this to work. If achieving the course's competencies is not seen by students as interesting/challenging/useful then the gamified part risks becoming just pointless homework. The same goes for the actual tasks done during homework: if they are not properly contextualized and connected with the course's competencies they might also become pointless homework.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I suggest a food reward.
A badge or star is another option - physical or virtual.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I have both an MA and an MS in Mathematics and would like to teach community college or college level mathematics. The problem is that I have no teaching experience, and so far I have not even been able to get adjunct positions. I would go for a PhD for the purpose of increasing my chances, but am not really interested in research.
I recently discovered some certificate programs for community college/post-secondary teaching which include a one course teaching practicum.
I am interested in knowing about experiences candidates may have had with such programs and if such a certificate would be taken seriously when it comes to being hired.
Also, would high school teaching experience have any weight in obtaining community college/college teaching positions?<issue_comment>username_1: In regards specifically to the value of a post-secondary teaching certificate, this would help you as the practical teaching portion of one course - as well as hopefully the pedagogical teaching portion - at very least moves you from "no experience" to "some experience", and signals that you are interested in teaching. Both are certainly very important at teaching-focused institutions. If you also had TA experience at all during your studies, of course, you should include that under teaching experience (but I was assuming you'd mention that if you experienced it). It is in no way guarantee of getting a teaching job, but you can reasonable ask the program if they can direct you to people who gained the certificate and took jobs at a community college to see if you can email them, ask about any stats they keep on people who've obtained the certificate there, etc.
For teaching high school, yes this would certainly help in terms of community colleges and would absolutely count as teaching experience. Most instructors I know at community colleges actually were high school teachers at some point. My own undergraduate University actively recruits high school teachers - including retired ones - who have a masters degree in their subject to come and teach introductory classes for them. They need a masters because the state/institution requires it, but otherwise they just want the teaching experience.
One of the reasons teaching experience in high school can be of interest is because...well, there really isn't a world of difference in freshman taking first year math and high school seniors, because most of them just got out of high school anyway. There are certainly differences, especially the part where some of your students are older and may have been out of high school for years, but the experience is expected to transfer at least partially. It isn't as good as previous experience teaching in college, but it beats zero experience by far.
Your area may have substitute teaching programs which need willing, able, responsible people (read: people who will show up when told and won't be an embarrassment, and accept the humble pay), so you might check into that as well to help you move from "no experience" to at least "some experience". If you are interested in high school teaching you might need to ensure your area doesn't specifically require teaching certificates (high schools in some areas require more specialized certification in teaching than Universities), however - and admittedly how to get a job as a high school teacher is well beyond the scope of this site.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I teach at a community college in the Los Angeles area and have worked on part-time and full-time hiring. The following is based in my experience and may or may not apply to you.
Based on the hiring practices where I work, a teaching certificate does not carry much weight. At most it might be a good sign that a candidate was not looking for a community college job as a short-term stopgap, but instead was serious about teaching as a career.
If you want to signal to a department coordinator, dean, or hiring committee that you're serious about teaching, there are much easier ways to do that than getting a certificate. Just put some work into writing a cover letter that comes off right. Don't list your publications or talk about research. Explain honestly why and how you know that teaching is what you want to do. Describe concrete experiences that have convinced you of this.
>
> so far I have not even been able to get adjunct positions
>
>
>
In my geographical area and field (natural sciences), adjunct positions are absurdly easy to get, provided that you meet the minimum qualifications. Every science department at my school is always desperate for adjuncts willing to work for the scandalously low pay we offer. If you're qualified and we don't hire you, a dozen other community colleges in the area will snap you up. We frequently hire people who are woefully underqualified or known to be flaky.
If you haven't had any luck so far getting an adjunct position, here are some things to think about:
* Are you in an geographical area where there are many such openings every year?
* Are you getting interviews and then not getting hired? Are you not getting interviews? This will tell you whether the problem is with your paper qualifications or with something you're doing wrong when you interview.
* Is it possible that someone is giving you a negative reference?
* Have someone look over your job letter and c.v. and give you comments. You may be doing something that is sabotaging your chances. E.g., there may be grammatical errors in your job letter. Make sure your application materials connect the dots with the requirements listed in the ad.
* In my district, we require people to submit undergraduate and graduate transcripts. Often when we look at these transcripts, we see signs of trouble. Is this the case for you?
Upvotes: 3
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2017/04/06
| 414
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<issue_start>username_0: I want to link to a scientific article (actually so I can ask a question on another SE site) and I was wondering what is the proper way of doing so? I know going around a paywall is illegal and I don't want to do anything like that?
So what is the proper way to link to an article so that I may ask a question about it?
How do I maximize access to it? For example, I'm seeing the article behind Paywall A, but another user has access to Paywall B (where the article may also be available, but would obviously have different link.)<issue_comment>username_1: The most straightforward way is to provide a regular scientific citation. The users can then use their individual library or online service to access the article.
Alternatively, you could just provide a link to the most canonical location. Even if the reader can't access the article, he or she will find the bibliographical details there as well. (Thanks for this suggestion in the comments.)
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Trying to second-guess what a reader has access to in the mess of overlapping paywalls and authentication systems that cover academic literature is a lost cause. Better to provide a single clear link to the version of record on the publisher's website, and let the reader work from there to get access.
Usually the best way of linking to an article is with its DOI, or Digital Object Identifier. Journals and other organisations assign DOIs and commit to keeping them working for the long term: a website may change, resulting in different direct URLs, but the DOI will still work. To follow a DOI to its current target location, simply enter "dx.doi.org/" followed by the DOI as a URL.
As a globally unique identifier for an article it is also useful when searching for that article on other systems
Upvotes: 3
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2017/04/06
| 1,503
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<issue_start>username_0: In this [amusing blog post](http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=3203), <NAME> explains why he is unwilling to deal with editorial management systems as a referee. They make you log in to some complicated system, using a password you've probably forgotten, all to provide your expertise for free. They often don't give you the sense that you are corresponding with an actual human.
And they can go hilariously wrong. In March of this year (2017) I was informed that I was supposed to have finished a referee report by May 15, 2017, that my report was therefore "-51 days late", and that I should therefore finish it as soon as possible.
From my perspective simple e-mail correspondence works better as a referee. (Many math journals make do without these systems.) However, I have never been a journal editor, and so I wonder if I am missing the point. Do editors genuinely find these systems to be more convenient for managing their workloads? Or alternatively is it publishers that prefer to use them, and thus ask the editors to go along with them?<issue_comment>username_1: I served as editor-in-chief of an IEEE magazine for 4 years and have been an associate editor on various editorial boards for the past couple of decades. For as long as I've been on edboards, I'd say they have used some flavor of online management system. Pretty much everything I'm on now, not to mention everything I submit to, has coalesced on "manuscript central" from Scholar One.
I fully agree with @Nate Eldridge's comment about the "paper" trail. That is definitely a plus, because I can look and see past correspondence -- was someone reminded at the right time, etc. And to be honest I couldn't imagine managing this offline.
That being said, I find the system (and the others I've used) frequently painful. Aside from the bug about being negative days late, my biggest problem is that the system tends not to remind anyone that a task is outstanding. In particular, as an associate editor my job is to line up the actual reviewers. In two cases recently, I discovered that I'd invited 3 people, and usually more (as people might decline), but in the end 2 from each of 2 papers had agreed to review and 1 in each case had never responded. The system sent them a reminder or two, then from what I can tell, it neither reminded them nor told me it was time to find someone else!
There are other minor difficulties, such as finding reviewers within the system rather than creating duplicate accounts for them as new reviewers, that sort of thing.
Bottom line: they serve a purpose, but they can be improved.
---
**Are they helpful to journal editors?**
*Absolutely.*
**Can they be improved, especially from the standpoint of reviewers?**
*Absolutely.*
But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: From several discussions with editors and publishers and my own experience as an author, a referee, and a [OA advocate](http://www.mathoa.org/), I can infer that:
* editorial management systems can be useful to editorial boards, in particular some give the adequate warnings and reminders to editors, as username_1 mentions he would have expected,
* they *can* be nice to authors and referees (in particular, some of them don't need every referee to log in; some use ORCID identification to have you get a unique login/password for all systems who do the same),
* most systems, especially those used by the largest, most expensive publishers are much less useful and much less nice to authors and referees than they could, probably because changing them is a huge problem when you have thousands of boards to embark in this move,
* these systems are definitely liked by large publishers, who collect data through them; in particular they collect data about who refers what, and use it to provide editors with referee suggestions. I expect them to also use it to target advertisement, to map science and try guess in which area a new journal could be launched, and probably other purposes I don't imagine,
* at least one board of a very important and quite large journal avoids the editorial management system provided by its large publisher precisely to avoid giving it all this data, so there are ways to avoid it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: From the point of the reviewer, it's easier to just use email, since the reviewer is usually only handling one review (at least for the journal in question). For the editor however, it doesn't work that way. The numbers quoted below are order of magnitude estimates.
Let's say you're handling ten papers, each of which needs two reviewers to proceed. Because there's a nontrivial chance an invited reviewer will decline or not respond to the invitation, you might have 3-4 reviewer invitations going for each of those submissions. That's 30-40 different invitations to monitor. In addition to that, you still have to monitor when reviews are due, if any are overdue, and whether or not to invite more reviewers for those. If you are the editor-in-chief, you have lots more papers to monitor as well as associate editors to keep track of. Without the editorial management system, keeping all these things up to date is very difficult.
There are also other administrative benefits as well: for example, to keep track of whether you can invite reviewer X or if another editor has already invited X for a different paper; to keep track of whether you've sent reviewer Y three invitations in the past 3 months and so might be taking up too much of Y's time; to keep statistics of turnaround time to quote on the journal's website; to answer author queries about when their manuscripts will be ready.
Having said all that, if you find using the editorial management system to be an unbelievable hassle, you can probably email the publisher and get them to upload your review for you. That's because based on personal experience, few reviewers request the publisher do this, so the desk editor can probably cope with this tiny bit of extra work. I found it tedious, but still, someone has to do it, and the reviewer's time is more valuable than mine. If you're doing this, be sure to mention any confidential comments you might have, and indicate whether you want to see the manuscript again if the decision is revise.
PS: Please don't everyone start emailing the publisher.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/07
| 519
| 2,277
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<issue_start>username_0: I started my PhD program and have finished qualifiers already. I had a discussion about topics with my research advisor. However, my advisor admitted he does not know so much about the topic of my PhD.
Thus I had the following questions:
1. Can my co-advisor be from another institution?
2. If so, will this impact my thesis committee?<issue_comment>username_1: * Yes, it's common in the institutions that I know. Where I graduated, at least one member of the committee even had to be an 'external'.
* That doesn't mean the same applies to your institution. Read your local examination rules and check with your first supervisor if external (co)supervision is possible in your institution and what the implications are.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: The only ones who can answer the first question are your school officials. Different schools, different rules. Start with your department, and if you don't get an answer, move up to the Dean's office.
Outside committee members (not necessarily co-advisers) are fairly common, and in many cases, required. Their function ranges from fully involved committee members to someone that gets the dissertation a few week in advance and then appears at the defense. The latter can really turn into a rubber stamp, where the person doesn't feel like they can provide substantial input without taking the train off the rails, as its too late. I don't care for those situations.
If you plan to have an outside coadvisor, and its within your institutions rules, I advise frequent communications to your whole committee, with a carefully planned meeting schedule. So -- basically the same as with a fully internal committee.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: As other answers suggest, the answer is typically "yes"; but you should also consider whether it is a good idea to carry out research in an environment in which you can't find a potential advisor who's familiar with your research. Will your current university be the best place for you to grow as an academic in your field? If you find a (co-)advisor elsewhere, you should also be open to the possibility of switching universities altogether. (Obviously there are pros and cons to that - but you should actually weight them.)
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/07
| 1,302
| 5,524
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<issue_start>username_0: My viva is coming up, and one of my supervisors is planning to attend. I know that he won't be able to say anything during the viva itself, but I'm a little worried what he might say afterward while the examiners are discussing my fate. He's a good supervisor, and thinks very highly of my work, but he does have a tendency to agree with whomever he's speaking to at the moment. For example, if the examiners were discussing a small potential change to my thesis, I'm afraid his enthusiasm might get the better of him, and he might "volunteer" me to make a bigger change than the examiners expected or even suggest additional experiments which are beyond the scope of my PhD.
Does that scenario seem plausible, or am I worried over nothing? If there is reason to be concerned, I might ask my supervisor not to come, explaining that his presence might "make me more nervous" to avoid hurting his feelings.
If it helps, I'm in a small country which has an academic system very similar to the U.K. I have read [Benefits to supervisor presence at viva in the UK?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/68506), but my question is a little different since I have a specific concern, and the supervisor in question has already invited himself.<issue_comment>username_1: You have no control over whether your supervisor proposes wide-reaching corrections to your thesis. Even if he does, you might not know about it. After the viva, maybe you'll be given really wild corrections to make, and maybe they were proposed by one of the examiners. You have no way of knowing.
So, you are powerless, and you are ignorant. You cannot affect the outcome, and you will not even know what the outcome is. Rather than losing heart, take this opportunity to embrace it. This is something wholly outside of your control, and you are therefore free to ignore it. Breathe. Take a walk. Re-read your thesis. Enjoy dinner.
You probably will still be wondering, though. "But what if...?" "How can I know...?" "Maybe he'll..." Rest assured that your examiners are sensible people, experts in their field, and that they will know what is over-promising or outside the scope of your thesis. Your supervisor may suggest something in earnest enthusiasm, and the examiners may reject it, or settle for a more modest correction request. Your supervisor may decide to channel his enthusiasm into post-PhD follow-up projects with you.
**tl;dr:** Don't worry, be happy.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In a UK viva, you are normally asked to leave the room when your examiners are deliberating your result. At this point your supervisor would also normally leave the room with you. As you said, they shouldn't say anything during the viva, and this should include any deliberation between your examiners. To be honest though, a supervisor does *not* want their student to fail, or have an unmanageable number of corrections, because that looks really bad on the supervisor as well. It's in their best interest for you to pass as easily as possible.
In the UK your supervisor is also never present without your permission. If your institution has these rules, then you can just ask them not to come. Just say that you feel it would add extra pressure that you could do without. It can be useful to have your supervisor there when you're read your corrections, as then they also know what you're asked to correct. In my viva I kind of got to argue potential changes during the viva, whilst we picked through my thesis. Since at this stage your supervisor definitely can't talk, you're in charge of your side of the negotiation.
Don't worry too much about changes. Your thesis only ever needs to be good enough to pass. It doesn't have to be brilliant, or better than anyone else's, it just has to demonstrate a significant contribution. You therefore shoudln't be asked to do more work for the sake of doing more. You should only have to change things if without them, your contribution isn't explained or supported well enough.
Remember that if your supervisor has supported your decision to submit your thesis, then there is little chance you'll fail. Try and enjoy yourself, you're unlikely ever to get to talk to two experienced researchers exclusively about your own work for such a long time ever again. Relish it!
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Just to add to the other good answers. You can always argue that a change is not needed or outside of the scope of your thesis. Your examiners will also know what they are doing so trust them as well, if they don't feel something is needed they won't push for it. The other thing is they will have a grade in mind when discussing it. If one examiner has minor corrections in mind they will push against suggestions that major changes are needed as this drastically changes the outcome. Finally they would also be less than ok with your supervisor interjecting as he should not be part of the decision making process, in fact he should be leaving when you are.
Finally while there may be nothing to worry about your own mentality is the most important thing. I know that nerves are not the most logical. If despite all reassurances you feel more comfortable with your supervisor out of the room then state this. You need to be comfortable in there, you don't need to lay out your reasons logically even to yourself. Just take the decision that makes you comfortable.
I feel there won't be an issue but you have to consider how you feel.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/07
| 1,903
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a tutor for first year math majors at a European university. By "tutor," I mean that I have office hours that all math students can attend. I am paid by the university.
I recently changed universities. At my previous university, where I also tutored, the exercises were very demanding for the students; the problems were interesting and not easy. So I was really glad to be able to help.
Now, this is not the case anymore. Exercises consist simply of paraphrasing the definitions, and almost all the students are struggling pretty hard on these very simple exercises. Typically, they think that solving Ax = 0 when A is a 3×3 matrix is too hard. They have very little intuition about what is going on, especially in algebra. When they ask me questions, I try to answer so they see a way of thinking that can be generalized. But sometimes they just look at me as if I was an alien.
I am not here to complain, but to ask for advice. What should I do? Should I simply answer their questions as simply as possible? What I really want is to push them to work harder and become more familiar with mathematics. On the other hand, I am probably doing this already a bit and I don't want them to be disgusted by mathematics. I really don't know what to do.<issue_comment>username_1: It sounds to me that the course itself is designed to be a gentler introduction to some of the mathematics they will be encountering in their future careers. If the goal of the course is supposed to be difficult and demanding, but it is not being taught that way, that's a different question. However, it sounds instead that the actual course itself is not designed to be at that high a level.
Think about the learning process that everyone goes through. I can use the exact same token to say that a grade 1 math class isn't "rigorous" enough and that the students are not gaining the intuition I want them to. In this case, it's not appropriate to make the course more difficult since the children are gaining that intuition through repetition, simple problems, and exposure to the concepts.
In your case, I would think about the learning objectives of the course, and the level of the students, and their eventual careers. Then, I would try to figure out how I can get them to learn as much as they can against those learning objectives, without necessarily turning them into mathematicians if that isn't what they're there for.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: What you're experiencing is pretty much what all college teachers are wrestling with all the time everywhere.
Allow me to point out that the abyss of need can go much, much deeper than what you're currently dealing with. In the U.S., most college students are attending a community college. And most students entering U.S. community colleges do not have 8th grade algebra skills, nor even 6th grade arithmetic skills (e.g., fractions, proportions, negatives, estimations, times tables). I've had a good chunk of a college math lecturer career at this point and *I've never taught anything as high level as matrices*.
Here's how I've been able to jiu-jitsu it in my own mind. Think of it like a diagnostician. Doctors have to find it fascinating to track down hideous diseases. Detectives have to find it compelling to decipher ostensibly horrible crime cases. So too: I find it endlessly fascinating to diagnose what exactly is the block or problem in students' heads, or to track down the place where their reasoning first went off the rails. Ask questions to try and find where their reasoning starts and where it stops. Do something of a binary search to try to narrow down the problem spot. I'm continually discovering new gaps in people's knowledge that I never would have expected. It's surprising and amazing every day.
Usually I do find that students simply cannot remember starting definitions. If they've come up through a system that depends on raw faith and memory (and not mathematical reasoning), they don't get how important that axiomatic basis is. Many also clearly have learning disabilities that make this difficult for them. "All your answers are back in the definitions", I say several dozen times per semester. Have the book handy so you can turn back to the starting definitions at any time, and see if they recall or can see how their reasoning got off track that way. In fact -- this explains why at your current school they're asking students to reiterate definitions; whereas for us that's natural and obvious, for some it's an overwhelmingly difficult blind spot to fill in.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: It is very often students get tutors to help them with the tests. They aren't motivated by the need of knowledge, but by their GPA.
There are 2 possible strategies:
1. You help them with the kind of problems that could show up on the tests. I actually did this with my cousin who had a calculus exam. I explained her the homework problems, she memorized the solutions, she passed. She still doesn't know what a derivative is. In my naivety, I thought she simply understood one semester of calculus we tried to cram in one day. No one is that smart.
2. If your student has a little patience, you could help them work through problems, however trivial they appear to you. Your position is to help the student discover concepts for themselves. I do not master this art, but I remember primary school teachers who were good at it. What they do, they ask questions about different parts of the problem until it becomes clear what is the piece of knowledge the student is missing. For example, if you get a matrix equation, and they can't solve it, you ask if they know how to multiply matrices, what are matrices, until you get to the point of realization that they don't know what an equation is. As discouraged as you may be at that point, you can still get them to learn what an equation is, solve a few, and so on, until you succeed to get your student to solve the original problem. My hunch is that most students will hate you for this approach.
The point of this exercise is to create the network of facts and procedures the student needs to solve even basic problems, i.e. something to hang their thoughts to. You should avoid as much as possible solving things for them more than once. And you should never offer generalizations before they can think of a need for them.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: The course is too easy, many students are not so motivated, many of them see your math TA class as the ideal time to relax. You can deal with that by announcing in class that in two weeks time there will be a take home test that they must submit within a day. So, if they haven't mastered solving systems of linear equation by that time (something that ten year old primary school children can learn to do), they're going to be in deep trouble. Also tell them that you're available for questions, extra exercise problems via email and on some hours of some days in your office that suits you best.
You should propose this to the instructor of the course, just tell him/her that most of your students are at F-level and they're not making progress and you see doing an intermediary test as a possible way out.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: I am teaching introductory linear algebra at my institution right now and am experiencing this at some level. This is the version that is designed for non-math majors (same classes with more advanced treatment is also offered here), so most students have not seen proof before. Even seemingly bright students struggle a lot and I have come to the conclusion they struggle at such a simple math mostly because they are not spending necessary amount of time on the class.
What I am trying to say is that someone who never dealt with an abstract math concepts do not realize that they need to do extra reading, spend extra time working on problems while getting lost. Most students think they need outside help the moment they get stuck and simply stop working.
Simply put, they got used to thinking that math is all about plugging numbers to formulae so they get lost when they take any math class beyond calculus/differential equation. Like the other answers mentioned, this must be a serious problem among the math educators at high school level.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/08
| 443
| 1,825
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm working on a research, and I have a partner. We both should be working on the same tasks, but he's very busy, as he has teaching load and I don't, so I end up doing most of the work myself.
This is not a big problem to me, but my advisor sometimes blames us for delayed results or little achievements, and I find it not fair to be blamed because he expects an outcome of two when there's actually only one working, and I get embarrassed to tell him that it was only me, because my partner is actually also my friend.
How does one deal with this situation? I know my partner is very capable, this is not an incompetence claim, it's just he has little time compared to me.<issue_comment>username_1: As the comments have said, you need to go with your partner and explain this to your adviser face to face. It's not an incompetence issue and you need to make sure that you make that clear to your partner - it's a workload balance issue.
At the end of the day though, there are only two options available:
1. Either your partner reduces their outside workload or,
2. Your adviser reduces your workload to account for it.
This is something that needs to be decided between the three of you.
However, I'd **strongly** advise that after you've had the talk, that you put in place a very rigorous project plan for your next tasks with a strict timeline. Often, this situation ends up just repeating itself as your colleague says 'oh I'll find more time' or your advisor says they'll slacken off but not much happens, so a rigorous project plan helps highlight if the talk has worked or not.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I've also struggled with this issue. What works for me is working on multiple projects, in this way I don't do the work my partner is supposed to be doing.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/04/08
| 1,769
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<issue_start>username_0: I posted a similar question at the following [link](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/87725/how-to-best-utilize-a-gap-year-to-enter-mathematics-graduate-school/) yesterday; since, however, the focus of the question was different, I'm posting this question in a separate post.
It seems as if I'll be taking the next year off and studying a lot of mathematics on my own and apply to graduate schools in the next cycle. There's a lot of advice both on this website and Academia StackExchange for such students. However, I'd like to know how can students who have studied material outside of class better convince the admissions committee of the work they have done thus far. I know it's generally difficult to do this as an international student; the situation must be different for U.S citizens, I suppose.
Assuming I don't get to take courses which I'll be self studying over the next few months, how should I go about making sure the admissions committee take due notice of the work I have done, and more importantly, they can recognize it, if not verify it completely. Of course, I will keep in touch with my math adviser. In addition, what else can I do? Say, I am studying abstract algebra on my own in the summer, working out problems in, say, Dummit and Foote's book. Should I, perhaps, make a website (a Google site), periodically type the solutions to the work I have done and post it online, so when I apply to graduate schools, I can refer admissions committees to this portfolio of sorts.
In a nutshell, I'd like to know, especially for students who have gone through such a process/situation, of the list of best possible set of actions one can do to make sure the work one has done outside of class is duly considered, if someone who is interested in mathematics schools doesn't have a large number of math courses.
**Edit:**
I have an additional query: I'll be taking next year off, but I'll be able to visit my college. Even though I won't be enrolled in classes, preferably with the instructor(s) who already know me, sit in their classes, work on problem, and perhaps even take exams. even though I won't get a grade, I could ask the instructor to mention in the letter that I completed this task. She could also comment on how well I did relative to my peers. Thoughts?<issue_comment>username_1: I got into a computer science PhD program based almost entirely on work done outside of class. My academic CS education was limited to a master's degree awarded over 25 years earlier. My bachelor's degree was in mathematics, not CS. In 2002, I don't think anyone really cared that I had known how compilers were built in the early 1970's.
At the time, the GRE had a CS subject test. The combination of a general effort to keep up with what was happening in computer science and some independent study before taking it got me into the 94th percentile. I got letters of recommendation from colleagues who knew I was doing research-type work on the job, and could point to patent applications.
Translating my experience to your different situation, I agree with the comment recommending taking the GRE subject test in mathematics, even if it is not required. Apply at least some of your study time to the topics that will be tested in it, and to taking practice tests.
Ideally, find some courses you can take with controlled, graded tests. Think of the grading as a service you are paying for with your tuition, even if you don't need lectures.
Keep in touch with the professors you are hoping to use as references. See if one or more of them will let you help with their research, or discuss your independent study. For this purpose, the research does not have to be what you intend to pursue in the future, just something that will let you demonstrate your skills.
Your objective is to have the following:
* GRE subject test
* grades on courses you have taken
* letters of recommendation
accurately reflect your level of suitability and preparation for graduate studies. Those are the things you can be sure an admissions committee will consider.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Letters of recommendation which attest to this, and also perhaps the math GRE. You can't believe how much garbage I see in personal statements about how much students have "mastered" a particular mathematical topic studying on their own, only to find out later they had "forgotten" what they had learned months ago after I meet them in the autumn and they're banging on my door asking me to take them on as their potential advisor. So this is why I trust letters of recommendation over the word of the student by and large these days. Please get one of your letter writers to attest to your self-study. Generally, the more senior and influential the letter writer who says this, the more likely I will believe you've self-studied what you say you've self-studied.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Wait, what? I feel like I stepped out of the theater for a moment and missed an important plot development. There was a sudden leap from wondering whether To Take More Courses Next Year Or To Take Next Year Off, "that is the question," to "I'll be taking next year off," and I don't know how you got from there to here.
But if I assume you will not be enrolled in any courses next year, and that you have some rational reason for arriving at that plan, then:
The answer to the question you asked here is:
>
> If your university and the instructors in question allow you to audit (either formally or informally), then you could augment your transcript with letters that say what grade you would have gotten in each audited course if you had been enrolled.
>
>
>
But let's back up a step.
>
> "I chose to take more physics courses than mathematics."
>
>
>
Sorry I didn't catch that in your earlier questions (my fault, probably). Now that I've understood that, and remembering that in your location you will only be able to take one subject test, and that you were unsure whether to target your applications to study mathematical physics towards a math department or a physics department, and, finally, keeping in mind that **as an international applicant, it would be wise to maximize your chances of admission and offer of support** (typically, a teaching assistantship), I suggest the following decision making procedure:
>
> First, take a practice test for the physics GRE and one for the math GRE. If your result is significantly better in physics, then your best bet would be to take the physics GRE, and apply primarily to physics departments. However, you could hedge your bets by choosing universities that have faculty members who do mathematical physics in both their math and their physics departments. Note that it is not impossible to change departments later on. But it would be a shame not to get the admission and the support to be able to get started in a U.S. university, as is apparently your aspiration.
>
>
>
I understand that right now you are feeling pulled to study math, partly because that's what fascinates you at present, and partly in order to remedy some perceived deficiencies. However, **some involvement in a research project with rigorous mentorship would strengthen your application**.
Comment: It sounds like you might be underestimating the importance of the GRE subject test in your application.
Upvotes: 0
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| 363
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<issue_start>username_0: Is it common to send an updated manuscript to a publisher before the initial referees' report, if you have fixed a number of typos and ambiguities in the meantime?
EDIT: By fixing ambiguities, I mean for example writing down definitions that were previously just implied, or adding short examples every here and there.
That is, I think the changes I made are likely to help the referee understanding the manuscript.
The manuscript is on a mathematical subject.<issue_comment>username_1: There is nothing you can typically do during review -- the reviewers have received their copy of the manuscript that they were asked to review, and as an editor I would leave it at that even if I got an updated version. My response (in different words) to the author would have been "Well, these are things you should have thought about before submitting the paper."
But assuming the first version wasn't terrible, you will get the opportunity to roll your changes into any revisions you make in response to the reviewer comments.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I think there's room for negotiation, or for a query.
Write the editor describing the changes. Note that they improve readability but don't really affect the results (assuming that's the case). Do apologize for not having caught typos before submission.
Then ask the editor whether s/he wants to send the revised version out, or wait. If the papers went to referees just a little while ago they may not have started work and the editor may decide to send on the revisions. It's the editor's call.
Upvotes: 2
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| 550
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<issue_start>username_0: Before I applied for my bachelor degree, I was unsure whether to take physics or mathematics because I liked both of them equally. Then I decided to go for a mathematics degree. Currently I am in the last year of that degree. During my time at university I published several research papers in theoretical physics in top journals in the field and I got several awards from my university. Also, in my mathematics degree, I have so far achieved the highest marks in my mathematics department. I have three months to graduate and I am looking to start a master’s degree.
I am an international student (outside Europe and America), and I am looking to continue my study in Europe, but there are several things that I am unsure about and I would appreciate some help on:
1. Does publishing research papers in physics help me get a scholarship for a master’s in mathematics in Europe or is it irrelevant?
2. Does publishing research papers in physics help me get a scholarship for a master’s in physics in Europe even though I have bachelor in Mathematics?<issue_comment>username_1: It looks like you have a very strong case for either choice, I am not familiar with the regulations in Europe, but can give a general perspective.
Consider, you have:
* what appears to be a very strong publication history in the theoretical physics field
* a very strong academic record (including awards) for mathematics.
On face value, you have clearly demonstrated your capacity to publish research in top journals, you have demonstrable knowledge of the subject areas and you have shown initiative.
Given that a lot of physics has a significant complex mathematical content (and both form part of the broader 'STEM' fields), then there are 'demonstrable transferable skills' that can crossover between the two disciplines. In that regard, as an example, I originally studied geology, particularly geophysics - the demonstrable analytical and data modelling skills helped me to get into the Masters (and eventually the PhD) in physics.
Asking the admissions people in the desired universities about the specific requirements would help clarify this.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The answer to both of your questions is "yes". Indeed, publishing original research in any STEM field has at least some (and usually quite a substantial) positive impact on graduate school applications for programs in other STEM fields.
Upvotes: 2
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| 627
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<issue_start>username_0: I have a big decision to make in my life right now, and there seem to be three likely paths I can take.
(1) PhD in Mathematics Education
(2) PhD in Mathematics, with an Education Option
(3) PhD in Mathematics, and just taking graduate education courses as time allows.
For those who are not familiar with things like (2) describes, here are a few examples:
<http://www.mathed.soe.vt.edu/Programs/MathPHD_Educationoption.html>
<https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/cst/math/Pages/Program-Requirements-for-Ph.D.-in-Mathematical-Sciences.aspx> (II.2)
<https://wmich.edu/math/academics/doctorate>
I'm very much interested in both math and math education. Specifically, in math I really enjoy problems in graph theory and discrete/computational geometry. I'm finishing a master's in math this semester.
In math education, while I have completed only two graduate courses, I am completely fascinated by writing cognitively-demanding tasks, interviewing students to observe mathematical problem solving strategies and thought processes, thinking about ways of assessing mathematical understanding, and most recently preservice elementary teacher education.
But which of the three options above would be best? In the long run, I would like to be employable in a mathematics department, with the freedom to do research in math education. Further, I *really* need a program that is funded and includes a moderate stipend. While many math PhD programs include this financial support package, I have not seen many math education PhD programs that offer similar packages.
Please share your thoughts. Thank you in advance.<issue_comment>username_1: The short answer is that it depends on your ultimate goal. It sounds to me like the Math or Math with Ed option might be best if you want to teach at the college level. You may also want to visit these program and see which will fit you in terms of faculty personality. The curriculum might be "right" but if you don't mesh with the personalities in the department you will have a poor quality experience.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: As far as I know, university mathematics departments with any kind of significant research focus do not hire people who have a math ed. degree. You need a math degree if that's where you want to work. Even the education option will only hurt your chances of getting a tenure track job in a research-oriented math department.
If you do some searching, you'll find that people with math ed phds are generally employed in education departments rather than math departments.
Upvotes: 3
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| 2,046
| 8,608
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<issue_start>username_0: I've been working on a research paper in the field of education with co-authors for the past year. I know both of these individuals professionally for several years. One is a more seasoned author than the other, and I am the most published author.
The manuscript is currently back from review and we are working on the revisions. We also co-authored and presented at a national conference presentation last year. My status in both is second author. My co-authors/collaborators are newly tenured, and one is not tenured. I am a retired professor who is still active in research.
My plan was to attend this research conference and I am looking through the program and I found that my 2 co-authors are on the program to talk about the topic of our paper! I also see that their abstract includes ideas and references from sections that I wrote in the paper.
When I asked why I was not included one responded, "so sorry, that was so unethical" while the other said she got the invitation to present and it was quick turnaround. They both offered to have me on the program but only after I found out. Both have apologized for both not inviting me, although if I hadn't found their presentation, I am not sure either would have told me.
They did not apologize for using my ideas and citations of other research in the abstract because "currently our paper is unpublished" and they did not see a need to cite our paper? Yet, my ideas were used without my consent or knowledge.
One author tried to make the claim of 'ownership,' and basically no one owns ideas. I responded it's an issue of authorship. I did 'pen' my ideas to that paper and since we formatted the paper in a dialogic format (narrative research), it's clear to see where my ideas begin and end. I see it as plagiarism.
So, there is an issue of excluding me as a co-author in a conference presentation, not citing our paper in the abstract which I consider self-plagairism as well as not citing me-plagiarism.
What do you all think? What would provoke 2 co-authors to do this? Am I correct in my assessment of the issues of authorship and plagiarism? What strategies would you recommend for addressing co-authors and collaborators who don't understand what I consider to be basic professional etiquette, but also have a motive that appears to be more devious? One co author appears to be more sincere and apologetic but the other one, I think the one who submitted the proposal appears cold, and indifferent.<issue_comment>username_1: How much time do you have before the presentation? If there is some time, you can discuss with the conference organiser about the issue and let your coworkers know about it. How often do you work with these co-authors and do you plan to work with them in the foreseeable future? That might affect how do you want to pursue the discussion with the conference organiser. In any case, don't miss attending the presentation as a contributor so that the audience remembers you when the paper is published.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Authorship is such a tricky issue, which is why it is helpful to determine authorship (inclusion, order, future papers/presentation etc.) ahead of time and to work with individuals who you can talk to about authorship frankly. My ongoing co-author and I can tell each other, "You can have first author on this paper, but I'm going to do the next one."
That being said, academics with less experience can make mistakes with authorship, which can lead to rocky collaborations. It is awkward and I'm sorry you had to go through this with BOTH of your co-authors.
Your main questions is "Am I correct?" in regards to the assessment of the situation. In this specific situation, the co-authors are wrong IF they were presenting content that included your ideas, which is what you imply. If they were presenting on a similar, but different topic, I do not feel the need to include you as a co-author, though professional courtesy would recommend doing so.
The fact that the paper is not currently published does not matter, because (and this almost happened to me), "If the co-authors use your ideas to publish work (manuscript B) from an unpublished work (manuscript A) and manuscript B is published before A, then you would be considered the one to plagiarize, even if the ideas were you in the first place.
I ran into this problem with a co-author. We were working on similar papers with a group of several co-authors and each of us were first author for our own paper. I finished my draft first and sent to him for review. What I didn't know is that he copied a lot of my content into his first-authored paper and tried to submit it before me. I informed the lead person on the project about this and we confronted him to make sure he edited my copied work heavily. If he published his paper first, mine would have been flagged as plagiarized by the journal (for my own work!!!). I do not work with him anymore.
My suggestion? Give your co-authors the benefit of the doubt unless you have other reasons to think they were malicious. Be clear that on future presentations and papers you expect to be a co-author, or at least informed about their submissions so that you can discuss further. You may also choose not to work with either of them anymore, which may not be bad for you, since you are the most published. Good luck!
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: ***What do you all think?***
On the surface, I don't think this is plagiarism. When a group of people author a paper, imho the entire group can be considered the originators of the ideas in that paper. Basic professional etiquette (as well as any co-author situations I've been fortunate to be in) is that each author, when speaking about the ideas, typically says, "We" did such-and-such, or "we" had this idea. In my experience, many high quality authors, out of modesty, or an abundance of honesty, will often credit their co-authors for many of the ideas. But unless a person specifically says "this-and-such was my idea" when indeed it wasn't, then I don't think this is plagiarism, but rather as you put it a matter of "basic professional etiquette."
***What would provoke 2 co-authors to do this?***
Could be anything from a simple lack of social skills and/or social awareness, to major ego subterfuge and game playing. Depends on the personalities.
***Am I correct in my assessment of the issues of authorship and plagiarism?***
As I said above, I personally wouldn't label this plagiarism, but rather *a lack of professional etiquette* -- unless they outright state that your ideas were their own. In my opinion, if they use the word "We" (and at some point state the names of who "we" are) then they are entitled to do that, by dint of being co-authors together, even if it was your idea.
***What strategies would you recommend for addressing co-authors and collaborators who don't understand what I consider to be basic professional etiquette, but also have a motive that appears to be more devious?***
Discuss with them, as you have, and if that gets you nowhere, chalk it up as a life lesson and avoid working with that person in the future. Unless it has a true consequence of facts harming your career (in which case you may want to seek legal advice). But if it's just your pride that has been hurt, because the other person is unprofessional or petty, then remember the phrase, "Every dog has his day." Move on, a let fate take care of them.
***One co author appears to be more sincere and apologetic but the other one, I think the one who submitted the proposal appears cold, and indifferent.*** Trust your gut; perhaps avoid all interactions with the "cold and indifferent" one in the future.
One comment that you mentioned but didn't specifically ask about: You mentioned that they didn't reference the unpublished paper, but only the ideas. Imo this is also unprofessional. I was taught to reference every source, even if it is unpublished work (just say so). My graduate adviser impressed this on me years ago, as a strong ethical concept. I had made some statements in my dissertation that everyone in the field regarded as completely common knowledge (but possibly someone outside of the field would not know), and he made me go back and find the original paper from the 1950s and reference it. So I have taken it on as an ethical imperative: don't make statements or present ideas without referencing where they came from. If you agree, then perhaps you may want to convince the co-authors to mention the unpublished work.
Upvotes: 2
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| 308
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<issue_start>username_0: I interviewed with a program about 1.5 months ago and I have not heard anything back from them, and I am starting to worry a little. (US student/domestic application)<issue_comment>username_1: It doesn't hurt to ask. But first make your best to make sure you are informed about the timeline of the scholarship. This includes when they should send out the selection results.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I'd say follow up via email, requesting information about the status of your candidature. If you don't get a reply in a day or two, try calling them on phone. It's your career so you have a right to know about this. It might even be seen as keenness to join, in case they are undecided.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: You should send a thank and then do a follow-up. It's a job you are trying to get in a bad economy. Get that job! Be scrappy and show you are the most professional and have follow through. Compliment them on the honor to have been selected for interview with such a reputable and acomplished person, institution, etc. Tell them you looked further into their research and interests and would consider it an honor to learn from them. Play ball, get in the game or someone else will!
Upvotes: 2
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| 1,165
| 4,765
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<issue_start>username_0: How much harder is it to get published in a top-tier journal (ACM, IEEE) compared to a small second-rate conference?
Is it an unrealistic goal to try to publish my 1st paper in the #1 journal in the field?
Is it likely such a journal will accept my paper if I am proposing a hybrid method that combines methods used by other papers? Or do I need something completely new and ground-breaking?
Does the fact that the 1st author will be a student (undergraduate) will reduce my chances?<issue_comment>username_1: In answer to your query about whether or not it is an unrealistic goal - not necessarily, you won't know unless you try - but chances are, you'll have to do more work (research, revising etc) for the journal. Having said that, consider the following:
* as with any manuscript submission, you need to fully read the 'Aims and Scope' of the journal to see if your work matches.
* Read through some of the recent articles of the journal to see the style and the depth of the articles that get published.
* Do a search within the articles of the target journal to see if your research has been touched on before.
If in doubt, send an email inquiry.
If possible, have an advisor/professor help you out (perhaps as co-author) - their experience could very likely prove to be invaluable.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I've co-authored a paper on a top-journal. The first author was a PhD student. The paper was so strong that it was even on the cover page of the journal.
That was the first paper for both the first author and myself.
But ...
* The paper was authorised **very closely** with some experts in the field. Those experts knew exactly what to write, what to analyze and what not to do. It's a domain knowledge that a student wouldn't possibly have. They knew how to conduct a good research project.
* We wouldn't been able to publish to the journal without the experts.
* The study was indeed interesting, and attempted to **solve** some very practical problems. Thus, it was not something you read and throw away. It would cause impacts to the field.
* We had softwares, web sites, cool graphics to backup the paper.
* There was nothing special in the statistics and methods. **Absolutely nothing new**. But how it was analyzed was simple to follow and solid. Again, the experts knew exactly how and what to do.
You have better chance if your study attempts to solve **important** questions. Talk to a professor if you need advice.
Unfortunately I don't see you have much chance if you don't have anything truly interesting.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: **How much harder is it to get published in a top-tier journal (ACM, IEEE) compared to a small second-rate conference?**
Depends on the journal and conference. For example, ACM SIGCOMM/MOBICOM will be much harder to get in than a lot of the top journals in IEEE/ACM. By the way, a lot of Editor in Chief writes a 'summary' of how their journal has gone for a given year. He/she usually gives you the acceptance ratio and you'll find that it is usually higher than conferences.
**Is it an unrealistic goal to try to publish my 1st paper in the #1 journal in the field?**
Perhaps, but this very much depends on the area and who you have on your team. Like @SmallChess said, you need experienced co-authors. They will help you pose the right problem, advise you on the methodology that is considered the norm in community and presentation.
Usually, a junior researcher will not tackle a significant problem. This is due to the lack of knowledge and also he/she doesn't have many tools to mount a good attack on a significant problem. Consequently, his/her contribution will be small and thus makes it harder to publish in top places. Having said that, there are 'junior researchers' who are the top of their field. Then they are no different to a seasoned researcher.
**Is it likely such a journal will accept my paper if I am proposing a hybrid method that combines methods used by other papers? Or do I need something completely new and ground-breaking?**
Maybe yes or no. Does it yield a surprising result? It's about contributions. If your contributions are not significant, then maybe no. So think about how significant your contributions are before trying.
**Does the fact that the 1st author will be a student (undergraduate) will reduce my chances?**
People always assume the first author is a student. So they look at the second, or third author. :)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: 1. Write your paper.
2. After it is done, seek out a leader or luminary in the
field to be a co-author
3. Submit or have your "co-author" submit the paper
4. ????
5. You are now published in a top-tier journal!
Upvotes: 2
|
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| 1,297
| 5,415
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in process of uploading a paper for arXiv. I have looked over the paper for several weeks now and it seems that there are no major issues, however, the paper is 24 pages long so I have accepted the possibility of having a few (non-trivial) typos and grammar mistakes here and there.
My question is, what should you consider before uploading a revision to your already uploaded paper, should you spot a mistake?
I am only asking because it seems that the people I have came across in my field rarely upload a revision, whether or not there are mistakes in their paper. One, for example, contained a glaring mistake in an important part of a proof, but the mistake is still there; I can see it now. The paper has been there for a year now, it has gone through a formal revision at a conference (where the mistake was corrected). But why not simply correct their arXiv copy?
Should I wait until more feedback is received before uploading a new revision? If so, how long? Is it okay to upload the revised version immediately or is there some arXiv mechanism that prevents me from doing so?
Is there a catch for uploading revisions?<issue_comment>username_1: In answer to your query about whether or not it is an unrealistic goal - not necessarily, you won't know unless you try - but chances are, you'll have to do more work (research, revising etc) for the journal. Having said that, consider the following:
* as with any manuscript submission, you need to fully read the 'Aims and Scope' of the journal to see if your work matches.
* Read through some of the recent articles of the journal to see the style and the depth of the articles that get published.
* Do a search within the articles of the target journal to see if your research has been touched on before.
If in doubt, send an email inquiry.
If possible, have an advisor/professor help you out (perhaps as co-author) - their experience could very likely prove to be invaluable.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I've co-authored a paper on a top-journal. The first author was a PhD student. The paper was so strong that it was even on the cover page of the journal.
That was the first paper for both the first author and myself.
But ...
* The paper was authorised **very closely** with some experts in the field. Those experts knew exactly what to write, what to analyze and what not to do. It's a domain knowledge that a student wouldn't possibly have. They knew how to conduct a good research project.
* We wouldn't been able to publish to the journal without the experts.
* The study was indeed interesting, and attempted to **solve** some very practical problems. Thus, it was not something you read and throw away. It would cause impacts to the field.
* We had softwares, web sites, cool graphics to backup the paper.
* There was nothing special in the statistics and methods. **Absolutely nothing new**. But how it was analyzed was simple to follow and solid. Again, the experts knew exactly how and what to do.
You have better chance if your study attempts to solve **important** questions. Talk to a professor if you need advice.
Unfortunately I don't see you have much chance if you don't have anything truly interesting.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: **How much harder is it to get published in a top-tier journal (ACM, IEEE) compared to a small second-rate conference?**
Depends on the journal and conference. For example, ACM SIGCOMM/MOBICOM will be much harder to get in than a lot of the top journals in IEEE/ACM. By the way, a lot of Editor in Chief writes a 'summary' of how their journal has gone for a given year. He/she usually gives you the acceptance ratio and you'll find that it is usually higher than conferences.
**Is it an unrealistic goal to try to publish my 1st paper in the #1 journal in the field?**
Perhaps, but this very much depends on the area and who you have on your team. Like @SmallChess said, you need experienced co-authors. They will help you pose the right problem, advise you on the methodology that is considered the norm in community and presentation.
Usually, a junior researcher will not tackle a significant problem. This is due to the lack of knowledge and also he/she doesn't have many tools to mount a good attack on a significant problem. Consequently, his/her contribution will be small and thus makes it harder to publish in top places. Having said that, there are 'junior researchers' who are the top of their field. Then they are no different to a seasoned researcher.
**Is it likely such a journal will accept my paper if I am proposing a hybrid method that combines methods used by other papers? Or do I need something completely new and ground-breaking?**
Maybe yes or no. Does it yield a surprising result? It's about contributions. If your contributions are not significant, then maybe no. So think about how significant your contributions are before trying.
**Does the fact that the 1st author will be a student (undergraduate) will reduce my chances?**
People always assume the first author is a student. So they look at the second, or third author. :)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: 1. Write your paper.
2. After it is done, seek out a leader or luminary in the
field to be a co-author
3. Submit or have your "co-author" submit the paper
4. ????
5. You are now published in a top-tier journal!
Upvotes: 2
|
2017/04/08
| 1,136
| 4,756
|
<issue_start>username_0: I've recently started to use the onenote software to keep track of valuable concepts in different fields of interest. I have constantly found myself dubious during the note taking process. I never know whether I should copy large book paragraphs into my notes or whether I should summarize them. I have little knowledge about how to make the most value out of my note taking process. Is there any good book recommendation or resource to help me answer these kind of questions ?<issue_comment>username_1: In answer to your query about whether or not it is an unrealistic goal - not necessarily, you won't know unless you try - but chances are, you'll have to do more work (research, revising etc) for the journal. Having said that, consider the following:
* as with any manuscript submission, you need to fully read the 'Aims and Scope' of the journal to see if your work matches.
* Read through some of the recent articles of the journal to see the style and the depth of the articles that get published.
* Do a search within the articles of the target journal to see if your research has been touched on before.
If in doubt, send an email inquiry.
If possible, have an advisor/professor help you out (perhaps as co-author) - their experience could very likely prove to be invaluable.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I've co-authored a paper on a top-journal. The first author was a PhD student. The paper was so strong that it was even on the cover page of the journal.
That was the first paper for both the first author and myself.
But ...
* The paper was authorised **very closely** with some experts in the field. Those experts knew exactly what to write, what to analyze and what not to do. It's a domain knowledge that a student wouldn't possibly have. They knew how to conduct a good research project.
* We wouldn't been able to publish to the journal without the experts.
* The study was indeed interesting, and attempted to **solve** some very practical problems. Thus, it was not something you read and throw away. It would cause impacts to the field.
* We had softwares, web sites, cool graphics to backup the paper.
* There was nothing special in the statistics and methods. **Absolutely nothing new**. But how it was analyzed was simple to follow and solid. Again, the experts knew exactly how and what to do.
You have better chance if your study attempts to solve **important** questions. Talk to a professor if you need advice.
Unfortunately I don't see you have much chance if you don't have anything truly interesting.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: **How much harder is it to get published in a top-tier journal (ACM, IEEE) compared to a small second-rate conference?**
Depends on the journal and conference. For example, ACM SIGCOMM/MOBICOM will be much harder to get in than a lot of the top journals in IEEE/ACM. By the way, a lot of Editor in Chief writes a 'summary' of how their journal has gone for a given year. He/she usually gives you the acceptance ratio and you'll find that it is usually higher than conferences.
**Is it an unrealistic goal to try to publish my 1st paper in the #1 journal in the field?**
Perhaps, but this very much depends on the area and who you have on your team. Like @SmallChess said, you need experienced co-authors. They will help you pose the right problem, advise you on the methodology that is considered the norm in community and presentation.
Usually, a junior researcher will not tackle a significant problem. This is due to the lack of knowledge and also he/she doesn't have many tools to mount a good attack on a significant problem. Consequently, his/her contribution will be small and thus makes it harder to publish in top places. Having said that, there are 'junior researchers' who are the top of their field. Then they are no different to a seasoned researcher.
**Is it likely such a journal will accept my paper if I am proposing a hybrid method that combines methods used by other papers? Or do I need something completely new and ground-breaking?**
Maybe yes or no. Does it yield a surprising result? It's about contributions. If your contributions are not significant, then maybe no. So think about how significant your contributions are before trying.
**Does the fact that the 1st author will be a student (undergraduate) will reduce my chances?**
People always assume the first author is a student. So they look at the second, or third author. :)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: 1. Write your paper.
2. After it is done, seek out a leader or luminary in the
field to be a co-author
3. Submit or have your "co-author" submit the paper
4. ????
5. You are now published in a top-tier journal!
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/08
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a post-doc (male) and I am working on a research project with another post-doc (female) from the same university. During our work, I got to know her and started developing emotions towards her. Recently, I find myself thinking about her and missing her between our weekly meetings, instead of concentrating in my research. I do my best to avoid this development, in particular:
* No physical contact, even not friendly handshakes.
* No social events, even not eating lunch together. We only meet once a week to talk about our research.
* No romantic talks, I never tell her that I like her or miss her or anything else that can be interpreted romantically.
But this does not help very much.
I worked with other women in the past but this is the first time I feel this way.
I am NOT interested in any romantic relationship now. I only want my focus back. How do I get it?
EDIT: After reading the answers, I did some research and found some relevant articles.
* ["She Wanted to Do Her Research. He Wanted to Talk 'Feelings.'"](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/opinion/sunday/she-wanted-to-do-her-research-he-wanted-to-talk-feelings.html) claims that women might be disturbed by expressions of romantic feelings by men colleagues, to the point that some of them decide to leave academia altogether. Of course, there is difference between senior-junior relations and two postdocs of the same level (as is my case), but this is still quite disturbing. And it makes me feel happy I did not reveal my emotions.
* ["Sexist Scientist: I Was Being 'Honest'"](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/16/sexist-scientist-i-was-being-honest.html) is about a man professor who was bashed and fired for saying "let me tell you about my trouble with girls... Three things happen when they are in the lab: You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticize them, they cry". This further illustrates the problem with talking about love in academia.
And, I think this might show that the question is on-topic in academia.<issue_comment>username_1: I'm afraid I can't answer your question about how to suppress romantic feelings you have for another person, for the trivial reason that humans have been grappling unsuccessfully with this question for thousands of years. The attempts to answer it have led to some wonderful works of fiction though, so I recommend that you do a "literature search" on the problem (pun intended) and maybe find some of the answers you seek.
What I can also add is that one of the most romantic love stories I'm aware of in science started off in a situation pretty similar to yours. It involved the meeting and eventual marriage of the mathematicians <NAME> and <NAME>. They were married for around 70 years and died of natural causes on the same day - see [here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_ending_problem), [here](http://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/a-world-of-teaching-and-numbers--times-two/2005/11/06/1131211943674.html) and [here](http://online.sfsu.edu/meredith/301/Papers/Happy%20Ending%20Problem%20Term%20Paper%20(May%201%202011).pdf) for more details. So maybe falling in love with a coauthor is not something that one should categorically rule out. Of course, only you know your own circumstances and can decide whether this lesson is applicable to your situation.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Good point by @DanRomik about the futility of getting rid of romantic feelings; after all, so much of world literature is just about that one topic. Dante even traveled through heaven and hell to process his unrequited feelings. And Goethe thematised this, especially in the context of a scientist and truth seeker, in his legendary Faust.
However, there are surprisingly few scientists who are expressly known to have a real romantic vein - yes, they marry, etc., but, for what is generally known, Einstein's first marriage was notoriously unromantic, we also have the singular Don Juanism of Feynman - although that may have been the expression of unfulfilment of his original, real romantic interest; and Galois, who claimed to have been trapped into his duel because of an affair; apart from that, one starts scraping the barrel for any interesting gossip about affairs of scientists.
Who knows, because their primary love is science, perhaps?
Taking the OP's statement at face value, they will have a reason of not wanting to get embroiled in romance at a possibly critical stage in their live. So, one way may be to consider science their legitimate jealous wife who will not tolerate a mistress. Or else imagine a nasty boyfriend at the other side of the equation.
There are also some very uncharitable pieces of famous (and controversial) polemic essays that can take the charm out of dating for quite some period to sensitive people, but I won't mention them as the effect of reading this stuff takes quite some time to be undone. Reading this is likely to create an aura of disenchantment, no matter how captivating the other person is; and it can act as a date-killer, even when one doesn't actually want them to fail. I do not recommend trying to discover this literature, but for fairness I believe I have to mention it, since I am aware of this as a possible solution that indeed addresses OP's request (even if sometimes too well).
If you are not afraid of consequences if the relation goes sour, OP might give consideration to @DanRomik's solution to give the possible developments a chance; after all, some of the best and most creative work of artists arose during times of fresh love, and it might not necessarily be different with scientists? However, this type of risk-taking is not for everyone and can also go in a bad way; it should not be taken if OP can not afford to lose this collaboration the middle term.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]
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2017/04/08
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in a low ranked US math PhD program. I generally get along well with my advisor and like my research area (complex algebraic geometry). But the objective of my PhD program is to get low paid math teachers. We are overloaded with TA assignments.
So, I could get into a foreign math PhD program in South America. I am starting next July. Those foreign institutions generally offer full scholarship through the their Federal Government without any duties, free tuition + living expenses. No Duties Attached.
The thing is that I want to keep working in collaboration with my current US advisor, but he got mad and upset when I told him I am moving to another university.
How could I convince him to keep working with me? I mean there is internet and Skype. But I have not talked to him since the time I told him I am moving abroad.<issue_comment>username_1: Ultimately, the decision of where to do your PhD is yours and yours alone. By the same token, the advisor's decision to collaborate after your move is his, (and possibly the rules of his department/institution).
Your academic reasons to move on seem quite sound and the advisor's response could be out of sheer frustration of not only losing another TA, but losing a student with a passion for the subject due to the institution's TA overload. It may be a case of it not being possible to convince him to collaborate at all.
You will need to sit down with your advisor and talk this through.
In terms of asking to continue with collaboration, give him time and space - be sure not to pester him. Concentrate on your transfer (if you choose to go ahead with this) and studies - there are likely many others you could collaborate with, if he still declines. Get yourself established (published etc) and, if you wish, leave the 'door open' to future collaboration with him.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It sounds like you should probably not expect your advisor to continue *as your advisor*. In choosing to leave the program (and, indeed, the country), you have relieved him of responsibility.
Advising students is difficult and demanding work. It is much more difficult, and less rewarding (for both the advisor and the student), when done over correspondence. Usually when advisors agree to do this, some combination of the following two factors are in play: (1) the student is near the end of their Ph.D. studies (and already has a thesis problem); (2) the *advisor* left the university (either temporarily or permanently) and the student didn't want to or couldn't follow them.
I don't know your exact situation, but I would recommend looking for a new thesis advisor in your South American university, while still trying to salvage a productive relationship with your current advisor. Even if he is no longer willing to assume formal responsibility for advising your thesis, he might still be willing to suggest open problems to you, offer advice, or be supportive in other ways.
One course of action that might turn out well for you would be to investigate opportunities that will be available to you at your new university, and schedule an appointment to discuss with your old advisor which of them he thinks it would be most valuable to pursue.
Good luck to you in any case.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: My advice (from experience of treading a fine line all through my academic career) is to approach people with some really heartfelt statement. Emotion is not often expressed between adults especially between academics and more so between student and supervisors. Doing this can really throw people off, make them feel special and open them up to possibilities they would normally not consider when approached in the rigid formal way they are accustom to. Saturnus mentions that the rules of the department/institution may ultimately stand in your way. From my experience, these rules are only guidelines and most academic supervisors have the power to bend them, especially if properly motivated to do so. You've got to remember that supervisors are human too! You may think you made him mad but it was the result of many factors most of which you probably never guess at. Imagine he had just won the lottery and was thinking of giving up his position. What do you think his advice/reaction would be then?
From what you ask I would say something like the following. If you can put a suitably humble and quivering voice on then all the better. If he feels sympathy for you and sees its a difficult decision for you the more likely it will deflate any tension between you both.
"Look, Sir, I've been meaning to talk to you regarding my move to S. Africa. I hope you don't think I've been avoiding you but I feel a little uncomfortable about the situation. I feel I may have disappointed you. I made my decision to move my studies to S. Africa " Continue here with a charm offensive but refer back to your motivations to balance the attack. "I have really enjoyed working alongside you. I think you are a great supervisor and I feel really comfortable around you. Speaking with other students I fell I'm luck to have you as a supervisor. I have found our time together most inspiring and I hope it can continue." e.t.c. ... "I would like to enquire as to the possibility of continuing to work with you when I move to S. Africa. I know it's a long distance but communication wouldn't be a problem" e.t.c then reiterate why you want to remain his student.
In my experience, this kind of approach has been very successful.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/04/09
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD student in applied computer science methods, halfway through the program, and the question that is in the title is what have occupied my mind almost from the beginning of my study. I can't find much help from my supervisors, and this is putting the whole pursuit of my degree under question.
I have read some literature in the domain of my research, and most of the time my critical thinking is not satisfied with what the authors have achieved in the end of their work. Somehow, the conclusions do not seem convincing to me. In my understanding, the idea of a scientific article is to be useful, but what I see in my field of applicational studies is that the articles suggest no real applications, rather some dull scientific examples, saying that it demonstrates its usefullness. Applicational studies should have real applications, not examples in a vacuum.
And it is the same thing, if not worse, in almost all the articles. It gets worse if they start to overcomplicate things, adding one method on top of another to achieve no evident benefit at the end. For me, such research seems like they cannot find a good problem.
Is it just an impression of a sceptic, or could it be that my subfield of research has reached the point where it has closed on itself? I mean, producing papers not to investigate real problems, but just to keep the field afloat, although it has no potential for anything innovative.
I am just starting to doubt that research itself has some special value, as it seemed to me in my idealistic view when I just started my PhD. At this point, I am overwhelmed with the thought that the years that I am spending on my PhD eventually will result with a similar contribution: It will have no use or value. Maybe except to support my supervisor's career and add to the mess of the literature of my domain, where I already have sunk.
So my question for you is: What does motivate you or give you certitude that the things that you work on do have impact, and the work is worth working on?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> In my understanding the idea of a scientific article is to be useful[.]
>
>
>
That is not my understanding of a scientific article (or, more basically, of science). Science is a growing body of knowledge and understanding achieved by a characteristic method, and a scientific article adds to this knowledge and understanding. (Roughly; scientific articles can also critique or falsify...) Who said it had to be *useful*? It is always more useful to have scientific knowledge than not to have it, and many branches of science are easily applied, but by no means all: e.g. up until relatively recently it was believed but not observed that there were [exoplanets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exoplanet), i.e., planets outside our own solar system. The first confirmed detection of an exoplanet was in 1992. This was surely one of the major events in the history of astronomy, but...what is it useful for? Something big a thousand years from now maybe, but nothing now.
>
> I have read some literature in the domain of my research, and almost always my critical thinking is not satisfied with what the authors have achieved in the end of their work. Somehow the conclusions seems for me not convincing.
>
>
>
To be honest, I am skeptical of this. Academic fields are built by intelligent, serious, hard-working people, often over the course of several lifetimes. What counts as methodological rigor in one academic field may not in another, but that's not the same thing. If as a mid-career grad student you find that most of the papers you are reading are pointless and limited in a way that you think you see through...anything is possible, but I am going to guess that you are missing something.
>
> Is it just an impression of a sceptic or it could be that my subfield of research has reached the point where it has closed on itself (producing papers not to investingate real problems but just to keep the field afloat alrhough it has no potential for anything innovative)?
>
>
>
I have not in my lifetime met a scientific (or other academic) field where the grad students can tell that nothing deep is going on. It is true that different fields at different times progress in different ways: periods of fundamental advances alternate with periods of more modest improvements and aggregation of knowledge. But they all survive.
To me it sounds like you are just *not intellectually interested* in your academic field (or the sub-sub-... part of it you're currently occupied). You write:
>
> I am just starting to doubt that research itself has some special value, as it seemed to me in my idealistic view when I just started my PhD. At this point I am overwhelmed with the thought that the years that I am spending on my PhD eventually will result with a similar contribution, there will be no use or value of which. May be except to support my supervisor's career and add to the mess of the literature of my domain where I already have sunk.
>
>
>
In my experience, younger students tend to idealize and elevate academic research as though it were something sacred. When I was a young student of mathematics, I explained why I liked mathematics in terms of its objectivity, its timelessness, and so forth. I don't say much of that anymore -- and not really because I don't believe it: I still do. But I don't believe that it explains why I did mathematics, because the explanation is not enough. There is a *lot* of mathematics out there; I try to appreciate all of it, but I don't *do* all of it. Obviously I did not become a number theorist rather than a differential geometer because number theory is more objective or timeless -- or useful! -- than differential geometry. I became a number theorist *because I like (and understand, and have a proclivity for) number theory more than differential geometry*. There's an ineffability there that we may as well be honest about.
I hope you see the point of that personal digression: I suspect that you simply *are not interested in* your subfield of applied CS and are therefore searching for more sweeping intellectual explanations of that. But you don't need to -- if you don't like it, you don't like it, and that has to be respected, in particular by you. No, you should not continue in a field just to bolster your supervisor's research career. So it's probably time for a change: whether a small change or a big change I leave up to you, but an intellectual defense of the value of Academic Field X is almost certainly not the answer.
Good luck.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: @username_1 gives you a great answer that, I believe, helps you to see *where you are* and where you *may* want go.
In case you're still holding ground on what you think about your field, then I suggest you to see that as an opportunity to do better than the others around, to bring new things to your field. Try to answer this: what can I do to advance the research in my field? If you are certain that the current research is poor, then you are seeing its flaws and you have a good chance to give great contribution.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> "That's why it's always worth having a few philosophers around the place. One minute it's all is Truth Beauty and is Beauty Truth, and Does a Falling Tree in the Forest Make a Sound if There's No one There to Hear It, and then just when you think they're going to start dribbling one of 'em says, Incidentally, putting a thirty-foot parabolic reflector on a high place to shoot the rays of the sun at an enemy's ships would be a very interesting demonstration of optical principles..." -- <NAME>, *Small Gods (Discworld)* (1992)
>
>
> "The release of atomic power has changed everything except our way of thinking ... the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker." -- <NAME> (1945)
>
>
> "No one has yet discovered any warlike purpose to be served by the theory of numbers or relativity, and it seems unlikely that anyone will do so for many years." -- <NAME>, *A Mathematician's Apology* (1941)
>
>
>
This is the fundamental conundrum of doing research. You hope that the research you are doing will revolutionize the world, and write grant proposals to that effect, but it's really a crapshoot. Maybe you'll hit a breakthrough; maybe your contributions will languish forgotten on shelves. Maybe someday your works will be dusted off when it is realized that they are exactly what is needed to advance humanity. You just don't know; "practical" applications are usually years off at best.
So what are you supposed to do in the meantime? In my experience, it has to be a question of extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation. Presumably you were excited about your field when you started your PhD. You decided to devote years of your life to the study of a single subject...why? Mathematicians worked on number theory for hundreds of years before RSA and SHA; Einstein never saw photovoltaic solar panels in wide use; Al<NAME> never wrote a single program in C++, Java, Haskell, or Python. What kept them going?
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> It will have no use or value. Maybe except to support my supervisor's
> career...
>
>
>
I have seen that happen many times. It won't be too terrible if it happens again in your case. Not many people get lucky to hit the bull's eye in their PhD program. Most learn how to do research researching something that turns out to be irrelevant. They publish a paper or two that few people will ever read and get their degree. The real result is the research skills that you will use a lot and improve throughout your career. I would just go with it and try to make the best out of it.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: I cannot possibly agree with the currently most upvoted answer by username_1. I clearly cannot comment on the particular subfield that OP is asking about since I know nothing about it.
However, daily I see stillborn research papers --- they were conceived not to dispel the ignorance, but to be added to a CV. There are definitely research communities that are mired in posturing, complexity and obscurantism.
On a personal level, it **does not matter** whether the field in question is one such area, or whether the OP lacks the background to see how this field adds to our knowledge. It is impossible to do good research without seeing the goal. So, action is necessary.
I suggest talking to the advisor, and *gently* asking these questions. If the answers are not enlightening, change field/advisor. Doing otherwise is a waste of OP's time.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: Having worked in an applied algorithmic field as well, I fully understand the problems of the OP. My experiences:
* Many "applied" papers are not applied in the sense that they consider problems that are asked in the "real world". They may be modelled on real world problems, but in such an abstract way that you cannot use the results to e.g. implement them into some practical useful software. "Applied" is a very wide range.
* Most research areas are driven by peer review. If a group of people like an approach, this approach will survive and more papers are produced in this direction. This includes the danger of overestimating the value of a certain method or drawing questionable answers from inconclusive data. Nonreproducible results on many experimental fields often result from overconfident use of statistics.
* Many grad students work pretty much on their own and therefore have difficulties to distinguish good from bad papers -- the bad ones are just too many.
Nevertheless, there is progress in nearly every field of science, but -- in my opinion -- it can be buried in a large amount of fairly disappointing papers.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: If your applied field isn't applicable to the real world, the least it could do is change its name. It's also possible that that path of research is a dead end - it wouldn't be the first time in human history that people went the wrong way intellectually.
What would a research domain gone wrong look like? Probably as you describe - the next generation loses faith and questions whether to abandon it. It's possible you're correct and you're at the forefront of this point, another possibility is you could be wrong and just don't get the field. I don't know.
Be true to yourself and be aware of both the sunk cost fallacy and the fact that you have sunk some costs. Depending on how much time you've spent, and whether you can switch to a different topic, you may want to finish and grab the credentials. You'll be a much more formidable critic of the field once you achieve that, but of course by then maybe you'll believe it, whether it's true or not :)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_8: I will add a somewhat optimistic answer.
There are a lot of "bad" papers written, in every field; those which are poorly constructed, those with errors, those struggling to find a reason to exist, those published to pad someone's CV, those published for political reasons, etc.
However, think of research as a creative pursuit. Do you think that music or art is not worth it, even though most of it is "bad"? Most of it is trying something that won't work, or it's copying someone else, or it's boring, or it's unclear. Once in a while, something truly special comes along, though; to some people, that's worth it.
As a researcher, you need to learn to separate the good ideas from the bad - there are good papers out there, I promise you. It's likely that many of these bad papers you're reading cite them; follow the citations back. Find the gems and study those hard.
Finally, you can tell that most of what you're reading is bad, which implies that you can tell what is good. Take advantage of that skill!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: When I was studying math, discussion was made of pure and applied mathematics. To top-notch pure mathematics culture, it is almost a matter of pride to create research not used in applied math, and a loss of honor, so to speak, if an applied mathematician finds a practical use for your research.
One point which was underscored repeatedly was that not only is applied math finding uses for the most esoteric math you can find, but the time lag between pure math discovery and applied math application was shrinking, and something like 2-3 decades as of the years of my program.
People have come up with examples of mathematical research that is so obscure it will never be applied; one such prominent example is group theory, and I remember it being all the more striking when a friend studying chemistry referred to "the group of rotations of a molecule." She was using the term correctly, it was properly an application of group theory, and it was concrete enough to be used in this way by (nonmathematician) scientists.
Make your computer science work as obscure as you like, but it will probably end up seeing practical use.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: This is a common view on first getting really stuck in to the literature, when you realise just how small the increments by which we actually work can be.
You've started to see your own work in the same light. That's normal too. But very few theses are actually a *significant* contribution to human knowledge. By the end of your PhD, the world will have one more computer scientist -- you -- who will be able to work on a wide range of problems, even if a small part of any of them.
Note that unlike some answers I make the perhaps unrealistic assumption of good faith. The only effect of the pressure to publish frequently is to exaggerate the incremental nature of progress -- but then the results are out there sooner for others to build on.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: There is a department I am interested in, and it offers two distinct MA's. One is more of a broad course (course A), the other one more specialised (course B).
I am interested in two subjects which have nothing whatsoever to do with one another. Also assume that there is no overlap. Subject B is covered by course B, but then I would *not* be doing any of Subject A. Should I get into course A however I could do Subject B as well. However, Subject A has a slight priority to me.
My problem is that I would like to apply to both courses, but I don't know what to say in my statement of purpose. Since it's the same faculty, they will most likely see both my applications. If I say in application A, that I am primarily interested in subject A, and vice versa in application B, that might look deceptive since they will see both applications.
If I say that I am interested in Subject B, and then (should I get onto course A) would change my interests during my studies and opt for Subject A, - this also might not look the best.
There are professors in both subjects who I potentially like to work with, but I am worried to tell them since the subjects are very different and have no overlap, I feel it would just look not very good.
Any advice what I could do in such a situation? How would I best structure my statements of purpose & contact professors about potential supervisions without looking like I am trying to juggle too many balls at once? I also would like to look determined and less insecure about what I want to do, but I would just like to keep both options until I know where I can get in.<issue_comment>username_1: I think that's a very natural doubt you have. Consider, notwithstanding my answer, if you can switch once you've been admitted to any one course.
Try to apply strongly for one course. But indicate that you are an open minded person in life. Maybe they'll consider you for the one you've not applied to.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I am on the admission committee for a fairly prestigious UK MSc and see this kind of thing all the time (indeed, we also get quite a lot of candidates who apply to both our MSc and PhD). More generally, it is very common for (a) intelligent people to have a lot of active interests at once, (b) intelligent people who face many open doors to struggle to choose which one the like most. The admissions guys (who are human beings, not machines!) understand this, and applying to both programmes will almost certainly not upset them.
What *will* upset them is any sign of insincerity on your part, or any sense that you are trying to game the system by feigning an interest in one of the topics. My advice is therefore:
Treat the two applications as separate opportunities to write the strongest statement you can for each. In particular, think about how you can use the statement to give verifiable evidence that you have a real intellectual interest in the topic. Simply saying "I have a lifelong passion for X" won't convince anybody, so look for ways to send a more credible signal. For example, you could talk about how some readings influenced your thinking, or about some open research questions you think are interesting and how they might be solved.
Likewise, if you talk about what you will do with the degree in the future, try to be concrete and show that you have thought about how the programme fits your needs. What are the specific skills you hope to acquire and what specific modules on the degree will help you to develop those skills?
In your particular circumstances, I think it might make sense to include one or two sentences at the end of the statement acknowledging the fact that you are also applying for another programme. But, again, my advice would be to aim for sincerity rather than trying to play mind games. It should suffice to say that you fell passionate about, and ready to commit to either programme should you have the good fortune to be admitted.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I finished my masters thesis (computer science) a year ago and had only a slight chance to become a graduate student (I declined the offer because it was too risky for me).
Now I am working as a software engineer for almost a year. I still want to do a PhD and I am convinced I can do it one day. I even told my company that I want to do a PhD and if there exists a chance to do it in cooperation with the company, I will do it.
Nevertheless, I find myself reading books about the life of a PhD student, how to write a dissertation and so on...but I feel like I am getting nowhere closer to my goal. I would like to publish something that I can show to research institutes of interest (something to add to my CV that is research related).
Right now I am interested in Software Architecture, I also read other publications even if they are not related to my current job as a software engineer. I feel like I could squeeze some of my knowledge into some kind of publication, I just don't know how to do it.
Could you give me any hints or even books that focus on publication for the field of computer science?
All the books I read so far are either medicine research related or very global...<issue_comment>username_1: To be honest, I think it would be extremely difficult to publish independently, in a forum that would matter. That is, there are [predatory publications](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Journal_of_Advanced_Computer_Technology) that will take just about anything, including a publication consisting solely of the repeated sentence **Get me off Your F--king Mailing List** ... but if you want to publish real work, there are a lot of hurdles.
I'm not going to google for you to point at how-to's that must say things like how you need to state a thesis, provide background, do some evaluation, compare to prior art, and so on. I don't think the issue is the mechanics of writing a paper, though the English in your original post indicate that will be a problem if you publish in English. (I sympathize with those for whom it is not their first language, but it doesn't make it easier to publish.)
The issue is really, as a junior software engineer, is it really true that you can **could squeeze some of [your] knowledge into some kind of publication**?
It's surely the case that some people have published with minimal background and sometimes even made monumental contributions. But the bar goes up with time. There's a *lot* of cumulative work. If you really think you can add to that, you probably should start with the "prior art" part I mentioned before. Read a bunch of papers, for instance in a conference pertaining to your area of interest, and see if there is something there where you think you can add on to it.
But I think a better approach is to do accomplished work as a software engineer, then apply to a PhD program, and have the professors teach you what is involved in publishing.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'll offer a different answer to the above, as I'm in a very similar position to you.
I don't think publishing 'independently' it is necessarily as hard as people assume, if you have some university education behind you. I put independently in quotation marks, because I think your best avenue would be to reach out to somebody at the university where you completed your master's, eg getting into contact with your thesis supervisor, and see if your thesis is worth condensing into something of publishable quality.
An alternative would be to approach other professors at the university, if you have other connections from your masters. This is what I did, although I had already done the research myself, and mostly needed the guidance on how to best write up the paper. It's also really helpful when writing papers to have someone much smarter than you to bounce your ideas off. They will also know the field you're wanting to publish in, and can help you select a suitable conference, etc.
If you get in touch with any members of staff, they will probably expect you to have a specific research problem in mind. As someone who isn't a PhD student, you and the person you choose to work with won't have the implicit professional relationship, and so it may seem a little bizarre if you contact them with a view to publish just *something*, rather than approaching them to talk specifically about a research interest.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Regardless of whether or not you decide to pursue a Ph.D, publishing is in principle not something you set out to do in advance, this is always going to be the result of research work that has results that the scientific community is likely going to be interested in. This means that you need to do a lot of literature research first to understand what the problems the researchers are dealing with today are. If you then do your own research and come up with results that you think the professionals would want to read about, then you can consider writing up an article.
So, while there are always going to be exceptions, in principle a publication by you on some topic means that you've mastered that topic to such a degree that you should be considered to be a top expert (at least when one narrows things down to what's covered in your article). This is the very reason why a publication can help increase your chances to get an academic job.
You should not reverse the logic here and try to get to a publication for the sake if it. There are junk journals where you can get away with publishing mediocre work that editors of normal journals would have rejected. But publishing in such journals won't help you much, most researchers will get a visceral reaction when they see the title of such a journal on your list of publications.
Publishing as an independent researcher is possible, I've published quite few articles outside of my professional research area. But it helps to have had research experience in one field to be able to do this. I'm quite sure that I could not have written up a proper research article had I not had studied at research level at university.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/04/09
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<issue_start>username_0: I've just started as postdoctoral researcher at a great institute. I imagine that they expect me to achieve good results and teach some classes.
But honestly, I feel that I still need to learn a lot more on many topics. So, is it a good idea to dedicate a few hours of my day to learn new topics? Or should I focus only on what I already know and on how to apply it in order to obtain more results?
It is a new stage of my life and any tip that may improve me as a researcher is very welcomed.<issue_comment>username_1: There is absolutely nothing wrong to dedicate a good fragment of your time to learn new things. Science is a dynamical thing and at some point you will be *forced* to learn new things/techniques etc (depending your field). PhD makes you master a rather small and specific area but to be a truly good researcher you should be able to see the bigger picture.
If you dedicate your time exclusively on the topics you already know then this could be seen as an *incremental* thing: applying what we know on new things is alright but it doesn't *advance* science: This needs to design *new* techniques probably using new tools from unexpected areas.
So, dedicate as much as you can on *studying* and *expanding* your knowledge/topics!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You could do both - learn new topics that interest you as well as applying what you already know to new innovations and discoveries. You may find that the new topics relate to your central discipline - allowing broader applications (I have found this with my own research).
There is nothing wrong with expanding your knowledge - just be mindful of the expectations of outcomes etc from your institution.
Another thing I found very useful is to spend some time developing new skills related to the academic interests (computer languages etc).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: While "learning new subjects" vs "focus on applying what I know" may sound like a dichotomy at first it really need not to be one: Try to *apply the things you know to **new** problems* and *learn what you need to learn to do this successfully*.
Put differently: Learn new things more focused on the problems you are facing. It is really rare that you encounter a problem that you can solve by just applying what you know. In most cases, the actual problem at hand has some new structure that can be exploited in some way and this usually forces you to read up something new.
On the other hand, it can not hurt if you learn some things that are not totally related to your current research just to broaden you expertise. I do this when I got stuck on my problems and, coincidentally, it happens frequently that I stumble upon just the right thing to help me with my current problem.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: For most people, the postdoc will give the most bang for the buck if your primary focus is on strengthening your publications list.
To do this, additional study may be needed.
If not, and you can spare the time, you could set yourself a cap on what would be a reasonable amount or proportion of time to spend on learning things that are, at the moment, tangential.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/04/09
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<issue_start>username_0: I've noticed that many academic expositions are written in such a way that a different expert supplies each chapter, and one editor brings it all together.
I can understand why such a format makes sense in a "The Handbook of something-or-other", for example, where exhaustive coverage and authoritative material are sought. But I've seen it used, just recently, in *The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory*, a history book, and in *The Psychology of Music*, an exposition of an academic field.
My question is: how and when did this practice arise? (I don't recall seeing such a practice in books published more than 50 years ago). What are its upsides and downsides, and what makes it attractive?<issue_comment>username_1: I'd say that knowledge is expanding so rapidly that it might be difficult to be an academic expert on each sub topic which is forming a different chapter in the book. I'm not sure of the prevalence of this trend, but I have seen it at times in books meant for graduate students or scholars
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Many times such a book is dedicated to a broad subject with many sub-subjects and experts from each sub-subject are invited to write the relevant topic. This is actually very good. The potential downside might be that different authors might have much different writing style and flow and it can lead to a highly non-uniform book if the editor does not pay the required attention.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: One upside is that it's usually easier to persuade an expert to write a chapter for a book than to persuade him or her to write a whole book. It's also easier to nag an author of a chapter ("All the other chapters are written; when can you get yours done?" or "If you miss this deadline, we'll publish the book without your chapter") than to nag the author of a book.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Academic books are generally not very profitable. To reduce the costs, the editor would:
* Ask for different authors to contribute. Most of the time, those authors simply copy-and-paste from their existing publication.
* The topics would be too complicated and diverse for anybody. Nobody would have the knowledge to write the whole book.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I agree with the other responses given. In addition, edited works typically have some level of peer review, since the editor(s) is an expert in the field that the individual chapter authors are submitting their work to. This is also different from a person writing the entire book and publishing alone.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: It takes about 6 months of full-time work to write a full length book. If the subject is specialized, you'll be doing really well if you sell 5000 copies. 5000 copies at $50 = $250,000. The author might expect 10% of that, say $25,000 if you're really successful. In reality, sales of 1000 copies and royalties of $5K are more likely. That's no way to earn a living.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: In the subfield I am aware of (signal/image processing), an edited book (with editors and contributed chapters) can expose the editors to a certain fame. Like a thing one has to achieve at a certain point of a career and in a resume. Note that chapters traditionally are not really considered in standard performance indices.
Writing a chapter allows one to dig into more details, like an overview paper, than in a traditional page-limited paper. A collection of papers can be made with art, or not.
* with art: the editors work a lot on the homogeneity of the whole opus, setting common notations, managing overlap and coherence, typically with cross-author peer-review. This takes time, sweat and tears, but can be valuable.
* without art: it is more a recycling thing. Each author does his job alone, and the collection is more a gathering than an original opus. Note that the latter can still be interesting when the collected papers are history, hard to find, then it is more a compendium.
A chapter contribution can also be a nice fate of a chapter in a PhD thesis. Or one can work on a novel chapter, and reuse a portion of it for a standard paper.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_8: I have been a co-author on two technical books and I can tell you that the answer is this: it's because ***writing books is hard!***
I would have to come up with the materials, validate all references and then also do my own screenshots/code/graphics. You'd think that some people would do that for you, but writing is actually quite solitary work.
From there it's shipped to the editor who puts it through a peer-review process with 4-5 people, each with their own perspective. It get's shipped back to you with dozens and dozens of comments and questions. No matter how good you are, you are *always* going to have various comments to address. The editor wants to see you address every single one and some of the comments will be very good and can spark new ideas in you and add sections to the books. Other comments will require you to re-do some of your screenshots/code/graphics.
After you ship that back, the better book publishers will put it through *another* peer-review process and you have to go through the same cycle above until you get down to a reasonable level of comments.
**And all of the above is just for ONE chapter!**
Think of a book with 20+ chapters and hundreds of pages. The writing is (almost) the "easy" part - the review process will cause you to tear your hair out. If you're a true professional, working in the field you're writing about, you really just don't have the time needed to write a book completely on your own. The person in the other answer who said it takes 6 months to write a book is clearly wrong - if you go at it yourself, you're looking at 18 months, more like 2 years to be realistic. So it only makes sense to involve other people in the process to keep your sanity in check.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/10
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in the process of contacting potential supervisors for a postdoc position, and I need a bit of advice on how to reply to one of them. I have a PhD in urban planning, and I am applying to some American Universities for a postdoctoral position.
After contacting a supervisor, I got a positive reply, however he wrote to me: "You have impressive credentials, and I'm sure you could contribute to our group. However, I have no additional funds at this point to support a postdoctoral position. I would be happy to talk if you have funding from another source. But at this point, my funding has been allocated to ongoing students. I am sorry that I do not have better news."
What and how should I reply? On one hand having some financial support is quite vital to me, but on the other hand I don't want to lose this opportunity. I would like to show how much enthusiasm I have to work in his group. I would like to suggest to write a proposal in order to give a grant, or asking him if he know somewhere I can find a financial scholarship. Or I ask him to let me know when he has a vacant position for me. I am unsure what to do!<issue_comment>username_1: Thank him.
If he had some ideas for funding he probably would have mentioned them. That said, asking for some creative thought or asking to meet to have a creative session regarding funding ideas would not be improper and many opportunities start with conversations.
Certainly asking that you be kept in mind for if any funding or position arises is good.
Best of luck.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: You have pretty much answered your own question.
In a reply, consider including the following:
* thanking the professor for his reply.
* state that you would be most interested in contributing to the group should a position open up - even mention a specific common aspect of the research.
* ask if he knows of scholarships/ similar funding opportunities etc.
* suggest co-writing a grant proposal/application (be specific about which grant and what it would be for).
* perhaps even state that you would like to collaborate on projects/research in any case.
On that last point - leave the 'door open' for a continuing link through research etc. - this may put you in good stead for future opportunities.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: I am unsure how Post-doc positions are usually designed where you live. Was this an unsolicited request for a post-doc? Post-doc positions in the U.S. are often advertised along with regular faculty announcements. They typically have funding dedicated to them at the time of the announcement. I am not sure if you would be able to find a scholarship for a post-doc position very easily as well.
You could offer to co-author a grant together that might support your position. However, when the potential supervisor indicated he would talk to you "if you have another funding sources," he might be referring to your current ability to fund your position and may not have an interest in co-authoring a new grant. Plus, while you write and wait for the grant announcement, you could have already secured another job in the U.S. at a different university.
While this particular research group/department is of great interest to you, I would suggest looking at job announcements for post-docs or faculty positions where you would not have to be concerned with securing your own funding at day one. Even if you went to another university, nothing would stop you from collaborating with this group (I collaborate with people from all over). Another suggestion would be to see if the university has a visiting scholars program. That might be another avenue, but still may experience funding as an issue.
Hope this helps! Good luck.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/10
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a professor of mechanical engineering in Russia. I have an excellent record of publications and some visiting experiences in the US. Now I want to apply for a faculty position in the US.
One criterion is a strong record of previous funds obtained. In Russia, the funding system is completely different. If I list my funded projects, the values look ridiculous in comparison with the US funded projects (where an assistant professor secures millions of dollar). This does not mean that my research projects have not been funded as well as the US rivals.
How can I convince the search committee that I have capability to secure research funds from the US funding agencies?<issue_comment>username_1: Selection committees know that there are different standards in different countries. What is important is that you give them a list of the grants you have obtained, along with a perspective on what that means in your country. In other words, document things such as the *typical* size of grants, the *success rate* of proposals, or maybe the typical amount of grant funding a professor at one of the better universities in your country has. All of this puts your achievements in context, and allows the selection committee to already get an idea how competitive you have been in securing grant funding and how that might translate to your competitiveness in the US.
If you make that hurdle, and the selection committee is still interested in your case, then there are sufficiently many international faculty in the United States that a committee can always call up someone who knows the system in your country and ask them what they thought of your track record regard research funding.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I am not in your discipline, but have served on and chaired search faculty search committees. In my opinion, if you list the grants that you have obtained, you can established a track record of grant funding. To strengthen it, I would do research about where in the U.S. you would apply for grants (specific funding announcements, federal agencies, etc). Also, if you can identify potential collaborators in the U.S. who are funded, that may strengthen your proposal.
I have interviewed international candidates who have been successful in their home countries, but fall flat when trying to articulate a strong plan for securing research and starting up their projects in the U.S. Hence, I feel that if you coupled your past successes with a strong plan for the future, it may still be viewed as favorably. Also, if you have information about how competitive the grants were that you have previously secured (i.e. rejection rate), that may also help your argument.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: An apples to oranges comparison would not make sense here, and a reasonable hiring committee will recognize that. In other words, forget about the dollar figures and focus on demonstrating that you are strong in the skills needed: writing a strong proposal, planning a budget, carrying out the program, keeping good records, sticking to your budget, writing progress reports (if I left anything out, please chime in with a comment or an edit).
Upvotes: 1
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2017/04/10
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<issue_start>username_0: I spent 2 years doing a PhD. Not only did the study fail, my paths parted with my main and only supervisor in the worst possible manner. I don't know how to account for the gap on my CV due to the following reasons:
1.) It was 100% research, I cannot say I completed certain subjects or credits to swing it into a positive light.
2.) I obviously don't have a good (or any) reference to account for the 2 years in the PhD.
3.) I can't lie and say I worked as a research assistant during that time to account for the gap. I tried it, and I failed. The recruitment agency through which I tried to work nailed me on the fact that I could not provide them with the contact details of a supervisory figure for the time I spent working as a "research assistant". It's totally impossible to get away with not having a reference for your most recent "job".
I don't know what to do with my CV.
Any help would be substantially beneficial at this stage!<issue_comment>username_1: You need to fill that gap. Employers have to allow for the worst case. Currently, they have no evidence that distinguishes your PhD attempt from two years sitting around doing nothing, or even two years in prison.
First contact your former supervisor. Even if they cannot give you a good reference for your research skills etc., they may be willing to say you were a PhD student and roughly what you were doing during those two years.
If that does not work, try the department and the school. You are not looking for a recommendation as a researcher, just a statement that you were registered as a graduate student during that period.
In dealing with potential employers, you can say that you tried being a PhD student but it did not work out, and is not the right path for you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Try being honest. "I was a PhD student but it ended badly." More people than you might think would understand a bad academic relationship. I have also seen references given from other people in the lab (postdocs, senior grad students).
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/10
| 460
| 2,096
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<issue_start>username_0: Is there an open database of every scientist with their scientific interests? For example, I want to find a list of all scientists with their contact details based in the UK, whose scientific interests include, say, databases. I have an idea and I would like to approach some of them with it.
Edit: such database does exist, I used it almost 10 years ago for different reasons, cannot remember its website anymore :(<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think this database exists, but you might try searching the literature archives. Databases like Web of Science might help you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Such databases exist. They are called publication catalogues or a scientific libraries.
You are not going to get a more accurate and uniformly complete picture of what researchers are working on other than by looking at their research output. There is no detailed, standardized, and complete classification of research topics, either, and if there were one, it would quickly be moot1, as research topics are merged and new ones are created all the time. Moreover, knowing that a given researcher works on databases is not going to help you much: They might do research about the performance optimization of DB engines, or about domain-specific DB access languages, or about conveying the contents of DBs to blind users, or about the legal ramifications of possibly slanderous statements in crowd-sourced DBs ... you get the idea.
After a basic pre-selection of publications by keywords, you will have to look at each researcher and their profile individually to determine whether their research interests are actually related to your idea.
1: I am looking at you, ACM paper classification.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I agree with the previous answers that suggest publucation databases as the way to go. Additionally, you can use the [advanced search of ORCiD](https://orcid.org/orcid-search/search) and search for keywords but the results are only as good as the keywords which have to be entered by the researchers themselves.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/04/11
| 1,646
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<issue_start>username_0: I am an academic in computer science in Europe, just completed my Ph.D. and applied for tenure-track positions in Europe. I received a very early offer in the UK more than a month ago and the negotiation stretched until now. Given the overal small startup packages in the UK, I managed to negotiate for a decent startup budget. However, as the department has no presence nor material for the research I am doing, the deal is more average/minimal. Apart from the details in the offer, the thing that is holding me back is that my partner also has a good career here but in the UK, she would have a very hard time and probably have to go back to university to make her degree compatible. We discussed all of this and I would take the offer if all other applications do not work out. Now the university really wants me to make a decision this week.
I have a tenure-track application running at my home university where I did my studies, grew up, and I am still living. The place is quite decent and despite the down-sides of staying at the same place, I would be very happy with the position as I was able to do good work here in the past, and my partner would be able to continue her career as well. I have a good chance of receiving an offer here but the interview and results will be out in 3-4 weeks. I contacted the university but they cannot speed-up the process. The other thing is that the position at the university here is quite exceptional in that a similar position will not be available anytime soon. As there not many/no universities that have a presence in my field nearby, this is the one opportunity for my partner and I to live in our hometown.
So I need to make a decision this week on an offer in the UK which I would totally take if the outcome on the other application would be negative. The application at my home university, which would be my preferred choice, will still take 3 weeks. If I say NO to the offer in the UK, I could end up with no position. The safest thing would be to say YES this week. But potentially canceling the offer in 3 weeks, when the results at my home university are out, is probably not very ethical?
Just for completeness, I have another tenure-track application at a university nearby, this could be a backup, but is very uncertain as it is not specifically focusing on my area of research.
I would welcome any advise or hear about similar experiences.<issue_comment>username_1: I think what you are asking is if there is an ethical way to accept a position and then bail if you get a better position. Ethics are often very personal, but I think most people would conclude that this is unethical. That said, potentially the more important question, is can you get away with the behavior. From a legal standpoint, there is likely very little that can be done to punish you.
From a career standpoint accepting an offer and then turning it down tends to be a recipe for creating academic enemies. In your case, however, I think you can get away with it because of the Brexit and the fact you have a partner. If in the next month you get a better offer, you can tell the UK university that your partner has had a change of heart. Yes, I am advocating blaming it all on your partner to keep you from making enemies. Explain that your partner is concerned about moving to the UK because of Brexit and their treatment of foreigners. Yes, I am advocating telling a straight up lie. UK academics are generally up in arms about the Brexit. Having a change of heart because of the Brexit will be totally believable to them.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I think your decision should hinge on what your fallback position would be if you turn down your current offer and don't get an offer from your ideal school. Would you work in a postdoc? Industry? Do you want an academic career, or an ideal academic career?
For context, I will explain the situation I had. I had an offer at a less-than-ideal place and a flyout scheduled at the institution where I had done my MA. I had many contacts there (the flyout felt like a family reunion) and my husband also had an offer in town. I did not get that job. However, the fact that I was competitive for both *and had many other outstanding flyouts/applicaitons* made me feel confident enough to turn down the first offer.
I later got an offer at a third institution, which is a bit better than the first, but certainly not as good as the MA institution. However, I think I would have been less confident in this strategy if I had not completed 40+ applications and already had 3 future flyouts scheduled when I turned down the first offer.
---
Update based on his response: Strategically, it seems like it could make sense to turn down the current UK job. If you turn it down, one of two things happens: Either you get the job you want, or you do a post-doc in your current location and go on the market again. If you go on the market again, then I don't see why you would expect worse options than you currently have. If you think of game theory, you need to decide if you are maximizing expected payoffs or playing a maximin strategy
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I think you should accept the UK job in a few days' time, and then if your home university gives you a job, take that, and tell the truth to the UK people about the reason you are changing your mind.
In my experience, people generally don't regard it as certain that a newly hired person will actually turn up and start their new job, until they turn up on the first day. (Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.) This is especially true if the new person is coming from a foreign country. Moreover you say the UK university "really wants me to make a decision this week," which suggests they already know you are having difficulty deciding.
I disagree completely with username_1, who advocates lying, thinks that changing your mind about a job is unethical, and says the important thing is whether you can get away with it. I think people should not lie, and I think it is not particularly terrible to accept a job and then change your mind. And, if you follow my advice, I don't think you should worry too much about encountering people in the future. Personally I would be more ill-disposed towards someone who had lied, or who I strongly suspected of lying, than someone who had accepted a job then changed their mind.
**Edited to add:** I was slightly too harsh on username_1. There is a difference between (1) changing your mind about a job after you have accepted it because something unexpected happened, and (2) accepting a job while knowing that you might be offered a better one in a few weeks and if so you will take that instead. username_1 was talking about (2) rather than (1). But this doesn't affect my view of what you should do. Also, if you accept the UK job and then change your mind, you should tell them as soon as possible, apologize, and do anything you can to help them deal with the situation.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2017/04/11
| 2,018
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a big believer in FOSS (Free Open Source Software), and a physics graduate student. I believe a lot of current researchers are not aware of free solutions to problems that are usually encountered in a lab, and since money is often tight in academia I think it's important.
I also feel like my thesis is the only bit of work I'll do in academia that's truly mine; there's no journal with strict criteria on what I can include.
So do you think it's appropriate to include a section at the end of my thesis, essentially completely separate from the rest of it, containing my views about the state of software in science and solutions to problems? I'm worried that it might seem a bit preachy, but I think that's a problem that can be solved with tone/phrasing.<issue_comment>username_1: I think this is a fairly bad idea, for the following reasons:
* **It's largely shouting in the woods.** Let's face it, while you may feel that your thesis is the only piece of work that's "truly yours", it will likely also be the least-read piece of your career. More to the point, your (presumed) target audience (young physicists in other departments) are very unlikely to ever come across your statement. How many PhD dissertations of people you don't know personally have *you* read to the end?
* **It has a non-zero chance of annoying somebody in your committee.** Again, a physics thesis nowadays is mostly there to appease your committee (as few to none outside of the committee will ever read it), so a section that does not contribute to or actively hurts this goal seems like a bad idea. And I would argue that there *is* a real danger that *somebody* in your committee is not thrilled about the unconventional political statement in your thesis, as:
* **You may be unable to write it in a way that it does not come across as preachy.** I think the pure existence of such a section will be perceived preachy, so no matter how you phrase it, it may always be perceived as such.
So if your thesis (and formal papers, obviously) are bad places to communicate your opinion on science politics, how *can* you communicate these matters? Most people I know with strong opinions on political matters of science (be they about career models for young scientists, open access, reproducibility, ...) tend to primarily communicate their thoughts over various social media (blogs, Twitter, Facebook), with the occasional invited opinion piece on the topic in a journal or magazine editorial. Every now and then, they are also invited to talk about the issues they care about in seminars or as invited speakers in conferences. Presumably, in some cases, they have just been invited in general and have decided on their own that politics is what they are going to talk about. This strategy reaches substantially more people (even if your blog entry never jumps across 100 views, that's probably still more than your thesis will get in the next 50 years), and from a blog or Facebook entry, people *expect* opinionated content, so there is much less reason to think less of you (unless they vehemently disagree with your opinion, but in this case no way of communicating your thoughts will help).
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The purpose of a thesis is to show that you can do independent research. Your advisor and your committee members will read your thesis to see if you achieved that goal. Anything in the thesis that does not help them determine that, wastes their time (not too much, as they will probably just skip it, but still it risks annoying people whom you don't want to annoy). Lets be honest, those are the only people who are really going to read your thesis. So you can expect virtually no gain from doing so, as you are not going to reach anyone who might be interested in what you have to say about FOSS, and there is a very real potential of harm to your thesis from doing so.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Isn't there literature that you can cite that can turn this into a scholarly argument, rather than a "soap box" moment? Also, you can put whatever you want in your thesis, but your committee and/or chair need to approve it, so you should discuss with him or her before you go on a tangent.
It seems that using outlets with larger audiences would be helpful, such as a journal article, conference presentation, or other media.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I think as many have said here, there might be objections which wouldn't have been there if you hadn't included the "soap box". I would suggest becoming well settled in academia first (gain tenure etc.) and then one day on your own home-page have a section about your personal views on FOSS. This would mean that people who would *want* to reach out to you and *actually follow your views* (future students) would get to read them.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: I agree with the other answers that it is a bad idea to include a completely separate 'soap-box' chapter of your thesis which is dedicated to your personal political views of FOSS. The key issue is that you are not adding anything that substantiates your thesis. However, I think that if FOSS has legitimately played a substantial role your research project, then there *are* ways in which you can communicate your point without jeopardizing the integrity of your thesis.
* **Demonstrate the utility:** Rather than write an entire chapter, simply demonstrate the utility (point below relevant) of the software in your project. Show your examiners (and any future readers) how you used the software to meet your research goals. 'Do' rather than 'say'.
* **Reference the software:** If you are using open source R or Python packages, consider giving credit by referencing the FOSS software that you used (e.g. [R example](https://stat.ethz.ch/R-manual/R-devel/library/utils/html/citation.html), [Python example](https://www.scipy.org/citing.html)). The benefit here is that you can *tactfully* demonstrate the usage of the software, and avoid coming across as just "talking the talk".
* **Acknowledgements:** A simple paragraph in your acknowledgements may give you a sense of fulfilment. Not to suggest it's the norm, but I have read several theses in which the student gives thanks to their God and this has not impacted the success of their work. A FOSS paragraph doesn't seem any less appropriate.
I was faced with a similar issue in my thesis, but concerning reproducible research. After consulting my advisers, we came to the conclusion that the fact my entire thesis was entirely reproducible was more than a mere political statement. In fact, many of my research questions, future directions, and implications were centred around this. The key point here is that it wasn't included as a political statement, but to better communicate the research project.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: If it isn't actually part of your thesis target point, you will rightfully be marked down for (1) diverging unnecessarily, and (2) putting unsupported personal opinion in an academic thesis.
You want to do what you say, ask nicely if you can do a vanity publication of your thesis and include it there.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: My suggestion: Instead of putting that in your thesis, write a paper on this issue - a social commentary paper more than a research paper, even if it involves Physics research - and try pitching it to:
* Professional journals as an opinion column / not-main-matter content.
* Semi-professional/popular publications which professional societies of physicists issue
* Some of the conferences you usually submit to - but not in the normal tracks for papers; talk to the organizers and ask for an opportunity to hold a panel discussion on this matter. Or perhaps even suggest a "methodology" session.
* Some publication dealing with physics research, i.e. with academia and what happens within it. This may be more challenging and it's not clear what the readership would be but it might still be relevant.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: If open source software helped you in your research, write it into the acknowledgement of your thesis. You feel grateful to the contributors, so that's the genuine place where to mention it.
In the main thesis, it is likely off-topic, even if you add some extra section for "FOSS advertising". Also, the acknowledgement will be probably the second most read part of your thesis at all, apart form the abstract.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a TA at a British university, and as part of this job role I create and write educational material, which also includes creating and marking assignments.
I've recently discovered that several of the assignments I wrote have been taken by a colleague, my name then scrubbed off them, and distributed as part of this colleague's assessment strategy. My colleague did not tell me he was going to do this, and I feel as though my hard work has been/could be unfairly attributed to my colleague.
I feel aggrieved by the situation, but am I being unreasonable before I decide to escalate this matter?<issue_comment>username_1: I am a professor in a UK university. I would say that it is standard that if you teach a course and then hand it on to someone else then you should hand over all your teaching material, which your successor will typically modify to their taste. Moreover, people do not usually keep track of authorship, except possibly in the case of a full set of notes that is similar to a book. Of course it is polite for people to be open about what they are doing and to express appreciation for any material that they inherit.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The behavior described in the OP is indeed unethical. When an individual distributes a work created by another person(s), intellectual honesty demands the individual provide unambiguous references to the original source(s). Failure to do so is, at best, incompetent documentation and, at worst, an act of intellectual piracy. I have personally referred people to academic review boards for similar behavior.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I am writing an article for an audience that mostly consists of computer scientists. A specific part of the subject is motivated by Kirchhoff's laws. I intend to mention this fact and reference the rules. But that is easier said then done. Apparently, Kirchhoff predates referencing.
How to reference a source that is so old, it has no bibtex entry, but is also probably not well-known throughout the readership?
edit: I want to clarify, that I can also imagine to not reference it at all, but I find it difficult to draw a line here. Can I assume that every reader is familiar with a term? For instance, can I omit a citation to Damas/Hindley/Milner when introducing ML to modeling engineers? How about Newton's method for computer scientists?<issue_comment>username_1: For cases like this, unless you want to give a historical reference, there's usually no need to cite the primary source, you can just cite your favourite circuit theory book.
Anyway, if you really wish, you can certainly cite the original paper too, which can be found, e.g., [here](http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=gx4AAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA497).
For what concerns the added question on where to draw the line, you can have a look at the following question, and the answers therein: [How generous should I be with citations?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/46324/20058)
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> I am writing an article for an audience that mostly consists of computer scientists. A specific part of the subject is motivated by Kirchhoff's laws. I intend to mention this fact and reference the rules. But that is easier said then done. Apparently, Kirchhoff predates referencing.
>
>
>
Your statements make no sense. It's like saying that you want to use Pythagoras's theorem "but that is easier said than done. Apparently, Pythagoras predates the English language." It is trivial to cite any paper you wish: just write the necessarily BibTeX.
The fact that no references appear in Kirchhoff's paper is completely irrelevant to whether or not you should use references. You are writing today, not in the 1840s, and today's standards apply to you.
>
> How to reference a source that is so old, it has no bibtex entry, but is also probably not well-known throughout the readership?
>
>
>
You write you own BibTeX entry! BibTeX is just a language, like LaTeX.
However, it isn't necessary to give citations for such basic material as Kirchhoff's laws. They're part of standard high school education, so you can assume that everybody knows them. And, even if somebody doesn't know them, the phrase "Kirchhoff's laws" is specific enough that they can Google it and get the answer.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: For well-known basic physics, it is not necessary to cite anything. But if you do include a citation, you should cite the original source (regardless of its age), and to be helpful to the reader, also cite one or two recent textbooks.
If you only cite a secondary source (“your favourite circuit theory book”), then you are misleading the readers, making it hard for them to verify what you are saying, and quite possibly propagating information that is incomplete, misleading, or inaccurate. <NAME> has written several excellent articles about these issues. Here are parts of two of the abstracts:
* From [Monuments to Academic Carelessness](http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0162243914532138) (2014):
>
> [<NAME>'s] collection of advice to writing scholars has been widely quoted ... The most frequently quoted message in Bruner’s article deals with the importance of making sure that references in academic texts are complete and accurate. Exploring the citation history of this particular message reveals an ironic point: the great majority of those who have quoted Bruner’s words on reference accuracy have not done so accurately.
>
>
>
* From [Academic urban legends](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4232290/) (2014):
>
> Many of the messages presented in respectable scientific publications are, in fact, based on various forms of rumors, [because] authors have lazily, sloppily, or fraudulently employed sources, and peer reviewers and editors have not discovered these weaknesses in the manuscripts during evaluation.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I apologize if this question is redundant in some way but I was unable to find a question similar to this.
I am a MS student (with thesis) and have an advisor who received a grant with myself as a collaborator to do a particular project. He has a hands off approach (or is just extremely busy) so I have planned, executed, analyzed the entire project. I am currently writing a manuscript that he will be a coauthor on (as the PI).
Recently he went to a meeting put on by the group that funds the project, with a presentation about my project. However, he left my name off the title slide and had me last on the acknowledgements (with my name spelled incorrectly) and a small picture of me next to people who only made smaller (albeit important) contributions. I feel like this is wrong, but he said it's normal to only have his name and another PI (not an author) on the title slide when I brought this up. To boot, he asked me to prepare the presentation, which I did, and he took my name off deliberately.
Am I crazy/egomaniacal? This seems wrong...
I was hoping for some opinions outside our lab group. Any thoughts would be appreciated!<issue_comment>username_1: There are basically two schools of thought on who should be on the title slide of a presentation: (i) everyone who has contributed, (ii) the name of the person who is actually standing in front of the audience and giving the presentation.
There is no accepted standard for which is the "correct approach". I tend to think that fields where projects only comprise 2 or 3 people use method (i), whereas more collaborative fields use method (ii) -- and I tend to think that that makes sense, because otherwise one would have to list a dozen or more people on the title slide, which is simply not very practical, and also not useful to the audience.
So I don't think that taking your name off the title slide is unprofessional or unethical in itself, even if you were the one who prepared the slides -- your adviser was, after all, the one who presented the talk and the project.
That said, if the adviser had been me, I would have made sure that you would have been prominently mentioned in the talk (and made sure that your name is spelled correctly!) but in the beginning ("Before I go through the details, I do want to mention that most of the work I am presenting here today was actually done by my student rapidCascade, and I do want to make sure that he gets the credit he deserves!") and at the end ("Before I end, let me acknowledge that many people have contributed to the work I just presented. In particular, I'd like to single out rapidCascade who has done more than any of the others.") These words may not be reflected in any of the slides, and unless you were there in person, you'd never know that this much credit was given, but it is possible to highlight someone's contributions without making this explicit in the slides.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The appropriateness of this situation depends vastly on:
1. Purpose of the meeting
2. General patterns of working with that professor
In this case, there's really only one piece of information given to go on, and it's one that actually backs up the professor's behavior (mostly): "a meeting put on by the group that funds the project." This is basically an issue of rhetorical goals: what is the purpose of this presentation? If you're a PI presenting to sponsors, this is a money meeting. Yes, it is a research meeting (research results are presented) but fundamentally the relationship is that some group gave the PI's money to do something, those PI's were responsible for it getting done, and the PI's need to show something got done. If you did it well, they're still responsible to the sponsors. If you did it poorly so it never got done, they're responsible for that too. Either way, to the sponsors, the outcomes rest on the PI's. Even from your perspective, the best outcome of this meeting is that your PI shows the sponsors something good, the sponsors find more money, and it supports you (or people like you) for more good research.
At least in my field (and almost any that I can think of), presenting in a closed meeting to sponsors is typically not considered something you'd list on a CV (it's below-board), so authorship credit is somewhat of a moot point. There are a couple of exceptions to this. First, if you were a PhD student or postdoc, the PI might want to list you explicitly or highlight you to help raise your profile with those sponsors when you submit for grants in the near future. Since you're an MS student, you're probably a ways off from that, so there's not a ton of sense promoting you to sponsors (who might well have changed jobs or retired by the time you had a PhD). In fact, as a master's student, I would say that even being brought to a sponsor meeting is a good sign (e.g., you're getting networking with sponsors and other labs). So I wouldn't feel so bad. Flip it around: what would you have hoped to gain from being highlighted in that presentation? You're there at the meeting, you can just talk to people about what parts you did.
On the converse though, I would say that burying you at the end of the acknowledgements is a pretty thankless treatment for a major contributor. I'd never do it, and most people I know would never do that sort of thing intentionally. So I would be on the lookout for if this pattern of behavior ever touches an actual publication or presentation in an academic venue (e.g., conference, workshop). Leaving authors off in that venue or burying the main contributor in that context is a serious no-no. So that's where the pattern issue comes in.
But keep in mind that sponsor meetings, open academic presentations, and invited talks are really all different animals that serve different purposes (e.g., respectively: funding, reputation/ideas, depends on the invitation!). Credit and responsibility are not the same across these, because in each case you are trying to accomplish different goals when you speak.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: My potential MSc supervisor is a surgeon, and he doesn't really focus on his research lab that much. I had an interview with him and his lab members and I was told by them that he doesn't really visit the lab like, ever.
I have very minimal research experience, and his post doc told me that I can ask him questions if I had any, and that I needed to prepare my research proposal by myself. I have an idea about the lab's general research projects, but I feel that I am clueless as to what exactly I'm supposed to propose!
I can't really reject this offer (I had a hard time securing a supervisor and it took me a year to find one), but I also don't want to be taught and helped by a post-doc who is frankly more concerned with his research than my education. I don't feel very comfortable about me starting a project and directing my future questions to my lab partners (I also hate asking my peers for questions and I much rather ask my teachers instead).
What should I do? I need this opportunity so bad, but the lab environment isnt very encouraging and my supervisor is a surgeon who relies on his post-doc students for all the work. How am I supposed to learn about research techniques and method?<issue_comment>username_1: Do members of his lab have regular meetings with him, either one-on-one or as a group? Sometimes it's better to have time set aside specifically for your questions, rather than someone breathing down your neck in the lab as you try to formulate your proposal. In my experience PIs are super busy and neglectful in general. Also it's ok to ask anyone that can help you how to get where you need to go. They were probably in the same boat before you got there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> I realize that labmates are an invaluable resource, it's just I'm scared that I will appear as the most incompetent MSc student ever by asking too many questions.
>
>
>
Well, this is something you will get over as a grad student. The only question is, will you get over it quickly or slowly? I recommend quickly!
Guidance for asking questions:
* Write them down ahead of time. Sleep on the draft, then edit the list.
* Prioritize your questions and also sort them according to whom to address each one to (advisor, postdoc, fellow student at same level, department staff (e.g. paperwork or safety concerns).
* Write down the answers as you receive them. For future lists, make sure you didn't already get an answer to a particular question previously.
* Find ways to make yourself personable and useful around the lab.
* Be sensitive to others' time crunches and moods -- i.e. choose when to ask.
* Be sensitive to others' preferences for mode of communication (e.g. email vs. in person, spontaneous or by appointment).
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: Is there an easy way to search for a paper in Science or Nature by the volume, issue number and year?
For example:
```
Science 317, 1500 (2007)
```<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know OP's definition of *easy way* but it only took me 2 minutes to go to the journal's webpage, click on the archive, go to year 2007, open up some of the issues in volume 317 and finally find page 1500 in issue 5844:
* <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/317/5844>
Year, volume and issue (and page numbers) exist to make finding an article *easy*. I'd say, that's *easy enough* but might be wrong. Yes, having a DOI is *easier*.
Page 1500 actually includes 4 technical comments:
* <http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1138179>
* <http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1138764>
* <http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1138956>
* <http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1138773>
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: ### Put it in to Google Scholar
In general, Google scholar is very good. You can copy a full reference into Google Scholar and it will often return just the article you are looking for. In general, this works well, for example, you can copy and paste the reference from a journal article into the Google Scholar search box and get the article.
Presumably, this process is less reliable when you don't have the title or author names, but sometimes, year, journal, issue, and page numbers may be sufficient.
For example, this is the search result when you plug it into Google Scholar
<https://scholar.google.com.au/scholar?hl=en&q=Science+317%2C+1500+(2007)&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C39&as_sdtp=>
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/paK2X.png)
More generally
--------------
Most official academic search engines such as Scopus and Web of Science will have an advanced search that may facilitate narrowing your search to specific field codes.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: How to know which citation style is applied, if googling its characteristics does not reveal the name?
In specific, do you know what is the name of this citation style?
>
> Merlis, <NAME>., and <NAME>, “Atmospheric dynamics of Earth-like tidally locked aquaplanets,” *Jounal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems 2* (December 2010); DOI:10.3894/JAMES.2010.2.13.
>
>
>
* **Authors**: roman
* **Title**: roman in quotation marks, with ending comma inside the marks
* **Journal**: italics, with issue date in roman
The style is taken from the book *What If?* from <NAME>. I'm translating it so would like to know its style to know how to put the translation of the reference properly.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know an easier way than including the reference in <http://www.citethisforme.com> and then changing the reference style to see, if I can find a style equal to the one I'm looking for. Unfortunately, the amount of reference styles is very large.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: <http://editor.citationstyles.org/searchByExample/> has a decently-sized database that lets you search for a citation style by typing and formatting an example, which can be handy (if a bit of a pain sometimes).
**Edit:** For your example, it suggests [Bioarcheology International](http://editor.citationstyles.org/styleInfo/?styleId=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zotero.org%2Fstyles%2Fbioarchaeology-international) is the most similar, followed by Springer Humanities (author-date).
**Edit again:** No, I did it wrong, it's more like [Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition (full note)](http://editor.citationstyles.org/styleInfo/?styleId=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zotero.org%2Fstyles%2Fchicago-fullnote-bibliography), although that's still not perfect.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: Is the for-profit model feasible to higher education institutions? In other words, are there any for-profit schools that have achieved a good reputation in academia (teaching and/or research)?<issue_comment>username_1: This answer is about the US.
>
> Are there any for-profit schools that have achieved a good reputation in academia?
>
>
>
As far as I can tell, the answer is (1) we don't know, but (2) probably not.
The reason it's difficult to know the answer to this question is that although there is a variety of mechanisms for judging the quality of education at non-profit schools, such mechanisms either don't exist or aren't working well in the for-profit sector. US News and World Report doesn't rank for-profit schools. There are accrediting bodies, but the ones that handle accreditation for for-profit schools seem to be lap dogs of the industry.
Because of the lack of data, people in the federal government who have been trying to crack down on fraud have been forced to use various proxies as measures of educational quality. For example, they look at the percentage of graduates who default on the government-sponsored loans that they used to go to for-profit colleges. People have also tried to figure out what percentage of students at these schools actually end up employed in their field of study. All of these statistics are at best indirect measures of quality, for-profit colleges tend to come out very low on these measures, and the colleges tend to give out fraudulent numbers to try to make themselves look good by these measures.
You can try to try to pick out a specific college, or a certain program at a certain college, as a success story. I didn't have much luck at that when I googled. One article mentioned Microsoft certifications as an example of something reasonable that you could pay a for-profit college to help you prepare for. But when I started looking up information on Microsoft certifications, it basically sounded like a scam in which the instructors are really not vetted at all, and the purpose of the program is to achieve sales and vendor lock-in.
Another example I've heard about is that often community colleges don't have enough capacity to handle the demand for certain programs like nursing. In theory, it would seem to make sense for the private sector to take up the slack. As private, non-union businesses, they are more agile. But the reality seems to be that these programs are of extremely low quality. For example, stories abound of students taking a semester-long nursing course in which five or six different instructors come and go before the course is over.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: An interesting discussion. I recently came across an example. New York Medical College in Valhalla, a respectable institution, is owned by Touro College and University System. Touro owns two other medical schools, a law school, and numerous other professional schools. This would seem an example of a successful and legitimate for-profit institution.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Delineating for profit and nonprofits is not entirely as clear as it may seem. Simply put, a "Nonprofit" a technical designation for an organization that is *tax exempt* and therefore does not pay income tax on the money that they receive. Being 'nonprofit' does not mean they can't take in more money than they spend. In fact many do and HAVE to take in more money than they spend in order to survive over time. Harvard , for example, is nonprofit but has an endowment of $40.9 billion.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: I've finally decided to stop putting off creating an academic webpage for myself... both for the purposes of a job search and more generally to communicate what I'm about research-wise. But - where shall I put it?
The options seem to be:
1. My institution's personal webpages facility
2. My own web server at home
3. Some for-pay general-purpose webpage/website hosting service
4. Some gratis general-purpose webpage/website hosting service
5. Using one of the specialty academic-webpage platforms (which apparently exist)
What are noteworthy pros and cons of these options, in your view, that are worth considering (and might not be immediately obvious)?
**Notes:**
* I'm a post-doc with a contract ending in several months, which may affect the choices, but feel free to answer this question for other stages in one's academic career as well.
* I'm not interested in "Why I think provider XYZ is best"-type answers, although if you describe your experience and what you opted for, and provide a link, I think that would probably be legit.
* The page is not intended to store any content such as copies of my papers, zipped source code etc - but it will have links to those. We're talking about a vanilla "about me and what I do and some links" kind of a thing.
* Relevant question covering one aspect of my concerns: [Institution domain or domain of my own](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/26130/7319) for two of the possible options. Related but not-so-relevant question: [Self-hosting vs Wordpress hosting for your collection of articles and blog](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/56785/should-i-use-a-not-self-hosted-website-for-both-blogging-and-collecting-academic?rq=1).<issue_comment>username_1: This doesn't sound like your website will have special requirements that an all-purpose CMS couldn't handle. My advice is to go for one of those "all included" packages by a mainstream provider with something like Wordpress, and find a nice-looking template. This is the easiest choice, it will guarantee up-time, and you don't have to spend valuable time to administrate or design the site. It is also not very expensive: Perhaps around 5-10 USD/month, plus a one-time expense for the template (5 USD and up). Two alternatives might be attractive as well:
* Nerdy option: If you are familiar with GitHub, you can use GitHub pages to self-host a static website with [Hugo](https://github.com/kjhealy/kieranhealy.hugo/) or [Quarto](https://quarto.org/docs/websites/), which is nice if you work a lot with (R) markdown. Once it's set up, it's a breeze to update. Here's an [example](https://kieranhealy.org/).
* Thrifty option: Use [google sites](https://sites.google.com).
Details:
>
> My institution's personal webpages facility
>
>
>
Pro: Demonstrates academic credentials and shows your affiliation. Con: Not much leeway. Will you be able to use it after you leave the institution?
>
> My own web server at home
>
>
>
Pro: All the control you need. Con: Way too much overhead; perhaps you can't implement what you need after all.
>
> Some for-pay general-purpose webpage/website hosting service
>
>
>
Good balance between control and ease of use.
>
> Some gratis general-purpose webpage/website hosting service
>
>
>
Free comes at a price. Perhaps you'll have up-time issues, ads or no own domain, certainly less control.
>
> Using one of the specialty academic-webpage platforms (which apparently exist)
>
>
>
[See here.](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1316/personal-web-page-vs-academia-edu-vs-researchgate?rq=1)
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Some existing free software, such as, **for example**, wordpress.com (which I believe is ad-free) would fit your current needs, and you could upgrade to wordpress.org later if desired.
Advantages:
* security
* eminently google-able
* for $10-20/year, you can use a custom domain name (if you are concerned that a free domain name might look embarrassing)
* stays the same when you change jobs
You could link, point or redirect from the university canned page to your own site, and then in the next job just do it again.
The most elegant solution would be <NAME>'s: "I use a static website generator (like Jekyll/Hugo that have already been mentioned) and then rsync the output to both my university's server and a free hosting provider." However, if you don't want to bother setting this up, a simple link works too.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: My current setup is that I have a personal domain which redirects to my institutional website. I recommend this, as it gives you the best of both worlds -- you get the officialness of an institutional website, but also the flexibility of owning your own domain, and it's cheap.
Getting a domain only costs US$1/month and is very easy. (I use [Google domains](http://domains.google.com/).) If I need to move my website to a different instutition or decide to use something like wordpress, I can simply change the redirect from my domain.
A personal domain also gives you an email address associated with it. You can port this between institutions and it looks more professional than putting `@gmail.com` on your papers.
Since I first wrote this answer, I have moved institutions and moved my website hosting to Amazon web services. This is a cheap option (~US$0.60/month), but was a pain to set up.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: I'll strongly defend this choice (emphasis mine):
>
> 3. Some for-pay **general-purpose** webpage/website hosting service
>
>
>
But I'll tangent a little from the question itself, because I have answered questions by OP on unix.SE . Yes, this is using information from outside of the question, apologies, but this still may be interesting for people with a similar background.
---
**If you are capable of setting up that option** it has huge advantages if your research (or simply interests) involve a lot of computing. (And OP is a computer scientist).
The Bad side
------------
There are plethora of platforms to build a blog, and the maintenance of such things is not as bad as it was in the '90s and early '00s. Most platforms invested heavily in resilience, at the cost of some more work in the initial setup. I'll argue that most of the overhead in having your own VPS running your website is during the setup. If you do not tinker with it, it keeps working. You may just need to clean up the logs at some point.
For an example, I just checked on a toy data warehouse I've created for a presentation 9 month ago (and forgot to shutdown). It turns out I could do the same talk today because it simply works.
There is nothing wrong with joining this with:
>
> Using one of the specialty academic-webpage platforms (which apparently exist)
>
>
>
You can just run it on a subspace (subdomain perhaps) of the website. That would actually be a pretty good choice.
The Good side
-------------
But wait, we are talking about a personal website, a blog like thing, so why a data warehouse? That is the first advantage. For a talk I needed an example system so I just dumped it on my VPS and made it available through a subdomain. There was no need to talk to the IT team of the building where I was doing the talk to allow access to some server, I just needed an internet connection. Several other things I dumped next to my personal website over the years, some random examples:
1. Material for people that I've trained whilst overseas, much easier to share than asking everyone to bring a pendrive.
2. Example programs for my presentations.
3. My PGP key.
4. Maps of how to reach a venue.
5. A board to visualize combat in role-playing games on a tablet.
6. Crawlers that needed to run whilst the machine I was using at my institution was due for maintenance.
And my favourite:
7. All slides that I use for talks.
I really, really, really love that last one. LaTeX Beamer produces slides that can be viewed directly by any modern browser (i.e. PDF, and Power Point has an export option too). Therefore when I go somewhere to give a talk I do not worry that my pendrive will not be read by the computer at the venue, I do not worry that the format of the slides will not be understood by the software on that computer. I only ask the organizer if the machine will have an internet connection and a browser (and I take the pendrive with the slides just in case).
In summary, you can share content with people (or with yourself when you're using an alien machine) by typing its name (URL). This allows you to overcome several problems with technology.
The Ugly side
-------------
It costs money, yet not that much. A domain registration costs some 10-20 USD **per year**, and several registars (providers of DNS resolution) will have reduced prices if you buy several years. A VPS (virtual private server, which is cheap because you share hardware (but not IP)) for a personal website plus the perks I gave above, can be of the lowest tiers offered. Providers that sell a VPS at 10-20 USD **per month** are often decent (free VPS' will involve considerable downtime so it is normally a bad idea for a website).
It requires some work, and some learning (but doesn't everything require it? We all learn all out lives). Therefore it is *not* recommended for not computer science people. Note that not recommended does not forbids you from doing it, I know a very good linguist Lecturer who loves to tinker with technology and therefore his website.
You may also get absorbed into the website and tinkering with it to a point where you neglect other things. But again, that is something that may happen in any of the forms of building the website that you propose.
P.S. It was my intention to omit provider names that I use, since OP states that discussing best providers is off-topic. And, it does not matter that much since a there are several good ones out there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I think [GitHub Pages](https://pages.github.com/) would be a really good solution for you.
Note:
* GitHub Pages source repositories have a recommended limit of 1GB
* Their URL would be username.github.io
* You can enable HTTPS support
* *This is something that github pages are generally used for*
Upvotes: 3
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| 2,539
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<issue_start>username_0: I was working on a project as a researcher. The whole project was financed by an external grant from a private foundation (nonprofit organization) and my salary was paid through this grant during my work as a researcher.
During the project, I faced a problem that I had to solve it numerically. I had my own license and I paid for the software, the software that I used to solve the problem, I have not asked the principal investigator (PI) of the project to refund my license payment.
I solved all the numerical problems, I sent the results and outputs to the PI and we wrote the manuscript out of our findings.
Now at the end of my contract, the PI of the project asked me to send him all the data that I have produced during my work and I said I will send all the data except that I cannot send him the input file of the numerical solutions using my software; I mean the method that I used to solve the problems. He said I have to send them as I was paid to work on project. I said I sent you the results, but the method of solving the problems is my intellectual property and I have paid for the software by myself, but he insisted that does not give me any right to keep them.
Who is right? Are these my intellectual properties?
I have to mention that in the contract that I had signed there was nothing about the copyrights and intellectual property.
The solutions are not a big deal, but the point is, there is a possibility that they use them in their future research without mentioning my name.<issue_comment>username_1: This doesn't sound like your website will have special requirements that an all-purpose CMS couldn't handle. My advice is to go for one of those "all included" packages by a mainstream provider with something like Wordpress, and find a nice-looking template. This is the easiest choice, it will guarantee up-time, and you don't have to spend valuable time to administrate or design the site. It is also not very expensive: Perhaps around 5-10 USD/month, plus a one-time expense for the template (5 USD and up). Two alternatives might be attractive as well:
* Nerdy option: If you are familiar with GitHub, you can use GitHub pages to self-host a static website with [Hugo](https://github.com/kjhealy/kieranhealy.hugo/) or [Quarto](https://quarto.org/docs/websites/), which is nice if you work a lot with (R) markdown. Once it's set up, it's a breeze to update. Here's an [example](https://kieranhealy.org/).
* Thrifty option: Use [google sites](https://sites.google.com).
Details:
>
> My institution's personal webpages facility
>
>
>
Pro: Demonstrates academic credentials and shows your affiliation. Con: Not much leeway. Will you be able to use it after you leave the institution?
>
> My own web server at home
>
>
>
Pro: All the control you need. Con: Way too much overhead; perhaps you can't implement what you need after all.
>
> Some for-pay general-purpose webpage/website hosting service
>
>
>
Good balance between control and ease of use.
>
> Some gratis general-purpose webpage/website hosting service
>
>
>
Free comes at a price. Perhaps you'll have up-time issues, ads or no own domain, certainly less control.
>
> Using one of the specialty academic-webpage platforms (which apparently exist)
>
>
>
[See here.](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1316/personal-web-page-vs-academia-edu-vs-researchgate?rq=1)
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Some existing free software, such as, **for example**, wordpress.com (which I believe is ad-free) would fit your current needs, and you could upgrade to wordpress.org later if desired.
Advantages:
* security
* eminently google-able
* for $10-20/year, you can use a custom domain name (if you are concerned that a free domain name might look embarrassing)
* stays the same when you change jobs
You could link, point or redirect from the university canned page to your own site, and then in the next job just do it again.
The most elegant solution would be <NAME>'s: "I use a static website generator (like Jekyll/Hugo that have already been mentioned) and then rsync the output to both my university's server and a free hosting provider." However, if you don't want to bother setting this up, a simple link works too.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: My current setup is that I have a personal domain which redirects to my institutional website. I recommend this, as it gives you the best of both worlds -- you get the officialness of an institutional website, but also the flexibility of owning your own domain, and it's cheap.
Getting a domain only costs US$1/month and is very easy. (I use [Google domains](http://domains.google.com/).) If I need to move my website to a different instutition or decide to use something like wordpress, I can simply change the redirect from my domain.
A personal domain also gives you an email address associated with it. You can port this between institutions and it looks more professional than putting `@gmail.com` on your papers.
Since I first wrote this answer, I have moved institutions and moved my website hosting to Amazon web services. This is a cheap option (~US$0.60/month), but was a pain to set up.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: I'll strongly defend this choice (emphasis mine):
>
> 3. Some for-pay **general-purpose** webpage/website hosting service
>
>
>
But I'll tangent a little from the question itself, because I have answered questions by OP on unix.SE . Yes, this is using information from outside of the question, apologies, but this still may be interesting for people with a similar background.
---
**If you are capable of setting up that option** it has huge advantages if your research (or simply interests) involve a lot of computing. (And OP is a computer scientist).
The Bad side
------------
There are plethora of platforms to build a blog, and the maintenance of such things is not as bad as it was in the '90s and early '00s. Most platforms invested heavily in resilience, at the cost of some more work in the initial setup. I'll argue that most of the overhead in having your own VPS running your website is during the setup. If you do not tinker with it, it keeps working. You may just need to clean up the logs at some point.
For an example, I just checked on a toy data warehouse I've created for a presentation 9 month ago (and forgot to shutdown). It turns out I could do the same talk today because it simply works.
There is nothing wrong with joining this with:
>
> Using one of the specialty academic-webpage platforms (which apparently exist)
>
>
>
You can just run it on a subspace (subdomain perhaps) of the website. That would actually be a pretty good choice.
The Good side
-------------
But wait, we are talking about a personal website, a blog like thing, so why a data warehouse? That is the first advantage. For a talk I needed an example system so I just dumped it on my VPS and made it available through a subdomain. There was no need to talk to the IT team of the building where I was doing the talk to allow access to some server, I just needed an internet connection. Several other things I dumped next to my personal website over the years, some random examples:
1. Material for people that I've trained whilst overseas, much easier to share than asking everyone to bring a pendrive.
2. Example programs for my presentations.
3. My PGP key.
4. Maps of how to reach a venue.
5. A board to visualize combat in role-playing games on a tablet.
6. Crawlers that needed to run whilst the machine I was using at my institution was due for maintenance.
And my favourite:
7. All slides that I use for talks.
I really, really, really love that last one. LaTeX Beamer produces slides that can be viewed directly by any modern browser (i.e. PDF, and Power Point has an export option too). Therefore when I go somewhere to give a talk I do not worry that my pendrive will not be read by the computer at the venue, I do not worry that the format of the slides will not be understood by the software on that computer. I only ask the organizer if the machine will have an internet connection and a browser (and I take the pendrive with the slides just in case).
In summary, you can share content with people (or with yourself when you're using an alien machine) by typing its name (URL). This allows you to overcome several problems with technology.
The Ugly side
-------------
It costs money, yet not that much. A domain registration costs some 10-20 USD **per year**, and several registars (providers of DNS resolution) will have reduced prices if you buy several years. A VPS (virtual private server, which is cheap because you share hardware (but not IP)) for a personal website plus the perks I gave above, can be of the lowest tiers offered. Providers that sell a VPS at 10-20 USD **per month** are often decent (free VPS' will involve considerable downtime so it is normally a bad idea for a website).
It requires some work, and some learning (but doesn't everything require it? We all learn all out lives). Therefore it is *not* recommended for not computer science people. Note that not recommended does not forbids you from doing it, I know a very good linguist Lecturer who loves to tinker with technology and therefore his website.
You may also get absorbed into the website and tinkering with it to a point where you neglect other things. But again, that is something that may happen in any of the forms of building the website that you propose.
P.S. It was my intention to omit provider names that I use, since OP states that discussing best providers is off-topic. And, it does not matter that much since a there are several good ones out there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I think [GitHub Pages](https://pages.github.com/) would be a really good solution for you.
Note:
* GitHub Pages source repositories have a recommended limit of 1GB
* Their URL would be username.github.io
* You can enable HTTPS support
* *This is something that github pages are generally used for*
Upvotes: 3
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| 3,039
| 12,829
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<issue_start>username_0: **Some Context:**
A member of my MA thesis committee, for whom I was also a GA (graduate assistant), threatened me several times while I was still in my masters program (last year). For example, she threatened to fire me from my GA position with them-- which, in fact, she cannot do (only the department head can remove a GA from their position). When she realized she had no power to fire me, she threatened not to write me letters of rec for doctoral programs. She tried to pressure me into promoting her from reader to thesis chair on my thesis committee. I was very afraid of her at the time because she was my work supervisor, my professor (I was taking a class with her at the time), and a reader on my thesis committee.
I was afraid she would diminish my reputation in the department, give me a bad grade in her class, delay my graduation by holding up the thesis process, and not write me any letters of recommendation or worse, write me a bad letter of recommendation for a doctoral program. I did not stand up for myself or for others to whom she was abusive until I graduated last summer; I saw her retaliate against other students (primarily through grades and intradepartmental reputation) and I felt sure she could carry out some of her threats toward me. She bragged to me and other students that she successfully reduced the scholarly reputation of an academic at another institution whom she said was 'inauthentic.' Shortly before graduating, I did leave a record with the Ombuds of her treatment of me.
**Now:** I asked her to write a letter of rec for one of my PhD apps because I was afraid she'd be insulted if I didn't ask her for a single one (this is probably ridiculous, I know). I was accepted to that program and have decided to go there. However, this professor continues to be hostile toward me. In a recent email, she told me she had "just spoken to" the graduate adviser of the program I will attend in the fall, and implied that she speaks to this adviser regularly as if they are friends (somehow I think she's lying). Because of a pattern of behavior, I recognized that she still wants me to be afraid of her. I am loathe to admit that it's working, I think primarily out of ignorance of how academic/institutional relationships truly function (tempted to play the First Gen card here).
**Question:** Are such inter-institutional threats actionable, i.e. how likely is it that faculty at one institution can influence faculty at another institution in order to negatively affect the reputation of a student?
Please note: The question is not, "Is this professor a bad person?" or anything to that effect.
If this question is too individualized, I will take it down. I feel like I can't be the only one who has experienced/is experiencing a situation like this. I would appreciate generalizable advice (e.g. across disciplines, types of academic relationships), especially from academics who have gone through similar situations.<issue_comment>username_1: First of all, if these actions can be (or already are) documented, start a case on that professor. This is mobbing, and breaking a few global ethical rules.
Asking her for a reference letter was a mistake, but it is not un-recoverable.
Personally, I do not believe she would have major effects on your status of acceptance. Academics get to know *a lot* of people and they are aware of these kind of people in academia. Hence, they will not judge you by only one letter of reference.
If, on the other hand, an institution judges you by a single negative letter of reference, then I (again personally) would doubt the credibility of the programme. There are many ways to get to know a potential PhD student, such as reading your work, Skype interview, face-to-face interview, talking to your references on the phone etc. Taking a decision regarding to a single reference letter is not very professional. Another possibility is that the institute might have already decided not to hire you, and they might use the letter as an excuse to dismiss your application.
It is true that there might be some cases where an institution can interfere with your reputation, but those cases are either documented, or reported unanimously.
As a result, if I were you, I would
* Press charges both legally and academically.
* Ignore the person during my application period,
* Avoid mentioning her to my potential supervisors unless I am asked.
I had a similar case where a project supervisor claimed that he "hired me despite all the negative feedback from my superiors." Ended up getting nothing but a decrease in his reputation.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: This sounds terrible, and like you said, I definitely think asking her to write a letter of rec was a mistake. However, regardless of whether she tried to sabotage you or not, you've been admitted! Congratulations.
Now is the time to sever all contact with her and move on.
You left a record with your previous university about your issues with her, and if she was going to create problems at your new school I really think it would have come before you were admitted, especially since she was a letter writer. Whatever she did or did not say, they gave you a big vote of confidence in offering you a place. Time to focus on the next stage.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: If this person is as bad as you say this will be well known, and she is probably less influential than she thinks.
My advice is from now, just ignore her. Don't read or reply to a single email from her. Set an email filter to delete her emails before you see them if it really bothers you and get on with your life. She'll soon be a distant memory.
Alternatively, why not deliberately foster a strong enmity, having an enemy you can righteously work against can be a great motivator in life, and provide much entertainment, provided you like this kind of thing.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> "She repeatedly pressured me to take her classes, make her my thesis chair, become her graduate assistant, etc. etc. I never picked up on anything sexual."
>
>
>
There was some initial confusion about the type of pressure, but that has now been clarified -- thanks.
>
> Questions: (1) Are such inter-institutional threats actionable? (2) How likely is it that faculty at one institution can influence faculty at another institution in order to negatively affect the reputation of a student?
>
>
>
(1) You can check your university's code of conduct and policies, but even if they were actionable, since you'll be leaving soon, I'd recommend that you simply cut off any future communications with this professor, and look forward to being in a different department soon.
(2) We can't possibly predict the behavior of this professor, nor the reaction of the new department were this professor to actually contact them, but I would advise you to inform your department chair what's going on. Surely s/he will instruct the professor not to contact the new department.
Related to the above, I recommend that you make a clean, complete break in communications with the professor. Here are the basic action steps needed, as I see it:
1. Inform your department head that you are uncomfortable receiving any communications from this prof. Provide three concrete examples of harassment. Include email quotes if possible. Leave out the background info and make it very simple. Ideally, the department head will let the prof know that communication from her would not be welcome. If not, send one short email to the prof with this statement, and don't read her response (see next step).
2. As someone else suggested, set up a filter to block incoming email from the prof. Since she might try to play mind games with you, but since you might need to have a record of future messages from her, forward all incoming mail from her to a trusted friend (without it ever hitting your inbox). But ask your friend to simply archive the messages without sharing them with you, unless there's something alarming coming in.
3. (This step is optional) Telephone the graduate advisor in your upcoming department and calmly explain, e.g. "Prof. XX in my department told me she has been contacting you with negative remarks about me. I've informed my department head, Prof. YY, and made him/her aware of the situation. In case Prof. XX contacts you, I wanted to give you a heads-up." This is not something to say over email. If you have trouble reaching him or her, try to leave a message with a secretary, or in the worst case, write a brief email requesting a phone appointment, and mention several chunks of time when you'll be able to take a call and speak discreetly. Again, keep your tone very neutral and leave all the emotions out of it.
At the same time, get discreet support, perhaps through your university counseling service, perhaps through a relationship safety group in your town, perhaps with your closest friends. But be discreet in your department. If you need to leave the room when she walks in, just quietly discover a need to visit the bathroom.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: As other already told: They are toxic and there is no chance it will be any better for anyone else but them. On the other hand there is innegligible chance it will be even worse for you.
Step one: Document them. You, your schoolmates, document the behaviour. The last email itself is good evidence to sent them in between their limits.
Step two: Report them. By yourself or as a herd of students. Start serious debate within your school about their behaviour. If asked why the reference from this professor, you can show them the email. Maybe, this would be a painful backfire for them.
Be ready to face consequences; as a backup plan look for another research group to work with, just in case...
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: Four things:
You didn't say *why* she threatened you. If you killed her cat or you tried to abuse one of her other students, the discussion would be a lot different :) Or did she threaten you in an effort to steal your work? Sorry for the crude examples, but some mention of the reason/excuse is very crucial here.
Second, I am really sorry to say that several of the comments seem to come from people without much contact with academia. In the vast majority of cases, being a horrible person is not a disadvantage for being a professor. And if a person has been acting like this for a long time, it means that *they have the power to do so*.
This brings me to the third point: Other professors will never challenge such a person, but they might want to actively avoid them. I think first you'd better try to figure out if she has any contact with your current advisors through indirect indications, such as smalltalk or other. But as other answers say, they accepted you so the hardest part is over - and remember that nobody will fail a good worker only because of the drama of some other institute's staff.
Last, and perhaps more useful, I strongly think you should edit your question to add that you will continue interacting with her because of your subfield, as you wrote in some comment, because *this is your main problem*. (Unless she just relaxes and forgets about you being her hobby, of course. It really can happen.) And the answer to this problem is: *your PhD group is your new academic family*. They will support, protect you and promote your work in your subfield. So, please focus on them, and keep contact with the previous prof at a minimum and within the social norms.
It's one more horrible story, but at least I feel glad that SE can now bring these discussions into the open.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: OP's comment revealed that severing communication will *not* remove the abuser from OP's life.
With this in mind, it is crucial that you get some influential person on your side who is aware of the situation, and agrees that a) the abuser wrongly did what you accuse them of, and b) who is both willing and able to back you up in the future, and who will be believed over the abuser.
As others said, acquire evidence if at all possible. As soon as you have an ally in mind (such as a thesis advisor or department head at your new program), and have built up a good working relationship with them, I would recommend bringing it up. I would not suggest bringing this up with the potential ally *until* you have built a favorable relationship.
If ignoring the abuser would guarantee that you have no further contact with them, then that is a good course of action. If, however, you are likely to come into proximity again (at a conference, or you may work with the abuser's colleagues in the future), then you need to tell someone. Good luck.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: During my PhD (defended in Fall 2016), I developed a new microscopy technique, which allows investigating the internal structure of materials non-destructively and in 3D using neutrons. The work was technique development \ proof of concept, and I wrote my thesis the old way: as a book, also because I did not publish along the way. I guess that is the main reason why all the postdoc applications (about 20) and fellowship (about 5) I submitted were rejected.
The paper presenting the work I did will be soon submitted to a journal of the Nature group. I am the first author and there will be about 20 co-authors. After submitting, I plan to upload the draft to arXiv, so that during the editorial process people can see the work I did.
Basing on your experience, having a paper out (first on arXiv and then hopefully on the Nature website) does change a lot how people judge a postdoctoral application? Do you have any tips on how to maximize the impact of the paper? After that many failures, I feel a bit discouraged to continue applying.
Thanks for your help!
In case it might be helpful: the work I did was at the intersection between computer science, physics and materials science. I am looking for postdocs combining computer science with biology or physics.<issue_comment>username_1: I am not in your field, but I imagine the more publications you can have on your CV when you apply for post-docs, the stronger your application will be. Don't be discouraged with the rejections - you cannot get a post-doc if you don't reapply and with a stronger CV you may have more options available to you. However, I suggest working on additional manuscripts or other products that can further strengthen your CV in the meantime. Good luck!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: My story is similar to yours - I am 3 years past the completion of my PhD (physics - radiation, instrumentation, semiconductors), and I have not been successful (as yet) in getting a full time postdoc. Currently, I have 3 theses (Honours, Masters and PhD), 14 published papers and 2 conference proceedings (and a number in the pipeline).
I work part time in an unrelated field (to pay the bills etc), so my time is limited.
However, getting to my point - in that time I have made contact with many academics, in that process, I have been able to become involved in many projects, leading to
* collaborative papers
* instrumentation programs
* some funded RA work and
* a part time research fellowship
These have served to strengthen not only my CV, but strengthen my research focus interests. In that time, my research credentials have grown with the growing 'evidence' of papers and tools.
I have been rejected for postdocs more times than I care to remember, but I have always found that there is interesting research around that one can be involved in. To be honest, I have and do 'enjoy the ride' and are still applying for postdoc opportunities.
When I first started to apply (and receive rejections), I was told that a way of looking at it was to consider a **rejection as an opportunity** to find something else, possibly better.
I really wish you the best with your search, enjoy the ride!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Think about it this way: What would make things different after your paper is out?
1. You'd be a person who has published a paper in a prestigious venue.
2. More people will read about your work (in that paper and through it, elsewhere)
No. 1 will likely help to some extent - perhaps even enough to secure a post-doctoral position. But I think the key is no. 2; and publishing a paper is just one way to get people to know about your work and its importance. If you have a clear idea of what you want to be doing, you don't just "submit applications". You talk to relevant researchers in groups which could use your expertise and input, and make a pitch - for a collaboration, for a visit, and possibly for employment. The fact that you made 20 applications makes me guess that for most of them were somewhat generic: You noticed a posting and mailed/email your application. Try to find a researcher who would not pick you among applicants, but rather just offer you work because s/he believes you would help their lab and their research.
Sorry for being a bit vague - I'm from a different academic field; but I think my point is valid for life scientists as well.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Within materials physics or materials science, it is very unlikely to obtain a postdoc in a developed country without publishing multiple papers during the PhD. I would expect three first author papers.
I have seen a postdoc applicant hired who had written three papers but not published them. However, they were hired at a lower rank, not as a postdoc. I have also seen someone hired with one paper accepted, but this was in a less developed country, and the paper was accepted to Nature. Note there is a huge difference between "submitted to a journal of the Nature group" and "accepted to Nature." Not all Nature group journals are highly desirable places to publish.
I do not know the situation in computer science or biology.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: This happened to me second time that my article got rejection after several months of review when article was not under actual review. Ten months ago I had submitted my work to mathematics journal of Elsevier, one month after submission my article status changed to under review, and I started waiting for review outcomes, but after ten months of review, editor responded: "I have checked your manuscript with care and I come to conclusion that your work is not suitable for publication in our journal". How could they take 10 months to decide the eligibility for aim and scope, why they put "under review" label for article when actually it is not under review?<issue_comment>username_1: "Under review" may include the review of the editor or editors, so in this case it may be under review. It also may be (as Maarten commented) that the paper was sent out and the reviewers indicated that the paper was not suitable for that journal without comments.
A few years ago I had a terrible experience where a journal had a change in editors and management and they lost my paper. I had no idea and they would answer my emails about the paper, but never get back to me about why I couldn't get any information about my paper. This went on for about a year. Ultimately, it worked out, but remember that editors and reviewers are often volunteers, so some may not put their reviews as a priority in their schedule. This isn't fair to the authors, but it is the truth. I'm sorry you dealt with this frustrating situation, but I find that these things are a lesson learned and if anyone asks you about your thoughts on submitting to that exact journal, you know what to tell them.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Depending on the scope of submitted paper, editors sometimes have hard time to find a suitable reviewer. During the process, a considerable amount of time might be needed.
The reviewing process starts when editors send the paper to the first suitable reviewer, and ends when final review is complete. Usually, it is not a single reviewer, but several reviewers.
Unfortunately, some reviewers might reject to review the paper for various reasons. If the general response is "I cannot review because the topic is out of scope," then the editor might decide it is not suitable for the journal as well.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: "Injustice" is a fairly strong way to phrase this.
Is it annoying? Yes. Is it possibly reason to reconsider submitting things to this journal in the future (assuming 10 months is unusual for your field)? Also yes.
But *injustice*?
As for how this is possible, there are a few major mechanisms:
* "Under Review" may include Under Review by the Editors. That process may simply take a long time (editors are busy people), or have required a great deal of time in finding an editor who could do the initial evaluation, take the time to look it over, etc.
* "Under Review" may also include the process of looking for reviewers, and this proved particularly difficult and/or time consuming to find. So, after failing to find some, the editor may have sat down to make the calculus of whether or not to continue pursuing reviewers and decided that your paper wasn't compelling enough to chase after it.
Regardless, you can't actual know that it wasn't under something that the journal considers review.
Upvotes: 3
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2017/04/12
| 1,452
| 5,973
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<issue_start>username_0: The question is simple. I am working on a topic. I came across a paper that is behind a paywall which my research institution (i.e. university) has no access to it and it may or may not be relevant to my research. If I skip it and some reviewer says that work is quite close to the work I have submitted and I should cite it, or even worse it is so close that it is on the edges of plagiarism.
**I have the option of obtaining it from different sources without paying. Should I take it to avoid such claim?** If I pay there is a good chance that I wasted money. In today's world literature is so vast and there are so many false positives and a paper might cost up to 40 bucks.
Let me flip that question. Suppose I created a publishing firm. I and my mates do superb research and publish on a journal of our publishing firm. (Assume our research quality is good, so omit academic nepotism.) One catch, our firm charges and exorbitant fee (say millions) for granting access to libraries and universities. Then we start waiting. When I see other research quite similar to ours, I press charges that our work has not been cited or acknowledged and the situation is plagiarism. I am the academic equivalent of a patent troll, except that you cannot see my work until I sue you. **Should the poor guy suffer a plagiarism charge just because I kept my research behind a paywall that he/she cannot reach?**
Professors and other academic people I ask about it pretend to be either unconscious or dead. Just kidding, they usually offer to send the papers that I cannot reach. But it does not answer my question.
p.s. There is a similar question here citing the problem but not the ethical dilemma. [Are there any known Universities that refuse to pay for paywall access to academic journals?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/71970/are-there-any-known-universities-that-refuse-to-pay-for-paywall-access-to-academ)
**EDIT due to possible duplicate reports**: There are three questions which all refer to the same problem: unfettered access to academic research. I paraphrase and summarise three questions below. Suppose there is a body of research (say, group of articles) that are beyond the researcher's reach due to lack of resources (no ILL, no institution access, no sufficient budget etc). Should the researcher take the "gray" ways to obtain it? If not is he/she responsible for research he/she does not have access to? If so, where do we draw the line? How much is too much to pay to access research? (hence the publisher question) It is not the 80s anymore. Research is published almost faster than one can read and it is readily available (at an inflated cost). So, thorough examination of literature to conduct original research is unjustifiably more expensive than before.<issue_comment>username_1: This seems contrived, as normally you can at least read the abstract to find out if you need to read the paper.
If you do need to read the paper, you have valid ways to do it, such as interlibrary loan, without paying $40. It's not free, but not a huge expense. You can opt to not read the paper, in which case you'd be doing your professional practice a misdeed.
Lastly, there is ALWAYS similar research by other people, who have not seen or heard of your paper. It is NOT plagiarism to independently come up with something on your own. There would normally be no charge of plagiarism, and you are wasting your effort serving as a patent troll.
If you are a publisher charging exorbitantly for access, you would build up your reputation, hire editors of stature, maintain a staff that keeps papers moving through the business, maintain a list of good referees, and do many other things to try to add value to your service and repository. If you build up your reputation, institutions would subscribe. If you can't establish a reputation, you'd go broke.
>
> Should the poor guy suffer a plagiarism charge just because I kept my
> research behind a paywall that he/she cannot reach?
>
>
>
The most likely scenario is that the person will not face a charge because no plagiarism occurred, as your paper has not been read. Another likely scenario is that the paper were acquired through legal and nonexorbitant or free means like interlibrary loan, prepublication sources as required by NIH under the Public Access Policy, etc.
There are sound reasons to advocate for open access, but the fear of forcing plagiarism probably isn't in the hit parade.
Lastly, I encourage you to find the papers you need by legal means, so no, I don't feel acquiring the paper for free through extra-legal means is the way to go.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The concept of open access is relatively new. Two decades ago when you wanted a paper, you had to go to the library and photocopy it. If your library did not have a copy you could try to obtain it through an inter-library loan (ILL) or contact the author, or colleagues, directly. To my understanding, none of these methods violated the copyright laws and the "paywalls".
A decade ago when you wanted a paper, you could go on to the journals webpage and see if you could download the paper. If not, then you went the library ILL contact author and colleague route. Again, to my understanding, this is legal.
Today, when you want a paper, you Google it. If you don't find it, it seems, academics then complain about paywalls. In my limited understanding of copyright contacting authors and colleagues is still legal.
In the extreme case of limited access to a research finding, either because of a restrictive license or more likely government classification, repeating the research is perfectly legitimate. Repeating research is not academic misconduct, and definitely not plagiarism. One should make an effort to acknowledge that research finding may have previously been achieved (and reported) so that it is clear that you are not claiming priority.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/04/13
| 957
| 4,032
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<issue_start>username_0: Would obtain the citizenship of a country help to be a more successful applicant for an academic job?
More specifically, for example consider that an international scholar, who currently holds a postdoctoral position, obtains a permanent resident or the citizenship of a country. Would this help to be a more successful applicant for a tenure-track faculty job at universities, such as in US, Europe, China, Japan, Australia, etc? Comparing to those who don’t have the resident permit/citizenship, with a similar background and academic contributions.<issue_comment>username_1: In the US, my guess is no.
1) I'm not sure if this info is part of the application given to the faculty search committee. I am sure that it is not part of the first 3-4 things people look at (research plan, CV, letters, teaching plan)
2) There can be concern and/or bias about international scholars. When I've heard anyone talk about this (and it is rare!) is usually about either language fluency or culture, not immigration or citizenship. So citizenship would not matter at all.
3) I know there is some cost and hassle in getting a new prof a visa. But compared to the cost of someone's salary for the six years pre-tenure, the startup costs (can be >500k at an R1 in the sciences!), etc... this is negligible.
As you look at jobs further away from the traditional tenure track, and as you move to smaller and smaller universities/colleges, I could imagine this being more important. (Though at the subregional university I know best, they've hired international people for the last 5-6 hires, so even there, I suspect it doesn't matter much)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In general, employers in the US are allowed to discriminate between applicants who are already eligible to work in the US (by virtue of citizenship, permanent residency or some special immigration status) and applicants who are not currently eligible to work in the US (who would have to be sponsored for an employment based visa.) It is not permissible to discriminate between applicants who are US citizens and those that are simply permanent residents or otherwise have work authorization.
Sponsoring an applicant for an H-1B or other visa can be very time consuming and costly. Furthermore, approval of such a visa application (and even more so for a green-card application) requires the employer to argue that no qualified citizen or permanent resident applicants were available. There are potentially substantial penalties for not following these rules.
If you're already eligible to work in the US, and you are otherwise well qualified for the position, then you probably will be more likely to get an interview than someone equally well qualified who does not have this status.
From my experience of running search committees for a math department, I can tell you that (1) The widely used AMS application form includes a check box for applicants to indicate their status and (2) interviewing qualified applicants who are eligible to work in the US is an important consideration and (3) the vast majority (95+%) of our applicants would require visa sponsorship.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: As someone looking for tenured work in Japan, my sense is that having Japanese **citizenship** will have little to no impact on the effectiveness of a job search (or at least no such requirement is listed anywhere for work). This is largely due to very simple visa application procedures for academics (4000 Yen and the right credentials: PhD, publications and job offer can get you a 5-year special status visa).
Being a native speaker of Japanese (it is often explicitly listed that you need to be fluent) and ethnically Japanese however will be greatly helpful (I have no direct data for this but a strong sense that jobs posted in Japanese are posted with the expectation that only Japanese (here lacking all distinction between nationality, citizenship, language, ethnicity, and culture) would apply).
Upvotes: 1
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2017/04/13
| 953
| 4,173
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<issue_start>username_0: I have received a decision letter from a Q1 journal with following remarks:
>
> Reviewers' comments on your work have now been received. You will see
> that they are advising against publication of your work. Therefore I
> must reject it.
>
>
> However, you may submit in the future better revision after resolving
> all these drawbacks mentioned by the reviewers, and as new revision
>
>
>
While a reviewer has mentioned "major revision", is this decision advising for resubmit after revising the paper? Does this mean "Reject and resubmit"?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> While a reviewer has mentioned "major revision", is this decision advising for resubmit after revising the paper? Does this mean "Reject and resubmit"?
>
>
>
Yes, this means your manuscript is rejected, but you are free to submit a new version once you addressed the mentioned problems.
Note that whether one of the reviewers voted for Major Revision rather than Reject is completely irrelevant - it's the editor's decision that counts.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Without additional information, I would take this response as a full rejection. It is possible that the editor finds your topic relevant, but that the comments from the reviewers warrant an entirely different paper, rather than revising parts of the manuscript you submitted. Typically, there would be a designation of "Major revision" if the editor felt as if the reviewers would be satisfied with changes to areas of the current manuscript. As for the re-submission comment, it may be that the editor feels that once the paper is rewritten, it could be submitted as a new, original manuscript. However, I typically incorporate the reviewer feedback in cases like this and submit it somewhere else after making edits - I rather have it published in a journal that isn't Q1 than wait month after month for more rejections at a top-tiered journal. You can always submit something else there at a later time. Good luck!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: (**Edit**: I just realized that DSVA already mentioned this as a comment to an answer; in any case I think it deserved to be made an answer)
Your question is important, because interpreting this editorial decision can shape your choice of resubmission, as mentioned in username_2's answer.
It is therefore important to realize that **"reject with invitation to resubmit" currently may really mean "major revision needed".**
Of course, one wonders why an editor would not tell "major revision" if it is what he or she means; the point is that major revisions may take a long time to be implemented, so that the paper could end up being accepted, and published, very long after submission. But average time from submission to acceptance is now used by some authors when choosing where to submit, so to attract more submissions journals have an interest on making this number as small as possible. One way of doing that with little cost is to reject and invite to resubmit instead of asking for a major revision before reassessment: the official submission date will then be the second submission, not the first.
I think such a practice is unethical, of course, but that does not make it less real and one needs to be aware of it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I am sharing my experience here so that it could be informative for others.
As my paper was rejected from a Q1 journal, I addressed all the reviewer's comments and resubmitted to the same journal. After a week, I received rejection again from the editor with the following comments:
>
> The article is rejected on mid April and resubmitted after a week or so, Still the issues stated by reviewers are not clearly resolved, This is not revised paper, and sending again to reviewers in this fashion is not recommended. You have to make considerable efforts to revise the paper and make it in the journal potential.
>
>
>
After this rejection, I immediately submitted the article to another Q1 journal having the similar reputation. After almost a month, I have received the minor revision and after one revision my manuscript was accepted.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/04/13
| 1,769
| 7,459
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<issue_start>username_0: I am considering dropping out of my PhD program, which I am halfway through (pre-proposal), and am applying to full-time jobs. My plan is to go on a leave-of-absence for a year, and afterwards either return and finish my PhD, or quit my program permanently. Even if I finish my PhD, I plan to leave academia, most likely for finance. I'm applying primarily to quantitative analyst positions to give myself a better idea of whether I want this as a long-term career. And, if I get a job and still enjoy it after a year, I plan to formalize my PhD dropout status.
I have a solid publication record in a very relevant area, so my research skill is an important part of how I'm selling myself. But I don't know how to discuss my current situation in my cover letters and interviews. The honest answer is a combination of burnout, personal/family circumstances, and cynicism over my research. But is saying this unprofessional? Also, should I leave out all discussion of my situation in my cover letters, and just wait for interviewers bring it up?<issue_comment>username_1: Making the decision to leave academia can be difficult, so congrats on knowing what you want!
I think one of the simplest solutions to explaining your situation to potential employers in industry is that after you worked on your PhD for some time you realized that you rather work in a position in your field that is more hands-on and less research, focused. You also can say that you prefer the culture of working in industry (set hours, solid deadlines, little need for securing grants for research, etc.). This is more professional, but still potentially related to the reasons you would like to leave academia.
One question - if you are sure that you want to leave academia, why consider finishing your PhD? It seems like your time and effort would be best used focusing on your career. Not finishing your PhD is not a failure - you changed your career goals. I have seen a number of colleagues who worked through their PhD only to take jobs outside of academia (where they didn't need the PhD) and they felt like they saved their time and money. Just a thought. Good luck!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Way too many personal details may look unprofessional. You might try something like
>
> I was not satisfied with my progress in academia, and I do not want to lose any
> more time by trying. I believe I can fully utilize my productivity and develop myself better in the industry, by the help of financial means.
>
>
>
This is both honest, motivational, and looks less pretextish.
Not everyone will care about what you lived in your personal life.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Based on my own experience outside of academia, the problem right now is that all of the reasons you've stated are negative against your current situation; you haven't said anything positive about why you **want** a job as an analyst (or whatever other job you might seek out), just that you don't want to continue in your current position.
I've found the best results come from flipping around what you don't want, and using it to be clear - both to yourself and to people you want to work with - what you do want, and thus why you are a good fit for the position.
Let's say you have the personal position, "my research is meaningless, it will be of no practical use to anyone ever" (a version of cynicism about your research - adjust to suit your real feelings). You can flip this around to stating a positive: you *want* to use the skills and knowledge you've gained to be of practical value to business. You thought academia was the way to do that when you were [an undergrad, changing fields, your story goes here], but now that you've begun to explore opportunities in industry, there are ways of contributing that are a better fit for you.
In terms of burnout, I don't know how to package that in a good way, because it is just as big of an occurrence outside academia as within it. Setting limits, building a balanced life, and ensuring regular rest and rejuvenation is not something that is automatic anywhere. Some companies tell a good story about how it is important to them, but for most places its a marketing line. There is always someone willing to take advantage of anyone that doesn't have strong personal boundaries and a willingness to say no. However, there are many businesses where the "norm" is a healthy schedule, so you may prefer that to a place where everyone is stressed to the max all the time. You can tacitly inquire about "work-life balance", or what the "typical work week and schedule is like" in that department.
As scaahu suggested, it is usually OK to just come out and say that you are looking for better pay. You can choose to give a reason, such as wanting to contribute to help family members who are having a rough time (or ill, etc), but everyone knows graduate students have to live pretty thin compared to full-time professional employment in industries like finance or tech, so you usually don't need to. People in such industries are often quite proud of their pay, so they don't really blame people for wanting in; however, this is in no way establishing a very good fit for a position, because *of course you want more money*.
In summary, you need to come up with a compelling - and short - story to tell about how you are a good fit for the position you are seeking. Then, with a positive way of saying what you want, leaving your current position is just a question of seeking a better fit. Talk about how you are running towards something you want - not running away from something you don't want - and most importantly, how you can be of value in the new position.
For the final question of whether or not to put it in the cover letter, there is no universal answer for this. If you put it in a positive way that talks about how you are interested in moving from your current position into the new position, that's usually OK, as it makes it clear you are planning to side-line or drop the PhD program. Some advocate for just saying only how you are qualified and potentially valuable to the company, and leave all questions about why you want to transition and what you are going to do about your current job/program for the interview. You can do either. If you find it easier to describe - one approximately 1 sentence, maybe 2 at most - a positive way to say how you are planning to leave your current position and dedicate yourself full-time to the job, then go for it. Have others read it and if it comes off in the least bit defensive or negative, cut it and practice your in-person delivery.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Sample cover letter:
>
> In May I will complete my nth (third, e.g.) year of graduate studies in (name of field or department) at (name of University). Having (list some specific accomplishments), I feel ready to apply my modeling and computational skills in the real world. My target job is bla bla.
>
>
>
If you are asked why you're not staying to complete your PhD:
>
> I feel well prepared to work in (name of field). (You could talk up a project you recently completed at this point, or just leave it as is, short and sweet.)
>
>
>
*(The potential employer does not need to know that you did the smart thing and arranged for a leave of absence, so as to avoid burning your bridges with your department.)*
Upvotes: 1
|
2017/04/13
| 707
| 2,949
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<issue_start>username_0: During my PhD, I developed a new microscopy technique and soon I will submit a major paper presenting the work. I am now in the job market looking for postdocs, not necessarily in the same field where I did my PhD work.
Would it be a good idea to make a Wikipedia page on the technique I developed? Would it be perceived as a signal that I have no good science to show (I don't think so)? Thanks!<issue_comment>username_1: No, it would not be advisable to create a Wikipedia page solely devoted to the new technique. If you are one of the sole people responsible for the technique and its development, you run the risk of creating a [conflict of interest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Conflict_of_interest "conflict of interest"). Even without that issue, a new technique likely has few published sources to support it, so you will have difficulty establishing [notability](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Notability "notability"). Without additional support from reliable sources, your new page may be deleted.
Luckily, there are numerous other options for promoting your work in laymen-friendly ways. It may be feasible (and may even provide better visibility of your work, even to prospective employers) to write a few blog entries about the approach, produce a short Youtube video about it, or even a dedicated wiki, if you see the technique undergoing changes or optimizations in the near future.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Would it be a good idea to make a Wikipedia page on the technique I developed?
>
>
>
**No**. In the best case scenario (which is also the most likely one in my opinion), one of the Wikipedia editors will delete the page you created, since there are not yet any published papers about the technique you developed so it doesn't even come close to satisfying Wikipedia's notability criteria (which probably wouldn't be satisfied even long after your paper is published, unless your discovery is truly groundbreaking and ends up being cited and used by many people).
In a less ideal scenario, your article *won't* be deleted. That would be even worse, because anyone who happens on this page will immediately know that you created it, and will conclude that you are some combination of:
1. Someone with a highly inflated and unrealistic opinion of the value of his work.
2. Someone who is clueless about the value a scientific work needs to have in order to deserve having a Wikipedia page about it.
3. Someone who is obsessed with self-promotion to a very unhealthy extent that is an extreme outlier in academia (and frankly has no place in academia in my personal opinion).
>
> Would it be perceived as a signal that I have no good science to show (I don't think so)?
>
>
>
No, but it won't signal that you do have good science, and it would signal several other things about you, none of which are good -- see above.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2017/04/13
| 730
| 2,509
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<issue_start>username_0: ### Background
Last year, in October, an exceptionally weak paper [was published in Nature](https://doi.org/10.1038/nature19793). The publication of such a piece in a top journal [was a clear violation](https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2016/12/09/how-weak-science-slipped-past-through-review-and-landed-in-a-top-journal-a1535637) of peer-review standards. Despite the title and publication in a reputable journal, this paper did not provide any evidence.
### My attempts
I guess, I was the first to submit a [Brief Communication Arising](http://www.nature.com/nature/authors/gta/commsarising.html) to Nature just a week after the initial publication. My comment was rejected two weeks later, and I [published it in Publons system](https://dx.doi.org/10.14322/publons.r505407). I see that up until now there has been no clear statement in the peer-reviewed academic literature of the flawed nature of Dong et al paper.
### The question
What is the best way to publish a critical comment on a paper published in top journal, if that journal rejected the comment?
*I believe, it is very important to publish the critical comment in a peer-reviewed journal. However, usually journals are only willing to consider critical comments on the papers published in their pages.*<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Do you know what is the best way to publish a critical comment on a paper published in top journal if that journal rejected the comment?
>
>
>
In another top journal. But your comment "have take a form of an independent paper" as [Alexey](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/52615/alexey-b) wrote.
Check those two examples from Computer Science field. First ([1](https://doi.org/10.1145/2568225.2568324)) from ICSE, Software Engineering community top venue, where Monperrus offers a critical review on others' paper. Second ([2](http://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23756)), Arapakis et al. challenge the results reported in Bandari et al.
In my opinion, you should go for a peer-reviewed paper, which is a very noble form of scientific debate.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: * place to start could be [PubPeer](https://pubpeer.com/). It's not exactly what you want but, quoting Wikipedia:
>
> (t)he site is one of many allowing academics to engage in post-publication peer review, and has highlighted shortcomings in several high-profile papers, in some cases leading to retractions and to accusations of scientific fraud, as noted by Retraction Watch.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2
|
2017/04/13
| 313
| 1,397
|
<issue_start>username_0: Our research group has a set of projects that we would like to have implemented, but lacks the necessary funds to complete all of them. Instead of prioritizing/shelving projects, is it appropriate to advertise them as "for-credit" independent study courses for graduate students. The alternative would be paying for the same graduate students as research/course assistants.<issue_comment>username_1: You could do this, if you can build some benefit for the student into the project, i.e. make it a win-win set-up. Otherwise, pay for the work.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Universities and individual departments have criteria for allowable independent study courses. One of the reasons is exactly the scenario you outline. In my department, approval will depend on whether there is "academic value" for the student. Academic value, however, is subject to interpretation.
By all means, inquire with colleagues, department chair, etc. to find out the relevant criteria for you. Of course the student should feel that the project is worthwhile for them, or you won't get anyone signing up. Students will prefer paid positions, all else equal. As you know, it is routine at research universities for students to be paid as researchers, to do the research that becomes part of their thesis. You have to offer more value, or accept a lower ability student.
Upvotes: 3
|
2017/04/14
| 3,721
| 14,843
|
<issue_start>username_0: There are some possible options as the last slide of a typical thesis presentation. I've heard of some possibilities:
1. A question-mark image (as the time to be slaughtered by the referees!),
2. A *Thank You* declaration (There are [some negative viewpoints](http://eloquentscience.com/2011/02/do-you-end-with-a-thank-you-or-questions-slide/) about these two options.),
3. A slide including summary of the presented ideas,
4. A slide reflecting the presenter's contact info (I think it does not really make sense for a thesis presenter.),
5. A slide including a quote (I really doubt it's the best way.),
6. ...
**What is the best practice to arrange the last slide, then?!**<issue_comment>username_1: In my opinion, the best last slide is a short summary of your presentation. It should contain the question you researched and what your result was. This has several advantages:
1. Your audience can recapitulate your talk. This allows them to better place what you told them in your conclusion and why what you did is awesome.
Following the scheme "Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them what you told them." makes your topic easier to understand. Since it is a graduate thesis, chances are your topic is rather complex and merits recapitulation.
2. This is the last slide your audience is going to see and should be the "take home message". So it can be a condensed version of what you presented, now that you explained all they need to know. This is going to fortify what the audience remembers from your talk.
3. A recapitulation also offers the referees prime material for slaughtering you (in the positive sense). You can keep all your used variable names, concepts, definitions, etc. on this slide so that the referees remember them. This makes asking questions so much easier and prevents question of the style: *"You had this formula on one slide. Can you go back? ... No not that one, before that ... Ahh yes that one."* If this is out of the way, you can directly jump to the interesting questions.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: The last slide will typically be seen for some minutes after you finished talking – until you jump to some other slide for addressing a question. This is something that you should use. If you ended your talk with a summary (which is a good thing in most cases), leaving that slide gives the audience opportunity to reflect on your talk, remember what they wanted to ask a question about, or just let your central messages sink in. If they do not want to do this, but focus on the questions, they are not distracted by anything new that you didn’t talk about.
The main exception is if you find it difficult to orally convey that the talk has finished – in that case a *thank you* slide or an *any questions?* slide may be the lesser evil and save you from a few seconds of awkward silence that everybody needs to realise your talk is over. Note that you can use such a slide as a backup behind your summary slide – if you manage to finish your talk on the summary slide, the audience never gets to see it. If you botch it, you can quickly jump to the summary slide.
In most situations, however, I consider *thank you* slides and *any questions?* slides pointless, as they do not tell the audience anything new and are things that you or the chair have to say. A quote would distract the audience from the questions – unless you are going to read it, but then the quote has to really fit the occasion. Your contact information does not need an entire slide and can usually be fitted on the bottom of the summary slide.
Finally note that on some rare occasions, the following order of slides may work:
1. main talk with main results
2. summary and outlook
3. one or two appetiser slides illustrating first steps into what you just announced as future work, e.g., to show that you paved the way for something interesting.
In this case, you can either jump back to the summary slide or stay on your last appetizer slide – depending on what is more attractive.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Another alternative I have tried recently is putting thumbnails of all the previous slides on it:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OnDa0.png)
It's just a recent experiment, though; I don't have enough data to tell if it's the *best* last slide. Apart from the eye-candy, I think it can be useful as a pseudo-summary if your slides are sufficiently recognizable (for instance, if they have pictures).
For sure it helps solving the problem mentioned in another answer: *"You had this formula on one slide. Can you go back? ... No not that one, before that ... Ahh yes that one."*
It's kind-of [tricky to do](https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/69991/thumbnails-of-other-frames-in-beamer) automatically in beamer, though. You can always do it manually by copying the output file somewhere else and specifying the page numbers manually, which is how I achieved it:
```
\begin{frame}
\begin{tabular}{cccc}
\includegraphics[page=1, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=2, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=3, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=4, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} \\
\includegraphics[page=5, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=6, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=16, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=17, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} \\
\includegraphics[page=18, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=19, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=35, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=45, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} \\
\includegraphics[page=46, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=50, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=51, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} &
\includegraphics[page=52, width=0.2\textwidth]{poloni_slides_pdfpages.pdf} \\
\end{tabular}
\begin{block}{}
\centering Thanks for your attention!\\
Questions?
\end{block}
\end{frame}
```
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: I have not yet had to prepare and present a thesis but I have done a lot of presentations for my studies.
I usually use a dark background for my first slide, with the title in a light coloured font and use a light background with dark text for the presentation so my solution is to have a blank last slide with a dark background.
I usually thank the jury for their attention verbally, as a sign the presentation is finished so I do not need to thank them "in text" which feels awkward.
I also avoid the "Any questions ?" slide, especially if it is going to stay on display. I rather say something close to "If you have any question feel free to ask them I/we will do my/our best to answer them".
The reason I don't leave the summary visible too long is that I find I tend to read it over and over again when watching a presentation rather than listening to other peoples questions. If I'm like that I'm sure, or at least I hope, other are as well.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: If I were on your thesis committee I would be most happy with your slides if they were your original work and represented your own personal tastes and sensibilities. Therefore I would be more impressed with even a goofy or weird last slide that I knew you actually came up with yourself and made sense to you, than one that was proposed to you by people on academia.se, even if it were ostensibly more professional looking or slick.
In other words, the "best last slide" is, by definition, whatever *you* decide it is.
And yes, I realize this is a bit of a smartass answer. I am trying to make a point here about the value of original thought, and hope that some people will find this perspective helpful or thought provoking. But to anyone who doesn't get it or thinks I am barking up the wrong tree, feel free to downvote this answer.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: It's not anything particular to a thesis presentation, but I've found that an **acknowledgement slide** is a solid last slide for the presentation. It's a choice that I've found rather common from experienced presenters (e.g. visiting professors when giving seminar talks.)
I agree with others in saying that slides with just "Any Questions" or "Thank You" isn't the best. They're rather content free, and such sentiments can be handled verbally. (Also, depending on how things are handled, your advisor or committee chair may be the one to open the floor for questions and select who asks the next question, in which case it may be slightly awkward if you've already opened the floor for questions.)
Instead, you can take the opportunity at the very end of your talk to thank and acknowledge the people who have helped you out. Generally this takes the form of a photo of your advisor's group, often with a list of names of others in your group, along with several columns of names pointing out any collaborators. It's also nice to point out in a corner any funding sources, if you received any grants or scholarships which supported the work. If you put their names up in writing you don't necessarily need to read out everyones name, but it is good to point out some of the key people and potentially mention their specific contribution.
One caution is to keep the amount of talking you do on your acknowledgment slide brief. I'd recommend a minute or so at most. Spend too long - particularly with a bland recitation of 20+ names - and you'll bore the audience. If you're going to name names, pick out just a few key people whose help you'd like to highlight. Err on the side of being too brief rather than too effusive. If you have individual names up, you can acknowledge in groups ("my collaborators in the Smith Group") rather than individually.
With an acknowledgement slide you have a rather "neutral" slide that clearly signals the end of the presentation, but contains a non-trivial amount of content in itself.
*Note: You didn't mention which field you were in, so I gave an answer from my experience in biochemistry. Do keep in mind that presentation styles do vary somewhat from field to field. If it's not common in your field for experienced people giving seminars to present an acknowledgement slide, please ignore my answer and pick something that's more common to your field.*
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: What I was advised to do and have seen done several times, and it worked rather well was to highlight 3-4 main pertinent points, specifically:
* brief reiteration of the research problem
* reiteration of a main aspect of the method
* a statement or 2 of the main result/outcome of the results
Underneath, I included my email address and any other main researchers - with a statement that if they wished to receive a copy of the presentation to contact by email - but check to see if this is allowed first.
(The slides before had the acknowledgements and references)
This way, while questions and/or discussion was occurring, a clear and concise summary of the presentation remained projected.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: Having gone through many variations myself, more recently I settled on putting a brief bibliography on the last page. I think it is more meaningful than a "thank you" or "questions?" page (certainly more meaningful than some "inspirational" quote!), and perhaps more appropriate than contact details. Of course it does not prevent me from having a summary (if applicable) on the next-to-last page.
The bibliography need not be long; it may include references to your prior research relevant to the current presentation, or other key pieces of literature that anyone in the audience who became interested in the topic of your presentation might benefit from. (A couple of times I went overboard and had two dense bibliography pages; I don't think that was a good idea.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: Best way to end your presentation is to give an overview of whole things you described in earlier slides. you can also request for feedbacks for your presentation to improve according to audience point of view.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_10: US Military typically employs option 3 as the penultimate slide, followed by a slide asking for questions, followed by the statement or a slide "This concludes my brief" or presentation.
For the presentation of a thesis, option 3 is always good for a penultimate slide at which you can ask for questions. I'd follow that with a thank you slide to conclude.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_11: >
> Most people won't remember where they had questions without some help.
>
>
> So if you want questions from the audience, end with a summary slide.
>
>
> And if you don't want questions, just write: "Thank you! Any Questions?"
>
>
>
That's how my thesis tutor described it, great advice!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_12: I've been at a Master thesis defence, where professor N., known for his inspiring and engaged teaching style, and admired by many students, was present. At the end of the presentation, the last slide said
>
> Thank you for your attention!
>
>
>
The chairman asked whether there are questions, and as usual, there was one from N. The student answered, and then clicked to the next slide, saying
>
> Thank you for your attention, professor N.!
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_13: This will depend largely on what happens after your presentation. If the last slide will stay on screen during discussions between the thesis committee and you, a picture representing your work (e.g. your thesis cover) might be a good choice.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_14: **How about combining option 2 and 3**
Since I sometimes find it hard to round-off a presentation without creating an awkward silence, but do not like having a slide saying only "Thank you", let me offer one more alternative.
Have a last slide with a summary/conclusion of your main results, and possibly some future work. Also end the talk by quickly reiterating your main result(s). Then at the end, let the words "Thank you" (or "Questions?" or whatever you want to end the presentation with) appear at the bottom of this slide. I usually use a slightly larger font and different color, such that it stands out.
This allows you to smoothly end your presentation, yet keeps the useful summary slide on screen during the discussion.
Upvotes: 1
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| 1,516
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<issue_start>username_0: Last year, one of my friends received a competitive PhD offer (including a full-time research assistant position) from a highly prestigious university in Canada, however her request for Study Visa was rejected because of some Social Tie issues.
This year, she has a plan to apply for universities in Europe and Australia. Is it worth mentioning her last year offer in her emails to the potential advisors or put it in her CV in order to increase her chance of acceptance?
Roughly speaking, the acceptance in the aforesaid Canadian university is considered harder than the European and Australian universities she wants to apply.<issue_comment>username_1: I just don't see that information as appropriate... it doesn't belong in a CV or the application. It could be appropriate for a letter of reference to mention it, though.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The offer isn't CV worthy, but the CV gap and personal journey merit a mention somewhere, perhaps in a personal statement or a covering letter. (Maybe on a CV, if there's no other means.) For instance,
>
> *My PhD journey started over a year ago, when I applied and was accepted to [highly prestigious university], Canada. Unfortunately, my offer was eventually retracted due to visa issues.*
>
>
>
(The visa issues could be mentioned, if relevant.)
>
> *Exciting admission deadlines long gone, I spent the year [doing marvellous things], now I want to pursue [my original agenda].*
>
>
>
Upvotes: 0
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| 411
| 1,713
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<issue_start>username_0: In a thesis, is it allowed to include graphs from other papers without an explicit permission from the publisher? (assuming citation is provided)<issue_comment>username_1: Depends on your university policies, but probably yes. There is probably a "thesis FAQ" at your graduate division that will clarify this!
I had to request permission for many separate aspects of my thesis, including sections of my own papers that were re-used, and (I think) figures from other peoples' papers.
Usually you can do this through the journal's "Request permissions" link, which takes you through Rightslink or something similar, and the cost was always zero for me. Other journals (PLOS) have explicit copyright policies which you can reference.
The risk here is that when you file your thesis, someone in the graduate division will say, "wait, this isn't from your work, do you have rights to do this?" and slow your graduation down! The only people who can tell you whether this will happen are at your university. For instance, this is a policy page for copyright at Michigan Tech: <http://www.mtu.edu/gradschool/administration/academics/thesis-dissertation/copyright/use/>
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In USA and EU, the *legal* answer is yes, the Fair Use exemption for educational use should apply. (read: it clearly applies, but I am no lawyer.)
It's still pretty rude, though, so I asked for permission. I found peer-reviewed authors are pretty accommodating. Getting permission and citing appropriately removes any possible wrongdoing from inclusion.
My advice is: just ask for permission and you might also build some useful bridges in the process.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/14
| 2,591
| 11,436
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<issue_start>username_0: I have an AA in Liberal Arts and am one semester away from an AS in Computer Programming and Analysis. I will have to double check the numbers but I will have around 140 credit hours which is similar to the number required for a Bachelor's degree. Is this equivalent somehow to a Bachelor's? In general, do two lesser degrees equal one higher degree (e.g., do two BA degrees equal a MA or two MS degrees equal a PhD)? Is there any number of lesser degrees that would equal a higher degree? Why or why not?<issue_comment>username_1: From an educational perspective, community colleges usually do not offer courses beyond a sophomore level. Therefore, the bachelor's degree will probably contain more depth than an associate's degree. For example, an AA in economics will probably stop with intermediate microeconomics, but a BA may include advanced courses in microeconomic theory.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: From my experience, in the UK at least. It's irrelevant how many qualifications that you have at any particular level, they never add up to the level above.
For instance, you could have 20 GCSEs, but someone with 1 A Level would still be considered qualified to a higher level than you.
The same goes for degrees, you can't add up Bachelors degrees to make a Masters or Masters degrees to make a PhD.
However, that being said, in Europe we have a system known as the European Credit Transfer Scheme, where you study modules worth a certain number of points (these also have associated levels) and should you change institutions, you can carry over any of these that haven't been assigned to a particular qualification.
Thus, if you studied for two associate degrees and two different institutions but never got awarded them, you might have enough credits to be awarded a bachelors. However, it is doubtful that you would have sufficient credits at the right levels.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: **Employment**: I recommend that you make some appointments with people in your computer programming department for career counseling. If your community college has a person who coordinates Co-op Education, that person would probably be a good starting point.
Of course you can apply for jobs with an Associate's. You won't know for certain how you will fare until you do. (Do take a close look at the requirements for the jobs you are interested in.) But two Associates are not equivalent to one Bachelors. You are missing all or almost all the upper level classes. In addition, some community colleges' courses are not well aligned with those of the state university in the same state. You can find out more about the alignment in your state by asking for a pre-transfer transcript evaluation (note you may do this whether or not you will actually transfer to that school), or by speaking with the person in the state university's computer science department who evaluates transcripts.
**Academically**: you can't apply for a graduate program without a Bachelor's degree.
Note: Liberal Arts study makes you a good reader, thinker and writer. Your programming classes make you a programmer. The programming classes prepare you for programming (and related) jobs. The liberal arts classes are great for personal growth, but they don't directly strengthen your technical skills.
Take a look at the program of studies in Computer Science in your state university, and you'll see that there's plenty of worthwhile work ahead of you in the second half of your undergraduate studies.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I understand this is Academia.SE, but I wanted to address both areas OP has inquired about.
It all depends on how the job description is written. For example, if the job description clearly states "Bachelors degree in XYZ" then the two Associates degree won't count and you wouldn't be able to truthfully fulfill the requirement. However, if the job description states "Bachelors degree and/or equivalent experience and/or education" then you could argue that you fulfill that requirement. (Having worked in HR, those requirements are very real because employers now recognize that the best person for the job may not have a Bachelors degree.)
In regards to furthering your education, you would never be accepted into a Masters or PhD program without having at a minimum a Bachelors degree. This is because Bachelors degrees often end with a capstone or thesis, which sets the foundation for the research skills needed to complete graduate level courses. Associate degrees don't offer the same rigor.
But at the end of the day, no, two associates degrees do not equate a Bachelors degree. Associates degrees equate to the first two years of a Bachelors degree, so it is missing out on the upper level classes, capstones, theses, etc.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: To answer your question are any combination of lower degrees equivalent to a higher degree, the answer is no. As to why it has to do with how the degrees are designed.
Associates degrees are designed to convey technical specialization in a very narrow area. It emphasizes training over education. It tends to emphasize foundational skills in a profession with the goal of mastery. A bachelor's degree, in contrast, tends to emphasize education over training. The first two years tend to provide a broader base of skills, including skills far afield from the profession implied by the major chosen. This allows a person with a bachelor's degree to integrate their skills into other industries. The second two years are about developing expertise within the field along with some increased depth outside of the primary field.
A person with a bachelor's degree has met just enough education to say they have a basic level of expertise in a topic. This contrasts with a master's degree. The goal of the master's degree is to provide sufficient technical expertise in the field so as to be capable of teaching it without supervision. The master's degree emphasizes depth over breadth. The job of the undergraduate degree is breadth. The job of the master's degree is to convey depth. The courses are not designed to add new information, they are to add knowledge from that information. Within the field, it conveys how the world works to the current level of knowledge.
The doctorate exists in two forms, the professional doctorate and the doctor of philosophy. A good example of a professional doctorate is the MD. This differs from a physician's assistant, which is basically a master's degree, in that a PA learns hundreds of algorithms to treat a patient. The MD learns enough to understand why the algorithms the PA uses work and when the algorithm fails, will have learned the underlying biological principles to design a new algorithm to fit the very specific needs of a patient where the general rules are failing them.
The doctorate in philosophy has an opposite goal. The job of a Ph.D. is to figure out what we believe to be true is actually false. It is to research how the world works. The job is to understand the implications of ways of thinking about problems. It's important to remember that if there is something that we believe that is actually false, it is understood in such a way as that it makes perfect sense for it to be true.
In fact, you can't make a mistake by believing you are making a mistake. You have to do it by believing you are not making a mistake. Everything has to make perfect sense. The job of the Ph.D. is to notice when mistakes are happening when they are not supposed to be happening and that are actually systematic mistakes and not just one-off mistakes. Your Ph.D. is awarded after you have completed research that extends the frontiers of knowledge.
The training of doctorate isn't like the master's training. The master's is not like the bachelor's and the bachelor's is unlike the associate's. They don't combine. You should contact a bachelor degree granting institution and see what could transfer into a bachelor's program. You should see how far you are from a BA or a BS degree. It will pay better and will probably not require a mountain of additional work.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: No, you can't sum up several basic degrees to get an advanced one. Educational system is organised sequentially for a reason.
On each educational level people are supposed not just increase their knowledge about the subject, but organise it differently. For example, at introductory level more emphasis can be on understanding and remembering, later on advanced level people start to combine methodologies, evaluate results, choose appropriate solution strategies, and in more advance stages they can suggest new strategies, develop new methodologies, etc. Spending 1000 hours on remembering facts do not necessarily makes you any better in critical analysis and reflection or creative synthesis in the area of study. That's why you can't take a hundred of trained puppies and make them into a Professor of Canine Studies.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Is experience in two different entry level jobs equivalent to experience in one management position? Is reading the preface of two books the same as reading one book?
Lower-level degrees don't add up to a higher level degree. This can be confirmed by simple logic: If they did add up, what would be the point of offering higher-level degrees? People could just take many lower-level degrees instead.
Breadth of learning is not interchangeable with depth, and when advanced degrees are required it is because the latter is wanted. Number of credit hours is not the only requirement for a BS degree, it also requires covering key courses in the field at an advanced level and sometimes an internship and/or graduation project. This is something that can't adequately be substituted with an associate's degree in liberal arts. This is also why virtually every BS will have several required course chains, you usually cannot complete a BS by simply taking many introductory courses in lots of different subjects.
If you are applying to anything that requires a BS, and you claim you qualify with two associate's degrees, you should not expect them to buy it. You could argue that *even though you don't fulfill the requirement* you would still be a good candidate due to your two lower level degrees. But keep in mind that if for example the BS requirement is legally mandated you may be out of luck. Although for many jobs, degree requirements *are* flexible.
In your situation, the logical thing is to apply for a BS degree, and then have as many of your past credits as possible be counted towards the BS requirements so you don't have to re-take the same courses. You might even be able to convert your in-progress AS to a BS, you should speak to your university's advisor about this. But if you graduate with a degree that says AS, then you have an AS, not BS, regardless of how many credit hours you took.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_8: I believe it comes down to what type of an Associate’s degree do you have or trying to obtain. I have an associate in science and arts. Needless to say, I’ve taken more harder classes than some people have taken to achieve their Bachelor’s degree. An associate in science has more complex classes than an ADN (2 year nursing degree for RN’s). So, all associate degrees aren’t created equal.
Upvotes: 0
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| 375
| 1,605
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<issue_start>username_0: A simple question:
Is there a way to get a specific issue of a journal as a printed copy?
I do not want a subscription, I just want printed copies of a very limited number of issues, mainly from "Econometrica", "Games and Economic Behaviour" and "American Economic Review".<issue_comment>username_1: A diminishing number universities still have these journals on the shelves. Most of the time you can just walk in and take them off and use them in the library. If you have access to them you can just photocopy the whole thing and print it yourself.
I presume you don't have institution access to them, otherwise why not just download them and print them?
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I looked at the website of the American Economic Review and indeed they do not offer online purchase of single issues. What I would do in such an instance is contact the journal directly, preferably by calling them over the phone. Email inquiries about isolated requests of single issues notoriously tend to end up on the bottom of the endless pile. A simple phone call will likely provide you with the information you are after.
Also, I've obtained copies of dated issues on eBay and Amazon. Often a university's library empties its stock once in a while and their items appear on the market. This concerns older issues of course.
As a last, but worthy shot - Simply type in the specifics of the journal issue on Google and see what happens. Play around a little bit with notations (full journal title, abbreviated title, include the publisher, or not, *etcetera*).
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/15
| 749
| 3,081
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<issue_start>username_0: I do theoretical CS. A few years ago, I did some research and wrote a paper on my results, posting it on arXiv. I thought about getting it published, but between applying to programs after graduation and starting my new job, it fell by the wayside. Recently, I found a new paper is coming out that cites mine, disproves a conjecture, and extends a result.
Does the existence of the new paper hurt or help my chances of eventually getting the paper published? More likely, I would aim to present it at a conference because I've been told that that's much easier in theoretical computer science, especially for unknown authors or niche topics. Does the new paper hurt or help me chances of presenting the paper at a conference? It would feel weird presenting research that's no longer the state-of-the-art. Should the paper be modified to acknowledge the existence of the citing paper?<issue_comment>username_1: I think it should do more good than harm. The fact that you have been cited and your results extended means that your paper was relevant, which is a good thing. You definitely need to modify the paper though, not only to acknowledge the citing paper, but because you shouldn't publish a conjecture that is now known to be false.
Disclaimer: although I think the citation should help, this may be quite dependent on the particular reviewer(s) you get. The popularization of arXiv has been relatively recent in the CS field, and at least in many subcommunities the issues that come with it are still subject to debate and the "codes of conduct" are a bit blurry.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> I've been told that that's much easier in theoretical computer science, especially for unknown authors or niche topics
>
>
>
This is not entirely true. Conferences are very well regarded in TCS, sometimes even more than journals. In general it is harder to publish in a respected conference than a journal of roughly the same level. Of course it depends on the level. There are some quite non-selective conferences but so there are journals. The question is: do you want to publish in these venues? Depends on your motivation but I would *strongly* advice NO.
>
> Does the existence of the new paper hurt or help my chances of eventually getting the paper published?
>
>
>
If your result is obsolete because of the presence of the new paper that refutes your conjectures and expands your analysis, then I do not see how your paper could be published in *any* venue.
>
> Should the paper be modified to acknowledge the existence of the citing paper?
>
>
>
Definitely YES. Otherwise, you enter in a *very* unethically gray area to put it mildly.
>
> It would feel weird presenting research that's no longer the state-of-the-art.
>
>
>
From your description, your paper is far from state of the art since it is clearly Obsolete. I do not see how your community would benefit from your paper and I also do not see how *you* would benefit by submitting it anywhere (unless your only goal is *any* publication.)
Upvotes: -1
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| 1,667
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<issue_start>username_0: I have no data to back up this observation, but it's something I have noticed consistently in research talks and teaching material: People from the theoretical CS community seem to use Comic Sans a lot, a font-face that emulates the look and feel of hand-drawn fonts in comic books. Is this merely a convention or is there a deeper reason behind it?
EDIT1: Since a couple of users requested examples, here's what I came up with in a 5-minute search:
* [Probabilistic model checking in practice](http://qav.cs.ox.ac.uk/talks/marta-qapl05.pdf)
* [Symbolisches model checking](https://www.mathematik.uni-marburg.de/~gumm/Lehre/SS07/ModelChecking/08_Symbolisches_Model_Checking.pdf)
* [A complexity measure on Büchi automata](http://grammars.grlmc.com/LATA2016/Slides/d1s301DanaNBW_Hierarchy.pdf)
* [Fundamentals of programming languages](https://www.cs.colorado.edu/~bec/courses/csci5535-s09/slides/lecture01.6up.pdf)
* [Formal modeling methods](http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~sme/CSC444F/slides/L17-FormalModeling.pdf)
EDIT2: The point of this question is not to collect opinions, but to find out reasons why TCS people use Comic Sans (and the answers so far already did an excellent job in this matter).<issue_comment>username_1: There's no deeper reason behind it. I think people just like it, particular its informal feel.
Theoretical computer science is a pretty informal and laid-back field. Although in many fields Comic Sans would be considered unprofessional, the standards for "unprofessional" in TCS are much more relaxed. For example, I've observed that it's far more common for professors and students to be on a first name basis with people in the TCS world, and the tone in which papers are written are much less formal. It is typical for times problems to be described with little narratives or jokes, and often problems retain names based on how they were originally presented. For example, there’s the Handshake Lemma, the Traveling Salesman Problem, and the Arthur-Merlin Protocols. That’s not to say that informal names and presentations of theorems don’t exist in other fields, but in TCS I would go as far as to say it is typical.
Heck, in his recent landmark paper on [Graph Isomorphism](https://arxiv.org/pdf/1512.03547.pdf), <NAME> wrote something that could very reasonably be interpreted as a **sex joke**. In many fields innuendoes such as the one found in his paper would be considered wildly inappropriate. I don't know if the sex joke was intentional, but the line (although it's been noticed by many people) hasn't seems to cause any blowback or embarrassment.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This phenomenon is [not limited to theoretical computer science](//www.theverge.com/2012/7/4/3136652/cern-scientists-comic-sans-higgs-boson) or [academia](//twitter.com/comicsansabuse).
The reason for this is plainly:
* Most users do not think longer than a few seconds about their font choice and its effect. Thus it happens that they think using a comic/quirky/sloppy font is a good idea for a professional talk – even though it’s the typographical equivalent to giving your talk in a clown costume.
* Once they made this choice, this kind of users wants to realise their intention with minimum effort. Hence they browse through their list of fonts – which is most likely the same as the operating system’s default. On many popular operating systems, this will inevitably lead to Comic Sans – even though it’s rather ugly and worn-down for a clown costume.
Now the field influences how “professional” people are. In a field where formal attire is customary, I would expect Comic Sans to be less likely – but I have already witnessed professors for medicine giving talks in tie, suit, and Comic Sans. Also the field’s predisposition to LaTeX may have an effect as it’s a little bit more difficult to use Comic Sans there.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: The reason I heard from a professor who does this is that slides in Comic Sans are more memorable. Apparently during an exam students are more likely to remember the poorly placed explanation with the [spelling mistake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensational_spelling) in Comic Sans than the perfectly aligned, worded and spelled explanation in Computer Modern.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I don't use it in slides, but I did consciously choose it for use for some time. My reason was that because of its design, it is very much easier to distinguish different letters visually that could be confused (i/I/l/1 etc) at first glance, and for computer based work that can be very important. The instant clarity of what I'm looking at was worth it and it was otherwise easy to read. (Spend 3 hours trying to figure out an issue only to find it's a 1 not an I, or an i not an l somewhere ..... I removed the problem by choosing a font for my text editor that excluded the problem entirely)
It was the closest widely available font to otherwise-"standard" fonts like arial, to clearly shape these letters differently enough to be immediately clear.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: I think the reason is that a lot of academics and academic disciplines are by nature anti-establishment. What better way to show that then Comic Sans as a font.
I think of it is the equivalent of academics wearing shorts or Hawai shirts to work etc. Basically it's saying judge us by our work not by looks, dress, fonts or other such secondary features. In a slightly different sense it's mocking the establishment with their suits and ties and cow-towing to convention and authority. Universities pride themselves on being iconoclasts.
Now even within academia individual Departments can be less or more conservative. e.g. Economics / Business would run on the conservative side. On the other hand programmers etc. are on the liberal side.
And hence the comic sans.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: While the evidence on Comic Sans and dyslexia may still be anecdotal, there is indeed evidence that some fonts are easier for dyslexics to read. That's why I prefer Verdana. Plus, Verdana clearly distinguishes lower-case "ell", upper-case "eye", and number "one".
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/15
| 736
| 3,240
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<issue_start>username_0: In our lab, we hypothesized that a technique T1 should be able to solve some problem with high performance. As per our hypothesis, we got an excellent result. We started writing a short paper to be submitted to a conference for the last date is due in four days. The paper is complete except for some proof-reading. We have not yet submitted the results.
Yesterday, just for fun, I was applying a different technique T2 to the same problem. Surprisingly it achieved an even better performance than T1.
We were wondering, is it okay to write a “failure” paper stating the hypothesis failed because of so and so [which is tough to analyze given the time constraint on deadline.]? Some of my colleague suggested to not disclose the performance of T2 until T1 is published, so that later I could do a comparative study between T1 and T2. *Will it be okay?*
Note: T1 and T2 are very different and it does not make any sense to write on both techniques in the same paper. Plus, rewriting the paper now is also difficult.
**Update** After going through answers, comments and suggestions, we are submitting ***T1*** paper. Thank you very much all the learned academicians here on academia.SE.<issue_comment>username_1: Publish T1. Later, when you have time to write a whole new paper, publish T2. Doing a comparative study between the two sounds like an excellent follow-up decision as well. I'm not sure why you classify T1 as a failure... it sounds like both work and one works better.
That said, yes, it is okay to publish "failure papers." Depending on the field it might be harder to get it approved by a journal because it's less sexy to find a negative result than to find a result. This causes a measurable bias in some fields and depending on the field can be a major problem, because **failed research is just as important as successful research epistemically speaking.**
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I am assuming you frame the second paper as describing a rejected (failed) hypothesis, because your theoretically informed expectation (=hypothesis) was that T2 shouldn't perform as well as it did.
Negative findings (rejected hypothesis) can be as interesting and publication-worthy as positive findings (confirmed hypothesis). What matters is how strong the underlying theory/model is and whether your research is designed in a way that a negative finding is a good test for a theory/model and not just straw moving in the wind. If the rejected hypothesis is strong and the research casts doubt on a model/theory that is generally believed to be true, than this negative finding is much more important than the umpteenth corroboration.
Even better if your research design aids in explaining where exactly the model/theory fails. And yet more publication-worthy if T2 not only challenges a mainstream theory/model but also performs better than a more standard technique.
Pragmatically I agree with the strategy to publish T1 first, and then T2 after spending some time exploring why T2 performs as it does. To increase chances of acceptance, stress how the 'negative' finding challenges conventional wisdom and emphasize the unexpected and strong performance of T2.
Upvotes: 3
|
2017/04/15
| 803
| 3,543
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have made some research about a topic in Computer Science. The issue was that I am a little bit dubious if the procedure that I followed was correct. The problem gets worse because the work is not in the field of expertise of my supervisor or of my colleagues.
For that reason, I am thinking to submit it to a conference for getting valuable feedback. Would that be reasonable to do that? Maybe somebody would argue that I will only waste valuable time from the reviewers, but I don't know what else to do in this situation.<issue_comment>username_1: **Submit your research to a workshop.** Workshops are the kind of venue you are looking for: their purpose is to provide feedback on work-in-progress, with a fast review cycle and reviewers focused on a specific area of expertise.
Submitting your research to a conference may lead to valuable feedback, too, but there's a risk that submitting work-in-progress research can leave behind a poor impression to some of the reviewers. In consequence, these reviewers may be inclined to give rather terse/useless feedback.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Can I submit an article just for the sake of useful feedback?
>
>
>
**Yes and no.** Of course nothing stops you from sending an article just to get feedback, and this is indeed a suggestion that I sometimes see given to young researchers when they are unsure about their paper.
However, there are a few issues that, in my opinion, makes this approach not overly effective.
* You will get feedback, but you may not get *useful* feedback. Reviews fundamentally tend to assess the current state of a research project. It should not be like that, but many reviews focus on what's wrong with a paper, and not on how it could be fixed. Think of it as an evaluation more than a feedback procedure.
* Additionally, there is little incentive for the PC to be overly constructive. My impression has always been that the anonymity of peer review leads people to be more dismissive than what they would ever be if they talked to you personally.
* The turnaround time of good conferences is so long that you need to expect to wait a few months for your reviews. This is wasted time if you are already pretty sure that the paper won't be accepted.
* As you say yourself, an argument can be made that submitting a paper that you yourself are not sure is ready for publication to be an unethical abuse of the peer review system. I would consider this a fairly mild problem myself, but it is obvious that the peer review system would break down (even more?) if many people started to adopt your approach.
More promising may be to find a collaborator who is aware of community standards of wherever you want to publish to take on board for finishing and publishing this work. Such a person can not only help you writing a paper using the conventions of the field, (s)he will also be able to point you and help you with any additional work that may make your work stronger in the eyes of your targeted community. Most importantly, this person has then skin in the game and will strive to be constructive rather than just telling you that your work isn't going to cut it.
This of course leaves the question how to find such a person. I am sad to say that personal connections (of you, your supervisor, or other friends or fellow faculty) are by far the best approach, but failing that you can try to establish ties by attending workshops or working conferences, as proposed by username_1 in his answer.
Upvotes: 4
|
2017/04/16
| 849
| 3,707
|
<issue_start>username_0: Is there anybody there, who uses this combination as the pipeline of document production in his/her work? IF so what are the common bugs/imperfection that one should expect.
From a latex-noob point of view, it seems faster and easier to work(collaborate) on a paper in Microsoft Word (For months) and then use a plugin or some other quick converter to make it into a latex on the last week(ideally a day) if there exist a smooth conversion tool to get to .tex format?
a reliable/acceptable converting should address the journal template/format, tables, table of content, footnotes, margins, figures, equations and bibliography. Is there a bulletproof conversion out there, and if not why?<issue_comment>username_1: **Submit your research to a workshop.** Workshops are the kind of venue you are looking for: their purpose is to provide feedback on work-in-progress, with a fast review cycle and reviewers focused on a specific area of expertise.
Submitting your research to a conference may lead to valuable feedback, too, but there's a risk that submitting work-in-progress research can leave behind a poor impression to some of the reviewers. In consequence, these reviewers may be inclined to give rather terse/useless feedback.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Can I submit an article just for the sake of useful feedback?
>
>
>
**Yes and no.** Of course nothing stops you from sending an article just to get feedback, and this is indeed a suggestion that I sometimes see given to young researchers when they are unsure about their paper.
However, there are a few issues that, in my opinion, makes this approach not overly effective.
* You will get feedback, but you may not get *useful* feedback. Reviews fundamentally tend to assess the current state of a research project. It should not be like that, but many reviews focus on what's wrong with a paper, and not on how it could be fixed. Think of it as an evaluation more than a feedback procedure.
* Additionally, there is little incentive for the PC to be overly constructive. My impression has always been that the anonymity of peer review leads people to be more dismissive than what they would ever be if they talked to you personally.
* The turnaround time of good conferences is so long that you need to expect to wait a few months for your reviews. This is wasted time if you are already pretty sure that the paper won't be accepted.
* As you say yourself, an argument can be made that submitting a paper that you yourself are not sure is ready for publication to be an unethical abuse of the peer review system. I would consider this a fairly mild problem myself, but it is obvious that the peer review system would break down (even more?) if many people started to adopt your approach.
More promising may be to find a collaborator who is aware of community standards of wherever you want to publish to take on board for finishing and publishing this work. Such a person can not only help you writing a paper using the conventions of the field, (s)he will also be able to point you and help you with any additional work that may make your work stronger in the eyes of your targeted community. Most importantly, this person has then skin in the game and will strive to be constructive rather than just telling you that your work isn't going to cut it.
This of course leaves the question how to find such a person. I am sad to say that personal connections (of you, your supervisor, or other friends or fellow faculty) are by far the best approach, but failing that you can try to establish ties by attending workshops or working conferences, as proposed by username_1 in his answer.
Upvotes: 4
|
2017/04/16
| 210
| 965
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am writing my thesis in computer science and have some issues.
I have several papers with more than one contribution in many fields (enhancement on several algorithms).
I want to mention each algorithm with its enhancement separately. Can I cite the same paper in different paragraphs in the literature review?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes
If a paper provides such information that it can be used for several paragraphs - then absolutely you can, and **you actually should**, cite the useful paper whenever and wherever you use the information from within the paper (in your case, the algorithms with their enhancements).
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Yes. You should cite a paper every time you talk about it (unless you talk about it multiple times in rapid succession and it's clear that you're still refering to the same thing). There is no "rule" that says you can only refer to a paper once.
Upvotes: 4
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2017/04/17
| 219
| 999
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm writing my midterm and am currently coming up with questions that relate to important course concepts that I want to test. This is being done in a somewhat ad-lib manner, and my questions are out of order in terms of how the concepts were presented in class. Is there a compelling argument to ensure that the order is the same as that in class?<issue_comment>username_1: If the questions are not dependent on one another, then in many cases it is better to mix-up the order. Student responses will be less likely do to basic memorization of their notes/material and more likely to reflect higher-level learning.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The only consideration in ordering (beyond randomly) would be where some questions are intended to be harder than others. As students normally answer front-to-back, it may be appropriate to put the harder questions later such that students don't get "put off" by the hard questions early on.
Upvotes: 0
|
2017/04/17
| 777
| 3,597
|
<issue_start>username_0: My question is simple. When resubmitting a paper after review was done, should I include different response letters to each reviewer, or should I include my comments addressing each reviewer remark in a single letter?
Edit: I usually send one single letter. However, recently, I was in a situation where the reviewers made only minor comments while the editor had a major issue. I'd think the editor would not necessarily want to share his major comments with the reviewers, so I sent separate letters so the editor might choose which ones to send to the reviewers. This made me think that always sending separate letters is possibly the best practice.
Edit 2: Please note that I'm *not* asking how to write good response letters in general. I'm sure there are plenty of good advice about that on Academia.SE. I'm particularly interested in pros and cons of using single vs multiple letters.<issue_comment>username_1: Usually, you sent back one single letter in which you answer the reviewers questions one by one. I always start with a short note to the editor, listing the major revisions done as bullet points. I also thank the reviewers for their time spent on the review and that their comments advanced my manuscript (of course I write this only if the review really improved my work). Then I start with "Reviewer 1" and list each of his questions or remarks and mark my comments either in bold or in a different color.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I think that @username_1 already provided the right answer, that *usually* you answer all the reviewers in a single response. In my experience, all the ACM and IEEE journals I've been involved with as author/reviewer/editor share the response letter with the reviewers, who then see each other's comments and the authors' response to them.
You describe a somewhat unusual situation here, in which the editor has more major comments than the individual reviewers. Even then, I think I would send a single response, and assume the reviewers are going to see the response to the previous submission, including the editor's concerns. If you have reason to think otherwise, asking the editor the question you have posed here seems appropriate.
By the way, in my experience usually the letter from the journal says specifically that the authors are to respond to the comments and explain how they have addressed each concern.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I agree with the prior responses. Typically, the editor does not share the letter with authors' responses with the reviewers. Therefore, there is no need to worry that the reviewers' will see the suggested responses from the editor. Good luck!
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: I write it in a single letter. I think that since your correspondence is with the editor, this is the best practice. After all, you correspond with the associate editor (AE), and it's hers/his role to delegate your responses to the reviewers, if he/she sees a need. It's an important point in my opinion - it emphasizes the AE is not just pushing papers.
The AE has an active role in this. If the AE sees you respond well to the reviews, e.g. when the reviewer just asked some questions / needed clarifications, then the AE might not wait for a response from the reviewer. Further, the AE might see that the reviewers requests had some conflicted comments and that you tried to answer the best you can, etc.
So when you separate your letters, you kind of say "hey AE, this is between me and the reviewers", which is not the case.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
|
2017/04/17
| 1,319
| 5,654
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<issue_start>username_0: In a recent paper, a team of colleagues published results that are clearly made up. I am 100 % sure of that because my position at the university involves the management of the animals they used in the study, which grants me access to the native data.
Actually, the statistics were so poorly handled you have hints something is definitely wrong just by reading the abstract.
My name doesn't appear on the paper, but I could be indirectly associated with that team through my position.
So how to properly react? Close my eyes and move on? Write to the journal they published in?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> my position at the university involves the management of the animals they used in the study
>
>
>
If your immediate supervisor is to be trusted, go to him or her. If not, pick someone higher up in the university hierarchy. You are looking for someone who will
* protect your identity as a whistleblower
* investigate discreetly
* have enough influence within the university to be able to trigger effective action
**Edit** (in response to some comments): I should really have suggested that you look up your university's policy and procedures. Let's look at what [MIT has to say about "Research Misconduct"](http://web.mit.edu/policies/10/10.1.html) as an example.
>
> Unethical behavior in research and scholarship strikes at the heart of the scholarly and educational enterprise. [...] Supervisors must enforce the highest standards for conducting research and creating and maintaining records of the research [...] specifically, laboratory and center directors....
>
>
> Definitions: [...] Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
>
>
> Duty To Report: Each member of the MIT community has a responsibility to report any conduct that he or she believes in good faith to be Research Misconduct at MIT. Ordinarily it is appropriate in the first instance for a Complainant to report his or her concerns to the supervisor of the prospective Respondent. [...] Consultation and guidance is always available from the Office of the Vice President for Research or from senior academic officers (deans, department heads, laboratory directors)....
>
>
> A supervisor who becomes aware of possible Research Misconduct, either from his or her own observations or because of reports, has a responsibility to bring allegations of Research Misconduct directly to the Vice President for Research in order to ensure that proper procedures are followed.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: I believe that you are doing the right thing by not letting this pass - there needs to be a view of 'protecting' the integrity of science.
Most importantly, you need to protect your career etc. To add to [@username_1's excellent advice](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/88198), I would strongly suggest that you make sure you maintain documentation and evidence. It will be absolutely vital for you to keep a copy of the documentation for any investigation (and keep a backup copy for yourself).
Having said that, before you take any action, you should once again, check and double check that your claims are valid. Your checks and proofs could form part of your evidence.
Having said all that, your name and position is *indirectly* associated to the research group, so once you have collated your evidence and *discreetly* reported this to the appropriate people, you realistically can do no more discreetly, as you've done all you can, unless you wish to approach the journal directly or go public.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Follow your University's Reporting Protocol
===========================================
Most Universities, as well as most businesses, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and organized religions, have established protocols to help you through this reporting process and, generally, to ensure some combination of proper and timely handling of the issue, image protection, protection against attempts at retaliation towards whistleblowers, and protection against people being accused of things without basis.
For example, Humboldt State University provides the following relevant policy ([source](http://www2.humboldt.edu/policy/PP16-04Policy-and-Procedure-Responding-Allegations-Research-Misconduct)):
>
> The Dean of Research, Economic and username_2 Development will serve as the RIO who will have primary responsibility for implementation of the institution’s policies and procedures on research misconduct.
>
>
>
and later it's specified that:
>
> All University members will report observed or apparent research misconduct to the RIO. If an individual is unsure whether an incident falls within the definition of research misconduct, he or she may meet with or contact the RIO to discuss the suspected research misconduct informally, which may include discussing it anonymously and/or hypothetically. If the circumstances described by the individual do not meet the definition of research misconduct, the RIO will refer the individual or allegation to other offices or officials with responsibility for resolving the problem."
>
>
>
(RIO = Research Integrity Officer.)
Your University likely has a similar policy in place specifically for situations like this, and following the procedure in your University's policy is the best way to ensure your complaints are taken seriously.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Are your colleagues federally funded? If yes, sue them on behalf of the federal government [Qui Tam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qui_tam). Other nations may have similar laws.
Upvotes: 1
|
2017/04/18
| 593
| 2,568
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm refereeing a paper for a math journal at the moment. As happens fairly often, some other folks came up with basically the same result independently at the same time, I think the manuscripts showed up on Arxiv a few days apart.
The authors acknowledge this (and of course this is perfectly normal and won't affect my recommendation on whether or not to accept the paper), but they do it at the very end of a long-ish paper as part of the acknowledgements. This is not unusual but it strikes me as ungracious and an unnecessary hangover from the pre-digital-publishing era when these coincidences were usually addressed by notes added in proof. Should I ask them to move it up to, say, the end of the introduction, where it is more likely that readers who might be interested in the other paper will actually see it?<issue_comment>username_1: Τhe sections of *Introduction* and *Related Work* of a paper serve the purpose to inform the reader exactly about related results/attempts/techniques etc in order to put their result in the correct perspective. As such, the "other" result should be mentioned and cited there, preferably with a direct comparison of the possibly different techniques involved. Anything else, could be potentially misleading and/or suspicious and should be avoided.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I have seen papers that were in a slightly different situation than yours: on the cusp of going to print when a similar paper made its first appearance (on arXiv or in a journal if it didn't get put on arXiv first). These papers often include a small paragraph at the end of the paper, immediately before the acknowledgments section, citing the paper, summarizing the results, and include a statement such as "this paper was published as we were going to print".
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I have been in this situation as an co-author. Before the acknowledgements, at the very end of the conclusions we wrote:
>
> Note added.—Recently, we have become aware of Ref. 22, where a similar
> approach to ... has been undertaken for ... —and analogous conclusions
> have been reached regarding ...
>
>
>
They also wrote something similar at the end of their paper. The story was that we submitted to the arxiv within the same week. The papers were almost identical (I think they redid the calculations with our parameters to check if they get the same). In the end, their paper got accepted quite quickly, while in our case, the editor dragged us for one year and half.
Upvotes: 3
|
2017/04/18
| 992
| 3,996
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a math researcher working in number theory. During my college years I heard all the stories of great mathematicians, icons of the subject who dedicated most of their time to mathematics research (think Gauss, Euler etc). And that motivated me. I always seemed to do well in math at college. I secured top ranks at graduate and undergraduate exams. I cleared the national entrance exam in mathematics (CSIR, India) and got admitted into a Ph.D. programme. Now that I'm pursuing a Ph.D things are not as I had envisioned. There are days where I just don't feel like it. Some parts of math are hard and it seems like a drag. Also I conduct classes thrice a week which I am not enthusiastic about and on some days I just don't wanna do it.
I have this idea of a perfect job where you come in to work everyday and are captivated by what you do and everything just flows. But that's not what I am experiencing. Is this normal? I’m confused. Its not like I have lost interest rather that I'm not as in to it as I would like to be.<issue_comment>username_1: This is quite normal - it is possible to be passionate about the topic, but at times, to be not so enthusiastic about the work involved. This could be a sign that you are need of a bit of a break, or in the worse case, heading towards a burnout.
A few things to reflect on:
* Are you getting enough sleep, exercise and eating well?
* Are you making time to visit and go out with family, friends and other like-minded academics?
* Are you giving yourself some time out to pursue other interests and hobbies?
There would have been times that the greats of the topic felt the same.
These greats of the field more than likely had days when they also could not be bothered.
Specifically, why not consider the following:
* The days when the mathematics is very difficult, take these as challenges (rather than hurdles) to accomplish (rather than just overcome)
* Teaching the class could be opportunities to refine your mathematical (and mathematical communication) skills and similar type of skills.
* Is there anything you can change to make your situation more enjoyable?
It is very normal.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_1: I think it's perfectly normal. While I am myself still learning to be a PhD student in a fairly math-intensive area of research, I want to share my thoughts, expressed beautifully in this [comic](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/unhappy): If you try to chase 'fun' each day as a PhD student, that might be being a bit unrealistic. Instead, try to find 'fulfilment' in your work.
Set aside a medium-sized, actionable goal for two weeks, for example: "try three completely different approaches to prove this lemma that I need". Or "write up the detailed analysis of this algorithm". That two week deadline you set for yourself to finish something which you know you'll be proud of will up your motivation (at least for those two weeks).
I have another strategy for motivation-less days when I don't feel like doing research, don't feel like reading papers, don't feel like preparing to teach, but actually need to make *some* progress academically: I have a lot of researchers I admire - my own advisor, the giants in my field, the rising stars winning all the recent best paper awards, etc. I have many of these people's theses downloaded onto my laptop. On days that I feel zero motivation, I actually open up a thesis and start reading it. As I finish a chapter, I am overcome by the feeling of awe that what I read was a product of intense hard work and days and days of failures followed by that one success. It makes me want to be like them and therefore go right back to work (and I also end up learning *something* new).
And of course, on some days, you could just do something non-academic that would make you feel good about yourself - go for a long swim/run, finish a jigsaw puzzle, cook something complicated, etc.
Don't worry! Good luck :)
Upvotes: 3
|
2017/04/18
| 488
| 2,194
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am wondering what others thought of including a second-authored article being included in an external reviewer file for tenure review in the health sciences. This is my second tenure review, since I transferred institutions, and my tenure did not transfer from my original institution where I was granted tenure.
I can include five articles in my external review application. For one of my main areas of research, my collaborator and I provide equal leadership, so we generally switch between first and second authors. The article from our work that I would like to include has me as the second author, not first. Do others believe that it would be strange for a reviewer to see a second-authors publication included in a file?<issue_comment>username_1: It sounds reasonable to me, especially if explained as you did above.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: My view is that, since you actually worked on the paper, it would be a poor choice to omit it. Perhaps your field puts too much emphasis on such things (mine does not), but it is part of your record.
I doubt that anyone would think you were "padding" your cv by including it. And fewer publications rather than more, does you little good.
But if you are limited to five, choose the five that best show your potential. I assume you think that this is one of them or there wouldn't be a question here.
It would be a different story, of course, if you were included as an "author" by gift rather than by contribution. But such overemphasis on order, in my view, works against collaboration and creates a lot of conflict. But that is a problem to solve *after* you obtain tenure.
But this might also depend on other aspects of the tenure review. If it is done purely on a written dossier, without any interviews, then you really need that dossier as strong as possible. But if candidates are interviewed as well, then you can give an explanation of why you included one paper rather than another and also some background on the work that was done.
Likewise if you have letters as part of the dossier, then perhaps your co-author can have something to say to back up your participation.
Upvotes: 0
|
2017/04/18
| 1,007
| 4,458
|
<issue_start>username_0: I will be doing a presentation on fracking in the United States, and in the current president's book, "Crippled America", he states his administration plans to endorse fracking within the United States for the sole purpose of "creating more jobs." Would citing a political book be considered credible?<issue_comment>username_1: I could be misinterpreting your question, but I believe you are running into a difference in the popular (non-academic/scientific) definition of what a citation is for, the journalistic/communicative use of citation, and the scholarly purpose of citation.
In the popular idea of citation, you are citing something to add credibility or "proof" to your argument. For instance, "a medical publication from researchers at Harvard said eating tomatoes increases cancer risk [citation here], so you should stop eating tomatoes." You are citing to be persuasive, by borrowing legitimacy and authority from those that have it and seeking to use it to support your agenda.
The journalistic use of citation, in theory, is to communicate the source of some statement or argument that you are reporting. Done right, this allows people you are communicating with to more easily locate the relevant materials they can investigate further on their own, if they are so interested, as well as to help ensure that the journalist is being honest by making it easy to check their work.
The scholarly purpose of citation is to indicate the source of ideas and work that is not your own, to make it distinct from your own contributions. This exposes your assumptions, directs researchers to closely related works, and can be used to indicate whether what you are doing is normal (by showing other researchers who've done or found the same thing), or if you need to justify your comparatively unusual practice or findings. It is also used to externalize support - so if you want to use a method because some other researcher's work said that method was useful for the problem you are working on, you just cite that research to support your use of the method. This effectively "includes" their work into yours, without the need for reproduction (copy-paste).
So with that said, let's take your example from a scholarly perspective.
If you make the statement that a US president supports fracking, especially for the purpose of job creation, you should cite why you think that is so - and citing their own book would certainly be a good way of supporting such an assertion. In indicates the source of data from which you draw your assertion.
On the other hand, lets say you want to state that fracking will create more jobs in the United States. While you could certainly cite a political/popular book, the response to that from an academic perspective is simple: the book you cited is just another persons unsupported opinion, and does not indicate scientific or otherwise scholarly support for your statement. The citation does not include research, novel methods, an analysis of an existing data-set nor the collection of new data. In short, it does not support your statement in a scholarly way, and would further make a listener/reader wonder if you know what you are doing at all.
So in the end, what you should cite, and how you should cite it, will depend on what the role of your presentation is and the nature of the argument you are making. If you are quoting something, cite the source of the quote. If you state that so-and-so supports a certain policy, cite the source that establishes that that person indeed does support that certain policy.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: **Whether this is "credible" evidence depends on what you're trying to establish:** If your goal is merely to establish the stated rationale for the policy, then a first-hand statement of the rationale from the President is a perfectly good source. A book written ([kinda](http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/donald-trump-uncredited-ghostwriter-new-book-article-1.2424852)) by the President is about as credible a source as you can get to show evidence of his own stated views and beliefs. Of course, you should bear in mind that the broader government administration consists of other people and therefore has a degree of heterogeneity of beliefs, and others in his administration might push the policy for other reasons. Whether the book is a "credible source" depends on what you want to establish.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/04/18
| 1,396
| 5,895
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<issue_start>username_0: In a recent media article on the quality of education and curricular changes at our university (elimination of remedial courses), a high-ranking administrator asserted that no changes to any credit-bearing courses would be made. However, I have an internal memo from this same administrator demanding that new, easier, credit-bearing courses be developed by our department and others, so as to facilitate graduation by the student population in question.
I'm at a large public university in the U.S. I do not yet have tenure. Should I respond to this, perhaps anyonymously?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> no changes to any [current] credit-bearing courses
>
>
>
but
>
> new, easier, credit-bearing courses be developed by our department and others
>
>
>
is not *precisely* a contradiction. Though in the context of academic integrity, it's certainly misleading to the public.
---
You didn't ask, but your ethical duty is first to your own behavior. So long as you're not creating/teaching courses which don't merit their credits, you'll be OK on that front. I wanted to mention this because it's simple, and it provides a good contrast for the answer to your question:
---
Your ethical duty with respect to the administrator's misleading public statements are a responsibility *shared by the entire group* of university staff. Note the distinction between something that's your personal responsibility and something that's the responsibility of a group you belong to. Because this is a group responsibility, you need to try handle this *as a group*. If the group disagrees with you, and you feel the lie was significant enough, your only real option may be to leave the group or leak, but that should definitely be a last resort.
Things do first:
First talk to other professors (especially tenured ones) and see how they feel about it. Maybe you missed some things and they can point those out. Or maybe everyone agrees with you and you can approach this collectively which will help avoid costing you your job.
**IFF** you have a good enough relationship to do it effectively (and avoid getting yourself fired), it would also be best to talk to the administrator personally. Be sympathetic to their need to portray the university in a positive light both in words to the media and in graduation rates, but share your unease with the contradiction in message. Listen to their response, try to understand their viewpoint and how they rationalized their behavior as acceptable. It sounds like the best case would be for the administrator to change the internal behavior to match what was shared with the press. Persuasion is hard, but it really is the best option.
---
If other professors feel you're overreacting, but have no new information or can't convince you things are fine, and if you can't reach an understanding with the administrator in private, then you have to decide whether this is ethically compelling enough to require yourself to risk your career. There's no hard and fast answer for that. You have to weigh your ability to be successful against your need to not associate with people who aren't flawlessly honest/upright.
If you do decide you must risk your job, I would recommend roughly this order of operations:
1. Internally (but public to other professors), point out the contradiction as kindly as possible and ask the administrator for a solution. Don't threaten to leak or quit yet. Explain you want to understand and keep things internal.
2. If your concerns are dismissed, either resign quietly or leak the memo AND all internal communications about it to journalists you believe will be able to present the story well. And expect to be fired.
It's hard to predict what effect this may have on future employers, as that will mostly depend on the fallout and how well you're able to convince future employers both that it was the right choice and that nothing they do is likely to require you to do it again. Try to be as complete and fair to the other side as possible as that will help somewhat. Remember that the goal here isn't to expose a liar or shame the university, but to promote academic quality and accountability.
It sounds like a tough position to be in. Good luck.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Should I respond to this, perhaps anonymously?
>
>
>
People are different (e.g. see the quotations from Grig<NAME>). There is no single answer to your question. In my case, and this is **NOT** any advice, I always acted very straight, and I have payed dearly for this. I am happy about it anyway, I like it. However, and now this is an advice, try to follow common sense. For instance, if you decide to react ethically, i.e. adequately, then perhaps you should line up a new job for yourself, just in case. Etc.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: A semi-non-answer: in my experience, "high-level" administrators are *constantly* making PR-oriented statements externally, which, if taken literally, are wildly false... but are sufficiently ambiguous so that it would be hard to "prove" a *deliberate* lie. The details of wording of your situation strike me as typical in this regard.
To my mind, the *real* question is about what this translates into "on the ground". That is, apart from persiflage, what will *really* happen? If the reality amounts to a significant degradation of standards (although that, too, is riddled with difficulties-of-concept) then one might take action... though more strategically than merely pointing out the hypocrisy of central administration.
That is, I think everyone either explicitly or implicitly recognizes the inevitable and typical hypocrisy of central administrations in universities. The operational question is about the *degree* of it, and how it actually plays out in reality. It is typically difficult to anticipate this...
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/18
| 1,403
| 5,598
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<issue_start>username_0: Consider an international scholar X, fluent in English, who currently holds a postdoctoral position in science (say, in particular, the fundamental science: physics, chemistry, math or biology) in the US.
If X wants to apply for a tenure-tracked (junior or senior) faculty job in a country A outside the US, does acquiring fluency in the language of country A help in applying for a faculty position in the top ranking universities/institutions in that country?
I am mostly, but not exclusively interested in the situation in Europe.
The key point to ask is that suppose X is a highly qualified candidate in all aspects academically, would X be ruled out from the candidate short list due to the lack of fluency in the language of country A?<issue_comment>username_1: In Germany, I've never heard of a professor who didn't speak German at least on a decent level. There are no "research only" faculty jobs, and lectures (at least in undergraduate courses) are normally held in German.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I knew and heard before, at least in the case of top universities of China, Hong-Kong and Taiwan, they recruit foreign academic professionals/professors (e.g. Italian, Japanese, American, German, etc) who cannot speak and cannot write nor read their native languages (Chinese mandarin or Cantonese), but those academic employees can do research, or may at least teach special courses/seminars in English.
Some of these Universities are: Tsinghua University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Fudan University, National Taiwan University, etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: This is going to vary a bit from country to country, but I think on the whole, the answer is obviously yes. In most institutions in these countries, not only is teaching in the country's usual language, but so is the life of the department in most important respects. I spent 6 months in France as a visiting scholar at Paris 7, and had a fairly rudimentary command of French (enough to navigate life in France, but not good enough to carry on a conversation), and leaving aside teaching, most conversations in the department, and most academic talks were in French. In my situation, things were basically fine, but I could not have functioned as a staff member without improving my French very quickly.
France is something of a special case (though I suspect Spain, Italy, Poland, etc. would be similar). The Netherlands and Scandinavian countries are more used to expecting nobody speaks their language (and can expect greater English fluency from students), but even there, I'm sure knowing the language would be necessary for many positions, and a big advantage for the rest. If nothing else, it shows a commitment to being there which would be appreciated.
**EDIT**: You can also see examples of how this is dealt with by looking at job ads from the season that's winding down now (I'm going to use examples from MathJobs, since that's what I know; since that's a US-based site, it's going to be slanted toward ads looking to recruit English speakers). Some will make it clear that functioning in the local language is not a professional requirement or at least don't specify it is:
1. <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/10239>
2. <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/9749>
3. <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/10164>
4. <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/10127>
Some will specify that there is a transition period:
1. <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/10154>
Some seem to expect that there already is language fluency:
1. <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/10004>
2. <https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/9973>
That's actually more slanted toward English speakers than I expected, but of course, posting on MathJobs is a very biased sample, since it's mostly a North American site, and I think you only post there if you want recruit North Americans (that's including students or postdocs from abroad currently in North America). It's notable that from a lot of countries (Israel, for example) there are many postdoctoral positions on MathJobs that don't expect the ability to teach in Hebrew, but no permanent positions.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: In France, teaching is almost universally in French, but the situation is dual since there are two kinds of starting faculty positions (both tenured, or more precisely under French civil servant status which is possibly more protective): maître de conférence (MC) and chargé de recherche (CR).
What follows applies for my field, mathematics, but should be true in some (probably not all) other fields.
For MC positions, in most places (including most large research universities) you are expected to speak French well enough to teach in French (without being too demanding on what that means), or you can be discarded altogether. However I have seen at least one exception, where someone with no teaching experience and a very limited ability in French was hired in one of the very top universities, on account of an extremely good research record. My guess is that his teaching duty must have been hard to fulfill.
For CR positions, your research record is all that matters (there is no teaching duty, these are research-only positions). Note that for foreigners with more than 4-6 years of postdoc, you are expected to (also) apply to CR1 positions which brings you at a slightly more advanced stage of the career.
Currently there is a scarcity of positions, and I would say that in math MC positions are very selective, and CR positions are extremely selective.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/18
| 1,844
| 8,181
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<issue_start>username_0: A previous position of mine was funded by a EU research project, which requires publishing a project deliverable. These project deliverables are public and citable documents that are available online and are usually indexed by research databases. In a deliverable of this project, my ex-advisor used text, figures, and tables of an unpublished research paper of which I am the lead author and which I still intend to publish. Initially, I was not listed as an author of the deliverable; in a later version I was. Most importantly, I was never informed about this or asked for my consent.
My question is: Is this ethical/correct/appropriate? I’m not against of reporting my work to the deliverable as I have done it during the course of two years contributing to several of the deliverables. My problem is that I think as the lead author I have the right to be informed that the text and results of the paper that I wrote are going to be used in a deliverable.<issue_comment>username_1: This is not the place for legal questions, and we are not lawyers. (I am not a lawyer either.) Your specific situation (contracts you've signed) and local laws are the only relevant things here. You should consult a lawyer.
That said, in general it will probably be the case that as a graduate student you are considered to be like a faculty member of the university when it comes to intellectual property. You probably retain the copyright to scholarly works you produce, but the University probably retains the right to use your copyrighted work for business purposes. Even if they did not, you would have to show some kind of harm under copyright law for a legal battle to make any sense.
Whether it is ethical or appropriate depends a lot on the situation, and "project deliverable" is extremely vague. It would not be appropriate for your adviser to publish your work in an academic venue without your consent. However, if your work was funded by an external agency such as NSF, NIH, or a private foundation then your research was paid for by that agency. It would probably be appropriate for your adviser to show your results in (for example) an NSF progress report or an NSF poster presentation to demonstrate the status of the work.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: My assumption here is that this is a project where, though you developed it, you developed it in collaboration with your advisor, with advisor's funding, and within the advisor's broader research area. I also expect that when (or if) the paper is submitted, it will have the advisor's name on it, and you agree that's reasonable. If these aren't true, maybe some of the following would change.
Some examples of "project deliverables" and what I'd think:
Report to funding agency, public or private, or industrial collaborators: absolutely appropriate for your ex-advisor to show the results of your collaborative work to the funding agency.
Public seminars, posters: appropriate and common for your advisor to assume it's OK to show your results. You should hopefully be credited when this happens. If you have objections (i.e. you're worried about being scooped), you need to tell your advisor first.
Other deliverables: I could imagine your research being used as an example figure in a manual for a piece of equipment. This might be a bit less clear, and it wouldn't be unreasonable for the student to be credited - but I don't know if the student should be able to veto this.
Review paper: I have seen advisors discuss unpublished results in review papers, even including figures. This is sensible if either a) the paper is currently in submission, and expected to be published before the review comes out, or b) it is expected that the paper will not be published in its current form. If a), it would be polite to ask the students' permission. If b), the student should be a co-author on the review.
Separate research publication purporting to be original research: absolutely not OK. Student should be listed as author and needs to consent.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Questions of ethicality usually don't have a clear-cut answer, and this is no exception. Fundamentally, you should of course retain a say in what happens to the research that you produced as a grad student. On the other hand, it also seems completely fair and natural to include your work in reports to the funding agency that sponsored your work. Objecting against this may be an ethical violation in and of itself. Strictly speaking, and I am definitely not a lawyer, *not* reporting work that has been done in the context and using the money of an EU project may be a breach of the contract that your home institution has with the European Union (one would need to know the terms of the framework programme that the institution needs to sign when joining a project).
However, your main problem seems to be (from a comment):
>
> EU Project deliverables are usually published and a citable piece of work and they are different from NSF progress report. If it was a progress report or a poster it was totally fine with me, but when a major part of the paper now is published in the report I cannot submit my manuscript to a venue anymore unless I make a major revision.
>
>
>
Based on my experience in 3 EU projects, this is, in the generality you describe, just not true. Deliverables per themselves can be public or confidential, which is described in your *Description of Work*. Even if they are public, that usually just means that they are uploaded to your project's website (and maybe some third-party project result aggregator, depending on what clusters and collaborations your project is part of). While these deliverables *do* get the occasional citation, they are *not* formally published and should really not preempt further publication, even in verbatim. I would see this in the same way as a preprint - for most journals, uploading a preprint to arXiv or PeerJ does *not* mean that you can't submit to a journal, so why would your text appearing in an un-reviewed project report?
It is also my practical experience that most scientific reports consist largely, or at least to a significant part, of copied papers, some of them published and some unpublished at the time of submission. Hence, your ex-advisor's behavior is at least completely in line with what other PIs do and expect in such projects.
That all being said, I have once worked in a project that, by default, published a book volume once a year with Springer which collected all reports of the project. This would indeed count as formal publication. However, even if this or a similar arrangement is the case for you, a compromise could be found that your work appears in the "official" report to the EU and is retracted from the resulting book publication.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: I agree with the other answers that "legal" is probably not the right way to think of this. However, I disagree with the other answers who claim that it might be ethical as long as it is not an "official publication" or something of the kind.
If the project deliverable will be available to the public, no matter whether it is an official publication or not, I would think it is simply unethical to put your work in there without your consent. Generally speaking, I don't think it can be ethical to put someone else's work online, no matter the medium, no matter your authority relationship with them, without asking them for permission beforehand. (What matters to be is the *public* aspect; if the deliverable was an internal thing which didn't end up online, I would say otherwise.)
Of course, as other answers pointed out, if you are being funded/employed by this project, you may have a legal or ethical duty to accept that your work ends up in the deliverables; but I still think your advisor should at least let you know that this will happen, and should take into account reasonable objections (e.g., "I am concerned that the deliverable will be a problem when writing a paper with the work"; or "the work is unfinished and I am concerned it is not of sufficient quality to be published").
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/19
| 3,012
| 12,754
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a graduate student at a top-20 research university in the US who's working towards their PhD in an engineering field.
My issue is that I feel like I'm making very slow progress towards graduating. It's the end of my third year and I haven't even chosen a thesis topic. While I'm sure that some of the blame lies with me, here are some other extenuating circumstances.
* Few mentors. My PI is fairly busy and takes trips overseas often. As a result, their leadership style is mostly 'hands off, learn by doing' and they are rarely available on a day to day basis. My professor recently moved from another institution a few years ago and although they are highly regarded in the field, they weren't able to bring any of his graduate students with them. I joined the lab nearly when it first came to the school, so there really aren't any senior graduate students to give any practical guidance.
* I'm self-funded. My first year I took loans out, every term after that I've been able to pay for tuition as a teaching assistant, which is a good gig that I enjoy but it does take a significant amount of hours per week. (15-20 per week) Some of the lab members are research assistants, but not all.
* Lab projects can provide research funding but don't always contribute to graduating. My lab does a lot of short term (6mo-2 year projects) that can provide research assistant stipends. However, we have so many people that are trying to get in good with my PI that most times, people are volunteering to do the work for free. These projects tend to be pretty time consuming with close deadlines and high stress. I've joined a couple of them as a volunteer in order to be a bigger part of the lab but they ended up taking up so much of my time and energy that I couldn't really work on anything else.
The area that I'm interested in (robotics/controls) is fairly difficult to get into because you need to have some background in programming, electronics and mechanical design. I had an okay experience in undergrad which meant that I've spent a lot of time relearning/augmenting skills and theory. I feel like even after three years of grad school, I've barely gotten to the heart of what I need to know in order to understand current papers, much less advance the field of knowledge.
Should i stay/join another lab/leave for another school?
I've debated this ever since I came to the school. Initially I had just planned to do my master's here and then leave. However, I ended up staying because I felt like I had already made it pretty far at this school and have a way to provide for myself through TAing, have a good living situation, have been in the lab for a long time, etc. I'm hesitant to try and join the other professors' research groups because I'm not very interested in the topics they are focused on. I'm also hesitant to try and leave and go to another university because I don't have much to show for my time in grad school (I have a single conference paper that was recently accepted, no completed projects aside from classwork) and I'm not sure if I can get a good recommendation from my PI.
EDIT: No direct conflict with anyone, but possibly misunderstandings with the professor. I've worked on a few short term projects, most with middling success. In the first one, our lab didn't have the facilities to really make something well. The following year, I made a prototype design and later decided to pursue something else because I didn't feel like it was going anywhere. Most recently, we had a relatively large team project that I was heavily involved in but due to really short deadlines, it ended up being somewhat shoddily put together. I'm also working on a design project that's what my paper is in with a teammate but our work is being overshadowed by another lab mate who is taking a different approach.
I think the biggest difficulty making it hard for me to communicate with my professor is that I don't think he has a positive view of me/ how useful I'll be to him. Most of the face-to-face meetings I have with him he either doesn't seem to be interested in what I'm working on or doesn't think that I'll be able to contribute. As a result, I don't meet with him very much. (maybe once or twice in the past year)
EDIT2:
When I graduate I want to continue to work as a researcher, eventually leading a research group. As far as I can see, that could either be in academia or in industry. A teaching only position wouldn't be of much interest to me.
A minimum effort PhD isn't of interest to me because it wouldn't get me very far; I'm aiming to stay in this field and build on my work/knowledge afterwards. I'm aware that it will very likely be another 3-4 years before I can graduate.
---
TL;DR I'm willing to put in the work to graduate but I feel like it's been quite a while since I've made measurable progress and that I'm probably spinning my wheels due to a lack of mentors/people to learn from. What are my options, and what would you do in this situation?<issue_comment>username_1: I'm concerned that you don't mention anything about what you are aiming to do after you get your degree. While this is very common, it's no less dangerous. Do you have a personally-compelling answer to the questions "why am I doing this?" and "what do I want to get out of this experience?"
The problem with just kind of going along with the flow is that you will only get where the flow happens to take you, and this generally has absolutely no consideration for what your personal preferences and values are. This destination could be "being flung off a waterfall and onto a pile of rocks", for all you know, if you haven't put in serious effort to chart a course and decide what you want to aim for.
From your description of the situation, I imagine that the analysis of you from your advisor's perspective might be something like this:
* Nice person
* Does at least non-objectionable work
* Stays out of the way
* Doesn't cost me much of anything (money or time)
* Not particularly motivated
* Not really sure how I can help this person
What do they do? Well, they just kind of let you do your own thing, because as far as they can tell you are fine with that. It's not exactly active advising and mentoring, but it's the low-energy response, so it sounds like what they are going for. Some students even want exactly that out of their relationship with an advisor, so I can't even say you have a bad advisor - just one who's extremely hands-off.
The real danger here for you is: what's at the end of this flow for you, based on your current trajectory? What is the value to you of a "minimal PhD" (you passed and got the degree, but you didn't really do much more than what you had to)? Do you have solid evidence to support that this is a reasonably likely outcome?
The Options Ahead
-----------------
Once you'd done the probably-very-hard work of deciding what you want to aim for (which is extremely important, because every outcome requires a different technique), then you'll need to do the hard work of deciding how to make that happen before it is simply too late.
If you want to stay with your current advisor, you'll really have to light some fire under yourself and ditch the acceptance of the lab-hanger-on position. Make a provisional plan, make a meeting happen with him (anyone worth working with is busy - don't rationalize avoidance), and make it amazingly obvious that you aren't screwing around anymore. Have a reasonably detailed plan in hand, and talk about what you need to do as a next step to get things straightened out and headed in the right direction. Insist on being of value, and of being appropriately valued. You'll need to start to be assertive, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you, and see if your advisor is supportive of your new-found direction and goals. They won't be sending limos for you or anything, but they should at least be interested to see if you really do change your behavior of hiding in the background and going along to get along.
If you decide to seek out a different advisor, all of the above still applies. You are going to need to know at least somewhat about what you want to explore short-term and long-term, and be willing to start hard at work somewhere.
If your long-term goal requires more research, you're going to have to start trimming down the time and energy that goes into teaching and redirect it into research, either to get a research assistant position or just to get things done. If you've decided you want a teaching-only position - and you read up and explore what that really means in the real world of 4/4 and 5/5 course loads with no class buy-out or prep support - then you'll need to start pushing for being more than just a TA and find out what is necessary to start being an instructor of record, and any other professional development you'll need.
If you decide to switch institutions, none of the above changes. You'll be "starting over" only in the sense of having to bring a new approach, attitude, strategy, and energy to your work, or you can end up in the same place you are now in 3-years time. Most of anyone you'd ever want to work with will be busy advancing their own agenda, because that's just the reality of most modern University programs, like it or not.
If you decide to jump out of academia entirely, I would encourage you to still take the same attitude. I have personally never found life to hand out treasures easily, and going with the flow never seemed to take me anywhere I wanted to actually end up. I don't know if you would find the same thing - but I would strongly encourage you not to passively wait and find out.
Finally, I encourage you to consider the concept of [sunk cost](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_cost). The decision you made to be at this place for this period of time is done and gone, and absolutely nothing you can do will recover that. It isn't "invested" in the proper sense, and it isn't something you lose or don't lose - it's just the past. It's natural to try to use it to make decisions, but it provably encourages "throwing good money after bad" (or spending more time on a relationship that just isn't a good one, because you've already spent so much time on it) and other such bad decision making.
Do the hard work and soul-searching to make the best decision from this point forward, as considered from the perspective of you in 5-10 years. What is behind you is a very small thing compared to what is ahead of you. Good luck to you, regardless of what you decide.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It's not clear to me whether your PI has made a commitment to be your advisor. When you wrote "PI," should I take that as a synonym for "advisor"?
For the rest of my answer, I'll assume that he has made such a commitment, or that you go ahead and ask for clarification, and he provides it.
You need more regular guidance from your advisor. Typically, a PhD student would have a standing face to face meeting scheduled with the advisor. You can request that. (Don't let yourself get defensive or offensive -- just ask.)
Apparently there are things you like about this professor. In that case, it would be worth your while to bring the mountain to Mohammed, if you find that in practice, weekly meetings do not occur.
The way to bring the mountain to Mohammed is to use whatever mode of communication works for your advisor. You can try email, fax, Skype or something similar, phone, recorded audio or video, powerpoint, etc. You can ask him what would work best for him. You can experiment and then ask his opinion.
You'll have to take the initiative to find things to ask and discuss. For example, you can
* write a weekly report, where you can write up things you've learned in coursework, things you've learned in seminars, summaries of papers you've read, project proposals, project progress reports, etc.
* write an informal proposal about something you propose to do (either on the short term, or Some Day).
* invite him to edit or comment on what you've written.
* write up some questions. (If he doesn't answer them, work on finding the answers, and then the following week, write up the partial answers or additional confusion you have discovered.)
Have you finished all your basic exams for the PhD? If so, congratulations! If not, you can report on progress made, places you are stuck. (Presumably you are working from old exam questions....?)
If your advisor is unresponsive and uninterested after some time attempting these initiatives... then you'll know where you stand, and you'll know it's time to work with a different advisor and perhaps a different department.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/04/19
| 651
| 2,453
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<issue_start>username_0: I saw the following in a journal homepage at <http://www.pphmj.com/journals/jpanta_author_information.htm>
>
> **Print Charges:**
> To defray the publication cost, authors are requested to arrange print charges of their accepted papers at the rate of US$ 40 per page from their institutions/research grants, if any.
>
>
>
I don't understand the meaning of **if any** in the above sentences. I have a paper with no grant. Should I pay any thing?<issue_comment>username_1: **If** you are at **any** institution or **if** you have **any** grants, these should be used to pay the print charges.
If you don't have these, it implies you pay the charges out of your own pocket-- if you want a printed version of your paper, that is.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Another way of reading the sentence is:
>
> If you have an institution/research grant, then the page charges of
> $40 per page can be paid from that - otherwise, you as the author are required
> to organise payment the page fee from other funding sources.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: In my field (political science), a non-open access journal that charges publication fees clearly raises a red flag. But apparently publication fees in other fields are common for subscription-based journals (see comments). It might be just a coincidence then that Pushpa Publishing House is a [predatory publisher](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2158/how-to-identify-predatory-publishers-journals) that appears on "[Beall's List](https://clinicallibrarian.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/bealls-list-of-predatory-publishers/)".
**Don't publish with this journal.**
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: The **if any** is applicable to **their institutions/research grants**. So, this sentence basically means:
*The author has to pay from his/her own pocket if he/she cannot get it funded from his/her institution/research grants.*
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: Actually there is another interpretation that sometimes applies, though I can't say that it does here. For some journals, in some situations, if you don't have institutional or grant funds to pay page charges they are just forgiven and won't accrue to the author(s). I can't say how prevalent this is, but it has occurred (one of my mathematics papers, in fact).
But you should ask the editor what happens if you have no source of funding other than yourself.
Upvotes: 2
|
2017/04/19
| 788
| 3,182
|
<issue_start>username_0: I was recently offered a term position (VAP) from a good school, and was given one week to respond. I am still waiting to hear about a tenure-track position from another school – I already emailed them about the offer I received, and told them my timeline to accept it was the end of the week. I haven’t heard back from them, although I sent the chair a *thank you* after my campus visit and he responded quickly. I assume they received my notice and are still deliberating and will hopefully get back to me in time, but I’m not sure if I should call soon.
I also was told I am a frontrunner for a pretty good postdoc, but I won’t hear back until early next week. In potentially the former and definitely the latter case, I won’t know until after I’m supposed to tell the first school about my decision. Would it be classless to ask for a small extension on the offer? Or will it put my chances for the position in jeopardy? I honestly went to the campus very recently and didn’t expect to hear back for a few weeks, so I don’t know what that means for their search either. I don’t want to jeopardize the offer but the two I’m waiting on are my other top contenders.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Or will it put my chances for the position in jeopardy?
>
>
>
The position has been offered to you. The typical advice is the worst thing that can happen is they say *no*. There are some horror stories were an [offer was revoked](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/03/13/lost-faculty-job-offer-raises-questions-about-negotiation-strategy), but I would suggest you question wanting to work in any department that behaves that way.
It is completely reasonable to ask for a week or two week extension. When a school moves fast between visit and offer, it is unlikely you will get more than a week or two extension. That said, it cannot hurt to ask.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I have chaired faculty search committees before and this is a common problem. Most likely, they are giving you a short deadline because they do not want to lose other candidates that they like and are willing to hire while you take time to consider the offer made to you.
In most cases, if you can give them a short and specific extension they would be willing to grant it. For instance, stating that you had a campus visit last week and that you believe that you expect to hear back within the next week is a reasonable and professional request to extent the offer by an additional week. We have had candidates ask for an extra month so that they can go on additional campus visits that were weeks into the future and have said "no" to that, but there is greater uncertainty.
At worst, if they decline the extension you have a decision to make. It's a gamble. With academic jobs, it's like the saying, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Being told you are a front runner for the post-doc, does not mean you have that job. I would call the chair of the search committee for the position you are waiting on and try to see when their decision will be made. You have a reason to call them, so don't feel like you are bothering him or her.
Upvotes: 2
|
2017/04/19
| 2,025
| 7,585
|
<issue_start>username_0: I hold two degrees, a BSc (2011) and an MSc (2013), from the University of Waterloo. I noticed recently that on my BSc it reads "[...] and has been granted admission to that degree with all the rights and privileges thereto appertaining.", whereas on my MSc it reads "[...] with all associated rights, privileges and obligations." I'm a bit curious about the difference. First of all, I wonder what these obligations might be. Off the top of my head I can think of a couple of rights and privileges that would apply to me as a degree holder, but nothing that I might be obligated to do occurs to me. A quick search for an explanation of the text didn't turn anything up either. I also wonder whether the association of obligations to the degree is peculiar to the MSc for some reason. Would also be curious about the ubiquity (or not) of such statements at other institutions.<issue_comment>username_1: Obligations of a Degree-Holder
==============================
It seems reasonable that the degree-conferring institution would expect the following of those whom it grants degrees to:
* Maintain or enhance the reputation of your school.
* Maintain or enhance the reputation of your earned degree.
* Support the education of others.
* Education is privilege. A degree typically brings wealth and power to its owner. Do what others cannot do to make the world a better place.
* A higher degree implies understanding, and the world holds you to a higher standard because of it. Use your understanding to bring understanding to others.
It might be worth contacting your institution to see how they would articulate these obligations. (If you do, please share!)
Useful Article
==============
There's a thoughtful article written about this by Dr. <NAME>, president of Berry College. You can read it [here](http://www.berry.edu/uploadedFiles/Website/President/_Assets/Documents/Essays/2008Spring_RightsPrivilegesandObligations.pdf). Of course, it's written for graduates of Berry College, but it applies equally well for all of us. For those interested in this topic, it's worth a skim.
TL;DR: Degree-holders' opportunities for education were given by others. Degree-holders therefore have, in a sense, an obligation to pay it forward.
Here's an excerpt:
>
> On average, a college degree results in higher status, higher salaries and
> a better quality of life. As graduates accept their diplomas, I remind
> them that they have earned this distinction – but only in part. **I
> appeal to them also to receive and cherish this honor as a gift,
> because others have made it possible.** Others before them sacrificed to
> build America’s remarkable infrastructure – its institutions,
> political and economic systems, and freedoms. Still others built Berry
> – the financial base, facilities and programs that students today
> receive as an inheritance.
>
>
> <NAME> stands as an exemplar in this regard. Although she never
> graduated from college herself, through a lifetime of devotion and
> determination she made it possible for thousands of others to graduate
> from college. **It is important that we not take for granted her efforts
> or those of her many partners and successors.** Berry students have
> always worked hard for their education, but they also have always
> benefited greatly from the foresight and generosity of others.
>
>
> For these reasons, Berry graduates **have an obligation to build the systems
> and structures of the future.** They need to become the pillars on which
> communities are built by serving as leaders in local agencies, schools
> and churches. They should open doors for those who need assistance and
> direction. **They ought to provide a fitting return on the investment
> that others have made in them. In so doing, Berry’s graduates affirm
> that those of us who are privileged should strive all the more not to
> act privileged. Rights and privileges should advance what one gives,
> not what one gets.**
>
>
>
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: Some insight can be gained from considering the Oxford degree day ceremony, which is still conducted in Latin and uses fairly traditional formulae in admitting graduands to degrees. The descriptions used indicate various rights and responsibilities (all translations from [here](https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/field/field_document/Degree%20ceremony_201617_web.pdf)):
Candidates for the DD, DCL, DM and MCh (all higher doctorates) swear to the following:
>
> Doctors (Masters or ladies/gentlemen), you shall swear
> to **observe the statutes, privileges, customs and liberties
> of this University**. Also when you shall have been
> admitted to the House of Congregation and to the House
> of Convocation you shall **bear yourselves in them well
> and faithfully to the honour and profit of the University**.
> And especially in those matters which concern Graces
> and Degrees you shall **not impede the worthy or put
> forward the unworthy**. Also at elections you shall **record
> and nominate one only at one time and no more in each
> scrutiny, and nominate no one unless you know certainly
> or believe firmly that s/he is fit and proper**.
>
>
>
For other higher degrees:
>
> You shall swear to **observe the statutes, privileges, customs
> and liberties of the University**, as far as they concern you.
>
>
>
They are then admitted to the degree by the Vice-Chancellor, with the wording (for the DD, DCL, DM and MCh):
>
> To the honour of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and for the profit
> of our Holy Mother Church, and of learning, I, by my
> own authority and that of the whole University, give you
> licence to incept [begin to teach] in the Faculty of Arts (or
> Faculty of Surgery, Medicine, Law or Theology) to lecture,
> to dispute and to do all the other things that pertain to
> the rank of Master (or Doctor) in the same Faculty, when
> those things have been completed which the Statutes
> require, in the name of the Lord – Father, and Son, and
> <NAME>.
>
>
>
(A non-Christian formula is available if graduands request).
Other higher degrees have a formula either conferring permission to incept (begin to teach) in the faculty, or just admitting them to the degree.
For the MA, graduands swear an oath "binding them **to
be loyal, obedient and faithful to the University and its
interests, and to comport themselves circumspectly at
elections to University offices**" before being admitted by the Vice-Chancellor.
Finally, BA graduands are admitted with the following formula:
>
> Ladies/gentlemen, I admit you to the degree of Bachelor
> of Arts: furthermore by my own authority and that of the
> whole University, I give you the power of lecturing, and of
> doing all the other things which concern the said degree.
>
>
>
To summarize, traditionally degrees were about membership in a Faculty of the university, and came with responsibilities to uphold the rules of the university, and participate fairly in elections. (These aren't empty words at Oxford, where they still confer 'MA status' on faculty members who do not have an Oxford MA so that they can participate in the governing bodies, and which still allows all graduates to vote on the Chancellorship and Professorship of Poetry). It may be that something similar is indicated in the University of Waterloo's ceremony or statutes, although it's also possible it's just traditional phrasing without anything formal behind it nowadays.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
|
2017/04/19
| 1,930
| 7,148
|
<issue_start>username_0: Business School faculty here. We have some budget to buy electronics. We're thinking of buying a Virtual Reality "thing" and using it somehow.
We can use it for pedagogy, or as a marketing tool, etc. (E.g., it could contain a demonstration of the advantages of a business degree, and we could leave it in our waiting room or take it with us to student recruitment events).
We can't figure out what to buy and how to use it.
Suggestions?<issue_comment>username_1: Obligations of a Degree-Holder
==============================
It seems reasonable that the degree-conferring institution would expect the following of those whom it grants degrees to:
* Maintain or enhance the reputation of your school.
* Maintain or enhance the reputation of your earned degree.
* Support the education of others.
* Education is privilege. A degree typically brings wealth and power to its owner. Do what others cannot do to make the world a better place.
* A higher degree implies understanding, and the world holds you to a higher standard because of it. Use your understanding to bring understanding to others.
It might be worth contacting your institution to see how they would articulate these obligations. (If you do, please share!)
Useful Article
==============
There's a thoughtful article written about this by Dr. <NAME>, president of Berry College. You can read it [here](http://www.berry.edu/uploadedFiles/Website/President/_Assets/Documents/Essays/2008Spring_RightsPrivilegesandObligations.pdf). Of course, it's written for graduates of Berry College, but it applies equally well for all of us. For those interested in this topic, it's worth a skim.
TL;DR: Degree-holders' opportunities for education were given by others. Degree-holders therefore have, in a sense, an obligation to pay it forward.
Here's an excerpt:
>
> On average, a college degree results in higher status, higher salaries and
> a better quality of life. As graduates accept their diplomas, I remind
> them that they have earned this distinction – but only in part. **I
> appeal to them also to receive and cherish this honor as a gift,
> because others have made it possible.** Others before them sacrificed to
> build America’s remarkable infrastructure – its institutions,
> political and economic systems, and freedoms. Still others built Berry
> – the financial base, facilities and programs that students today
> receive as an inheritance.
>
>
> <NAME> stands as an exemplar in this regard. Although she never
> graduated from college herself, through a lifetime of devotion and
> determination she made it possible for thousands of others to graduate
> from college. **It is important that we not take for granted her efforts
> or those of her many partners and successors.** Berry students have
> always worked hard for their education, but they also have always
> benefited greatly from the foresight and generosity of others.
>
>
> For these reasons, Berry graduates **have an obligation to build the systems
> and structures of the future.** They need to become the pillars on which
> communities are built by serving as leaders in local agencies, schools
> and churches. They should open doors for those who need assistance and
> direction. **They ought to provide a fitting return on the investment
> that others have made in them. In so doing, Berry’s graduates affirm
> that those of us who are privileged should strive all the more not to
> act privileged. Rights and privileges should advance what one gives,
> not what one gets.**
>
>
>
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: Some insight can be gained from considering the Oxford degree day ceremony, which is still conducted in Latin and uses fairly traditional formulae in admitting graduands to degrees. The descriptions used indicate various rights and responsibilities (all translations from [here](https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/field/field_document/Degree%20ceremony_201617_web.pdf)):
Candidates for the DD, DCL, DM and MCh (all higher doctorates) swear to the following:
>
> Doctors (Masters or ladies/gentlemen), you shall swear
> to **observe the statutes, privileges, customs and liberties
> of this University**. Also when you shall have been
> admitted to the House of Congregation and to the House
> of Convocation you shall **bear yourselves in them well
> and faithfully to the honour and profit of the University**.
> And especially in those matters which concern Graces
> and Degrees you shall **not impede the worthy or put
> forward the unworthy**. Also at elections you shall **record
> and nominate one only at one time and no more in each
> scrutiny, and nominate no one unless you know certainly
> or believe firmly that s/he is fit and proper**.
>
>
>
For other higher degrees:
>
> You shall swear to **observe the statutes, privileges, customs
> and liberties of the University**, as far as they concern you.
>
>
>
They are then admitted to the degree by the Vice-Chancellor, with the wording (for the DD, DCL, DM and MCh):
>
> To the honour of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and for the profit
> of our Holy Mother Church, and of learning, I, by my
> own authority and that of the whole University, give you
> licence to incept [begin to teach] in the Faculty of Arts (or
> Faculty of Surgery, Medicine, Law or Theology) to lecture,
> to dispute and to do all the other things that pertain to
> the rank of Master (or Doctor) in the same Faculty, when
> those things have been completed which the Statutes
> require, in the name of the Lord – Father, and Son, and
> Holy Ghost.
>
>
>
(A non-Christian formula is available if graduands request).
Other higher degrees have a formula either conferring permission to incept (begin to teach) in the faculty, or just admitting them to the degree.
For the MA, graduands swear an oath "binding them **to
be loyal, obedient and faithful to the University and its
interests, and to comport themselves circumspectly at
elections to University offices**" before being admitted by the Vice-Chancellor.
Finally, BA graduands are admitted with the following formula:
>
> Ladies/gentlemen, I admit you to the degree of Bachelor
> of Arts: furthermore by my own authority and that of the
> whole University, I give you the power of lecturing, and of
> doing all the other things which concern the said degree.
>
>
>
To summarize, traditionally degrees were about membership in a Faculty of the university, and came with responsibilities to uphold the rules of the university, and participate fairly in elections. (These aren't empty words at Oxford, where they still confer 'MA status' on faculty members who do not have an Oxford MA so that they can participate in the governing bodies, and which still allows all graduates to vote on the Chancellorship and Professorship of Poetry). It may be that something similar is indicated in the University of Waterloo's ceremony or statutes, although it's also possible it's just traditional phrasing without anything formal behind it nowadays.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
|
2017/04/19
| 1,068
| 3,414
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have been offered a faculty position at a computer science department of a small Canadian University.
1. Is there a funding agency in Canada that is commonly targeted by Computer Scientists similar to the NSF in the US?
2. Are there any funding opportunities tailored to early career researchers?<issue_comment>username_1: The organization you're looking for is called [NSERC](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/index_eng.asp), and has many opportunities available. I don't know all of them (I'm a PhD student, not a professor), but here are some highlights:
* [Discovery Grants for researchers](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/Grants-Subs/DGIGP-PSIGP_eng.asp)
* [Post-doctoral fellowships](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PD-NP/PDF-BP_eng.asp)
* [Doctoral Scholarships](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PG-CS/BellandPostgrad-BelletSuperieures_eng.asp)
* The [Vanier Doctoral award](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PG-CS/VanierCGS-VanierBESC_eng.asp)
* [Master's Scholarships](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PG-CS/CGSM-BESCM_eng.asp)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: It depends on the kinds of projects that you plan to develop. If you are pursuing theoretical Computer Science, there are NSERC, Innovation.ca, and Innocentive (although the latter can be privatized). If you plan to collaborate across several fields, you can add to the aforementioned CIHR, SADI, NCE competitions, IDRC, GenomeCanada, CEF, Canadian Space Agency, TDP, NRC, NIH, MITACS. The list continues, but the major grant competitions in academia for non-humanities/social sciences are NSERC and CIHR.
For a full list of agencies, the canada.ca website is a great resource to start you off.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: [NSERC Discovery Grants](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/Grants-Subs/DGIGP-PSIGP_eng.asp) are the analogue of NSF standard grants in the US. You can see the topics they cover in computer science [here](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/Grants-Subs/DGPList-PSDListe_eng.asp#1507). NSERC follows a different philosophy from the NSF of having smaller grants (about $30,000/year for 5 years on average) but a much higher success rate. Also, NSERC grants don't cover summer salary for professors (which is part of why they are so much smaller). In 2016 ([statistics here](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/_doc/Professors-Professeurs/2016DGStats_e.pdf)), the success rate for early career researchers in CS was 64%, and the renewal rate for established researchers was 78%.
For more details, you should speak to a contact at the school you're considering, as there might be unique factors there, and you can get a better sense of how far money will go there.
**EDIT:** NSERC doesn't seem to have a special young faculty program (like the NSF has with CAREER), but they do make special provision for "early-career researchers" (which basically means the first couple of years of a permanent position) to not penalize them for not having a track-record of training students and postdocs, so they get funded when their rating is a bit below the cut-off for more senior people. There is the [Steacie Fellowship](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Prizes-Prix/Steacie-Steacie/About-Apropos_eng.asp), which is more comparable to PECASE (there are 6 in Canada per year).
Upvotes: 3
|
2017/04/20
| 404
| 1,369
|
<issue_start>username_0: Which of these bibliography citations is preferred?:
>
> <NAME>. *Paper Cadavers: The Archives of Dictatorship in Guatemala.* Durham: Duke University Press, 2014.
>
>
> <NAME>. *Paper Cadavers: The Archives of Dictatorship in Guatemala.* Durham: Duke University Press Books, 2014.
>
>
>
Google shows both forms are in use for this particular book (and many like it).
In total, Google yields 442,000 results for "Durham: Duke University Press" and 14,200 results for "Durham: Duke University Press Books." Why are there two competing forms?<issue_comment>username_1: It doesn't matter. Pick one option and stick to it also when citing other books from Duke. I would go with the shorter and more frequently used version.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Their web site says [Duke University Press](https://www.dukeupress.edu/) (see also [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_University_Press)) and the copyright page from the [amazon.com "Look inside" option](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0822356023) says Duke University Press. Googling "Duke University Press Books" suggests to me that the addition of "Books" is extra, not part of the official name, such as saying "Dover Publishers Books" rather than "Dover Publishers". Thus, I think **Duke University Press** is what you want to use.
Upvotes: 2
|
2017/04/20
| 1,305
| 5,103
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have a physical book from an Australian publisher which is nearly a thousand pages long, so it's quite hard to carry around with me. It is a book of worked solutions for a math textbook. It has no digital version, presumably to prevent people form distributing it online.
Since it would be much more convenient for me to have a digital copy, would it be okay to scan a copy of the book to keep with me, strictly for personal use? By "okay", I am asking more about its legality than its ethicality, preferably in the US.
---
Although I probably intended this question to be more general, here is the information for this specific book.
There is a disclaimer related to copying in the front page of the book, which says:
>
> Except as permitted by the Copyright Act (any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review), no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Any enquiries are to be made to the [publishing company].
>
>
>
The first part of this statement seems to suggest it might be allowed *for private study,* which seems to be the situation I am in.
One other notice that can be found in the book, right below the above notice:
>
> Copying for educational purposes: Where copies of part or the whole of the book are made under Part VB of the Copyright Act, the law requires that the educational institution or the body that administers it has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL). For information, contact the Copyright Agency Limited.
>
>
>
Part VB of the Copyright does not seem to apply to me as I am not a teacher (I am not a lawyer, either!). Is my only option in this case to contact the Copyright Agency or the publishers? I assume that if there is no resolution, I would have to try to obtain permission specifically from the publisher, which seems to be the safest option.<issue_comment>username_1: I am not a lawyer. This is a general caveat, and it is also why I don't know which copyright law applies: Australia's (where the book was published) or Germany's (where you reside). I would think Australia's, but I don't know for sure.
Under the laws of both countries it is illegal to make a full copy of a copyrighted book, but different exceptions apply. In brief: **Under German and Austrian law, only manual copying is allowed. Under Australian law, you can legally scan a book that you own** for your private use.
### In Germany and Austria
According to the *[Urhebergesetz](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privatkopie#Im_Wesentlichen_vollst.C3.A4ndige_Kopien_von_B.C3.BCchern_etc.)* (copyright-holder law), a full copy may only be made by handwriting or -typing (§ 53 Abs. 4 Nr. 2 in Germany and § 42 (8) in Austria). This restriction also covers non-commercial personal and research purposes. An exception applies to works that have been out of print (for at least two years in Germany).
### In Australia
The Copyright Act governs the reproduction of artistic, literary, dramatic, and musical works. Presumably this is an open list that includes also scientific works. The following information is taken from the official brochure "[A Short Guide to Copyright Law](https://www.ag.gov.au/RightsAndProtections/Documents/ShortGuidetoCopyright-October2012.pdf)".
In general, reproducing a copyrighted book is illegal, but there are exceptions.
There is a "fair dealing" exception for, *inter alia*, research purposes. Whether this exception applies depends on "the amount and substantiality of the portion copied". As a rule, several articles from a journal or one chapter from a book may be copied.
The most important exception for your case, however, is the **format-shifting exception**. It "allows certain types of material that a person owns to be copied into a different format for private or domestic use. For example, a book can be scanned into an electronic form".
### Finally
On a pragmatic and ethical note: You bought the book, and there seems to be no ebook version that you could buy instead of scanning the book. Thus no harm is done if you scan it. As the German adage goes, "wo kein Kläger da kein Richter" (no plaintiff -- no judge).
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: **Australian law:** This matter is dealt with under [Section 43C](http://www6.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s43c.html) of the *Copyright Act 1968* (Cth), which relates to reproducing works (that you own) for private use.
Broadly speaking, this section allows you to take a book you own and make a copy in a different format (e.g., scanned pdf) for your own "private and domestic use". You can only use this for your own personal use, and you are not allowed to sell, lease or trade the copy you have created, and you cannot retain the copy if you trade the original book to another person. Read the section to get a full explanation.
Upvotes: 0
|
2017/04/20
| 1,724
| 7,037
|
<issue_start>username_0: I’m doing my PhD in computer science in Germany and next year would be my 4th (last) year. I can wrap it up until then, but I really like to have an extension to the 5th year. There are still 2–3 ideas that I have investigated but couldn’t finish because of the time frame, so I would like to do a bit more.
I have two publications so far and hopefully can have one more during the coming year, but I would like to have more publications, especially in better conferences. Also I think that I do not have yet enough expertise on the topic I’m working on.
Anyway, my supervisor prefers that I finish my PhD in four years, although I haven’t talked to him seriously about it yet. Also the funding would be available outside of his grant budget so he won’t be worried about it.
I’ve heard of many other students who finished in five or even six years, but I’m not sure in practice how important it could be especially if I can have good publications by extending my PhD.<issue_comment>username_1: The quality of your thesis overshadows the length/duration of your PhD.
Having said that, it depends on your goals. If you *clearly* think (and your adviser as well) that another year would make a big impact on the quality of your thesis and, consequently, on your CV, and is not too risky to pursue extra work (i.e., the questions you want to tackle are not too ambitious and you have a good possibility of enhancing your CV) *then* go for it. Otherwise, I am not sure you would want to stay at PhD while you could be looking for your next (PostDoc or industry) jobs.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Finishing your PhD doesn't stop you from continuing in your field and creating additional publications. It is more likely people will look at your individual publications that at the contents of your thesis - but they *will* see that it took you five years.
If your department has funding to keep you after your defense, get the thesis wrapped up and keep publishing. It will look better.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: There are two separate questions that could be asked here:
1. Is it better or worse (or the same) to do a PhD in 5 years instead of 4?
2. How does it look to others viewing the CV of a person who does a PhD in 5 years instead of 4?
The first question is a perfectly reasonable question, and we can all imagine the cost/benefit factors that might go into answering it (it depends on a lot of factors).
But since the actual question being asked is #2, I'll ignore all of that cost/benefit analysis and say: basically, they look almost identical to others. In my experience, when people are being evaluated for the purposes of hiring (or promotion or awards), almost always the chronological datum that is used is "years since completion of the PhD". In that case, the number of years it takes to complete a PhD is (axiomatically) irrelevant.
Even if there is some tiny difference for the very first round of hiring, the quality of the letters of recommendation is far more important than the historical data on the CV.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> **Q:** What do you call someone who finished their Ph.D. after five years instead of four?
>
>
> **A:** A Ph.D.
>
>
>
Enough said.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: It depends on your next goal.
If you want to stay in academia
===============================
If you want to stay in academia, **do it.** The quality of your papers and your dissertation are very important, and an additional year with good results might certainly be worth it.
If you want to get a job in the industry
========================================
If you want to get a job in the industry, **don't do it**. The additional year is going to hurt your CV and delay the moment until you get a proper income even more.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Perhaps this might look a way "special" for some people and they can end up with some (probably wrong) assumptions about you if your education/research years happen to deviate from what is considered the common norm.
But I'd recommend to just opt-out of being a part of the world of stereotypes, prejudice and "magical thinking" kind of judgement and take (if offered) as much time as you need to make the research you want with adequate quality and with a fair amount of joy.
I believe that whoever whose opinion is going to be relevant to your further career will probably bother finding out the reason of the deviation (if interested at all) and respect the decision to take somewhat more time for a better job over choosing mediocrity just to fit in the common time frame (if the reason for the delay is something other than above-average quality (or a serious sickness or something like that) though, I'd recommend to invest some effort and make it at least somewhat above-average however).
Under "quality" I mean all the things that evaluate a research paper: how interesting, important, unexplored and hard-to-explore the subject is, how comprehensive your research is, how well-defined, well-verified and easily-applicable your result are, how well-written the actual paper is etc.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: If you're planning to continue your life in academia (become a professor or a senior scientist), then it doesn't matter, because you'll seek a postdoc job next, which will only be different by contract type and the money you get (I assume you get 50%, or at best 75%, of a position now? that's the average to best in Germany... I've been there).
If you're planning to go to industry and leave academia, then I don't know how much to emphasize that you should finish as soon as possible. A company mostly doesn't give a damn about your PhD thesis or publications as much as that you have a PhD title from a university. ***All*** that a company cares about is your skills and age. Other than your skills, primarily, nothing matters! It's very unlikely that you'll gain new production relevant skills by staying another year (you may become a better researcher though). So I would recommend that you get out and start your serious career (again, in case you don't want to continue in academia).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_8: I finished my PhD in five years instead of four. I knew I would leave academics afterwards and my fifth year was combined with my first year in industry. It was tough but did not impact the slightest my future career (in the sense that it was 5y and not 4). A fellow of mine did the same thing.
I then hired over the years a few PhD in the company I was working in and I never checked how long it took them to get the grade. The fact that they had it was rather an indication of character/orientation than ability/fitness for work.
Finally, you mention that your PhD is in Germany. I do not know if you intend to stay there afterwards but a PhD is **immensely** positive (prestigious) and, by all means, get it (even if it not of that much use afterwards - like in my case).
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<issue_start>username_0: Some journals, such as many of the EGU [Copernicus](http://www.copernicus.org/) publications, publish the initial manuscript and the (anonymous) peer reviews and author replies along with the full manuscript. When reviewing for such a journal, should I review any differently than when I write a review for a classical journal where only the editor and authors should be expected to ever see the review?<issue_comment>username_1: In theory we should be as thoughtful and careful regardless. In practice I found that I paid more attention to correct spelling and formatting for reviews I knew were going to be available online. I think the real benefit of publishing the reviews is avoiding the senselessly mean reviews and promote a more mature academic style.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: One possible factor: the audience for your referee reports will be wider, which means people with less background may read them. When I write referee reports, it is often from one expert to another -- so it would be easy to say, for instance, "As you know, Fact X is true..." without a citation. This might be a bad habit in regular refereeing, but if the reports are public, it's worth being a bit more careful on that.
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<issue_start>username_0: I have not published any papers yet, and I was wondering on the process of writing and publishing an academic papers on different fields, and their differences. I have seen some related posts here, but none that fully summarizes the steps one typically takes to write/publish a paper. I'd like to see how this process may differ in various fields.<issue_comment>username_1: In the field of **Economics**:
1. Read a lot about a field you are interested in, and come up with an idea/hypothesis for a paper. Perhaps talk to your colleagues to generate an idea.
2. Start experimenting and modelling to see if your hypothesis is true. Countless trial and error here, until you obtain satisfactory results.
3. Write about the results you've obtained.
4. Once you have a draft of working paper, try talking to other professionals in the field to see if they have any insights. Attend some workshops/conferences to present your draft and get feedback.
5. Edit the paper according to the feedback you've received until you feel that it's of sufficient quality to be published.
6. Choose a publisher/editors to review your paper. If they accept your paper, then revise your paper according to their suggestions and congratulation! You have published a paper.
7. If they reject your paper, revise your paper and submit it elsewhere.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I would say all good research follows the general scientific method, or a tailored version thereof. In some fields the type of experiment and types of analysis are different but I wouldn't say this changes anything major. Research is research after all. The [science buddies website](http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.shtml) is a good starting point to read up on the scientific method.
The answer by @Hosea is a mini version of the scientific method. I'm in the field of engineering and the same process pretty much applies (though in industry you typically do work and then see if you can also publish a paper on it).
In short the scientific method is as follows (from the [science buddies website](http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.shtml)):
If you are aiming for a certain field or journal, read some of the most cited papers over the last year or two in that field or journal, and extract the style, outline, argument and logic flow from there. Your supervisor should also be able to advise you there.
Where you would see a big difference to the scientific method are in the "soft sciences" like humanities and languages.
Upvotes: 1
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