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2017/05/07
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<issue_start>username_0: It is (of course) a rule that the speaker's affiliation appears alongside their name in their presentation at a conference.
What's the best practice in the case of no current affiliation? Did you have personal instances, either as speaker or audience?
(Please note: The question is not about publications, which has already been discussed e.g. [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/60082/using-home-address-when-submitting-an-article-with-no-affiliation).)
EDIT:
Saying that one can simply write their name and nothing else should be obvious and straightforward to everyone. What the question is about is suggestions that either look better than this "trivial solution", or address the fact that it is unusual.<issue_comment>username_1: The most effective solution I have seen is use geographic locations instead of institutions. This also solves the issue of listing every affiliation a particular speaker has if they have more than a couple appointments or titles (or even if they have recently moved to a new institution, perhaps).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I will base my answer upon a statement from the OP's comments:
>
> In a conference though, mentioning an affiliation which is not current would be a quite serious mistake.
>
>
>
As I have expressed before in [another answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/38306/14017), I do not see any reason why an "affiliation" needs to be something explicitly formalized, or why affiliations need to be mutually exclusive.
As such, I disagree with the above statement.
At least in fields where the conference paper is an actual publication, and the presentation is simply a part of paper publication via the conference, basically, the author details (including affiliation) in the conference presentation on a paper should be the same as those indicated on the paper.
Some information can be added, though:
* The author who presents the paper in the conference may be highlighted.
* If someone other than one of the authors presents the paper, their name may be listed on the presentation (in such a way that it is clear they are the presenter and none of the authors).
* And, to address this question, if someone would like to update their contact or other details, they can indicate the changes during the presentation.
Lastly, for what it's worth, when you present a paper on a conference and that paper was created as a part of your work in your previous job, you *are* affiliated with that previous employer by the very act of presenting on behalf of your former position.
Therefore, I suggest the following course of action:
**List your affiliation as it is stated on the paper.
Next to that, add something like "(now independent researcher)".**
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: For the record, I eventually only wrote my name on the slides.
In my intro I mentioned verbally my field (which was still physics, but a different field than that of the conference), and I have the feeling that this made the matter even more trivial to the audience's eyes. In any case the issue didn't arise in any of the subsequent discussions.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/07
| 607
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<issue_start>username_0: I am considering submitting my paper to both a computer science journal and arXiv. No version of the paper has been published in any conference or anything at this point.
* Is this going to be an issue with the journal?
* Should I hold off submitting to arXiv?
* If this is journal dependent, how do I find out about the journal policy?<issue_comment>username_1: My understanding is that it won't be an issue. The latter is mostly dependent on the aspects relative to the legal nature of the copyright (the contract between you - the author - and the publisher - the journal) and the pair-review process. My understanding is that what you publish in ArXiv is a **raw manuscript** which is the "raw-material" that goes into the pair-review process. The pair reviewed article (**pre-print**) has suffered many "transformations" based on the the reviewing-editors' requests. The copyright you're required to sign, regulates the **pre-print** and not the **raw-manuscript**. Therefore, putting your raw-manuscript on ArXiv shouldn't be an issue as long as the **raw-material** and the **pre-print** are not identical. If the latter is false, the reviewers would have not suggested **any** changes (not even cosmetic changes - rephrasing some fragment, for example) to the article, which, in my experience, is quite rare.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: The answer is field dependent, in particular some fields in the humanities tend to consider "already published" what appeared even on a web page. Also, Glam magazines such as Nature and Science want to be able to keep the papers secret until they release them, possibly with communication toward the press. In mathematics, the most theoretical parts of computer science, and some of physics you can definitely put a preprint on the arXiv before submitting to a journal (there might be journals who don't enable this, but they would be a small minority). There is [an excellent resource](http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/index.php) to determine the policy of a journal or publisher.
All of this could be gathered from previous comments. Now, the reason why I write this answer is to stress that for Elsevier, the default policy is that you can put your preprint on the arXiv and later update it according to referee's comment ("postprint" version), but you do not have the right to put the postprint on the arXiv between acceptance and 12 months after publication if the preprint was not there before. To avoid trouble you should thus put your preprint on the arXiv *before acceptance* (before submission being the easiest way).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2017/05/08
| 1,877
| 8,043
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a decently good student (3.8 gpa, 4th year undergraduate). I have gotten A and A- in all major courses (except a B- right as I transferred), but I have a concern. I have Asperger Syndrome and dislike social encounters and crowds; therefore, I have always done my work in solitude and avoided interaction with peers or faculty whenever possible. I am sure that I am a good student, so I was convinced on this basis that I'd be a good candidate for a PhD program. Now I am finding out, however, that 3 letters of recommendation are expected to accompany an application to a US PhD program (in philosophy).
None of the professors whose classes I've taken, despite my above average work (including a handful of A+ essays), know who I am or what I've done or what I'm capable of, etc. Therefore I feel very hesitant to ask for a letter of recommendation, as I expect it cannot contain more than a restatement of my transcript in some way. [Even if I explain that I had good reason not to interact with others, that doesn't retroactively cause anyone to know me better.]
If I were to ask my professors/lecturers (past and current) for a letter of recommendation, am I correct in concluding I will likely get none, or at least none that are good? Additionally, is it true that one cannot apply to a PhD program in the US with no recommendations? Finally, if I secure 3 mediocre letters of recommendation, should I apply just in case I'm accepted?
Thanks.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, you can ask for recommendations from people you don't know well; send an email with one to three of your best papers attached, as well as an unofficial transcript; in the body of the email, remind the professor which course(s) you've taken with that person. Include a sentence or a paragraph about what draws you to the idea of grad school, that is, show your spark.
Yes, you can apply for grad school with mediocre letters; you may or may not get in. (I do not know whether the letters you would harvest at this point would be mediocre or not.) You are right that this might not be the optimal way of proceeding.
Now I'll address what you asked in a comment.
>
> "What does being more involved look like?" In other words, as a student with Asperger's, who is not naturally outgoing or extroverted, how can I get to know my professors better, with the goal of garnering more effective letters of recommendation?
>
>
>
I'm glad you asked this well in advance of application season, because this gives you time to get to know potential letter writers before you really need the letters.
1. Ask questions and contribute to class discussions.
(You've done this -- check!)
2. Visit office hours to start to build an academic relationship.
You don't have to need help with a project in order to visit office hours. If you are not sure how to structure a conversation in office hours, you could send an email requesting an appointment (so that the professor isn't thrown off thinking you're just coming in for five minutes to, for example, request clarification of an assignment); if I were in your shoes I would say, quite clearly,
>
> "I would like to go to grad school and am hoping to get to know you better, so that I can comfortably ask you to write a letter of recommendation. However, I have Asperger's and am not accustomed to visiting office hours, but I would like to try; I may need some help getting started with having a productive conversation." (You can use this as is or modify it to make it your own.)
>
>
>
3. You can also start a conversation through email. Some individuals are more comfortable with email than in-person visits. If you're not sure which would work better for you, you might want to try both approaches.
In office hours and in email correspondence, in order to break the ice sometimes it is helpful to share a list of universities you are thinking about applying to, and ask for help in narrowing down the list, or adding to it (depending on the length of your list!). In other words, you can ostensibly be asking one thing, as a way of getting the ball rolling.
4. Note that you can ask your university's office of students with disabilities for assistance if you want to. There is no guarantee that they will help, but they might, and as long as you don't put all your hope in that external assistance, there's no harm in trying. (Some of these offices are great, some less so.)
5. You might find it helpful to have a grad-application buddy. Sort of a partner in crime. Someone who's going through the same process as you, and you support each other through the process. In fact, your application buddy might go with you to the first couple of office hours visits for moral support.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Is there a department of philosophy at your current institution? Are there any formal/semi-formal ways that professors and graduate or undergraduate students in philosophy meet as a group? Such as a seminar series or colloquium? Assuming you are applying for the fall where deadlines are often somewhere around December 1st, you still have time to participate in these. If you don't know where to find out about these sorts of events, it would be appropriate for you to ask one of your professors, especially if you state your future interest in graduate school. "I am interested in graduate school in philosophy and I was wondering if there are seminars that graduate students here participate in, and if so, if I can join as well."
Understandably, these might be uncomfortable situations for you, but perhaps your shared interest in philosophy would help distract you from the social aspects (especially because it sounds like you successfully cope in lecture settings, and have even been comfortable asking questions, which might put you ahead of many fellow students who would otherwise identify as neurotypical).
Otherwise, or in addition, how do you prefer to express yourself? It sounds like you have some success with writing. I think you could also write to a current/former professor who shares some of your interests: "I am interested in topic XXX and I am interested in a future in graduate school in philosophy. I dislike some social situations because of Asperger Syndrome but I am interested in discussing the topic with you. Would you have time and be willing to read and comment on some writing I intend to do on the subject outside class (~xx pages)?"
Professors may or may not have time to accommodate you with that request, but at a minimum it shows that you have some interest in the topic beyond coursework which won't hurt you, and in the optimal situation, you will interact with that person more closely and have an opportunity both to express your interests and abilities and to have a contact person for suggestions for other aspects of the graduate application process (such as particular programs/professors at other institutions that will also align with your interests).
And just to add a response to your actual title question: No I do not think it precludes you getting recommendation letters, but you will probably not get the one stellar letter that makes an admission committee look extra close. Depending on how the rest of your application looks as well as the personal opinions of the admissions committee, it might not matter at all in any case. Recommendation letters can be difficult to interpret. Given the time you have between now and when applications are likely due, I would advise that you make some effort or set a goal to have at least 1 professor who can give you a more personal letter of recommendation, through some of the strategies I suggested as well as @aparante001. Even if you don't feel like you are able to accomplish this goal, I would suggest you apply anyways with whatever letters you are able to obtain. If your coursework is as strong as your impressions are, I think those letters will read much better than mediocre, they just won't be intensely personal.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/08
| 1,159
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<issue_start>username_0: One requirement in academia, especially as an early career scientist, is the the willingness to study or work in different countries.
Personal motivation for the question: Apart from the professional side (having a job, developing as a researcher,...), the positive aspects of going abroad are clear to me: I really enjoy getting to know new countries, their mentality, culture, nature, etc. It is also a great opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. But on the downside: I only speak English and German, and I’m really bad at learning new languages, I might add. Also, I’ve seen a lot of non-German speaking colleagues struggle with learning German at my home University for years (and I assume that a lot of people in academia must have the same problem).
I’m currently in the third year of my PhD and doing a medium-term research stay in Norway. Not understanding most of what is said around me makes everyday life more difficult and also somewhat more lonely (even though most people do speak English in Norway, so I am able to get by). Moreover, I feel that I really miss out by not learning the language while I’m here. But for my job it is not required to know the language, which makes it not immediately necessary.
Thinking about PostDoc options for after my PhD, I don’t want to limit myself to only English/German speaking countries. However, I hesitate to take a longer position, knowing that I might not be able/willing to learn the language. Knowing that I will always force people around me to either be impolite or to not speak in their native language.
**If an academic doesn't learn languages easily apply only to jobs in countries where s/he already speaks the local language?**
I’m specifically posting this here as opposed to some language forum. I’m interested in how other people in a similar position deal with this situation. I'm aware that it is in theory of course possible to learn every language but I'm interested in in opinions and experiences from real life.<issue_comment>username_1: Learning a language is a lot of work, particularly if it is not that similar to languages you already know. So it's not an endeavour to undertake just because you might get a job somewhere later. You need real motivation to learn a language properly. The main reasons I see for an academic to learn a language properly are: because you enjoy learning languages, because you plan to spend a lot of time in a place it will be useful, or because you need it for your academic work.
If you are serious, in academia there are resources that may be easily accessible to you. The main ones are:
* take/audit language classes at your university before going there
* take language classes for foreigners at your destination university
Universities get a lot of foreign visitors, and depending on the university, they may have other support besides their own language classes.
I did a 1-year postdoc in Japan, and one piece of advice I got from someone who was doing a postdoc there before me was start learning Japanese as soon as possible. So I studied Japanese for about a year beforehand both by taking university classes in the US, as well as some extra studying on my own. I also took lessons in Japan, as well as studied on my own. While my Japanese is still far from a native level, after a couple months in Japan, I could handle most non-technical communications on my own in Japanese.
I do want to stress this requires real effort on your part, and it's hard if you don't really enjoy it or aren't serious about it. I met several foreigners there who just attempted to learn Japanese by osmosis and maybe some small efforts on their own, and even if they had been their many years, they couldn't have a real conversation in Japanese.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I had a similar situation back when I was a post-doc from America in the Netherlands. All of the science was done in English, all the talk at coffee was in Dutch. After a few months settling in to the work side, I went to my boss and asked for two weeks off to take an immersion course in Dutch at a local Dutch language institute. I followed that up with several night courses at the same institute. Coupled with making sure I spoke Dutch during coffee, reading a Dutch newspaper every day, and reading general book in Dutch, after a year or so I was pretty fluent. The trick is, of course, that you have to work hard at it. Fortunately, the language and my science were different enough that one would be a break from the other.
Now, twenty-odd years later back in America, my Dutch is pretty rusty. But, I still think it was well worth the time and effort to integrate in while I was there. (Note the biggest problem was getting many Dutch to speak Dutch with me - they could tell I spoke English from my accent, and wanted to speak in English with me to practice their English. It led to some interesting conversations where each side spoke the other's language.)
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/08
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<issue_start>username_0: I started studying my PhD with a federal scholarship that was supposed to sustain all my expenses and allow me to study without the need to work. Long story short, between family and mortgage payments money was scarce. My relatives helped with some of the expenses, but after 2.5 years, there were just too many pressure from financial problems, and I was not having a good progress in my investigation, that my advisor and I decided to suspend the PhD and that I should focus on getting a job.
To that extent, is it a good idea to emphasize that I started a PhD but was not able to finish it, or will it create a bad image about me not ending what I start? Should I wait until they ask what I did for those 3 years to tell them I didn't finish it? The PhD is in my CV, as started but not finished. Should I keep it that way or should I erase it?
To note for the possible answers is that I already have a Master degree in the same specialty as the PhD, and this is happening in México.<issue_comment>username_1: **Don't worry, this is a very understandable situation. You should just be honest about it.**
I don't think the fact that you started a PhD but were unable to finish it due to financial and family circumstances will be counted against you in a professional context, especially if you otherwise have a record of successful employment.
It would be more of an issue for pursuing a further career in academia (either another PhD or academic employment), since the PhD would be highly relevant to the work you wanted to do, and you might not have any other equivalent experience on your CV. But outside academia, I don't think it matters much at all, particularly since you have been employed since then.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This situation happens to people and it is often challenging to figure out what the next steps are. So, be happy that you are making the step to pick up the pieces and move forward!
You should definitely include the PhD program on your resume, especially if it relates to fields that you are applying to. Where you most likely want to address this issue is in your cover letter. If you are transitioning out of academia altogether, you can give professional explanations for leaving a PhD program where you wouldn't have to explain the personal challenges you have faced. For instance...
"I realized during my doctoral studies that I prefer more hands-on work that would be offered in industry positions."
"I enjoy my field very much, but am looking for positions that offer more stability and consistency in my schedule and pay than in academia."
Those are just examples. If you are seeking a position within academia that does not require the PhD, you can use similar explanations ("I have learned that I'm better suited for administrative positions" or "After starting my doctoral studies, I realized that my passion lies more with teaching than research.") I'm not sure if this would be different in Mexico or not. I hope this helps!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Leaving a job because it does not pay enough is perfectly acceptable. And that is what grad school is: a job. On your resume, you should treat it as a job, with a title and responsibilities and accomplishments, just like any other job.
As much as possible, present it as a staff researcher position (but don't go to the level of lying), rather than you being a student. If they ask about why you left, emphasize the financial considerations, not because you are greedy, but you had obligations that had to be met. Don't emphasize any difficulties you were having with your research.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/08
| 1,127
| 4,816
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<issue_start>username_0: I am on a committee tasked with advising my university's Information Technology office on institutional needs and issues regarding IT. They are pretty knowledgeable about how to support the university's general administrative IT requirements (office applications, business IT infrastructure, securing personal data, etc) as well as instructional technology (smart classrooms, learning management systems, etc). But they have less insight into the needs of academic research.
I try to bring up issues that I face in my own research, but I am only in one discipline (math), and I am sure there are many things I am missing. It would help to be able to anticipate some of these issues, rather than reacting after discovering problems or omissions.
**What special IT resources or support are commonly needed for academic research?**
I am looking for issues that are fairly unique to research, that wouldn't be as commonly encountered in other generic large organizations, or in other university business. (So no need to mention general things like email, wifi, etc.) It needn't be limited to STEM disciplines, though I imagine they will have the most.
It would be especially great if there are lists developed by professional societies or the like; this would be more "authoritative" than general suggestions from the community. Especially if it explains the rationale for the benefit of non-researchers.
A few that I thought of, to get started:
* Specific operating systems that might not match the organization's "standard" OS
* Installing third-party and open-source software without waiting for administrator intervention
* Storing and backing up unusually large amounts of data
* Transferring large amounts of data between institutions, through firewalls
* Access to a variety of communication and conferencing tools that might not match the organization's "standard" conferencing solution
* Remote login access to work computers<issue_comment>username_1: >
> **What special IT resources or support are commonly needed for academic research?**
>
>
>
That is a very difficult question to answer for a community like this because it most likely won't be *efficient-wise*. First because people might give you issues that you do not have and second because the issues people present here might not be fixed by your IT staff. Taking the latter into account, my advice for you is to better understand the problem that goes on your own university.
What I mean by that is that you should ask this to your own researchers. There are various tools around (for example, Google Forms) that allow you to quickly build a online survey and depending on their answer, you can identify what challenges they face and work on an optimal response.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: A lot of the things you bring up are serious issues even for the industry, and I don't see why it would be any different for academia. You should have a dedicated IT team just as if you were a generic industry organization, even if the information is open source and non-proprietary.
>
> Installing third-party and open-source software without waiting for administrator intervention
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>
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This is fine on a personal machine, but on a network machine, [you could potentially take down everything](http://www.healthcareitnews.com/slideshow/ransomware-see-hospitals-hit-2016).
>
> Storing and backing up unusually large amounts of data
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Typically, you'd need to have backup servers, as all the research stored on-site is a great backup until, say, the sprinklers go off and wipe your data. I'd wager an acceptable plan for academia would be the same as industry. Every week or so, send a tape off to an off-site safe area to store and recovery in case of a serious IT disaster. Losing a week of work is usually more salvageable than losing everything, as happened above with those hospitals and ransomware.
>
> Transferring large amounts of data between institutions, through firewalls
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Depending on the data, you will likely need to encrypt and password protect stuff. Especially PCI medical data. Sometimes, out of simplicity and for records-keeping, you could send a physical media like a DVD or flash drive (also encrypted) instead.
>
> Access to a variety of communication and conferencing tools that might not match the organization's "standard" conferencing solution
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IT typically provides this as a service, i.e. e-courses. Not sure what you're expecting out of this, but "buyer beware" is typically sufficient for those that don't follow your recommendations or provided wares.
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> Remote login access to work computers
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We have two-factor authentication for remote log-in. If information is sensitive, that's typically how we'd store things.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/08
| 948
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a grad student who will be teaching a course for the first time over the summer, and I'm not sure what the convention is on allowing a student to "sit in" on the class (that is, attend class without being registered, not getting credits, etc). If a student asks before class for permission to do so, is it to my discretion on whether or not to allow it? I suppose it's always within the instructor's right to deny the request, but it seems like approving the request without the school's permission could be a mistake, since I am an employee of the university. The faculty handbook seems to only consider if the student audits the course, in which case they have to officially register as auditing the class, but nothing about unofficially sitting in. Am I extending past my right as instructor if I let a student sit in?
EDIT: This is at a private university in the US.<issue_comment>username_1: Assuming that there are no university or departmental policies preventing it, you should consider the reason why the student would like to sit in on the class. I have had many cases where I have allowed non-enrolled students to attend my class. For instance, I have had several students sit-in on my doctoral courses, because they were trying to decide if they should apply to the program or not (one of these cases, the director asked me to allow the person to sit in, if I was okay with it). Some students have indicated that they have friends or colleagues with specific interest in the course topic and have asked if the student can join. I have found that acceptable, too. I have also had one student sit in on an undergraduate course, because he was deciding which school to attend and wanted to and was interested in the major that I taught in.
One case where I did not allow it was when I had a highly disruptive student who disapproved of course content (including content that I was required to teach in the course) and periodically became combative during class meetings (my director was aware of this ongoing situation). I was highly concerned that this visitor would further disrupt the course lecture or discussions and I did not allow it. So, consider how the visiting student could or may inhibit your teaching goals.
If the student is interested in attending an extended number of classes, I may also frown upon that. In my cases, they were one-time occurrences.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If you want to find out what exactly is within your legal power as an instructor and what is not, check your university regulations. They *do* vary from place to place. The general rule is that if there is no official policy in the handbook, the choice is yours, but you may also ask the chairman to be on the safe side (this is a good general strategy, by the way: while in doubt and seriously concerned about any legal stuff, just pass the issue up the administrative ladder). As to the rest, I usually allow people to sit in whenever they request it under two conditions
1) The classroom sitting capacity allows it
2) The student behaves in a non-disruptive way
So, unless you have a clear reason to say "No", I would say "Conditional yes" and tell the student any conditions you care about right away with the understanding that if any of them get violated, the sitting-in gets terminated.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Have you spoken to your advisor? I think he may be the best person to give you the most accurate answer as per your university's policy.
I assume that you are a graduate TA under an instructor? In case of such confusion, they might be the best judge on what should be allowed, if it is so.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Whether it is permissible will largely depend as others have commented on your institution's policies but regardless I would imagine you have the final say.
At my university, any student regardless of their degree, is allowed to sit in on any lecture happening on campus, providing there is sufficient space and that them sitting in does not prevent an enrolled student from attending nor interrupt or interfere with their learning.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/08
| 879
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<issue_start>username_0: I have a BA degree in sociology, but during my studies I got interested in programming and development. I would like to continue and do my MA thesis in a Computer Science University, and maybe, try to incorporate sociology and CS in my final thesis.
If I do it the other way around, going to sociology MA but try to get some computer science subjects along the way, I don't think will teach me much.
I would like to know if it's possible to continue and do a Masters thesis in CS, having already finished a BA in social sciences / humanities?<issue_comment>username_1: Assuming that there are no university or departmental policies preventing it, you should consider the reason why the student would like to sit in on the class. I have had many cases where I have allowed non-enrolled students to attend my class. For instance, I have had several students sit-in on my doctoral courses, because they were trying to decide if they should apply to the program or not (one of these cases, the director asked me to allow the person to sit in, if I was okay with it). Some students have indicated that they have friends or colleagues with specific interest in the course topic and have asked if the student can join. I have found that acceptable, too. I have also had one student sit in on an undergraduate course, because he was deciding which school to attend and wanted to and was interested in the major that I taught in.
One case where I did not allow it was when I had a highly disruptive student who disapproved of course content (including content that I was required to teach in the course) and periodically became combative during class meetings (my director was aware of this ongoing situation). I was highly concerned that this visitor would further disrupt the course lecture or discussions and I did not allow it. So, consider how the visiting student could or may inhibit your teaching goals.
If the student is interested in attending an extended number of classes, I may also frown upon that. In my cases, they were one-time occurrences.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If you want to find out what exactly is within your legal power as an instructor and what is not, check your university regulations. They *do* vary from place to place. The general rule is that if there is no official policy in the handbook, the choice is yours, but you may also ask the chairman to be on the safe side (this is a good general strategy, by the way: while in doubt and seriously concerned about any legal stuff, just pass the issue up the administrative ladder). As to the rest, I usually allow people to sit in whenever they request it under two conditions
1) The classroom sitting capacity allows it
2) The student behaves in a non-disruptive way
So, unless you have a clear reason to say "No", I would say "Conditional yes" and tell the student any conditions you care about right away with the understanding that if any of them get violated, the sitting-in gets terminated.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Have you spoken to your advisor? I think he may be the best person to give you the most accurate answer as per your university's policy.
I assume that you are a graduate TA under an instructor? In case of such confusion, they might be the best judge on what should be allowed, if it is so.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Whether it is permissible will largely depend as others have commented on your institution's policies but regardless I would imagine you have the final say.
At my university, any student regardless of their degree, is allowed to sit in on any lecture happening on campus, providing there is sufficient space and that them sitting in does not prevent an enrolled student from attending nor interrupt or interfere with their learning.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/09
| 1,199
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm looking to get feedback from students fairly seamlessly during a lecture. I know that there is a reluctance to raise one's hand (if part of a large audience), and my experience of such polling attempts (as a student) has been to break up the flow of a lecture quite considerably. Personally I don't want to get into a high-school teacher role of trying to tease out responses to questions so providing a platform for quick and semi-anonymous feedback would be useful.
But how to achieve this? Crucially most of the students are unlikely to have laptops, but are almost universally going to have smart phones. I don't want them to be struggling to take down the URL to a poll from a lecture slide, or having to log into some terrible VLE like Blackboard in order to get access to a link. QR codes could, in theory, be used to provide a link - but QR codes don't seem to be used much by casual users these days...
The reason for a digital rather than paper poll is that I can immediately respond to the results. Most of all I'm looking for as seamless an integration as possible into the lecture environment.<issue_comment>username_1: An example of what you are looking for is a system called [ARSnova](https://arsnova.thm.de/blog/en/homepage/). It is a system which allows the students to answer questions or give feedback during a lecture on their smart phones. The system allows to generate a session code (which is a six digits number) which the students have to enter in oder to join the session for the lecture. Alternatively, a QR code can be shown which directs the stundents directly to the session.
As far as I know ARSnova is Open Source and is developed by the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: [Poll Everywhere](https://www.polleverywhere.com/) is a good, easy one. It's free for 25 responses per question. Students can respond on their smartphones, laptops, or even old-school cell phones via texting.
[Plickers](http://suefrantz.com/2014/04/01/plickers-poll-your-students-using-one-smartphone/) is another good one. For this one you print out the possible responses and hand them out. Then students hold up the card corresponding to their answer. You use your smart phone camera to scan the room and the app calculates the responses.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: The best implementation of such a system that I am aware of is Learning Catalytics, which was developed by <NAME> (and team) at Harvard and is now owned by Pearson.
<https://atg.fas.harvard.edu/learning-catalytics>
I used it personally at a demo talk - it is easy to use for both instructors and students, is accessible on any device, displays analytics of the student responses, and also facilitates interactions among students after the responses (e.g if you have a multiple choice question, once students have responded, you can use it to group up nearby students that have different answers so that they can try to convince one another).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I used [Socrative](http://www.socrative.com) in my course. I think that it works fairly well. They can download an app or go to the website. They put in your room name, which you make up, to access the question. My students were able to answer questions in about 2-3 min per question.
The procedure I use is to have the same Room Number every class. Most students log in when they get to class, and see a "holding" logo since I haven't activated the question yet. When we get to the appropriate point in the lecture, I click a button and their screens switch to the question. I verbally give students a 2-minute countdown on most questions to keep the class moving.
After they answer, I display the answers on the overhead screen. If there is more than one popular answer, I ask them to describe why their answer is correct. This helps me to see what the popular misconceptions are.
At the end of the semester, I download all the student responses and write a simple script to give students credit for participation.
For everything I have done, Socrative has been free. You may need to pay an annual subscription (currently $29.99) if you want the more advanced features.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: [Strawpoll](http://www.strawpoll.me/) is perfect for this situation. It's easy to set up and is accessed via the browser. It's also updated in real time. No download required.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Why not take feedback through twitter? Most students will likely have semi-anonymous accounts there already anyway, and apart from length the feedback won't be format-limited. Plus, it is quite easily accessible from even the most basic smartphones and free to use by any number of respondents.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: Cahoots works and my students use it frequently to poll each other in student presentations.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/09
| 344
| 1,494
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<issue_start>username_0: We recently submitted a paper to a conference. However, I just noticed that one of the collaborators have copied three paragraphs from another paper of mine, though that part is not our main contribution.
He claimed that he has written that part, and he showed his work, but he has forgotten to apply the changes to the final version. I was wondering if I should withdraw the paper to avoid getting flagged as plagiarism or I should wait until the review results are out and then make changes to the paper?<issue_comment>username_1: First, deal with your collaborator, then notify the conference asap. If they figure it out and you then are like "oh, yes, sorry, I know, I will change it." you are in a bad place. Not only did you waste the reviewers time with a version you knew was wrong/has to be corrected, your late excuse might also not seem honest.
If, however, you inform them yourself, apologize for the inconvenience and the mistake and give the corrected version, they might well forgive you.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There are two options.
1) Wait for reviews and then update the paragraphs.
2) Write to the conference chair and explain the mistake, offering a rewritten paragraph, and let her decide what to do.
It's hard to recommend which one to choose. It depends on your risk aversion. I'm tempted to suggest the second one, as it is the safest route, with very little possibility of anything going wrong.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/09
| 439
| 1,991
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<issue_start>username_0: I am writing my thesis and I have decided to add a list of glossaries to explain certain terms. I decided to copy most definitions for these terms from [here](https://pascal.computer.org) because I believe they are best explained there. This site, SEVOCAB provides definitions by the IEEE for international standards in Software and systems engineering.
My questions:
1) Am I correct in copying directly the definitions from here? I thought it would be best to do so because you are using approved definitions to explain concepts that may frequently be interpreted differently by different authors
2) Of course I understand that I need to cite the website and that the definitions come from there. I thought of adding a sort of disclaimer or reference either at the beginning of the glossaries or somewhere in the thesis itself. For example, I have a section called clarification of terms whereby I make a distinction between Software Engineering and Software Development. How should I go about this?<issue_comment>username_1: First, deal with your collaborator, then notify the conference asap. If they figure it out and you then are like "oh, yes, sorry, I know, I will change it." you are in a bad place. Not only did you waste the reviewers time with a version you knew was wrong/has to be corrected, your late excuse might also not seem honest.
If, however, you inform them yourself, apologize for the inconvenience and the mistake and give the corrected version, they might well forgive you.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There are two options.
1) Wait for reviews and then update the paragraphs.
2) Write to the conference chair and explain the mistake, offering a rewritten paragraph, and let her decide what to do.
It's hard to recommend which one to choose. It depends on your risk aversion. I'm tempted to suggest the second one, as it is the safest route, with very little possibility of anything going wrong.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/09
| 1,604
| 6,776
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in the final stages of writing my first paper, in dynamical systems. The paper is purely theoretical but I use Mathematica for some images and graphical simulations (none of the actual results depend on a computation by Mathematica). The paper will be presented in a conference, where I will show some of these simulations in real time.
My question is whether I need or should cite Mathematica in my paper somehow.
More generally - had I used, say, Matlab, or an open source python library instead, would I need to cite them?<issue_comment>username_1: You generally don´t need to "cite" the software you are using. (Would you "cite" Word/LaTeX for writing the paper or Windows/Linux for running Word/LaTeX...?)
Although for some cases you can and should cite. Just look up the software homepage/documentation. Many even give instructions on how to cite (for example the [Caffe library](http://caffe.berkeleyvision.org/) under "Citing Caffe"). Sometimes there are papers describing the software that can also often be found on the homepage, see [TensorFlow](http://download.tensorflow.org/paper/whitepaper2015.pdf) for example. Sometimes even a mix of the approaches can be found, see [AMBER](http://ambermd.org/) as pointed out by @dendodge. They provide instructions on how to cite and provide papers you can cite if you used specific parts of the software.
I would consider it normal to at least mention the software and (software-)libraries/packages you used somewhere in the text, maybe even the aknowledgements. If you think it was somehow important to your work you can and should cite.
As @mhwombat points out it is also a good idea to always include the specific version/buildnumber/revision of the software used so people are able to reproduce your results if the implementation of specific methods was replaced or bugs that influenced calculations were fixed.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Do I need to cite Mathematica in my paper?
>
>
>
No. You don't cite your screwdriver or your mechanical pencil, even if you couldn't have done your work without them. You don't cite the night custodian or your spouse, even if you couldn't have done your work without them.
If the validity of your work depends completely on untested assumptions about the correctness of Mathematica, then you have a serious problem, and that problem exists regardless of whether you state in your paper that you used Mathematica. This is why we use a variety of methods to test our work, and we need to do so regardless of whether our work is done using Mathematica, a cell phone, a slide rule, a table of logarithms, or a stick with which we scratch diagrams in the sand. You test your Mathematica code by running it on simple test cases, or by reproducing the results of other people's calculations, or by reproducing the results of experiments, or by doing consistency and sanity checks on its output.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I would recommend to always cite software that you use in your calculations (no need for LaTeX, obviously).
A screw driver will always stay a screw driver, but software is a little bit more complex.
Have you heard of the little bug that may invalidate 15 years of [brain research](https://www.sciencealert.com/a-bug-in-fmri-software-could-invalidate-decades-of-brain-research-scientists-discover)? I think in that case it would be quite nice to know which version of the software you used.
And in your case: can you really be sure that Mathematica has not a specific bug that you haven't noticed? In Version 10, I noticed that some linear-log plots were messed up and that was fixed in a later version 10.1. It could have easily happened that I had published a wrong graph, and thus I think it is quite important to give detailled information about the software that you use.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: It may depend on the norms in your field. For example, in mine it is *quite* commonplace to cite the software used to obtain results, including if you're using a specific library in something like R or Python. For example:
>
> All analysis was
> done using SAS 9.2 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC).
>
>
>
This is often helpful as even if you're using a canned package, defaults and the like may be different. It's also a useful guide for people as to whether or not to get in contact with you to ask about your code - if they'd like to see it, but they don't have a license for Mathematica/MATLAB/SAS what's really the point?
Now is it *necessary*? Likely depends on the journal, but usually no.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: No, you don't need to cite the software generating your plots. As you stated, your results do not depend on any calculation performed by this software nor would it help others to reproduce your result if they know you used the software for its plots.
This would be different if you rely on some software extracting lab data or specific simulation tool. But even then, it is more important to name the used method, less the used software.
Cite as many software as necessary and as few as possible.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_6: Wolfram Mathematica is a proprietary software, that means the publisher (i.g. Wolfram Research Inc.) retains intellectual property rights and you *should* cite it. You can check [this page](http://support.wolfram.com/kb/472) how to do it properly.
Beyond the law point of view, listing specification of software may help other people to easier reproduce your results in some cases.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_7: Whether you should cite data analysis software depends on the norms of your field.
In psychology (APA style in particular), the general rule is to **only cite data analysis software for highly specialised data analyses** where the particular software implementation may be particularly relevant.
So, for example, if you are just doing correlations, descriptives statistics, and linear regressions, then you would typically not cite SPSS, Mathematica, R, SAS, etc. However, if you were doing multilevel modelling or structural equation modelling, you would often cite the particular package that you are using.
Citing software also allows you to indicate the version number.
A desire to give recognition for academics who develop open source software can also inform who you cite. Citations are a form of currency in academia, so if a particular open source package has been useful and important in your work, then it can be respectful to cite the package.
Furthermore, in many fields, it wont be wrong to cite generic data analysis software. It will just look a little unnecessary.
Equally, another option is to state the software used without a formal citation.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I spend a lot of time peer-reviewing paper submissions to conferences, workshops, and journals in my field. Sometimes I end up getting assigned a paper that I had already rejected from another venue. Usually the authors of the resubmission have at least attempted to address the flaws pointed out in the past reviews. But sometimes the paper is submitted in much the same form. That is, the authors have failed to correct the major errors and gaps identified and agreed upon by the reviewers. They may not even have bothered to fix simple mistakes such as typos (even when the reviewers helpfully itemized these). It seems that these authors have no understanding of or respect for the peer review process. Rather, they are adopting a rapid-fire approach of submitting the same paper to different venues in sequence (or in parallel, for all I know) until they luck out on a suitably unqualified or neglectful reviewing panel that happens to clear it for publication.
What I normally do when I receive such a resubmission is to copy, paste, and resubmit my previous review. After all, if the authors haven't bothered revising their paper, why should I spend any extra time re-evaluating it? But I wonder if that's *all* I should be doing. Does it make any sense to alert the journal editors/area chairs about these time-wasting shenanigans? Do serial "publication shoppers" ever get blacklisted, or at least a stern talking-to? Or is dealing with the same submissions over and over again just an inevitable and unmitigatable part of the whole peer review process?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know about any sort of formal blacklist, and it would be a bit hard to deal with because someone may be listed as a coauthor but have so little to do with it being resubmitted that they're truly blameless.
I've encountered serial submissions before, including cases where a draft is completely unchanged (with ample time between rejection & resubmission). In some cases these are rejected by the program chair(s) without review and with stern words to the authors similar to what you said: they waste and disrespect the reviewers' efforts.
Bottom line: **Consider a preemptive rejection with the program chair(s) rather than simply repeating your review.** But if that doesn't pull the paper, I would submit a review saying *I have reviewed this before, and the paper is unchanged. Because ignoring past reviews disrespects the efforts of the reviewers, I recommend rejection.*
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Resubmitting a paper without addressing even the most reasonable reviewer comments is rude. In this situation, I think it is entirely appropriate for you to inform the editor about what is going on so that the editor can reject it without wasting any more reviewer time.
Unfortunately, they are likely to keep sending their paper off until someone makes the mistake of accepting it. (I have experienced this.) However, I don't think much can be done about this. Ideally there would be a blacklist of papers (rather than authors) which would ensure that near identical submissions would be flagged as such.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/10
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<issue_start>username_0: Im doing a paper where i use a system to combine rules and algorithms from different studies to form a complete program. The ideas were combined and i made a program from that combined idea, now th program itself was made by me and I used solutions which are not exactly the same such as using shortcuts and other functions in matlab. The original papers were all in 1980s, and i was wondering if it is plagiarism to use their algorithms. In my methodology i explained thoroughly their method.<issue_comment>username_1: Combining various things to form one new thing is valid research. If your algorithm is a hybrid of 2 others, you need of course to mention these 2 and their authors as well (which you seem to indicate that you are doing). Otherwise you risk your readers thinking that everything in the hybrid algorithm is new, especially since they were developed way back.
Long story short, if you're acknowledging the work you are basing your approach on, you're being a good student. No plagiarism there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: No, if you cite the former works sufficially. Besides, this is exactly how science works. New ideas are built upon the old ones.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Never. In computer science, the use of libraries is perfectly valid and always encouraged. On one end of the spectrum, you'll write an algorithm that's super useful to people and that's gonna be cited by everyone. On the other, doing {Algo1(); Algo2()} is still perfectly legal, just no one's gonna read you. Full period.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/10
| 1,486
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a junior undergraduate computer science student at a small engineering school. For the last term I have been paid as a teaching assistant for one of the more difficult courses in the CS curriculum. Because this is a small school, that means that I am basically a public tutor in our CS labs for about 10 hours a week and occaisonally help grade exams and assignments. I took the class earlier this year and did very well, but I am in no way an expert on the topic.
The largest part of the course is to write a small interpreter in Scheme. The students are given a starting point and are told conceptually how to implement most of the interpreter in the lectures, but the actual implementation is left fairly open. Because of this, there are quite a few valid ways to implement any given part of the project, and I do not think I could possibly learn all of them without dropping out of school to make this my full time job. The difficult part is that the advice I give to any given student depends heavily on how they have completed the interpreter thus far, and so I sometimes have low confidence that my ideas are correct.
I don't see a great way to avoid this without telling them to do it the way I did it when I took the class. I think that a strong point of the course is getting students to think about programming in different ways, and suggesting that my way is the best way seems to very directly contradict that. I also have low confidence in most of the students to tell me that I am wrong as they generally come to me at least a little bit confused in the first place.
**As a paid assistant for our computer science department, should I encourage different solutions at the risk of incorrect solutions, and potentially at the risk of other students' grades? Or should I encourage solutions I am confident in at the risk of throwing out good ideas?**
In the former case I don't feel like I am helping students in the same way that any of them are hoping for, but in the latter case I think I could just as well be replaced by a solution manual. I would like to nudge in the right direction as much as possible, but I don't always know exactly which direction is the correct one given several different thousand line projects in a single day.<issue_comment>username_1: Short version:
**Encourage them, definitely encourage them.**
Long version:
First of all I have to say that I am not familiar with Scheme, so in my answer I will assume an arbitrary coding project. Now, you have to consider that coding, especially a bigger project, is much more than just typing the code. As you said the class is quite difficult, I assume the students to have some experience already, so they should know it. Here, they can learn all the things that matter: A structured plan on what they want to code, good documentation of the code, time management, etc.
Be honest about what you can and cannot do, tell them that you will not look at a few 100 lines of messy code to find an error. Tell them for you to read their code and to look for errors in there, they should properly document it such that it is readable and understandable to an outsider. Tell them to differentiate between logical questions ("how to solve this problem?") and implementation questions ("I have this idea/algorithm, but I don't know how to call function XXX, which I need to implement it." ). Not only will this help you with helping them, it will also help them to look at their problems more structured. If a student comes to you and simply says "I don't know how to do this, tell me please." then don't just tell them how you did it. Take a little time to make a plan (on paper first maybe?) together with them of how this part of the program might look like, how to best do it, then let them implement it. If they run into problems with the implementation itself, they can come back again.
The same should go for errors in the program: You should not be the one to run tests, to do simulations or to input special cases in every last function to find the error. Tell and teach the students how to find errors, show them how to (if possible) narrow it down to a single function, maybe to a single part of this function (a good documentation of what a function or a code fragment is supposed to do helps here). In most cases they will find the error themselves, feel happy and motivated and go on. If they still can't find it, well, at least they can show you the wrong output that function F generates and you can take it from there and point them in the right direction.
It would be nice if I could stop my advice here, but unfortunately there is still one more point: motivation. The above might work well with a motivated student who knows what he is doing, who sits down at home to work on it and comes to you for help if needed. However, this is not the only kind of student. There are also students who are in the course just for a passing grade, who don't go to the lectures, who just want a step by step instruction on what to do to not fail and don't want to put any effort at all. If you don't have any of these in your class then congratulations, consider yourself lucky. But if you want to try an approach as I sketched above, you should consider such students in the plan and should think of what to do with them: Do you just tell them what to do? Do you let them fail the class? These points should be discussed with the instructor, as he or she might have own ideas on what to expect of the students. You should not just act on your own, especially if you might fail some lazy students you need his consent. After deciding on a plan together, make it public to the students, tell them exactly what you expect of them to do on their own before they come for your help, how they should properly prepare their project for you to be able to answer efficiently.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If a student is implementing an approach that you are not able to confirm as *sound* or *not likely to be successful*, then you should direct that student to the professor's office hours (and you should give the professor a heads-up).
When a student approaches you with a debugging or other straightforward question in lab, you can take the opportunity to ask him or her, "Have you checked with Prof. X, to make sure you're headed in the right direction?"
If you were a graduate teaching assistant, I would go farther. I would say that you should anticipate these multiple approaches and, early in the semester, think about how you would respond to the variety of student questions, not hesitating to use the professor as one of your resources in your prep work.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/10
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<issue_start>username_0: One of my PhD objectives involves an evaluation of the suitability of an emerging technology for deployment in geographical area (where it has not yet been deployed before -- mainly because it's new). I have been asked "Why evaluate this tech? Why not the others?"
I have found this tech to be significantly superior to the other alternatives in several parameters of importance (in the lab), which is probably already a good justification itself to proceed.
My question though is: The other technologies have been around for years and been fairly evaluated already. This tech is new and untested in this area. Is the fact that it is new a justification in itself for me to bias myself to it? Do I need empirical results to justify?
Isn't it enough that the results, good or bad, are a significant contribution since there was no knowledge before?<issue_comment>username_1: Usually, in life there are multiple options and methods to do things. Some are more common, others are rather uncommon.
Why are the uncommon ones uncommon? Sometimes they are just more inconvenient than the common ones for most people, so the uncommon option is not "catered for" and just falls behind, although it is perfectly fine. Other times, they have been tried and discarded a long time ago. In very rare cases, nobody really thought about it, although it is great.
It is similar in science.
A new technique can be groundbreaking. Or lost time and effort. The problem with this is, if there are enough well-established ways to do the same thing then you at least need to point out some flaws of these technologies that yours might not have (to make it similarly convenient). Otherwise, you are re-inventing the wheel, maybe even a very complicated to use wheel (that might have been discarded previously, as failures are unfortunately still rarely published you wouldn't necessarily know). You need at least one valid answer to "But why would we need this instead of all of the other methods?"
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, you should have a solid scientific argument if you choose to only evaluate a single method. If I read a paper where only a single method is discussed, my first question is "but how does it compare to other methods?" If I can't find any reference in the article that gives information on that, I won't consider the paper to be of much quality. The fact that it is new is not enough justification for not comparing it to established methods. (Obviously this doesn't include a technical paper describing the method, but even in those papers you almost always find at least a simulation study or so comparing it to other methods.)
Which brings me to my second point: in clinical research it is even obligatory to compare a new medicine to the readily available alternatives. Because without controlled comparison in an experimental setting, you have no way of drawing solid conclusions about the relative performance of the different techniques.
And honestly, "is it really better or am I fooling myself here?" is probably the most interesting question to be asked about any new method. So why not looking at it?
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/10
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<issue_start>username_0: I am reading a paper in which the author cites his paper in a very explicit form. The reformulation of one of his sentence in the paper was in this form:
>
> I have already made this point in a few papers, within a general
> framework in (Some Name) (1996) and in a related
> framework in (Some Name) (1999).
>
>
>
This paper is submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. With this sentence, the author gives an explicit information about his identity and becomes non-anonymous to referees. By the way, he is a well-known guy in his literature.
Is it an acceptable situation ?
ps. I edited the question in order to avoid a confusion. I am just reading the paper and I wanted to know, by curiosity, how a such situation is considered in academia.<issue_comment>username_1: If this is in the context of **double-blind reviewing**, the correct response to this situation is to alert the handling editor or PC chair to this situation. Different venues are differently strict about double blind reviews, so the response to the situation may vary between "well, we don't care if the authors *wants* to reveal himself" to a reject and resubmit (without the incriminating statement and a new set of reviewers). However, which of those it is is not your decision as a reviewer.
If this is **not** in the context of double-blind reviewing, you are aware of the identity of the authors anyway, and this statement gives you no additional information.
If you are just **reading** the paper (and not reviewing), as implied by the wording of your question, then I don't understand the issue. Published papers generally have publicly visible authors, and it is not clear that the incriminating wording was already visible during review. For instance, in many software engineering venues that nowadays use double-blind reviewing, it is customary to "blank" self-citations and to slightly change the phrasing for the review version to make sure that identities are not, or at least not obviously, revealed. This can then be changed back for the camera-ready version.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: To pick up a necroposting, if this was *not* a review situation, this is fully valid.
I typically define a flag if the paper is anonymous or not, and include things like acknowledgements in the non-anonymous version only. If the anonymous wording in the paper sounds strange and I'd know no better, I'd also have two versions of this sentence, one anonymous but clumsy for the peer-review and one non-anonymous and better sounding in case of acceptance.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/10
| 609
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<issue_start>username_0: i had submitted an assignment requiring distributed code to achieve a fairly complex application. Since this was my first attempt I took help in the form of tutoring , demos of particular libraries and discussed solutions but did not directly copied any work or passed someone's work as mine . I took the the help of my childhood friend and he helped me in the limits of tutoring and discussions but he casually asked for the coursework and he emailed me all the solutions . I did not even cared to open that email but he did that on my uni account. Some solutions were different from mine , as i had taken a different approach. Although i have graduated in 2015 -- can this come back to bite me , just because of this email?I am scared because i am about to apply for a Phd<issue_comment>username_1: * Plagiarism: Passing of work by someone else (also partially) as your own. You didn't hand in your tutor's solution, as far as I understand. So your assignment isn't plagiarism.
* Cheating: Using forbidden aids in an assignment or exam. Whether you are allowed to use the help of an outside tutor for your assignment depends on the university's (or instructor's) rules on cheating.
Generally speaking, I believe you are worrying too much. You didn't plagiarize, and you could even prove that you didn't, since your solutions were different from those of your tutor. You might have cheated, but likely you didn't. In any case, this will be long forgotten and a minor "offense" that won't undermine your PhD application.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Once you have your degree, your university probably can't do anything, and would not bother with something like this anyway. If it were a thesis, it might be different, but not just one assignment. I give this information as the person who handles plagiarism, etc., in my department.
Anyway, the important thing is that you did not submit someone else's work. Getting help is fine as long as you submit your own work, and it sounds as if this is what happened.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I agree with the two answers submitted. However, I am going to make a suggestion: Explain the situation to the director of graduate/undergraduate studies in your department.
If your department considers the information you supply and decides you did nothing wrong, I think you will be able to stop worrying.
If they decide you made a mistake at some point along the way, that will be a learning experience for you. You will feel less guilt and paranoia after bringing the situation out into the open.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: For my dissertation, I have decided to create a program which involves multiple mini games such as a snake game, tic tac toe, maze game and a puzzle game.
Although, I liked programming, I struggled when I started developing my game project. For this reason, I decided to use Youtube and follow tutorials on how to do the games I wanted. I followed the tutorials line by line and made some adjustments to fit my requirements.
Afterwards, I then put a comment stating the codes aren't mine and online guidance was used to successfully make the function/code.
I must admit, the modifications I've made are very minimal. For example, changing the images, the music, the colour and the background. The reason is because the codes are well written and made sense, I couldn't think of any other way of writing it.
To be honest, Its very wrong of me to just copy the guides online line-by-line. However, the tutorials did help me understand how the codes/functions work and why they must be written like that.
I think I screwed up here. I talked to one of my dissertation's markers and she was pleased because of my honesty because others would just straight on claim the code is theirs.
Later on we will have a chance to present our work in front of our markers. I am unsure how I can defend myself if they bring how I made the codes (which they will).<issue_comment>username_1: If you make it clear to readers what your original contribution is and what you got from other sources (and name those sources), it's not plagiarism. Complete, accurate attribution is the key to avoiding plagiarism. (It's not clear from your description whether you did that - "I used guidance from these sources" is not enough to make it clear that you used their code with only minimal changes!)
Even if it's not plagiarism, it is still possible that you have not done enough original work to satisfy those grading your work. That's not a plagiarism issue, but a matter of what expectations are for this kind of work at your institution, and whether you have satisfied them.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Instead of saying the materials you cite 'assisted' you or gave you 'guidance', it seems more accurate to say explicitly: "I adapted the software described in X by doing A, B and C." This will tell the reader exactly what you did do and for everything else, they can look at the referenced work.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: One test you can apply: Suppose someone read your dissertation, and subsequently found out all the details, including what exactly you copied, what you changed, and what you wrote from scratch.
Would they be surprised, or would the full details be exactly what they would have expected from how the material was presented in your dissertation? Your objective should be to give a reader of your dissertation an accurate impression.
There is a secondary problem you may have of insufficient original material, which could reduce your grade, but would not involve any academic misconduct.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am from the Netherlands.
I have seen quite a few threads which address the question of whether or not it is acceptable to address a professor by their first name. However, none of them seem to address the point of whether it is still permissible to refer to them as Mr/Mrs X?
For example, if you know that someone's full title is "Prof. Dr. X" is it acceptable to write them an email starting with "Dear Mr/Mrs X"?<issue_comment>username_1: No. For professional correspondence, Dr. Smith is correct, Ms./Mr. Smith is incorrect. Miss and Mrs. should be avoided in all correspondence.
If you know the person well, or the person has asked for you to do so, first names might be appropriate. Of course, all of this is contingent on regional (even institutional) culture.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Short and sweet: Use "professor" or "doctor" unless/until the addressee faculty member allows you to talk to them on a first-name basis. My experience is that, most faculty members don't care about how they are addressed. The latter is mostly true **within** the departmental boundaries.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: This will depend on the norm within your country to some extent, but I'm inclined to say that at least in the US, calling a professor 'Mr.' is insulting, *provided you are in an academic context*.
My neighbors, many friends, and the cashier at the cafe know me as Mr. X. But on campus, I'm Dr. X...and you know I'm a professor. Using 'Mr.' seems strangely intentional in a way to diminish ones accomplishments.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: No I would not do that unless you only know them only as a friend outside of the University environment. I only refer to professors as "Professor". In my field (chemistry) all professors are doctors so it is a given. Plus there are plenty of people (PostDocs, teaching staff, research staff) around who are PhDs but aren't professors. I therefore consider "Professor" to be a higher level of respect in the University environment.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: If in doubt I'd go with "Dr Surname". This is appropriate for most academics as all Professors are also Doctors. However use Prof (or their full academic title, they're often not hard to find online or in their emails) if you know it. Mr or Mrs is no less formal in English and academic titles are also gender neutral which is more professional in my opinion.
In my experience, Professors won't mind being mistaken for Dr as much as Mr/Mrs. Once we know each other, they often go to first name terms. This is especially common in my country (New Zealand) where formal titles are seldom used.
Of course this all depends on your cultural context. For instance, Japanese academics will often use "Family-name San (Mr/Mrs)" with each other but this is because they use honorifics in contexts Westerners would use first names. They still expect to be addressed by their academic rank by their students and people meeting for the first time. Even in a formal culture like this the English titles are ok.
Although most academics are fairly relaxed about it, I would encourage you to learn about the culture they're from (not yours--international research teams are common) and how they prefer to be addressed. I cannot speak for academic environments in Europe but "Dr" is the most commonly used in academia, although there are exceptions.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: Mr. and Mrs. are already as formal as Dr.. Moreover, if you are close enough with a faculty member - and they are okay with you calling them by their first name -
then you have already crossed the bridge from formal to informal.
To be on the safe side, I would refer to those with doctorates or professorships as Dr. or Professor (at least in the US these titles are interchangeable) in professional correspondence (email for example). It would seem disrespectful to call a Dr. a Mr./Mrs. because it is as if you are dismissing their hard work to achieve a doctoral degree. Anyone who holds a PhD should be called Dr. (or professor if in a teaching capacity), and Mr./Mrs. if they hold a Master's degree or less.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: At the mathematics faculty of UU, I rarely even use surnames for my professors. What is applicable for you depends heavily on your professors and the way they communicate to you. However: if you feel it needed to write formally; then go through the effort of using the proper pronouns of Prof.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: The Netherlands has a democratic but also a meritocratic culture. Many people do not use their title. Sweden is similar (but I believe Germany is not). I am from The Netherlands (but I live in the UK). Although I have a PhD, I find that it feels strange to be referred to as Dr. Holl. I don't think my title makes me any better than anybody else, and certainly I don't feel insulted if someone refers to be as Mr. Holl. In all likelihood I will not even notice. Many people in The Netherlands will feel the same.
However, academia is very international. There are certainly people working at universities in The Netherlands who would expect to be addressed to with their titles. Mr.¹ Dr. Ir. X. So, although chances are it will be no problem to address someone as Mr. X, if you don't know the person, you *might* make a faux pas. Many people don't care; some do. Better safe than sorry; better to be too formal than too informal. Therefore, even in The Netherlands, I would avoid Mr. X.
---
¹Incidentally, in Dutch, Mr. is the title for Master of Laws.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_9: My answer assumes that you are having a lower academic rank.
**Start** by using the full and **correct** academic title, whichever it is. Example: "Dear **Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.** Smith: ..."
**Next**, it is *up to them* to suggest a shorter form. Some don't say anything, some say "Prof. is enough", some say "Ms. Smith is enough", and still others may say "You can call me Hannah."
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: Always stick with the context--your position, their position, the topic under discussion, the location/medium of the discussion. What would you expect someone else in your position to do in that context, if you didn't have any other knowledge of the two people involved? Even if the other person doesn't care what you call them, it's also useful to avoid confusing or offending anyone else around you.
Examples:
I grew up next door to a university professor and ended up attending the same school--in the same department, even. (Undergraduate level, which does make some difference.) He is older than my parents, but younger than my grandparents. My grandparents address him as Firstname, my parents address him as Mr. Lastname, and I address him as Mr. Lastname at home and as Professor Lastname or Dr. Lastname at school. If I used Mr. Lastname to a student, it would probably take them a minute to figure out who I meant. If I used Firstname in any of those contexts, there probably would be someone listening who would clutch at their pearls (be offended), even though my neighbor himself does not care.
I also work with my significant other's dad, in a workplace where first names are generally used. At work I call him Firstname, at home I switch between Firstname, Mr. Lastname, and "SO's Dad" depending on who I'm talking to. If I used Mr. Lastname at work, it would definitely take people a bit to figure out who I was talking about!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_11: Norms regarding the use of titles vary widely. Here is my understanding of norms in the **Australian context.**
Typically, the norm in Australia is to address academics by their first name. This applies to many contexts:
* When a student greets an academic. "Hi John"
* When a student writes an email to an academic. "Dear Jenny"
However, if you are going to use a title in an academic context (i.e., Mr, Ms, Dr, Prof, A/Prof, etc.), then try to use the correct title. In an academic context, it is generally better to leave out titles entirely than to assign someone a lower title. E.g., <NAME> is better than Mr <NAME> (John has a PhD).
Titles are particularly relevant for more official forms of correspondence, particularly where the academic status of the academic is of some relevance.
Some examples of relevant contexts include:
* Official forms: Ethics, grant, PhD admission applications, etc.
* Official correspondence with research participants: e.g., A plain language statement given to participants
* Correspondence with the media and press releases
* Author descriptions in some journal articles
Rules for what title to use:
* If someone has the academic rank of professor, then use "Prof ..."
* If someone has the academic rank of Associate Professor (roughly equivalent to North American "professor"), then use "A/Prof"
* If someone has a PhD and is not a professor or associate professor (e.g., they are an associate lecturer, lecturer, senior lecturer, various research roles, etc.), then use "Dr"
* If you are unsure whether an academic has a PhD or doctorate, then probably err on the side of using "Dr"
* If they do not have a PhD or doctorate, then use "Mr" or "Ms" (do not use Mrs or Miss unless you know that the academic has a preference for this)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_12: In the United States, Doctor or Professor are the appropriate terms of address. One exception is the University of Virginia, where professors are referred to as Mr. or Ms. (except for MDs, who are called "Doctor.") In most institutions in the United States, calling a faculty member "Professor" is somewhat safer than "Doctor," since some faculty who hold non-doctoral terminal degrees, such as an MFA, still have faculty appointments. But Mr. or Ms. is generally seen as a no-no.
Of course, universities in other parts of the world will be different.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I have strong suspicion that one of the professors regardless of the professional relationship we had was not very nice in the recommendation letter. This is after knowing him at a personal level and how perfectionist and judgmental he is of other people. But let's not get into why I chose him to write my recommendation letter, you can assume I had my reasons. I got into the master's program I wanted which is one of the top in the US.
But that was the only program I got into while other programs ranked much lower declined me. My grades were good and my record was good the two other recommendation letters were good for a fact, so that only leaves me to assume that this top college did not weigh in so heavily on his recommendation letter to make their decision.
But all this is speculative, my question and concern is, should I let him know that I got into the program I wanted regardless? I want to do this as a courtesy and a thank you message. My fear is that he might go as far as approach the committee and ask for my admission to be re-evaluated. Or bad-mouth me to colleagues in that university if he knows I am attending.<issue_comment>username_1: I would let him know I got into the program and thank him for the recommendation. You are now officially admitted into the program and there is nothing he can about it.
Assuming he wrote a good recommendation, you thanked him and that is that. If he did write you a bad letter, then the committee decided to admit you regardless of that recommendation and he cannot do anything anymore.
I suggest you thank him and move on. If you have a strong suspicion, then be careful in the future.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The fears you describe go way beyond your characterization of this person as perfectionist/judgmental into extreme pettiness. To go to those lengths would be to put a lot of effort into sabotage. If I were the committee/professors at your new institution on the receiving end of comments like those, especially from someone who I knew previously wrote a recommendation letter for the student, I would lose respect for that professor and their opinions, not for the student, and I would wonder why they are spending so much effort to bad-mouth a student at my own institution.
I think you have little to lose by a polite thank you and informing that you will be attending University X, unless you have other reasons beyond this professor's perfectionist/judgmental tendencies. You probably won't need their recommendation in the future, so no need to worry about that.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes, you should thank and inform your letter writer, and no, you shouldn't worry about some bizarre and unrealistic "re-evaluation" of your admission.
*Comments:* It is very unlikely that your writer wrote a negative letter. In general, one only agrees to write a letter if one has something constructive or positive to say. Having read lots of letters, I'll note that even judgmental and perfectionist people put their criticisms in context, comparing to their general assessments of other students or researchers. (I.e. this person isn't perfect, but he/she is better than most others for the following reasons). These letters, in fact, are often the most compelling.
As a further comment, you're being very uncharitable in assuming bad intentions of someone who agreed to write a letter for you!
And a final comment: no university is going to care to "re-evaluate" their admission of you, even in the stunningly unlikely event that someone asks them to, except in cases of actual fraud, criminal issues, etc. Everyone involved has better things to be doing with their time.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: There is no objective requirement to inform or thank the professor.
Given that your reasons for perhaps wanting to inform/thank this person are a bit suspect (maybe part of you wants to go "Nya nya, I got in, in spite of you"), it would be wise to limit your contact with this person as much as possible (but without drawing attention to yourself).
Just let all of this wash away with the tide. Not long from now you will be enrolled in a new program and you'll be able to forget all about this person.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Yes it is a courtesy to inform recommendation letter writers about your results, more so when you've got a great admit.
However, you never know what criteria were used by the admission committee to select you, and what was your ranking among applicants. Who knows what effect that professor can have on the selectors once he knows of it.
So there is NO need to tell him now. You can do so when you've started studies at the institute.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: Yes.
----
If he wrote you a good or even half-hearted recommendation, a sincere thank-you is common courtesy, and will cement his good opinion of you (it's even possible he wrote you a glowing recommendation -- your biggest boosters sometimes come from surprising places).
If he wrote a neutral or bad recommendation, he's more likely to remember your graceful response and think better of you (and it's still basic courtesy).
If he despises you, wrote you a strongly negative recommendation, and you got the job anyway, a polite and sincere thank-you will be the most galling retort you can send.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: You seem to think that because you were not accepted at the lower ranking universities, this professor *must* have written a bad recomendation letter. You seem to fail to acknowledge the possibility that those other universities *did not like* your profile that much for whatever reason. It's also relevant to have in mind that admission process is a subjective matter, conducted by human beings with a lot of imperfections.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: You should thank your recommenders *regardless* of whether you got into a program. This is the least that is required by simple manners. You should let your recommenders know where you're going because its a simple courtesy that costs you nothing.
You have no reason to wonder if the recommender wrote you a strong letter. Such issues are best addressed when you request the recommendation, and not after. I can't imagine why anyone would take the time to write you a bad letter instead of just saying no, and if the reviewer wasn't in a position to write you as strong a letter as you wanted, that's on you, not the person who agreed to help you.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_9: You should definitely perform the courtesy of thanking the professor for writing the recommendation. This could be done before (or regardless) of having been accepted to any program. Had you been rejected to every program it would still be good form to thank those that had taken the effort to write a recommendation.
I also submit that you may write a letter thanking each professor for their letter without stating to where you were accepted and to where you will go. You can be more general, for example, and express that you will work diligently to honor their recommendation.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I was under the following situation and I'm not sure which would have been the right way to handle it.
I was refereeing a paper. I suggested that the authors could cite a very recent paper which was uploaded on a repository (so, not official publication but publicly available nevertheless) that *could* have solved one of the conjectures they mentioned.
They respond that they do not want to cite unofficial publications that have not been fully verified yet (as indicated in their opinion by acceptance on one of the venues). This respond is somewhat understandable.
But they went an extra step and they said that the mentioned pre-print probably has mistakes (no reference) since it was submitted to XX venue and was rejected thus they do not want to cite it.
>
> Is it normal that they disclosed to me some private information about a submission of a paper and its status?
>
>
>
I felt uncomfortable about this disclosure of private information. How could they know that it was indeed submitted? How could they know *why* it was rejected? Even if they know (for example by communication with the authors) what gives them the right to announce this to me (an anonymous referee-maybe I'm one of the authors of that preprint). Note that the two papers have *disjoint* sets of authors.
>
> Question: What would be the most appropriate way to handle this situation? I let it be, but I feel that the authors have crossed many lines with their responses and I still feel somewhat uncomfortable for this.
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: To me, their response was very unprofessional. I'm assuming that the review is still blinded and further communication with the authors directly may not be possible or even useful.
As a peer reviewer, you are a volunteer for the journal. If the lack of professionalism of the authors made you uncomfortable, you could communicate this with the editor. Although the editor might not do anything about it, he or she might reconsider publishing future papers from authors who do not respect blind peer review. Publishing our work is a privilege, not a right. I am not an editor, so I'm not sure how editors may handle such a situation. Although this case involved the reviewer and not the authors, PLOS ONE received attention a few years ago for removing a reviewer who made a sexist remark in their review: <http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/05/plos-one-ousts-reviewer-editor-after-sexist-peer-review-storm>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The information that the pre-print "probably has mistakes" usually is not private. Such information can arise e.g. when a random reader spots a mistake. (Lots of people have been debating the recent Babai preprint on the graph isomorphism problem in early 2017.)
The information about the pre-print being rejected is a somewhat different story (it is certainly less relevant to the referee!), but even that could have been shared bona fide by the authors if the authors of the pre-print openly told them. It is probably not the best option the authors could have taken, but I don't think it is a good reason to declare breach-of-trust over.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The right way of dealing with that - in my opinion - would have been to pinpoint an/the error in the publicly visible, though unofficial repository. "Because arXiv ... contained this-and-that error, we do not feel comfortable to cite this paper, as we do not know whether the error is recoverable."
Thus, no reference to submission, review status, etc.
A paper under review should be treated as not written, except by the authors (who can obviously act as they please) as well as the reviewers/program committee and editors in the service of the submission/publication process.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I understand that reviewers are quite busy and have not only a single paper to review. But, no matter how busy someone is, it should not take more than 2 minutes to reject a review request.
*How did I get this question to my mind?*
Well, it is a common question for everyone in academia, I guess. I am quite frustrated with the peer-review system and yes, I am impatient. Because after doing a lot of hard work on something and then achieving something real good out of this, which would lead to potential dissemination, turns out to be depressing.
We had submitted a work back in December 2016. Since February 2017, It was *Under review*. Suddenly, I see that it is *Reviewer assigned*. This system is really pathetic. Other parts of my question can be inferred from this.
As a reviewer, I don't reject the requests for review after 4 months. I would do the same within at most a week.<issue_comment>username_1: A long time before review request rejection could come from a lot of possible reasons, which all basically translate to "**the potential reviewer had something more important to do than answering a review request**" (with his/her own subjective definition of "something more important").
Examples include:
* the potential reviewer received the notification at a bad time and then forgot about it
* the potential reviewer thought that a lack of answer would automatically be interpreted as a 'no', but it wasn't for several weeks
* the potential reviewer deleted the email without reading it
* the potential reviewer was out of the lab
* the potential reviewer has been (sincerely) "meaning to do it tomorrow" for three weeks
* potential reviewer #1 couldn't do it and said so in 3 days. So did potential reviewers #2, #3 .... and #58.
I made a provocative list on purpose, but most probably the long delays are partly due to people being busy and taking a few days(weeks) to answer (if you're in academic research, you should know about having a lot on your mind), and partly to several rejected review requests before finding someone accepting to do it. If you also add the fact that some people just plainly don't care, you're well into your 4 months of waiting time. As it is said in the comments: learn to be patient, there is no other option!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to the username_1s answer, here is what happens all the time when I receive an invitation:
* **The potential reviewer needs to find the time to skim the paper to form a well founded decision to accept or decline to review.**
I want to accept a review when I am sure that I have the expertise and time to do a good review. It takes about 2 minutes to decide if I have the *time* for a review (usually my conclusion is "no"), but to decide whether I have the *expertise* is more complex (and if the answer here is "yes", I often agree to review, even if the answer to the former question was "no"…). Hence, a basic skimming of the article is needed and this may take some more minutes. Some days (or even weeks) are extremely busy such that finding just 10 minutes to skim a paper is hard.
Upvotes: 4
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in the process of writing my bachelor thesis, but my mental health has been in very bad shape lately, although I'm starting treatment soon. I am confident that it already had an effect on my productivity, and I can see the treatment procedure also affecting my productivity in the future. It was therefore advised to me by the "student advisor" (a member of my faculty that advises students about general concerns) to let my thesis supervisor know about my problem.
However, I am not sure how to go about doing this in regard to how specific I should be in describing my issues. One possible option would be to let him know that I have some sort of mental health issue. The benefit of this would be that he might be somewhat more receptive and understanding of my decreased productivity (and possible other problems). On the other hand I'm afraid it might be a bit harsh on him, because he might me reluctant to mark my thesis as insufficient or to have tons of negative commentary. (realistically speaking, I'm sure everyone involved in grading my thesis will understand that me not passing will not affect my health positively, to say the least) How should I approach this problem?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> It was ... advised to me by the "student advisor" to let my thesis supervisor know about my problem.
>
>
> However, I am not sure how to go about doing this in regard to how specific I should be in describing my issues.
>
>
>
I'd say you've done the right thing by speaking to somebody in an official capacity. That first conversation can be the hardest part! Assuming that this "student advisor" is a member of staff (in your department?) I would suggest speaking with them again, and discussing some of your concerns about "how specific" to be.
If, however, I am misunderstanding the term "student advisor", and the person you spoke with was instead somebody in a counselling/support role, I would suggest speaking with an appropriate member of academic or administrative staff -- in my experience, that would be a "Director of Studies" or similar, but the Dutch system may differ!
Either way, "the university" should be able to tell you what is an appropriate level of detail, especially if you have concerns about putting your supervisor into a conflicted position with regard to your grade.
When it comes down to actually talking to your supervisor, I would suggest that beforehand you set yourself a minimum level of detail that you feel is *necessary* to convey, and a maximum level that you feel *comfortable* with. That might help you feel a little more in control of the situation. As for what exactly you say, you can then go with whatever seems comfortable (for both parties) when you're having the actual conversation.
>
> One possible option would be to let him know that I have some sort of mental health issue. The benefit of this would be that he might be somewhat more receptive and understanding of my decreased productivity (and possible other problems).
>
>
> On the other hand I'm afraid it might be a bit harsh on him, because he might me reluctant to mark my thesis as insufficient or to have tons of negative commentary.
>
>
>
If I remember rightly, when I was in a similar situation to you my supervisor was wise enough *to ask me* what would be (un)helpful in terms of negative commentary etc. Your supervisor may also volunteer to have that discussion; however, if not, *you* can always bring up the topic -- if you fear that he'll be reluctant to give you (constructive) negative comments, you can say explicitly "I don't need you to be gentler with your comments; I just wanted to let you know that this is the situation, and that accordingly I am having some difficulties" (or whatever wording best addresses your concerns and desires!).
As a quick personal note (which, hopefully, helps anyone having doubts about talking to their university regarding mental health issues) I should say that after years (and several degrees) dealing with these kinds of problems, I've never regretted talking to a member of staff about my mental health; I do, however, regret the occasions where (I now know) I could have let somebody know that I was having problems, but didn't. It's very easy to be nervous about these conversations, but they're often the best way forward.
---
*N.B.* While I have been in a similar situation, I should note that in my case it was/is a PhD thesis (and is in Britain), so my supervisor is not the one responsible for final grading of my thesis. However, your concerns regarding what level of detail to go into sound very familiar to me, as does your worry about putting your supervisor in a difficult position with regard to his comments on your thesis. So, hopefully, this answer remains helpful.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If there is an Office for Students with Disabilities, you could ask them give your professors the basic information (which you could then personalize, if you wish). (You would probably need to provide some documentation from your mental health provider.)
You could ask your student advisor to go with you to meet with your professor.
It can be helpful to practice, by telling some other people first.
It might be a good idea to prepare for the conversation by thinking about how you might answer questions such as, "How can I help?" However, it is also okay to say, "Thanks for asking; I'm not actually sure yet."
It can be quite helpful to read lists of accommodations that other students with a similar diagnosis have found helpful. They won't match you exactly, but reading such lists can help you think productively about what would be helpful for you.
It's hard to weigh in on how specific you should be about your issues because I don't know what they are. But until you're ready to talk about supports you'll need in your studies, there's probably not much gained by getting very specific.
Possible starting point:
>
> Prof. XX, do you have a couple of minutes?
>
>
> I'd like to give you a brief update about my health situation. I've recently had a mental health evaluation. I will be starting outpatient treatment in a few weeks. I expect to be able to continue with my studies during treatment, although perhaps at a somewhat reduced pace. Getting evaluated and arranging for treatment has been a positive step for me. But I felt it was important to let you know what my situation is.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: How do academics manage to do research when they are lecturing and running courses, helping students, writing up assignments and tests, marking assignments and tests, supervising graduate students, going to meetings, doing admin, having personal lives, etc. ?<issue_comment>username_1: How does anyone "find the time" to do anything? The answer is that mathematicians don't "find the time", the time is already there and they make use of it. Your premise that those other activities you mentioned already fill up 100% of the time is simply incorrect. In particular, summers, breaks and other periods with no teaching offer a convenient and relatively distraction-free environment for doing research. But even teaching is not mutually exclusive with doing some research.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I am sure you, me and many others are doing research when they eat,before they sleep,when they are watching a football game.
I think you do not "find time". You use the time you have.
The important thing is that you do not have to do research for three hours a day.
I usually say to myself "Ok today you have time to think about problem X for 30 minutes. Use 20 minutes of them.Others will not". And indeed,sometimes in these 20 minutes an idea may come.
(P.S.)When you teach you become better at mathematics.
(P.S. 2) I miss those times when I was undergraduate and I could spent 5 hours for research every day.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: The other answers are spot on - you do not need to find time, but use it.
On the other hand, there are very busy times, e.g. terms where I teach too many courses or courses that take of lot of time to prepare. In these times I usually try to reserve at least half a day per week where I do not put any appointments and do research. I make very few exceptions and most of the time these slots are quite productive.
Other simple tricks to work quietly is to simply close the office door for your research periods or work at other places…
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Really it depends on how you put your priorities. The list you have made is a perfect summary of legitimate excuses one can make to abstain from thinking of mathematical problems when you are in no mood for them. In reality, the activities you listed do not need to take too much time unless you schedule them all over the week and all over the day. Teaching usually takes 3 days a week (2 if you are lucky), leaving you 4 other days. Within those 3 days, you normally teach about 3 hours per day, leaving you another 13 (assuming you are awake 16 hours per day). To make a decent assignment or test takes about half an hour if you have a clear idea what skills you want to check. Grading is a nightmare if you give 20 problems on each test and try to distinguish between 3 and 4 on a 10 point scale but it gets much easier and faster if you give 6 problems, use a 4 point scale, and have faith in the law of large numbers that will level out minor grading deviations over the semester.
This leaves just students, committees, and personal life. In my experience, those activities take exactly as much time as you are willing to spend on them. You have all options between opening your door at the beginning of your office hours and locking it at the end and running after each individual student in each of your classes urging him to come to your office to discuss his performance, etc. As to the committees, normally you are not obliged to be on more than two and those usually meet for at most 3 hours (very few people can endure longer meetings) once every two weeks or so. As to the personal life, you are the only one to choose its style and intensity though some choices have long range implications.
In other words, you can control your time to a great extent, so, when you are really into something and are making progress on a problem, you can easily downsize everything else to the bare minimum and free up a lot of time. The problem is that such moments are extremely rare and most of the time you feel like a helpless idiot who cannot figure out the simplest thing and should be kicked out for being a useless wreck. Then, to justify your existence, you start stretching other activities and can easily fill all available time with them, creating an illusion of a busy and productive day and thus keeping your self-esteem afloat.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: You need to make a schedule that takes into account your needs to be able to the research work you're supposed to do. You can then minimize the time spent on activities that you don't find all that useful (like grading homework, making homework assignments, etc.), while making sure you get enough quality time for research. What you want to avoid is having your research time broken up into small pieces during which you can get hardly anything useful done.
Many people would ideally want to have large blocks of several hours of uninterrupted study time. E.g. you can put a 3 hour block from 9 am till 12 pm, and another one from 2 pm till 5 pm. Then all your other work that you don't value as much as research work can be crammed into the two hours from 12 pm and 2 pm. This means that you're assigning less quality time for things such as grading homework, e.g. you can do that while eating lunch. On some days you may have to spend a few hours doing other things like teaching, on those days you can perhaps only fit one 3 hour research block into your schedule.
Assigning quality time for research is very important. If you try to get to a more efficient schedule where you work in smaller blocks, you may benefit on the short run, but you'll tend to not go the extra mile with your research work, which will then suffer on the long run. Suppose e.g. that you have just one hour to work on a problem, then you'll tend to not start doing something that would be half finished when investigate a marginal issue. If an approach to attack a problem is not working well and to get to the bottom of that you could write a program to do some simulations, then just the idea of having a half finished program will put you off from even embarking on that, and because it's just to investigate why the method isn't working, you'll tend to just ditch that approach and move on. However, by systematically taking such decisions, you may miss valuable insights on the long run.
You can't predict when you would gain a valuable insight. You won't notice what you have missed, but after several years you may notice that your colleagues have had more success with their research work than you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: By letting other things go. Which is easy enough to do when you've got that itch! (The itch to... work on an interesting problem, to read or edit a collaborator's draft, to program a simulation, to look for and read related papers, etc.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Great answers up here saying to use the time you have. But what if there is really no time? You have to sacrifice something to work on your research project. In my experience I see people in academia sacrificing the following, from the most frequent to least:
1. Family
2. Sleep time
3. Time spent with friends
4. Time spent socializing
5. Leisure (there is usually not much free time left)
6. Nothing. They just hack up a few low quality publications for check marks.
7. Work time
My favorite is actually #7, but I'm surprised how few people sacrifice other work for more productive research work. Drop a class or few, re-negotiate work load, talk your way out of bureaucracy, paperwork, admin meetings, useless conferences, etc. Do research during office hours. Let students do simpler parts of your research work. Finally, change a university to one that values research more and willing to pay you for it.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/11
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm about to graduate from a terminal masters program in the United States. The most prominent PhD program I've gotten into has been at Trinity College Dublin. I want to go into U.S. academia rather than Irish academia, but the PhD programs I've gotten into the U.S. have been second-tier.
Is there a disadvantage in terms of hiring prospects? My main concern is that I might not be taken as seriously in the U.S. since European graduate schools have very short (by U.S. standards) periods of study. I've heard 3 years of graduate work is typical for Irish universities in my field, while U.S. schools you might study twice as long.
tl;dr First-tier Irish university or second-tier U.S. university for my PhD?<issue_comment>username_1: 1) I don't know what you mean by second-tier, but TCD isn't at the level of Harvard/MIT/Princeton/Berkeley.
2) The answer does depend on what your range of acceptable careers post-PhD is, because the answer is different for different segments of the job market. For research positions, it won't matter much, though you have to be careful not to work in an area that is poorly represented in the US. For primarily teaching-oriented positions (and many US PhDs in mathematics take a teaching position, permanent or temporary, straight after finishing - certainly more than those who take postdocs), you are unlikely to be considered a serious candidate without US (or at least North American) teaching experience.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Accumulating high-quality publications and taking advantage of networking opportunities ultimately dilutes any negative impression the occasional snob may associate with the institution where you got your degree from.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Theoretically, one should be judged based on publications, and not where they obtained their PhD. But the ugly truth is obtaining a PhD in the US give you more advantage when applying for a academic position in the US. This is an advice that I heard several times, by different people to different people.
Last year, there was a young researcher interviewed for an Assistant Professor at my university. I looked up his profile, and was totally impressed. At that time he were just 3 years after PhD, but he had published nearly 40 papers, and most of them are in the big 4 conferences in my fields. He also got more than 2000 citations (more than 3000 now).
His working experience includes research positions at the likes of Google, Facebook and he were postdoc at a top 3 university at that time.
However, at the staff lunch when he joined as part of the interview. A staff, director of some sorts (student career or whatever), introduced him to everybody, summarized his bio like "he did his undergraduate at Stanford, then he went to the UK where obtaining a PhD is much easier hahaha". I didn't know how he felt, but I felt being insulted myself. I also got my PhD from the UK, although at a much lesser school, not Oxbridge like that guy.
I don't know why he didn't get the job, he is still a postdoc at the same university. The one who got the job is a lady from a Ivy League school. She is also very talented, but her publication record and experience was nowhere near his, she even hadn't graduated at that time.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/11
| 681
| 2,846
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a M.Sc. graduated from a developing country and I recently got admitted for PhD in one of the reputed universities in Canada (rank 20-30th world-wide), say university A. In fact, because of the compulsory military service I could not exit the country with an M.Sc. admission letter, so I ended up applying for the PhD programs.
In general, I am completely happy to do my PhD in A and the university is considered a good place to research, however I thought that by doing research with great scientists there and completing a M.Sc. degree I probably would have a better chance of getting a PhD admission from a better university (e.g. a top-10 place), say university B.
As I have an interest to work as faculty in future, studying in B may slightly increase my chance for my future carrier.
So, I would like to know is it anything bad or immoral to express my idea to my potential advisor when I arrived in Canada? Please note that I would be perfectly happy to work as a PhD student under his supervision in case that he is unwilling of the downgrade but I fear that the proposal in itself burns the bridges or implies that I have not interested in doing research with him. All in all, I would like to know that what is the best (safest) way to express my desire to my advisor?
P.S: regarding the university policy, I checked and the university accept it if the advisor agrees.<issue_comment>username_1: You need to check policies of your university.
In general, if you don't pass qualification exam you can be transferred to Master degree. Please make sure that is case with your university and program.
It is important to do it before qualification exam.
if your university doesn't have one. you need to consider dropping as an only viable option.
edit: In case that your university policies allow downgrading, you just need to be straightforward and communicate with you advisor clearly that you dont want PhD degree from the present university.
One thing you should be aware, will change of institution affect you visa situation? you need to make sure this first to avoid troubles.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Your wording here is perfectly fine for explaining your situation in university A. Your advisor is the one who works there and knows about internal dynamics of the university.
And also, name of the institution is important at a certain level. What values you as a scientist is the quality of your publications and thesis. Finishing a PhD in university B might be a challenge, but you can set your goal to make better publications than people who have PhD degree from B.
For the last point, there is always postdoc, which will *probably* be the most productive period of your life. You could finish your postdoc at university B and achieve your goals anyways.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2017/05/11
| 825
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<issue_start>username_0: one of the two tasks of my master's thesis, is to look into existing knowledge that deals with the overarching topic, summarize the knowlegde and discuss whether that knowledge can be applied to solve the specific problem. The specific problem is solved primarily with a numerical approach, this is the main task of my thesis. A comparison of the theoretical knowledge and numerical solution will be the outcome.
As it turned out, there exists a great book that covers about 80% of the general knowledge on the theoretical part. Knowledge that i haven't had before, as nothing specific about this topic was covered in any lectures i have visited. So 80% of what i have learned, is out of that book. The author is well regarded in this field, the book is one of the most recent publications on this subject and is therefore up to date. Hence, the book is my main reference for the theoretical part.
About a **quarter** of my thesis is just a summary of the relevant parts of said book.
I thought about secondary references, but as I'm using the IEEE citation style, secondary references are not allowed. I managed to get hold on a few publications mentioned in the book, but most of them are just outdated and their shortcommings are well discussed in the book.
* Is it ok to have one main reference that covers such a big part? I'm using other references to complement where needed, but there are only a few.
* How can i go about citing it without placing the same reference number after every few sentences? Or is it ok to place the reference number that often?
* I thought about stating at the beginning of a section, that the presented knowledge is from Author's book [1] and that it is given as a condensed version in the following. In the following text, i would then write e.g.: "As Author states...." or "As presented by Author" without placing the reference number. Is this a good approach?
Maybe i'm overthinking the whole thing, but i'm just not sure on how to approach this.
Thank you! BR<issue_comment>username_1: Overriding answer: **ask your advisor**.
In expository work like this, what I've usually seen done is that you start the section with a note saying something like "The material in this section is primarily drawn from *Handbook of Reticulated Splines* by <NAME> [47]." After that, you don't bother to decorate every sentence with "[47]" or "as Smith states", except where you feel it is particularly important for clarity or the reader's convenience (e.g. you want to quote Smith's exact words, or point the reader to something on a specific page of the book, or you want to discuss Smith's approach in contrast to someone else's).
But again, **ask your advisor** in case they have some other ideas as to how you should handle it.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Are you sure you can retell what's in that book in a better way than the author wrote it in the first place? If so, proceed as you described. If not, I suggest you pull out very little from that book to put into your thesis, but encourage the reader to read the reference.
Your job, in writing your thesis, is to present *your original contribution*. You must present some background for that, of course, but not to the point of rewriting another work, unless there's something inscrutable about the other work, and you need to rewrite it to make it understandable.
Now, if you wanted to critique some ideas presented in that book, or go into some aspect(s) in greater depth -- that might be a different matter.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/12
| 1,070
| 4,657
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<issue_start>username_0: I was invited to a campus visit for a faculty position at a university in the U.S.
The visit will include a job talk, a class presentation to students, meeting with faculty members, meeting with the dean of the school and meeting with the provost from the university’s president’s office. This is by no means not a small university.
I was wondering what is the goal of meeting with each one of these parties. I do realize that I am being tested as much as I am also doing the same, but I would like to know what the dean and the provost would want to talk about with me.<issue_comment>username_1: Meetings of this sort are pretty standard, but my experience is they're usually at a later stage of the process, like a second visit. Deans don't like to waste the time if the candidate doesn't pass muster of the faculty.
For better or worse, the Dean and the Provost carry a very big stick. Your recruitment can be halted in a split second if one of them decides that way. The way it goes is that search committees make recommendations to Chairs and Deans. At intermediate stages, they will advance a handful of applicants for consideration. If the Dean or higher up says to the Chair "I would prefer if you don't hire that candidate" that's usually a done deal.
In subtler cases, they can come up with "extra" resources to make your package a bit more exciting if they feel you're worth it, such as bumping the size of your startup package with discretionary funds.
If the Deans or other high level officers want to meet with you at an early stage, that's could be just due diligence, providing a reality check, but it could be almost anything. Could be a young department or chair, and the Dean feels the need to keep an eye on the process. It could also be an indication that the search has advanced to a fairly late stage, and they want to make a hire quickly. It could also mean that these officers take a very active role in the management of their faculty, which could be a good thing. It could mean that they take a very active interest in a campus with a family-like leadership style. It could also mean that you're being considered for a very strategic hire and that they have a key interest in making sure just the right person is brought in to advance their programs.
There's also the possibility that you're a desirable candidate, and they want to impress you by showing high-level interest in your recruitment right from the start.
It's very hard to know exactly why they're directly involved without asking them.
In any case, be responsive to their questions. Use earlier meetings with other faculty to try to get a feel for the slot you're being recruited for, and in your big meetings, be the person they're looking for.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: A lot depends on the size of the institution. Compare a flagship large state university with 40,000 students to a small liberal arts college with 1000 students. In the case of the small college, the dean is likely just a part-time administrator and the provost is probably the only full-time academic administrator. At the large university, there might be a full-time department chair, dean, and maybe a vice president below the provost.
In my experience of running search committees at a small college, the dean
and provost typically interview all of the faculty candidates that come to campus and provide feedback to the committee. They're mostly interested in making sure that candidates can communicate well and will fit into the campus culture. They also make a point of explaining their expectations of new faculty. At our institution, they're very interested in candidates who will be active in interdisciplinary research projects. I've come to respect the judgments of these folks when it comes to communications skills and personality because they've had a lot of experience in hiring people.
As an applicant, I'd suggest that you focus on communicating clearly about
your teaching and research interests and how you can contribute to the larger mission of the institution. Try to come across as someone who will work hard and not demand too much special attention. Do not use this interview to start making demands relating to salary, start-up package, etc.- that can be a huge turn-off.
You can also look for any signs of tension between the administration and the academic department. For example, are their expectations of your teaching and research activity in agreement? If you get inconsistent answers from the administration and the academic department then that is an indication of discord within the institution.
Upvotes: 3
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2017/05/12
| 397
| 1,625
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<issue_start>username_0: I want to send an article to a math journal. As with many others, that journal wants a cover letter, which should include the author's affiliation.
I'm still a high school student and my school isn't in the U.S.
How should I write my affiliation?
My school's name is hard to translate to english, should I write its name as in my language? And, when I'm writing my school's adress, should I write it as in my language?
(If you see a grammar mistake and edit it, that would make me really happy.)<issue_comment>username_1: Simply list your high school as your affiliation, including the city and country where it's located (since there may be many high schools in the world with the same name).
It's irrelevant whether or not it's in the US.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: First of all, I'm impressed by your ambition here. And I should warn you not to get discouraged if the math journal ends up rejecting your submission. Do you have guidance from someone experienced in academic publishing, to help you through the process?
As @Nate-Eldridge pointed out already, you should simply state your affiliation, and the country doesn't matter. But I will add:
* If the submission is not double-blind, there is a risk that people will take you less seriously when they see the affiliation. There's not much you can do about this, I think.
* High school students **do** contribute to academic publications, though I was surprised to see this. One was a coauthor of a paper in a very strong CS systems conference this year (others were at a university).
Good luck!
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2017/05/12
| 600
| 2,623
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<issue_start>username_0: What are my best options when a reviewer misunderstands my work and asks for an unreasonable improvement? She was very clear that this was a major issue and that she would only accept the paper under this "improvement".
1. Should I withdraw the submission?
2. Should I write to the editor and try to convince him that the reviewer is wrong? (Possibly asking for a new reviewer).
3. Should I make the revision normally trying to convince editor and referee that what they ask is impossible?
4. Something else?
I'm inclined to go with the 2nd option.
The field is in the intersection of Mathematics and Computer Science, and the journal is not a top one.
Edit: I've made the revision normally, as suggested here. Thanks to everyone that commented as I wouldn't have done so. In the end, I was happy with the revision.<issue_comment>username_1: I am not sure about your field, but when I have made a revision to a manuscript, it is required to have a letter detailing your changes and your response to the reviewers' comments. In your case, make the changes that you can accomplish and detail your reasons for not doing X in this manuscript. Be detailed and specific. You could even address the fact that you did not do X in your manuscript as well, if you think it could be useful to a reader.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I believe the key is that you can include the information in your paper about this direction being "impossible", and improve it significantly by doing so.
Rather than rejecting the suggestion outright, add a discussion to your paper of that future direction and some notes on its difficulty (i.e., although we show in this paper that 10+10=20 through novel use of the podal digits, the corollary of 20-10=10 cannot currently be proven empirically due to limitations of the primary technique of positive incremental dactylonomy, and the lack of willing test subjects for the secondary approach).
Although it might seem obvious to you why that improvement is "impossible", your reviewers may read your paper even more carefully than your broader audience. If something was unclear (or at least, non-obvious) to this reviewer, you should expect that at least some non-negligible proportion of your broader readership will come to the same conclusion. I think you improve your paper substantially if you can explain this concisely.
Even better, if you can suggest some approach that is possible but currently difficult to implement or outside the scope of your current paper, your work could be the priority reference for that approach.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]
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2017/05/12
| 1,581
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<issue_start>username_0: I know a professor in my university that I was close to when I was an undergrad, not in a academic setting, but in a social setting (church in my case). I did not take his class, but I do know that he is close to many other undergraduates in the social circle, and many of them do take his class.
While I'm fairly certain that he does not play favoritism, I'm unsure if the professor should withdraw himself from such social circle because he is bound to have his personal friends take his class, and that might be a potential conflict of interest. However, the town is a small college town, and it's unreasonable for him to switch to another social circle (church) since all churches are full of undergrads, and perhaps that is asking for too much.
How should professors behave in this situation? Is it ok for him to be part of a social circle with many undergrads, knowing that some of them may take his class in the future?<issue_comment>username_1: It would certainly be unreasonable to expect professors to leave a church because the church also has undergraduates in it.
What you're describing isn't really what's usually called a conflict of interest: the professor doesn't actually stand to gain in any concrete way by giving the student better grades. What you're concerned about is bias, which is a real, but generally lesser, problem. It's basically unavoidable to have some potential bias involving students - professors will inevitably end up with students who they know from outside school, or who are identifiably the children of a colleague or administrator or donor, or who we just find ourselves naturally liking (or disliking).
It is the responsibility of a professor to avoid letting this bias turn into favoritism, or even the appearance of favoritism, but the usual approach to this is to have clear standards and try to grade blindly (without knowing whose work we're grading), not to try to eliminate all possible sources of bias.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There are plenty of ways for professors to "make favorites" without knowing students ahead of time. It's up to the integrity of any professor to prevent such favoritism from impacting the learning of other students or the grading rigor for a course. Professors have the same ethical obligation with respect to categories such as race, gender, political affiliation, etc.
It isn't reasonable to expect a professor to withdraw from social circles where that professor might encounter students (or, for that matter, the parents of those students).
In some cases, it might be reasonable for a professor to recuse themselves from some other administrative action involving a student closely known to them (for examples: admissions, any sort of disciplinary action, awarding of scholarship money, etc) assuming there are other faculty who can easily fulfill those roles.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: The role of a professor is to teach. Grading is an artefact of the educational system: a necessary evil, if you wish. Grading should be as objective as possible, and ideally a didactic tool. A professor that likes his students is motivated to do what's best for them in terms of learning.
To a see a professor as a referee in a grading competition is a symptom of what is wrong with the current academic status quo, where a university degree is a tool for social and economic advancement. In any case, a university is not the same as military hierarchy, where officers are not to mingle with the ranks. A university is, at least in principle, a place for the free interchange and creation of ideas, not only in the formal setting of the classroom, but always. A professor interaction with students outside the classroom is a good thing.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: We should assume, unless proven otherwise, that the Professor is professional and therefore he will assess and evaluate his students entirely fairly on the basis of objective criteria.
However, these extracurricular engagements may increase the opportunities for learning opportunities to arise with guidance by the teacher. I would see this as a good thing - the more such opportunities we can give our students the better.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: While knowing students on a personal level certainly may add a layer of silent delight or frustration (depending on their respective performance), I would expect any significant favoritism to take place is very, very unlikely.
Besides, remember your professor was there *first*. So I would like to permute the question: Does this makes you (and your fellow students) feel to be expected to withdraw? Probably not :)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: "I do know that he is **close** to many other undergraduates in the social circle, and many of them do take his class." (The bolding is my own.)
The key word here is "close." I don't know exactly what you mean by this, so I will include some specific examples in my answer.
>
> How should he behave in this situation? Is it ok for him to be part of a social circle with many undergrads, knowing that some of them may take his class in the future?
>
>
>
Your university should have a policy posted online about this. But the basic advice, I believe, is generally:
* The professor should inform the department chair if there are any students on his class roster that are related to him or have a close friendship with him. In other words, if <NAME> is on his class roster, and he sometimes goes for a hike on Sunday afternoons with Roger, in a small group, and then has him over for dinner -- the department chair needs to be told.
On the other hand, if he sometimes gives <NAME> a ride home after church because he lives in the same direction as Ellen, that's probably not worth telling the department chair about. However, in case of doubt, it's best to inform the chair and let him/her decide if anything needs to be done.
* If a close friendship starts to develop during the course of the semester, the professor should either back off and put the developing friendship on hold until after the semester is over, or proceed as above. Reason: it's not enough to behave ethically. It's also important to avoid the *appearance* of impropriety.
Yes, it's okay for him to be part of a social circle with undergrads, knowing that some of them may take his class in the future. However, if the department chair is getting these notifications, semester after semester (i.e. there are a lot of Roger Smiths), the chair might sit him down and ask him to try to expand his social circle to include more people his own age.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/13
| 695
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<issue_start>username_0: My situation is as follows. I started a PhD 5 months ago in a reputable university. However, I am not happy with my lab and supervisor and do not want to spend 4 or more years here. I shared my thoughts with my supervisor and he told me it is better to stay one or more years and finish with a MSc than quitting now, and if I like it then I can just stay and complete my PhD.
**I already have a MSc but from much smaller university unlike my current one, what is the best action to take now?**
Is staying and having two MSc a good option, or quitting now would look better on my CV as I did not spend too much time in the program and start looking for other opportunities?
If it matters, the reasons I am not willing to stay are:
* The current projects in the lab do not interest me and I do not want to be working alone, specially my supervisor told be it is better to work in the same line or else he would not have much time.
* My supervisor has joined this field recently and does not provide useful feedback with no post-doc or other seniors to help. Much of what I will do would be completely on my own.
* After working for one semester, the research we are doing in the lab in far from the state-of-the-art and mainly focuses on getting papers accepted in a coming conference, (Is this reasonable motivation to quit? I prefer to be working with people more involved in the field.)<issue_comment>username_1: **Look for other opportunities *whilst* still continuing with your PhD.** Hopefully you find something by the end of your masters year and you can part ways then.
If you can go to an employer and say you're in the middle of a PhD but have realised it isn't the path you wish to follow and are looking for other employment it looks better than dropping out and *then* looking for work.
Also, not that I'm trying to change your mind but, I don't know a single person doing a PhD who hasn't doubted it was the right thing for them at some point. Make sure quitting isn't something you would regret later in life and think about the reasons you chose to apply for a PhD in the first place.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Here are some possible courses of action:
* Continue, status quo, as your advisor suggested, and see how things develop
* Continue, but negotiate certain changes
* Withdraw from the program as soon as the current semester is over (which I suppose will be in a week or two)
* Withdraw from the program in a semester or two, depending on what you want to do next
* Switch advisors
* Inform your advisor you would like to concentrate on coursework next semester and take a break from the research project for the time being
* Request, from your department, a leave of absence for personal reasons (which you need not explain)
If you decide to leave, plan your exit strategy in the context of a particular goal.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/13
| 544
| 2,498
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<issue_start>username_0: I submitted a paper for publication in a journal indexed by Scopus. Before acceptance, I sent an e-mail requesting withdrawal of the paper because the review process took longer than expected. I did not receive any reply. Later, I received an acceptance notice with two major problems.
1. They requested publication fees much higher than the advertised one.
2. They did not provide any reviewer comments.
For those reasons, I insisted on withdrawing the paper. I neither paid any fees nor signed the copyright transfer form. I sent a second e-mail stating that I would like to withdraw the paper because of those reasons, but again received no reply. Finally, I sent an e-mail with a notice that I assume the paper is withdrawn.
**Can I go ahead and send the paper somewhere else?**<issue_comment>username_1: As long as you can prove that you withdrew your paper, you can submit to another journal. The possibly delicate point is with the proof.
I would think that in case the first submission comes up, any sensible editor would take a copy (with all headings) of the emails you sent to withdraw as a decent enough proof. Moreover, what you describe points to the first journal being predatory, which might be easy to decide for the second journal editor depending on how obviously predatory it looks. Then the first journal would not have much credit, even if they would go as far as forge emails.
If you want to be completely safe, you can mention in the cover letter that you submitted your paper to another journal quite some time ago, and then decided to withdraw it (precise that you mentions this because the first journal never answered you emails). It would make your case bullet-proof in case the first submission ever comes out. This might not reflect too well on your submission however (it might prompt the reason why you withdrew, or it might make the editor fear you could withdraw again while he or she bothered to get a report), but I would not think it would have a significant impact.
Last, it seems you might have submitted to a predatory journal, and that would mean you should have been more cautious. If you don't know a journal, don't publish there without getting an opinion by someone well established knowing the journal.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You just need to communicate this matter with the editor before publishing. The editor has confirmed withdrawing your manuscript. You can submit it to other journals.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/13
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<issue_start>username_0: For applications of virtually any kind, it is stipulated that an offer may be rescinded or even during a course, a student may be taken off, if any false information is discovered in their application.
However, suppose for a graduate program a student asks a professor to write a recommendation, and whether knowingly or unknowingly the professor includes false information in that letter of recommendation which has a bearing on the application, what are the consequences of that?
The onus of selecting the recommender is on the student/applicant, but I do not see how they can suffer consequences since recommendation letters are often not shown to the applicant.
---
To help answer the question, assume I am referring to universities in the U.S.<issue_comment>username_1: Few cases ***can*** happen (probability will decrease as we go from case to case).
1. (They don't find out) nothing happens.
2. (They find out) they'll remember the professor and his recommendations will be considered of no value
* The reader of this recommendation can have the professor marked as a dishonest person within the facility or keep it for himself
3. They contact the professor ask him about it. Then they contact the current professor's employer and he gets in 'trouble' - some people get aware of it.
4. They contact current professors employer, he get's fired for dishonest behavior
5. They make a lot of people aware (Including his colleagues and newspapers/media?) he gets fire and it's going to be hard for him to find another job, highly unlikely.
It really comes down to the **credibility**, you're not going to jail because of that. It can only really hurt your trustworthiness in the academic and human sense. If you're going to lie it should be something small like if someone worked in your company for a year you can say he worked there one and a half years.
If the one recommending someone isn't aware of something chances of this affecting him are very low *~0*. This is in the case of something that common sense dictates, he shouldn't be aware of I don't know, *Like does he have a dog*, and on the other side, one can't say he's was not aware of his *e.g.* effort or performance.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> If the recommender got mixed up about something, that's not your fault.
>
>
> If you gave the recommender false information, which s/he then included in the letter, that's not so good.
>
>
>
In any case, the ethical and safe thing to do is to notify the admissions committee as soon as you become aware of the error.
Upvotes: 0
|
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| 508
| 2,174
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<issue_start>username_0: One conference has accepted my paper, but I'm unable to follow publisher format for one page, I have to change some margins for this page.
Actually I've to insert a table and table is slightly bigger in size so I have to change margins and I've tried almost all the possible ways to fit it in that page and I've only one page I can't use more space/page.
If I do this, will they reject my final submitted copy of paper? What will be the effect of this in the printed copy?<issue_comment>username_1: It's likely that the typesetter will fix the margins, etc. when it's published. Otherwise, could you slightly reduce the font to make the overall table smaller?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: IEEE has a web-based tool to check if the camera-ready version complies with the format. You are allowed to submitted 3 times (I don't know what happen if you fail 3 times). If the tool says OK, then it is OK, I don't think any human can recognize a small change in the margin of 1 page.
For Springer, I don't recall they have any similar tool. I think if your changes are not recognizable by human eye then it is OK.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: There are a few possibilities which depend on what sort of conference you are submitting to.
* Usually well-known and flagship conferences require submission of
either the .doc or .docx file for conversion to a compatible pdf file
to pdfexpress (The IEEE pdf checking tool). You can also generate
your own pdf and submit it for checking. In this case, conferences
provide you with a password that you need to use when preparing the
submission, and the tool actually checks for correct margins.
* Smaller conferences might have someone checking the files manually so
it is quite possible that they will not notice it, especially if it
just only larger than the actual margins. So you can get away with it.
Having said that, it is for the best to follow the templates and submission requirements. It is not uncommon for conferences to add page numbers and copyright information to the pdf at which point you might end up with text over other text and a bit of a messy situation.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/13
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<issue_start>username_0: I know there are quite some questions about business cards, but as far as I can see they are all about professors, PhDs, and so forth. I have finished my Bachelor's degree in Germany and I am currently taking my Master's (computer science).
Although there is a certrain trend in Germany (especially in STEM-related fields, even more in Startup culture) towards a more casual way of dealing with each other, there are still some things that are considered rather negative. I guess compared to other countries we are still kind of strict in our behavior, even in defiance of globalization.
One such thing is business cards for students. Albeit scientific degrees enjoy a very good reputation in a CV in Germany, students are often seen like non-professionals. It would be an exaggeration to say "school-kids"...but sometimes even in this direction.
Hence, many (business) professionals would not recommend business cards for students. Some even consider students with business cards as self-exposers and would disrespect them.
However, I am mostly talking to people in Academia (or sometimes human resources people). Since I have written my first publications, people started asking for my contact information at conferences (and sometimes at exhibitions, like CeBIT for example). Even though many of them are German, there are also lots of international people.
In fact I will visit a big conference in my field in Japan this year.
So I am wondering what "etiquette" does exist in other countries for business cards (as a student)?
Is it probably helpful to have some that you can hand out at events? Or is it considered rather negative (at least in business quarters), like in Germany?<issue_comment>username_1: Perhaps you could strike a happy balance between German expectations and international expectations. To avoid appearing pretentious among your German peers (I'm just going by your description here), you might be best off keeping it very simple and drab, with no graphics or fancy fonts or colors, and a minimalist approach to the content, e.g.:
>
> <NAME> (or whatever)
>
>
> Computer Science, University of (name)
>
>
> (your email address)
>
>
>
(but centered.)
If a German peer gives you a hard time about it, perhaps you could say
>
> Having my email address printed on a small card makes it easier to get in touch later with people whose work I'm interested in.
>
>
>
If you might be giving it to some people over 40, don't use a tiny font.
The alternative to the business card approach is to use a folded piece of paper or small notebook, kept in a pants pocket along with a small pencil.
To give your contact information to someone, in the case that you don't have any cards of your own, you can write your name and email address on the back of one of *their* cards.
(The only thing that would appear pretentious about a student having a business card in the U.S. would be if it had a fancy title under the name, such as "doctoral candidate." I did see this once in someone's email signature and I felt embarrassed for the person.)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I can't comment on Germany, but from the perspective of somebody in the UK, my answer to this pretty much reflects my answer re postgrads over at [Is a business card necessary for a graduate student?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/24088/is-a-business-card-necessary-for-a-graduate-student/24115#24115):
* If there's any chance that you're going to be interacting with industry as an individiual, rather than as one of a class, you need business cards. It's part of that culture.
* If you're going to be going to an event in Japan, you *definitely* need business cards for that - and, ideally, a briefing on the etiquette of giving and receiving them.
* Within academia (and not in the far east), I wouldn't expect an undergrad to use them while studying at their institution, but if you find yourself going to any conferences or any jobhunting events, they might be useful. They can save time with scribbling details and a good card, offered appropriately, may make meeting you stand out in the fog of somebody's post-conference memory.
Summary: it's worth having some, but try to judge what is "normal" before pressing them on people, and don't make a big deal about it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: First of all you mentioned that you already finished your bachelors. In Germany this is normally considered a "berufsqualifizierender Abschluss" which means that with your B.Sc./B.Eng. (at least "on paper") you are considered a trained professional capable of doing a job related to your field of study. So nothing "pretentious" about that.
When I was in the same stage (B.Sc. finished, M.Sc. in progress, also in Germany) I also had no business card and in hindsight it was bad to not have any. I was very often asked for a card at conferences or after presenting our work to potential or current industry partners. One older guy at a conference in Germany even got a little "angry" at me when i couldn´t give him contact information in form of a card because he thought it was unprofessional for students not to have one.
As suggested in an other answer just keep it simple (just your name, kind of your bachelors, department and contact info). Maybe your university even has a template or guidelines for it.
And if you worry to be seen as pretentious, just don´t spread them like flyers but wait for people to ask for them.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I am looking for a master’s position. I emailed a professor and we arranged a meeting on Skype, where he said that he would send me a project on which I should work for two months. I agreed and afterwards I sent him an email and thanking him and asking for the project.
One week later I emailed him to read my mail which I had sent him about six days ago, but he did not answer me.
How should I write an email to him now to ask for the project that I was supposed to do? I want to tell him: “Please consider my request, my future depends on this.”<issue_comment>username_1: First, about the **email**:
* Do you have a deadline coming up, for applying for a master’s? If so, then you should probably send him a polite reminder, something along the lines of:
>
> Dear Dr. X, I was wondering if you had given any more consideration to the projects you'd mentioned earlier.
>
>
>
* Do **not** say something like “my future depends on this.” Firstly, your future does not. If this particular master’s opportunity doesn’t work out, it is by no means the end of your career. Secondly, it will come across as rude: The Professor is aware that master’s applications are important to your career.
* Don’t expect professors to respond terribly soon. They receive a *large* amount of email, and are often extremely busy balancing research, administration, supervising, and teaching. If you have an impending deadline, or it has been long enough that you believe you have been forgotten, you can send a polite reminder. But pestering will only annoy the professor.
Secondly, about the **projects**:
Is he asking you to do projects for him, unpaid, before you have been accepted as a master’s student? This is highly unconventional, and seems like it might possibly be a scam, to get you to work on projects without paying you or giving you credit towards an academic degree.
What country is this master’s in? Usually, professors do not directly choose who is admitted to a master’s program. So your professor may not be able to guarantee your admission, even if you do good work for them on this project.
In any case, it’s not normal to be given months of homework to “prove yourself” before starting a master’s. Usually your bachelor’s grades and projects, along with reference letters, are what you are judged on.
So I would be very wary of this situation, unless I am misunderstanding what is actually happening.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Read the application instructions for this department. I very much doubt they say anything about doing work for a professor prior to enrolling, and outside any class or employment arrangement.
Contact the director of admissions of the program where this professor is employed, and inform him or her that the professor asked you to work on a project for two months, as part of your application for the Master's project.
Do make sure you follow all the posted recommended steps for applying for admission.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: Recently, I am looking for a master position so that I had to send emails to professors.I was wondering if you tell me when is the best time to send an email? morning or afternoon? could we send mail on weekends Saturday and Sunday?<issue_comment>username_1: I would assume this email is important to you, therefore you should email someone within specific time-frames that are convenient for that person, of course, they'll read the email whenever they feel like it but from your perspective, if you're looking for a time that you think is going to be the best for the receiver.
I got a few tips but I can't give you the exact moment, Many people, that are very busy read their emails only in their work-time. An example they work from 8 am to 4 pm and they'll read their emails only from 2 pm till 3 pm. Now since they're reading their work-related emails only in that timeframe whenever you send it is going to be the same for that person.
This is probably an academic email (because you posted it here) therefore that person doesn't have a preference. I would say my personal opinion is after the sun goes down in your country, Muslims call it Maghrib.
A person is relaxed but not exhausted. That's at least me.
And some people can get mad if you send them any type of message in their free-time (either they won't read(more likely) it or if they receive it they'll not be fine about it).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: In the past, I tried to optimally-time emails in this fashion. I found that it usually turned into delaying the email and needing to spend mental bandwidth tracking and remembering to do that for part of a week (to the detriment of some other small tasks).
My recommendation at this point would be: Right now. As soon as you have time to do so. Get it off your plate and move on.
Edit: I'm aware that among millennials, it's common to have email tied into one's mobile device, and therefore interact with it and view it identically to instant messaging (e.g., I've had one younger friend express irritation at receiving work emails after 5 pm). However, I will suggest that this is not the case for academics. We're usually getting hundreds of emails per week or day, and necessarily deal with it in a batched fashion at various times of our choosing (not necessarily every day).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Some studies have shown that you should leave your least demanding tasks for later in the day, and focus on your most pressing needs within 4 hours of waking up. However, I think a lot of academics will still end up checking their emails first thing. My own supervisor asked me to do the same, check it first thing. So while a window such as 2-3 or 4-5pm makes more sense, I still think a significant percentage of academics would check it early in the morning. So also consider 8-9am.
Although another strategy might be considering when other people would be likely to send their emails. If most academically related emails are arriving early in the morning, then your email gets lost in the heap. If you send your email at 4:00 pm or 4:30pm when things have died down a little, but still within the window of normal working hours, then you might separate yourself from the pile of emails. The only downside to this approach is that if the email is significant in its content, then sending the email at a time when most people have been worn out might not be the best bet. Refer to the last point to gauge if it makes sense.
Of course as mentioned, the biggest mistake to make would be to delay a pressing email. Send it as quickly as you can, and don't overthink it.
Lastly, you should also consider past experience (if you have any)! If 90% of your responses have come at 7pm, then why not go for 7pm? People have habits and routines, observe them.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/14
| 667
| 2,975
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<issue_start>username_0: I have submitted my dissertation recently (in mathematics), and I have a position for a postdoc which I will start around October.
In the meantime, one of my friends and I have been working on some projects (some of which we began nearly a year ago), and prepare to write some papers. At least one of them we expect to finish over the summer, and that's fine, there's no hard choices how to affiliate myself there: I'm still considered a student.
But the second paper we have been working on is probably going to take longer than that before we are ready to publish it. So both of us will be moving on from our current university.
How do we decide which affiliation to use when we finally make the paper public? Do we take it as the affiliation at the time, or the one under which we worked the most?
(To clarify, none of our papers are directly related to either of our dissertations.)<issue_comment>username_1: This is a mathematics specific answer. My understanding is that conventions may be different in other fields.
The primary purpose (in mathematics) of the affiliation on your paper is to distinguish you from other people with the same name and to provide a way for readers to contact you. Therefore, you should put your affiliation at the time the paper is submitted. Furthermore, if you change affiliations between submitting the paper and getting the paper proofs before final publication (which is likely to happen), you should make the change on the paper so that the published version matches your affiliation at the time.
You can (and in my opinion generally should) acknowledge your former affiliation(s) in an acknowledgement section.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: My practice has always been to list as my affiliation the university(/ies) at which I was based whilst I conducted significant work on a manuscript. If moving institution after a paper had been accepted, then I would additionally list my current institution as a contact address rather than an affiliation – see an example [here](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0005628) (under <NAME>). The idea is that each institution that supported the work should receive due credit.
One consideration that is worth flagging up is that the next iteration of the UK's Research Excellence Framework exercise (which determines how government funding is allocated to universities) is likely to only allow institutions to 'claim' papers on which they are listed as an affiliation. If you are moving to the UK and your paper is likely to be suitable for submission to the next REF, your new head of department may therefore be keen that you list your new institution as an affiliation.
To some extent the most appropriate solution will depend on the particulars of your individual situation, but my feeling is that there's little to be lost by being generous in which affiliations you list.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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| 2,637
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<issue_start>username_0: I have published an article on arXiv. I associated person X as co-author whereas he didn't contribute at any step of the paper. Note that he is not registered as owner of the article on arXiv and I didn't give him the password to access as author.
When I wanted to submit the paper to a journal, X began to do some harassment. After that, I decided to remove his name from the article on arXiv.
**Questions:** How can I remove a co-author from an article published on arXiv? Can he claim that he is the co-author on arXiv or for a journal submission?<issue_comment>username_1: This is a mathematics specific answer. My understanding is that conventions may be different in other fields.
The primary purpose (in mathematics) of the affiliation on your paper is to distinguish you from other people with the same name and to provide a way for readers to contact you. Therefore, you should put your affiliation at the time the paper is submitted. Furthermore, if you change affiliations between submitting the paper and getting the paper proofs before final publication (which is likely to happen), you should make the change on the paper so that the published version matches your affiliation at the time.
You can (and in my opinion generally should) acknowledge your former affiliation(s) in an acknowledgement section.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: My practice has always been to list as my affiliation the university(/ies) at which I was based whilst I conducted significant work on a manuscript. If moving institution after a paper had been accepted, then I would additionally list my current institution as a contact address rather than an affiliation – see an example [here](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0005628) (under <NAME>). The idea is that each institution that supported the work should receive due credit.
One consideration that is worth flagging up is that the next iteration of the UK's Research Excellence Framework exercise (which determines how government funding is allocated to universities) is likely to only allow institutions to 'claim' papers on which they are listed as an affiliation. If you are moving to the UK and your paper is likely to be suitable for submission to the next REF, your new head of department may therefore be keen that you list your new institution as an affiliation.
To some extent the most appropriate solution will depend on the particulars of your individual situation, but my feeling is that there's little to be lost by being generous in which affiliations you list.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2017/05/14
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<issue_start>username_0: Simply, what do you expect from a good bachelor's thesis?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> What do you expect from a good bachelor's thesis?
>
>
>
The expectations for a bachelor's thesis vary from country to country and from field to field. However, I think the main points can be summarised as follows:
* the author shows a good understanding of the given problem
* the author is aware of the existing literature in the field, can discuss the literature critically and understands where their problem sits in the literature
* the thesis is well-written and successfully communicates the author's findings, ensuring that anyone wishing to replicate their experiments could do so
A bachelors thesis is **NOT** expected to be an entirely original work nor does it need to represent an advancement in the field. I think I am safe in stating that publishing work from a bachelor's thesis is highly unusual.
A successful thesis requires consistent work on a specific problem with demonstrable results that can be disseminated to the community (be this your peers at university, future employers or *maybe* to a journal for peer review).
**You are missing one key ingredient: a supervisor.**
At the bachelor's level, it is very difficult (due to inexperience or unfamiliarity with the literature) to identify a problem which is open-ended enough to allow plenty of work on it, but not so esoteric or challenging that the student will not be able to make any meaningful progress or learn anything valuable from the experience.
You state that
>
> Most of my lecturers are PhD scholars themselves struggling with their own papers. Ego in academia may prevent them from assisting me in my paper.
>
>
>
Have you asked them about this or are you making an assumption? They may well be very happy to supervise your project; after all, getting other people interested in research is very important for academics.
I think that you and your thesis will be far more successful if you find a supervisor who can give you the guidance and direction you need. **Your supervisor will also be able to answer your questions about publication of your work** (if it merits it-- again, I stress that publication should be low on your list of priorities. Get to know the literature, gain some expertise surrounding your problem and write, write, *write*).
**Now to address your questions about an Ig Nobel.**
I'm not sure if you've maybe misunderstood what these prizes are about: they're a gentle satirical mocking of the Nobel prizes, and generally awarded for ``pointless'' or silly research-- not serious science. I'm not sure that aiming to be awarded one for your bachelor's thesis is a good idea.
You can nominate yourself for an Ig Nobel, but as [their own website](http://www.improbable.com/ig/miscellaneous/nominate.html) states (emphasis mine):
>
> Self-nominees seldom win. It seems characteristic of the Ig Nobel prizes that the "Igginess" is a side-effect, **not a goal**.
>
>
>
Don't aim for an Ig Nobel. Concentrate on finding a supervisor, working on a tough problem, writing a great thesis and getting to know the joys and pitfalls of research.
There are some other questions and answers on this site that may help you further:
1. [Finding a supervisor](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/57670/49043) (this question is about getting a supervisor at another university, but the advice is applicable to your situation).
2. [Do's and don'ts of undergrad research](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/18053/dos-and-donts-of-undergraduate-research)
3. [What counts as undergrad research](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/44236/what-counts-as-undergraduate-research?rq=1) (when aiming for grad school)
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> I'm trying for an Ig Nobel.
>
>
>
First, let me say that I *love* your attitude. Academia could stand to enjoy a bit more humor, especially when applied productively. Some of that's been lost when people are afraid to step out of place or appear unprofessional; but, if you're aiming for the stars, you'll be in good company if you're relaxed.
And since
>
> I'm currently a CompSci&Engg
>
>
>
, I'd recommend:
### Do [*p*-hacking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_hoc_analysis)!
Say that you want to find some desired relationship in your data. You do a regression, but the results aren't really convincing. What then? Well, clearly, you just picked the wrong regression model. So, you try a bunch of 'em 'til it works, including a bunch of correction methods for [confounders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confounding), and once you find a statistically significant result, clearly that was the correct model all along. *p*<0.05, because it's *science*, yo.
Clearly I'm joking, right? [Unfortunately not.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replication_crisis) There're a lot of unbound degrees of freedom in practiced experimental design and data analysis; these unbound degrees of freedom are optimized for reportability, leading to skewed data analyses. It's like doing machine learning, except everything's [training data](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_set); no [validation set](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_set#Validation_set) until [someone comes along to do it later](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproducibility_Project).
It seems perfect because:
1. It's an extremely important topic.
2. It's under-researched.
3. It's funny.
### 1. It's important.
From ["Experts issue warning on problems with P values"](https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/context/experts-issue-warning-problems-p-values) (2016):
>
> “It is a safe bet that people have suffered or died because scientists (and editors, regulators, journalists and others) have used significance tests to interpret results,” Rothman wrote.
>
>
>
They're *not* being overly dramatic. A lot of medical literature reports findings that just don't follow, guiding future research in fruitless directions as people who have medical problems today spend their time downing snake oil.
For a quick intro, the [American Statistical Association (ASA)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Statistical_Association) provides ["The ASA's Statement on *p*-Values: Context, Process, and Purpose"](https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00031305.2016.1154108) (2016). The overall problem's called the [reproducibility crisis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replication_crisis).
### 2. It's under-researched.
While we know that it's a huge problem, I haven't seen good studies into how it keeps happening or *effective* initiatives to improve the situation.
For an undergrad thesis worthy of an [Ig Nobel prize](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ig_Nobel_Prize), you could do something like come up with a clear, consistent methodology for turning arbitrary experimental data into results that'd be considered valid by currently practiced standards. Ultimately, your goal is to produce a methodology for "proving" any conclusion you like with *p*<0.01, or something like that, then use this methodology to "*prove*" all sorts of absurd results.
Off-hand, I'd try this:
1. Get an experimental data set.
2. Try to fit it to a regression model.
3. If the results are "significant", record.
4. Repeat Steps (2)-(3) once for each possible combination of:
* Regression model. (Use linear, exponential, log, polynomials, etc..)
* Correction method.
* Outlier reduction.
* Variable transform.
5. Repeat Step (4) for various experimental setups.
6. Report the most "statistically significant" result.
7. Include disclaimers about how the results are preliminary and that more research is needed to determine significance.
### 3. It's funny.
If it's on [xkcd](https://xkcd.com/882/), it's funny. (Proof: Randomly sampled a few comics; analyzed for various definitions of "funny" 'til I found one that fit; *p*<0.05.)
Seriously though, this is the sort of project that if you do *well*, then add a bit of flavor with funny comics that anyone can understand (like [this xkcd](https://xkcd.com/1132/)), you could easily make headline news. Plus a few new memes!
### 4. *???*
Do it for the memes, man. If you don't, who will?
### 5. Profit: Ig Nobel.
If you write a thesis on how to "scientifically" prove anything, then use it to prove a bunch of silly non-sense, it seems like you should get an Ig Nobel. Plus a lot more fame; again, it's an extremely important topic that needs more public awareness, both within academia and outside of it.
If they don't give you one, I'd write you up an Ig Ig Nobel. I'll even print it off on the back of a napkin, *egregia cum laude*, if the thesis is good enough!
Upvotes: 4
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| 1,983
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<issue_start>username_0: This seems like a vague question, but please bear with me before voting to close it:
Often times, when searching for a good textbook on a particular subject (mostly mathematics or physics), I see users who confidently suggest multiple textbooks on this same subject. ([Here](https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/363/getting-started-self-studying-general-relativity) is a good example.) My guess is that these users have **not** actually read through each of these textbooks page by page.
I'm currently going through a few textbooks to learn and/or brush up on different subjects. I am reading them carefully, doing the exercises, taking notes on things I don't understand, etc. A chatper, at best, takes me a couple of weeks (and I spend the majority of my free time studying).
This being said, how does a person read these text-books in-depth enough to have a founded opinion on their contents? Is it done *after* already knowing the material?
(I know this is a strange, perhaps difficult to answer question, and I'd be glad to take any suggestions or criticisms to better it).<issue_comment>username_1: Personally, outside of the elementary level I find there are very few (single) textbooks that I can read and understand the subject. I find it very useful (although cumbersome, and oft expensive) to acquire multiple books on the same subject, so I can read sections from each side by side. A given author may be better most of the time, but there are enough places when self-studying that I get lost that I need to seek additional explanations or examples.
The opinion of the use of the other books I think comes from answering whether it was it useful for me when learning the subject area.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Read what you need of that book. Many books are organized to be separated in topics by chapters. Don't waste time to read all of a 1000 paged book, for example, instead look for your current needs.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/15
| 761
| 3,164
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<issue_start>username_0: Details are very important here:
I interviewed for postdoc positions at 2 labs (same university), and received offers from both.
I accepted the offer from lab "A", and when I declined the offer from "B", the PI told me that they were sorry about my decision, and that they would still like to invite me make a presentation for their lab. I thanked him for the invitation and agreed to make the presentation.
The two groups ("A" and "B") do not interact (they work on different fields), so this is essentially a matter of etiquette.
Is it ok if I make the aforementioned presentation now that I started my appointment with "A"? Should I inform the PI of "A" that I will go present with group "B"? Or should I just decline the invitation to present?<issue_comment>username_1: Give the presentation.
There is no problem here (to be honest, I'm struggling to work out why you would think there is). Giving presentations is part of being an academic. Different groups can talk to each other. Different groups with close enough interested *should* talk to each other.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Giving presentations is not a conflict; it is a normal part of academia. Interviewing with a group does not alter this.
The only question of conflict that arises here is if the time when you are to give the presentation is after the start date for the your work at PostDoc A since this means that you are unable to fulfil your normal duties. In this case you should inform your new PI of when you intend to give the presentation and it would be extremely unusual for your new PI to object, especially as it is at the same university.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: I'd probably *mention* it to A's PI, mainly to avoid surprises if you bump into them or they see the seminar advertised in the department. They may well want to come to the seminar to hear more about that aspect of your work, or ask you to call meet up for a coffee while you're there.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Unfortunately, the reality of Academia is that there is always politics in it, and you never know when that side of things is going to rear its ugly head. So, I would talk to your PI in group "A" and let him know the situation. If there are any political issues between groups "A" and "B", he/she can help you steer through them in a way that is acceptable to him/her. It will communicate respect and will make your life easier and give a better impression of you to your new PI.
Even if this turns out to be a non-issue to your PI, they will see that you communicate and defer to their authority. Goes a long way, in establishing trust in a new relationship, when you communicate at the least suspicion that something might be an issue. Seeing as how you are posting here, you have that suspicion. Even if turns out to be unfounded, the best way to deal with that suspicion is to, communicate. When in doubt about any problem in relationships with your team, boss, friend, wife, a big part of the answer is always going to be communicate, communicate, communicate, and when you are done with that, communicate some more.
Upvotes: 3
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2017/05/15
| 784
| 3,476
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in a unique situation. My supervisor and two other professors I approached for recommendation letter have asked me to write the my own recommendation letter and they will sign it.
Is it ethical and common practice?
How can I handle this situation? I already requested three of them multiple times, but always received same response that they are busy and will sign the letter which I sent them.<issue_comment>username_1: **It's not common (in my experience).** I have requested letters of recommendation from professors in a couple of different fields, and was never asked to write my own. Nor have I heard of anyone who was asked to. That said, it might be something that varies by field, institution, culture, etc. I wouldn't rule out it being common in some contexts--I just don't know of any.
**It's not unethical.** There is not an ethical requirement that a letter from a person was actually written by that person. Even though I've never heard of a student being asked to write their own letter, it is well known that, often, professors don't actually write the letters themselves. Secretarial staff often do much of the actual writing (hopefully with the professor giving input about the student's strong points, things to emphasize, etc). In a broader professional context, it's quite common for people to sign the name at the bottom of letters that were not written by them, for a variety of purposes.
Who wrote the letter, ultimately, doesn't matter. What *does* matter is that the person signing their name at the bottom agrees with all the content and is willing to stand behind it. As long as your adviser is happy to agree with what you said, there is no ethical problem here.
**That said, it's not ideal, either.** I would argue that a professor who asks you to write your own letter is not doing a great job discharging their academic responsibilities. Really the content of the letter *ought to* come from them, even if someone else is writing it up. This is an opportunity for them to assist you in your career, and they aren't really taking that opportunity seriously. In addition, it puts you in a rather awkward situation--many people would not be comfortable putting complimentary words about themselves in someone else's mouth.
So, I sympathize with your situation, it's not great. But you probably don't have a good alternative other than writing the letter as requested, at least from your supervisor. You want a recommendation from your supervisor, and substituting someone else wouldn't be equivalent. At least you get to make sure it says what you want! Just make sure you get someone (who is actually interested in helping you) to review it, both for content and to catch any errors.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: When I asked an old professor for a letter of recommendation for grad school, she had me write the letter and send it to her to use. I don't know how much she changed, if any.
The reason given was that she wanted to know what I wanted her to write about me and what to focus on. I had a reasonably close relationship with her as I was a TA for her for a semester.
It can be difficult to write the letter about yourself, but as long as you're honest, talk yourself up! Take this as an opportunity to highlight what you do want this letter to highlight about you.
@Dawn mentioned in a comment that this may be field specific, this experience was for an MBA program.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/15
| 810
| 3,506
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<issue_start>username_0: When writing academic and scientific literature, are there any good guidelines to when you can omit defining an industry standard abbreviation? Are there any guidelines to where you can draw the line? When looking the this up I found a few sources like [this blogpost](http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/abbreviations/) that suggested using dictionaries - if it is in the dictionary as a word, you don't need to explain it.
However, in my field (electrical engineering) there are many industry standard abbreviations that are not in any dictionaries. Examples would be terms like *opamp* (operational amplifier), *ADC* (analog-to-digital converter), *CPU* (central processing unit), *MOSFET* (Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor). Applying their rule would mean I have to define every term, but this would seem somewhat excessive to me.
How do I deal with industry standard terms that are still abbreviations? The safe bet would be to always define them in their first use, but are there any general rules to use when dealing with these?<issue_comment>username_1: Let us assume that your publisher / journal / conference / style manual has no restrictive guideline regarding abbreviations (otherwise, follow that guideline obviously in first place).
You do have to define every abbreviation. (As an example, I was confused yesterday by finding out that CRT is not only a cathode ray tube, but also the Chinese Remainder Theorem). Consider, e.g., the huge list at <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADC> . But you can do it in a clever, space-conserving way by
* providing a list in an appendix,
* defining them in footnotes on their first usage,
* defining all of them in small size in a "preliminaries section" or in endnotes,
* giving a reference to a standard Web site with the abbreviations you need,
* giving a reference to your own Web page with the abbreviations you need,
* citing some electrical-engineering dictionary which defines them unambiguously the way you need,
* …
Of course, pay attention that your paper reads well in first place; there may be no general advice on which of the above list items applies best to your paper.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: **Check the guidelines of the source you are publishing in.**
Many journals have some requirements about abbreviations, to which you can refer. They might even specify how to express common concepts in the field, and whether they need to be defined.
**Beyond that, you don't have to define *everything*, but err on the side of caution.**
If something would be obvious to nearly all readers, you don't necessarily have to define it. But keep in mind that things that are obvious *to you* may not be obvious to others. It's a common error to accidentally assume that terms that are familiar to you (since you use them all the time) will be familiar to your audience.
CPU is a widely-used term beyond electrical engineering, so I would not worry about omitting that. But I think that abbreviations which are common in your discipline, but not necessarily known beyond that, are better defined than not. I would define things like MOSFET and ADC.
It's possible that an article you publish will be of interest to people outside the field: in related fields, for example. Or perhaps electrical engineers who have been working in industry for many years on a narrow project, and don't remember everything about parts of the discipline they haven't been actively working on.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/15
| 825
| 3,703
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<issue_start>username_0: I prepared a course (more specifically, I created some material for the kick-off meeting and an outline for the contents that would have been addressed if the course would have taken place), but there were too few students participating in the kick-off meeting, so I cancelled the course.
How should I deal with this fact in my CV? Since I prepared the kick-off meeting and the outline, and was willing to give the course, it would be nice to receive some credit. Still, would I have to mention that the course was cancelled?<issue_comment>username_1: I'm pretty sure this isn't the answer you want, but I don't think you should mention it in your CV. You have no proof of the quality of the materials you prepared (since they were never used or assessed and you got no feedback on them), or even that they exist (unless you have uploaded them to a public repository or something; even then you are unlikely to get much credit for them).
Where they might come in handy is during an interview: if teaching is a significant part of the job (particularly teaching in a similar field), you may be asked 'how would you prepare a course' or something, in which case you can describe your experiences - although this relies pretty heavily on you being asked the right question at interview, and evidence of practical experience of actual teaching, and positive feedback from participants, will be viewed more highly if you have it from other projects.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I would include something generic that describes your experience as one of the duties of your position, such as:
>
> Contributed to course design and preparation.
>
>
>
This highlights the experience you gained (which is the main benefit, I think). If you are asked about it in interview, you can talk about that specific course and what you did. In the context of a conversation, it will be easier to explain that the course didn't go ahead without it reflecting negatively on you.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Don't put this on your CV. It suggests that you think preparing for a single meeting and writing a course outline is some kind of big deal that is worthy of praise; it isn't. If you'd prepared a significant amount of the teaching material, that might be different. It also draws attention to a failure: the natural interpretation is that you thought that your course would be interesting to the students and at an appropriate level for them, whereas they disagreed.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: In my career I have spent hundreds or thousands of hours working on various projects that never amounted to a deliverable product such as a paper, awarded grant, course, talk etc.; any other academic would say the same. **I don't list any of this work on my CV, and neither should you.** That doesn't mean that I don't think working on such projects has given me valuable experience -- it absolutely has, and it is that experience that has helped me achieve actual, demonstrable successes, which I *do* list on my CV.
Your CV is the advertising space where you get to use the limited attention you are likely to get from potential employers and colleagues to draw attention to your talent and successes. Using that limited attention to point out something you did that first of all (as username_3 observed in his answer) isn't that big of a deal, and second of all did not end up having any impact, is counterproductive. Tout your actual successes, and quietly use the experience you gained from preparing the course "behind the scenes" to improve your skills and abilities and make those actual successes greater and more numerous.
Upvotes: 4
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2017/05/15
| 1,058
| 4,457
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<issue_start>username_0: I have seen some tenured professors at top ranked universities move to lower ranked universities. Why do professors do this? At lower ranked universities there are less resources and the graduate students are weaker.<issue_comment>username_1: There are many reasons that people change institutions. I was tenured at an R1 institution and moved to a "high research" institution because I wanted to live in the area where the second institution is located. Although my current institution has a lower research ranking, it is the state's flagship school, where my former institution is not. So, I actually get more resources, better pay, and our students are more prepared when they start college, compared to my prior institution. So, your assumption that a higher ranked institution is better is not always true.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: A very common robust pattern I see in engineering faculty (aspirational types):
Tenured at (say) Top 10 -> Move to Top 20 and become department head -> Move to top 30 and become Engineering Dean -> Move to top 50 and become president.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: Another reason to add to the list: A university that wants to grow a department (including in reputation) has to start somewhere. That somewhere may be by headhunting talent. They have considerable leeway in salary and more in other resources: promising a million gold pieces to set up your lab, 3 postdocs and no teaching for 5 years would be quite attractive.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: While I'm a student, not a professor, I can give you my reasons for choosing the university I did rather than one of the "top-ranked" ones I could have attended.
1) I'm 20 minutes from great skiing, hiking, mountain biking, &c.
2) I can afford a house with large garden, and a place to keep my horse.
3) When I drive to school, I am almost never stuck in traffic moving less than the speed limit.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Another relatively common reason to move is the working culture of the University, which is not completely correlated to any ranking system.
Some departments of top institutions have a rather solitary culture, while others are outright toxic and dysfunctional to a shocking extent (some stays because they thrive on the terribleness, or the prestige is just so valuable to them that they endure anyway).
A different version is a culture of "busyness", where everyone is constantly laser-focused on amassing massive piles of publications to the extent that absolutely nothing else can matter if you are going to keep up. And the pace is continual and eternal, with some institutions making a point to show how even their post-tenure professors late in their careers still produce massive volumes of research each and every year. Some people thrive on the constant workload, while others are happy to do their few years and get the heck out, ranking-be-damned. I've talked with people who've chosen to stay and chosen to get out, and I can see how it's ultimately a difficult personal value judgement either way.
One final example: many institutions are so proud of their prestige that they consider the opportunity to be there payment enough, and actually support their faculty and students *less* than other institutions. I've seen very prestigious institutions actually offer lower pay, smaller startup packages, more meager student stipends, and less administrative support than supposedly lower-ranked institutions (usually the other places were still R1).
In short: don't assume that being on top of the pile is automatically a nicer place to be!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: I'm surprised no one mentioned that: even a highly ranked university need not have a strong research group in every area (in fact, it seems rather implausible).
I imagine people can often choose their university based on where there is a group that does research they are themselves interested in. I suppose this is can be particularly pronounced when your research interests shift.
A friend of mine (a PhD student like me) spent about a year on an internship in a different university. The money he got was significantly better, and the institute he was at is much stronger in general, but he complained to me all the time about having no one there who does model theory.
It may be a trade-off, but there are always trade-offs, lots of them.
Upvotes: 3
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2017/05/15
| 367
| 1,566
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<issue_start>username_0: I interviewed for a lecturer position a month and a half ago, and was told that the decision would be made about one month after my interview. I was also told that I would be informed either way, but have yet to hear back. A week ago I sent a follow up email, asking if a decision had been made, but didn't receive a response. Is it appropriate to send another follow up, or should I just sit tight? I have a feeling I didn't get the position, but I'd like to know for sure so that I can start planning other options.<issue_comment>username_1: You won't accomplish anything by sending another email. The department hasn't forgotten that they interviewed you.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: They probably drop balls there regularly and don't want you to know that! Why can't you send a hand written note thanking them again and singing their praises? They will remember you if their pet candidate pulls out for a better offer. Their pet candidate may be stringing them along, hoping for something better. Don't appear to be in a rush or say they did not follow through. Appear eager and not stressed out. They know why you are sending a snail mail... because you want the position! There is no shame in trying everything. You are getting a taste of the disorganization of the organization you hope to join. Knock on the back door and say hello and thank you again for the honor of being interviewed by someone so prominent who has such an amazing job at such a prominent place. Was it an honor to get the interview or not?
Upvotes: -1
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2017/05/15
| 775
| 3,087
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<issue_start>username_0: It is mandatory that manuscripts that are TeX/LaTeX-based must be submitted along with all source files, which includes the `tex` document, images and supplementary files (like CSV files) required to generate the PDF.
According to [arXiv's TeX FAQ](https://arxiv.org/help/faq/whytex), this sort of submission does not increase the risk of plagiarizing content. They claim that anyone with *little knowledge* can extract the necessary files from basic PDF files and that verbatim from TeX document can be easily detected.
Now, taking this from the practical viewpoint, is it *really* true that this does not make plagiarizing data easier than the simple PDF submission? According to my knowledge there are many potential plagiarizers who find it hard to take vector graphics from PDF files. Eventhough it is technically possible it does deter many to an extent.
So, does submitting (La)TeX source files to arXiv increase the risk of getting the plagiarized?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> is it *really* true that this does not make plagiarizing data easier than the simple PDF submission?
>
>
>
The Arxiv doesn’t claim this. All they claim is that plagiarism is pretty easy anyway. The respective Arxiv text reads:
>
> There is no file format or other technological device that can protect you from [plagiarism]. At the very least, unscrupulous re-typers would always remain a threat. Postscript does not provide a barrier in any event: it is quite simple for someone with a little knowledge to extract any text from a Postscript file. Moreover a plagiarist who cuts-and-pastes directly from your TeX source is all the more easily detected, since the source is easily identified. We archive all versions of papers so that we can assist in any priority or plagiarism disputes.
>
>
>
---
>
> So, how safe is it to submit (La)TeX source files to arXiv?
>
>
>
For all practical purposes I would say it is as safe as any other type of Arxiv submission. I concur with the Arxiv that making a technical copy of your article is pretty easy anyway. Even re-typing the entire article and using screenshots of your graphics is a comparably easy task. Yes, the quality may suck, but that wouldn’t bother the plagiarist.
**The main challenge to successfully plagiarise is to use the plagiarised article and remain undetected – not making a technical copy.**
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Short answer: (La)TeX submissions are as safe as PDF (and anything else, probably).
Scissoring images from a PDF is as easy as running pdfimages. Getting the text is as easy as running pdf2ascii. PDFs are in no way secure. To prevent plagery make sure you publish in a respectable journal - preferably Open Access.
Remember, if your machine can display some media, it must be able to decode it. Some formats may depend on hardware keys, which makes it more difficult to crack, but even so, the data is still present on your machine.
The point of *publishing* your work is to "stake your claim" to the work through peer-review.
Upvotes: -1
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2017/05/15
| 523
| 2,210
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<issue_start>username_0: *Note: This question is aimed at "in general, in the United States, given the laws (including FERPA) and typical practices of US Universities".*
I'm wondering if my schools' departmental advisers can give my grades to faculty members without my permission. Say a faculty member is talking to the department advisers about me. What is standard procedure here?<issue_comment>username_1: Faculty are almost always bound by rules governing their access to student records. For example at my university, I can access any student record on campus if I have a justifiable reason. If I were to access student records that I didn't have justifiable reason for accessing that would be a major violation of policy.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> I'm wondering if my schools' departmental advisers can give my grades to faculty members without my permission.
>
>
>
Yes. The school's own policies will determine how, when, where and why. Your permission is never required for communications about you within any school between faculty, staff and officials as long as it is pertinent to their job.
>
> Say a faculty member is talking to the department advisers about me. What is standard procedure here?
>
>
>
The procedure is school specific and will usually be spelled out in either the faculty handbook or employee handbook. You will not be able to access either of these as you are neither.
It would be unusual for faculty to *not* talk to advisors about students, although that partly depends upon how the role of "advisor" is defined. It is common for faculty to be required to provide to advisors any form of academic warning regarding students. Let me give you a simple example. Imagine you were taking "Introduction to Microeconomics," and were struggling with the algebra. In many schools, the professor would inform the advisor that the student should take appropriate math courses in future semesters. How can they give advice if they do not know what is going on?
It also goes in the other direction, an advisor that became aware of an issue with the student should, where appropriate, pass that information on to the faculty teaching that student.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/15
| 1,195
| 4,950
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<issue_start>username_0: I've seen clickers/pollers/etc. used in classrooms for many things, such as evaluation and assessment and agile/contingent teaching.
**What other uses are there for clickers in the classroom?**
To clarify: I'm looking for a *list* of constructive uses for classroom teaching.<issue_comment>username_1: Possible uses
=============
### Assessment
* *How many of my students already know what I'm about to teach?* (If most do, perhaps I can briefly summarize it.)
* *Did my students understand what I just taught?* (If not, perhaps I should review it.)
### Peer instruction
* If a certain percentage of students answer incorrectly, students turn to their neighbor and discuss their answer for a minute or two (e.g. Mazur, 1996).
### Anonymized responses
* *How many students have experienced \_\_\_\_\_\_?*
### Self-Evaluation
* Teacher asks numerous questions to show students what they don't know. Students are expected to review on their own.
### Formal evaluation (quizzes and exams)
* Typically multiple-choice, sometimes true/false questions, though advanced clickers allow for other question types.
### Student attendance
### Student "participation points"
* (Either for an attempt or for correct answer)
### Scheduling
* What date works best for the field trip?
* When should we hold a review session?
More resources
==============
Here's a good site with some discussion about clickers: <http://www.nea.org/home/34690.htm>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The question basically says, "I have a tool, tell me some uses for it." That's fine, but we could also approach this from the opposite side, and ask why the tool was invented in the first place. It's good to know that a flat-head screwdriver works as a makeshift ice pick, murder weapon, or hair pin, but its original purpose was to put in screws and take them out.
There was an educational innovation that was widely popularized by Harvard physics professor <NAME> in a 1996 book, Peer Instruction: A User's Manual. The book is still in print. It describes a particular active-learning technique, but it also contains a handy summary of the evidence that traditional teaching techniques work badly in freshman physics, and that active-learning techniques in general (not just this specific one) work better. The findings have been replicated in fields other than physics [Freeman 2014].
In Mazur's technique, a purely conceptual multiple-choice question is displayed to the students. The purpose is not to find out whether the students understand the topic already. In fact, the technique works best if the questions are carefully chosen based on past experience so that you know that roughly half your students understand well enough to get the right answer, and half don't. After a couple of minutes of silent thought, students are polled. Mazur originally did the polling using pieces of cardboard that the students held up. I currently do it by having them hold up fingers (one for a, two for b, etc.). If there is a total consensus for the right answer, the technique has failed and you move on. If some students get it right and some get it wrong, you have them break up into groups and discuss it. Once they've had 5-10 minutes to discuss it, you poll them again. If they now all give the right answer, then the technique has worked correctly. The purpose of the technique is to get students talking about concepts, in their own words. Regardless of the specific technique used, what the research seems to show is that the crucial thing is to get students to talk about concepts.
Over time, some people started using expensive electronic clickers to do what could just as well have been done using cards or fingers. As more time passed, the expensive electronic clickers became "edutainment" devices, designed to make students feel that sitting through a boring lecture wasn't quite such an unendurable waste of time.
Freeman et al., "Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics," <http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/08/1319030111>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I will describe how I have seen the clicker used in large lecture undergraduate physics classes. Four or five years ago I visited mechanics classes with my son, who was deciding what universities he wanted to apply to.
In all of these classes, I observed the clicker being used as a way to substantiate that students were present and paying enough attention to respond to the clicker questions when they came up. Each clicker was registered to a specific student ID. There was no small group discussion.
In some classes, the professor would display the bar graph of responses to the clicker question.
I sat in the back. Many students were shoe shopping (or the equivalent) on their laptops, doing homework, etc. There would be a visible, audible shift when the clicker question came up.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/16
| 464
| 1,931
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm currently graduating with a M.S degree in Mathematics and looking into applying to PhD programs in Mathematics this Fall.
My GPA overall is in the 3.90+ range. Course grades are either A- or A. About 30% of them are A- with two or three courses I would assume to be critical.
I was wondering how PhD admissions view these A- in general. Talking with some of my professors and adviser, either admission committees would take A- as an A (not care) or have some concern, especially in those critical courses. Within the department, A- is more of "you did what you're supposed to, but you could've done better".
Overall, I think I have a strong application (great recommendations, high Subject Math GRE score, some experience in research), so I'm not too concerned, but how concerned should I be?
I will admit I'm being nit-picky, pedantic, and need to worry about more important things in life.<issue_comment>username_1: You could take a small hit on them, but I suspect it will not be a huge issue, especially if it's really true that you have great recommendations and high subject scores. Those will likely be seen as more important, and I think the grades would only hurt you if they seemed to confirm some worrying sign from those other materials. Grades between different schools are so variable that admissions committees can't really worry about a point or two on your GPA. It could also depend on the type school you're attending and what lead you to a master's program. A few A-'s could tell many different stories depending on the context.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Your letters of recommendation will be much, much more important than the difference between an A- and an A. Spend your time on getting the strongest letters you can (and learning how to do this, if necessary).
Source: I have served on grad admissions for a top math department.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2017/05/16
| 700
| 2,792
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<issue_start>username_0: **Context:** I am writing a thesis that is divided in a few parts (e.g. "Context and motivations", "Literature review", "Experiments", etc.).
Each part starts with a 100-200 words-long introduction (or preamble) that links the new part with previous content, introduce purpose of this part, as well as give an overview of its content.
Dummy example, for part "Experiments":
>
> We have defined the research question we address in this research, and derived from it hypotheses. This part details experimental studies we have conducted in order to test these hypotheses. First, we give a global overview of experiments we conducted, and then, we will detail them one by one.
>
>
>
---
**Question:** Is it [ok/common/a good practice] to append to this introduction a few words about "next steps", i.e. what comes *after* this part?
For example, one could add following sentence to the preamble above:
>
> Once these results detailed, we will summarize our thesis contribution in the next part.
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: I would recommend that you just have a few sentences, perhaps 30 or 40 words, to orient the reader at the start of each chapter/part. Perhaps summarize what the chapter contains and how it follows on from the previous chapters (if it does). Make it short and to the point, don't write 200 words, and don't say "We will do this and then that," which is very boring to read and is one of the hallmarks of tedious academic writing.
Describing the subsequent chapters in the introduction can probably be regarded as a convention of academic writing, but doing it at the start of chapters in the middle of the thesis is too much. To answer your question: no, don't talk about the subsequent chapters at the start of every chapter, as it will bore the reader and not bring any benefit.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The most important thing is to make your thesis your own, and write it as well as you can, in a way that makes sense to you. This can indeed include guideposts at the beginnings of chapters.
Another possibility is to give the guideposts at the ends of chapters, i.e. teasers for the next chapter.
Once you have a whole draft, show it to your advisor and a couple of beta readers. At that point, someone might convince you to get rid of the guideposts. In other words, go ahead and write your first draft as it feels right to you, but then don't be afraid to edit the heck out of it if need be. (Make sure you practice careful version control, since sometimes one ends up wanting to go back to a previous version.)
Try to find someone to edit your English, once the thesis is pretty close to done. If necessary, pay someone. (Make sure the someone knows what he or she is doing.)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I have an example demonstrating the solution produced by a popularly used software package is not the optimal solution, despite the software claiming that it is. Several recent papers published from my lab have used this software in their evaluations, and I know it is extensively used in the research community to solve optimization problems.
So I am unsure how to report this bug; it is a proprietary, closed-source software. As a first step, I could contact the software developer about the bug, although they don't seem to have a straightforward method to report bugs.
But a larger issue is that papers published with results based upon a buggy software could be compromised. What if the eventual fix causes the software to take much longer to execute, so that running on large instances is now infeasible?
I have told my advisor about the issue, but he does not seem very interested, possibly because of the potential ramifications.
I am currently working on a project where I could have used this software; I now don't trust it and have switched to a much less powerful open-source alternative. So I guess my question is: how should I handle this situation?<issue_comment>username_1: You should create a reproducible test case that demonstrates the flaw conclusively. If you are that confident and the software is that widely used, it warrants publication in a technical journal. They key is to involve the company. Show them your test case and mention you have interest in publishing the result. Offer to collaborate with them on the publication. That way, they will be forced to either demonstrate you are wrong or admit you are right. In the latter case, they save face by admitting the problem. If they ignore you, press ahead.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The *technical* answer to the question seems obvious: if there is a clear definition of what "optimum" means for your problems, run both programs and see which one wins, then publish the results.
Any advice on the *politics* of how to proceed is merely speculation, until you have done the technical work to discover the facts of the case.
These things happen. We once discovered a "schoolboy error" in one of the industry-standard software packages in its field. In the meeting where we presented the results, we had three senior members of the vendor's development team (which totaled about 300 people) sitting with their heads in their hands, knowing full well that if we wanted to we could destroy maybe 75% of their international user base. (Some of the other 25% wouldn't understand what the fuss was about, and ironically their biggest individual customers were likely to be using computer systems where the error didn't occur anyway - which might explain why nobody else had spotted it in the previous 10 years or so).
But there was much more benefit to *us* in getting the problem fixed rather than nuking the software house, so we went for the "just fix it ASAP" option - and "ASAP" actually took about 2 weeks, to get a beta-test version.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> I have an example demonstrating the solution produced by a popularly used software package is not the optimal solution, despite the software claiming that it is.
>
>
>
This seems to be a lot of fuss about possibly nothing.
**Read the software documentation**, if any. It should explain in what cases it declares "solution found". It is usually the case that this indicates that several parameters associated with a necessary condition for optimality are sufficiently small, which indicates that the solution was probably found. No guarantees here.
If you can't find a reason for this behaviour in the documentation, write to the developer with a minimum working example where the unexpected behaviour occurs and ask for clarification.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> I have an example demonstrating the solution produced by a popularly used software package is not the optimal solution, despite the software claiming that it is.
>
>
>
So the software may claim too much. This is not that uncommon.
>
> So I am unsure how to report this bug; it is a proprietary, closed-source software. As a first step, I could contact the software developer about the bug, although they don't seem to have a straightforward method to report bugs.
>
>
>
Contacting the manufacturer in any suitable way, if no special way is indicated, would be the recommened procedure if you want to help the manufacturer (and thereby indirectly also yourself and others). Just make sure the bug does really exist and you explain it thoroughly so it can be reproduced.
>
> But a larger issue is that papers published with results based upon a buggy software could be compromised.
>
>
>
Probably all software is somewhat buggy. Without knowing details it's difficult to judge the severeness of this case. However, it's always a good idea not to rely too much on one software package but test concurrent products as well. You could check these papers and see if they are affected by the bug and if so, how much they are affected.
>
> What if the eventual fix causes the software to take much longer to execute, so that running on large instances is now infeasible?
>
>
>
A fixed software taking longer to solve a problem correctly is always preferred to a buggy, quick software. It would just mean that correct solutions to large instances were never feasible so far.
>
> I have told my advisor about the issue, but he does not seem very interested, possibly because of the potential ramifications.
>
>
>
Maybe he doesn't care so much about using bug-free software or is not yet convinced of the existence of the bug or is just too lazy to bother the company or doesn't want any conflict.
>
> I am currently working on a project where I could have used this software; I now don't trust it and have switched to a much less powerful open-source alternative.
>
>
>
It's natural to lose some trust but maybe not all. You could carefully evaluate the old software (keeping in mind that bugs occur occasionally) if it still can be trusted in the special circumstances of your project, then decide if you want to use it or if you want to use both software projects or if you want to use only the alternative software (which also could be buggy, so don't trust that one completely either).
>
> So I guess my question is: how should I handle this situation?
>
>
>
* You should contact the company and write them a short message telling them about the error. They may quickly fix it, restoring trust.
* You might also publish the bug (on your blog, on a mailing list, even as a technical report if the bug is important enough and a journal is interested in that) so others are aware of it, especially if the company does not quickly fix it.
* You should use the two software packages that you have and compare them. Assume that both may have bugs you don't know anything about them yet.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I have seen well-known commercial optimisation packages such as CPLEX producing wrong result under a stress, so to speak---solving problems which are on paper solvable with the said software, but in practice sufficiently dissimilar from what they are tested on, and targeted at.
By wrong I mean as wrong as it gets, i.e. a linear optimisation problem is reported infeasible, while a request to produce an infeasibility certificate fails (and if solved with a higher precision on a slower open-source solver, the problem turns out to be feasible).
Surely sooner or later the error, if there was an error, will be found and exposed, this is how science works. Incidentally, in the past couple of years I published papers, which, among other things, correct errors in a monograph and in textbooks (sic!); the corresponding erroneous papers were published over 20 years ago. Oh well.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I think the first question you need to answer is just how much of an issue this actually is. Is this only an edge case? Is the "optimal" solution only marginally better? It is hard to say much without more details about the actual use case and solutions. With some of the optimization/fitting problems I worked on for my PhD, you could dig around forever finding "more" optimal solutions, but depending on how noisy the data was, that didn't actually mean that the new solutions were "better". With a good understanding of your problem set and the underlying optimization algorithms, you should be able to figure out what exactly is going wrong with the closed source software, and whether or not there is an actual problem.
For the rest of this discussion I'm going to presume that you are trying to find the optimum fit to some sort of empirical data set. If so, you are effectively searching some sort of chi^2-parameter space, you finding a more optimum fit can mean very different things, e.g.
1. Your chi^2 space is noisy and a "better" solution doesn't actually mean anything
2. The proprietary system is getting stuck in a local minimum, and isn't finding the global minimum you found
3. You are both probing the same global minimum but your solution is just slightly closer
Effectively, the process of finding the optimum solution can be very tricky and there are a number of different algorithms that can be used, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. If you have a smoothly varying relationship between your fitting parameters and chi^2, just about any optimization method can find the minimum, but life isn't always that simple. All this to say that even if you have found a better optimum in one particular problem, this doesn't mean that the software is trash and should be thrown away. In particular, how did you find the better optimum? Can you apply that same method to these kinds of optimization problems in general? Will it always give a better fit? If the answer to either of those last two questions is no, I would say that there really isn't much of a big deal here at all. Most likely the only real problem is with an over-zealous marketer with the software company in question, who has promised things that no software system can realistically deliver.
In summary, I would say that before you really run with this you need to really understand in detail why their algorithm is not finding the most optimum solution, and if that even matters in practice.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a college student who is currently enrolled in a class where the professor posts lecture videos online with ads enabled. I was wondering if this is legal; the professor is being paid by the university to lecture, but is also making money from ads on his lecture videos.<issue_comment>username_1: Legal? Probably yes, depending on university policy.
Ethical? Universities and politics nowadays encourage academics to be business-savvy and profit-oriented (I guess, as long as the uni gets a cut). So, while the described constellation indeed carries a "smell", it may be perfectly in line what society wants academics to do.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If the institution provides the server and other necessary resources to host videos, then the students are essentially paying for this through their tuition and shouldn't have to put up with ads.
However, if the professor provides the recording equipment etc., and has to arrange for the video hosting, etc. without this being provided by the institution, then I don't see anything wrong with this. It might even be that the video hosting site imposes the ads and the professor doesn't profit from them at all.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I am a college professor, and I have literally thousands of lecture/example videos on YouTube. Since I did not want any advertisement to interfere with my videos, I have not monetized my channel; however, YouTube started to add ads to some of my videos anyway. To be honest, it made me think about monetizing my channel if they put ads on my videos anyway. I have not looked into the policies the college I teach at has in place, though.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: To start with a useful analogy, it has long been the case in academia that professors can assign their own (commercially published) textbook for a course, and even make this the "mandatory" text for the course. This is considered legitimate even if the professor has the power to provide a free version of the text instead, but chooses not to do so. Universities have generally taken the view that it is reasonable for students to incur basic costs (above the course fees) to obtain materials for the course, and that it is okay for the professor to make commercial profit from the material in this case. Whilst there is arguably a conflict of interest in this situation, universities have not generally been concerned about this, and they tend to see it as a necessary consequence of having experts who write textbooks teach their courses. The only time this might raise an issue is if the university draws the conclusion that the assigned commercial material is unreasonable in the circumstances (e.g., tangential to the course objectives).
Similarly, while there is arguably a conflict of interest in the case you describe, is is extremely unlikely that a university would have any problem with their professors using online teaching videos for their courses, even if they have a commercial stake in those videos, or gain advertising revenue from those videos. On most platforms the advertising is built into the platform, but even if it is something enabled by the professor, that is still roughly analogous to gaining profit from selling a commercial textbook. As with the case of an assigned textbook, the university is unlikely to have a problem with this unless they draw the conclusion that the material is unreasonable in the circumstances (e.g., tangential to the course objectives).
I am not aware of anything that would make this practice illegal --- it has been common practice in universities for generations. One could make ethical objections to the practice (on he basis of a conflict of interest), but solving this might impose bureaucratic rules that are more destructive to the quality of courses as the present practice.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: I have created video content for my students almost since I began teaching, and I created extensive video content starting with H1N1, when we were told our students couldn't be required to come to campus to attend lecture.
Our materials must be accessible. (And morally, ethically, should be!) Youtube was the first platform I could use that offered closed-captioning, so I moved my content to Youtube and uploaded the transcripts as captions. (Required -- the automatically generated captions don't count for ADA purposes, or so I am told, and I agree that the capitalization and punctuation is important.)
The videos for my students are "unlisted," so I can't monetize them, but Youtube still puts ads on them.
I wish they didn't -- I wish educational content could be advertisement- and distraction-free, but I guess it's the price I've paid for being able to offer accessible content.
My college since has purchased a server that supports closed-captioning, but it's clunky to use and I'm not going to port the hundreds of videos per course that is my current set over to a new server.
I've told my students, once I noticed the ads, that my channel isn't monetized. (The outspoken ones indicated it would be good for me if they were.) I don't think there's necessarily an ethical issue if they were, and I think the textbook analogy is a good one. Youtube videos are another form of publishing, and we are allowed to require books that we have published and receive royalties for.
I do think there's potentially an issue if a faculty member has a monetized channel and they're requiring students to view content that is motivated more by clicks than pedagogy, but that is a different area -- material that isn't appropriate (sufficiently intellectually challenging, e.g.) for a college course, which is a separate issue.
It is interesting to me that this student is bothered by the faculty member potentially making money on the channel. Is it an erosion of trust?
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: For example, if you are talking to another researcher from a foreign university, how do you ask him or her what title would he or she be preferred to be called by?
"What's your preferred title" sounds too formal.
"What do you like to be called" sounds too informal.
"Can I call you by your first name" sounds too demanding.
"Are you comfortable with me calling you <NAME>" sounds...awkward.
Can someone please teach me some academic etiquette?<issue_comment>username_1: I think that it is best to err on the side of being too formal. I tend to ask after I refer to their name for the first time: "It's so nice to talk with you, Dr. Smith- Do you prefer Dr. Smith or do you go by another name or title?..." Then continue with your conversation.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Additionally to Nicole's answer I'd like to mention that often you can influence people. If you introduce yourself as "Nice to meet you, I am Dr. <NAME>, but please call me Foo" they will often introduce themselves the same way. If you are on roughly the same academic level, they might even be glad that you took a leap and they don't have to face the same dilemma you had in the first place. Of course, as an undergraduate you should not do this with a professor. But as a PhD candidate to a post doc it should be fine, in my opinion.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I received an email from one of my professors today and I am not sure if I should respond or not. The email contained the grade I received on a paper as well as my grade going into the final. I am not sure if I should reply with a simple "Thanks" or if I should just let it be. Also, the email was sent about 6 hours ago if that matters.<issue_comment>username_1: If you are just stuck between a response and saying nothing, I would always go with a response to confirm the receipt of the email. But in your case, 1) it was more of an informative email and if you don't have any question or complaint about, you can let it go and 2) already 6 hours has passed.
So, just let is be!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There's no correct response here, as it depends on the social mores of your group. Some people want to hear acknowledgement and will wonder if they don't get it, some people view courtesy emails like "thanks!" and "you're welcome!" as spam and will get upset if they *do* get it, and many more don't care either way.
My advice to you – ask your advisor sometime when there's nothing else important going on which one he prefers and just do that.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Summarizing all my comments as an answer,
>
> I am not sure if I should reply with a simple "Thanks" or if I should
> just let it be.
>
>
>
It depends on the number of students the professor wrote to. If it is an invidualized e-mail for a limited amount of people (apparently your case), yes, a little "thank you" is the nice and polite way to go. (On the other hand, if the class is a huge auditorium of a hundred people, the professor probably doesn't want this amount of e-mails arriving in his/her inbox).
>
> Also, the email was sent about 6 hours ago if that matters
>
>
>
6 hours, 24, 48, it doesn't matter. E-mail is not the same as instant messaging, and it is generally okay to skip a few days - especially in your situation: the professor is not waiting for your answer, it's just a nice thing to do, but if you wait three days or don't write at all, noone will notice.
Just write "Hi Professor X, thank you for taking the time to notify me!" and that's it!
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: This is not in any way relevant to me, I'm just interested. What would happen if you chose a PhD thesis to work on, and halfway through someone somewhere in the world who was also doing a PhD in the same field published their thesis, which just happened to be the same research that you were doing. Would your research still be considered since it was done independently? Does this happen often? Are there safeguards to prevent this from happening, like would you normally search the academic field to see if anyone else is working on the same topic? Surely that would be almost impossible to do?<issue_comment>username_1: A lot of it depends on how far along you are, your institution, your career goals, and to some extent whether its your fault or not. That is, you DEFINITELY need to search the literature to see if your topic was already studied. But sometimes, someone might just have the same idea because they are thinking about the same issues and reading the same existing literature as you are.
If someone scoops you, it's likely a lot of your work won't be publishable anymore. In some fields it might be possible to publish as a replication (with low impact) or it may be that if you look carefully there is some areas of non-overlap that you can run with. The issue of publication will matter a lot more if you want a career in academia: you need a strong publication record to move on to the next phase of your career. In that circumstance, it might actually be better to delay your PhD just to get some publications, unless you expect you can get a good post doc regardless.
If you are early in your work, even halfway, it may be possible to switch topics. It's also possible all you need is a minor shift. I got scooped. Twice. Both times it hurt, but both times I also realized that there wasn't anywhere near 100% overlap, and my work was still publishable, it just took some extra time to rework things, reemphasize novelty, etc.
Overall, though, your PhD should be awarded for the work you do, not necessarily whether the work pans out. Your institution shouldn't prevent you from getting a PhD if you have been scooped. Negotiating all these issues should be the role of your thesis committee. The thesis committee should be comprised of at least some relatively unbiased professors who can judge whether or not your work is acceptable. The point of the PhD should be to train to be a researcher. Sometimes being scooped is part of the learning experience.
(note: I am answering this mostly from the perspective of biological sciences in the US - of course there may be differences by field and location)
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Just start comparing to their works in your papers, explain clearly what you are doing differently and why the differences are relevant. Very rarely **exactly everything** will be the same, as long as it isn't - start focusing on describing the differences or additions that your work includes compared to the other works and stressing that your work was done simultaneously and independently.
---
Also practice in having in your head (but **no where else**!) several independently developed rephrasings / refocusings of your work can be a good thing. Kind of the same idea as to never show all your cards at once in a card game but have jokers up your sleeves / back up strategies et.c.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: *Here is a perspective from (pure) mathematics.*
It is not that unusual in mathematics that a problem is solved (almost) simultaneously by two different people, one of whom will sometimes be a PhD student. Generally, both papers end up being published, and are treated as independent discovery; later on the student can include it in their thesis. This makes sense, especially since the ideas involved in both works will usually be different so both are useful to the community. (Publishing new proofs of old results is also not unheard of, but usually carries much less prestige, presumably a bit like replication studies elsewhere.) In borderline cases, the students tend to be treated slightly more leniently than established researchers, since it is understood that publications matter more to them (it may or may not help they have a supervisor who is often a well-respected researcher).
It should also be pointed out that PhD students will generally not embark upon projects which take many years to complete, so the window for simultaneous discovery is much shorter. Even if one tries to attack a big problem which takes a lot of time and effort, if any progress is being made then interesting results will appear in the process and hopefully be published (if this is not the case, it would be doubtful if the big theorem is likely to be proved at all).
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: If you are on a hiring committee and find out that one of the applicants is someone you have had a past romantic relationship with, should you recuse yourself?<issue_comment>username_1: I will almost guarantee that your university has a Compliance office. [Here's the one for my university](http://www.cmu.edu/research-compliance/conflict-of-interest/); you'll notice that it has both a number of links to written guidelines, as well as phone numbers for an Ethics hotline. Your university may not have the exact same thing, but there are people there whose job is to answer these types of questions. Make use of them.
That said, from my completely uninformed standpoint, your situation sounds like a conflict of interest. If I was in a similar situation I would definitely recuse myself.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: From my own experiences on faculty search committees, administrators would be very unhappy if we went through the hiring process and I later provided such information, since it could be viewed as a conflict of interest or nepotism, even if you do not see it that way. What do you have to lose by making this information known to others and at least see if the administrators in your department believe that you should or should not continue on the committee.
Also, who doesn't search for a good reason to get out of committee work? LOL.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: You almost certainly need to remove yourself from any decision about *that* candidate, especially if your interactions were recent, and you may need to remove yourself from the whole process. It has nothing to do with whether *you* can live with it, but if your university wants to risk litigation if the shit hits the fan.
You can simply say "I have a conflict with one of the applicants, and wish to be removed from this committee", and then the nature of the conflict is your business alone, or you can find the appropriate person to discuss the exact nature of the conflict with. I suggest a compliance officer or ombudsman, who will be able to understand the sensitive nature.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: My university requires members of search committees to disclose any potential conflict of interest in connection with their evaluation of job candidates. The [disclosure form](http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/local_resources/docs/forms_and_checklists/Recruitment%20committee%20COI%20statement%20and%20form%20FINAL%209-15-15.pdf) is accompanied by an explanatory text titled "Aspirational Principles and Guidelines Regarding Conflict of Interest on Recruitment Committees", which states in particular (emphasis added by me):
>
> Examples of situations that might create either a real or perceived conflict of interest for a member of a recruitment committee include, but are not limited to, the review of candidates who are current or former students, postdocs, mentees, co-authors, close collaborators or partners in a business or professional practice. **Other situations may involve review of a candidate who has or has had in the past, a significant personal relationship with the faculty member**, either positive or negative, that might impact the ability of the faculty member to participate objectively in the comparison of the qualifications of that candidate with those of other candidates.
>
>
>
The document goes on to list options for dealing with a potential conflict:
>
> Depending on the nature of the relationship, and based on discussion with the recruitment committee chair, the faculty member may:
>
>
> 1. Voluntarily recuse him or herself from participation on the recruitment committee or in the review and selection process;
> 2. Voluntarily recuse him or herself from discussion and/or voting on the particular candidate with whom there is a potential real or perceived conflict of interest;
> 3. Continue to serve on the committee and in the review/selection process, but with full disclosure of the relationship to the committee and, if the candidate is on the short list, to the department;
>
>
>
Thus, at the very least, in the scenario you describe you are certainly required to **report** the fact of the past relationship to your department chair and other members of the committee. Given the nature of the relationship, I would expect that you would also be asked to recuse yourself from any discussion of the specific candidate, and possibly to recuse yourself entirely from membership in the committee.
All of this is according to my university's specific policy, but this policy is based on currently accepted legal and ethical norms in the United States that I would expect to also apply in any major US university. I also doubt that these norms will be materially different in any western country.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: I would, without question. The benefits of being seen to act in a way that leaves no doubt as to integrity will far outweigh the probably-zero benefits of sitting on a committee that's making a career decision on behalf of your employer and for a past romantic flame of yours. I can't see any good whatsoever coming out of putting yourself in that situation, and plenty of respect from being seen to avoid the conflict. Recuse without question, citing "non work previous social friendship with the candidate" or similar (you don't need to give the detailed reason)
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD student in mathematics. Talking to some colleagues on my department I wrote a paper whose subject lies somewhat beyond the interests of my advisor. I gave a talk on it on a couple of seminars.
Unexpectedly I was invited to give a talk on a conference in another country. I have a feeing that my advisor might be unhappy if I go there, in particular he refused to give me any funds for travel. (It might be he does not have any funds, but I still have a feeling that he does not want me to be involved in activities in other fields.) Nevertheless I am interested to present my results to a broader audience and one of the colleagues on the department I talked to agrees to help me with the travel funds.
>
> Would it be ok if I will go to the conference? Is it ethical with respect to my supervisor?
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: As @eykanal stated, the answer is simply to talk to your supervisor.
To specifically answer your questions:
1- Yes, it is more than OK to go to the conference. Being invited to an international conference is a great achievement that you should be proud of.
2- I don't see how it could be unethical to your supervisor.
I'm not sure from your question if your advisor has already refused the funds. I would suggest to not overthink this. Budget are generally tight. If your supervisor is a normal human being (most are), he's probably proud of your achievement. If for some reasons he doesn't approve, but does not clearly forbid you to go...well that's a strange situation but you can't guess his mind, can't you? If your relation is good, discussing is the only way to know.
Just remember that the goal of the PhD is to create an independent researcher out of you. Not a duplicate of your supervisor.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I am not in mathematics, so I'm not sure how much my response is discipline-specific.
One of the roles of an advisor is that of a mentor. If you are presenting a paper at a conference, this is part of professional development and normally it should be supported. However, if the paper is outside of your advisor's field, I do not see why he or she would provide you with funding (if available) for travel, since his or her funding would normally be tied to the work that he or she is doing. Also, if the paper and conference are that different from your advisor's field, he or she may not appear interested or supportive because they do not have enough expertise in the topic to be involved.
In some cases, advisors may be arrogant and feel that their area is important than others. Some also become paternalistic and express disappointment if you are not making decisions that THEY think are best. That does not make your decision to attend the conference unethical. However, you also do not mention "how far" outside the field this paper and conference are from that of your advisor. If it seems that you are going in a different direction altogether in your studies or engaged in activities that seem distracting from your program of study, he or she may be concerned. However, this is not necessarily your case.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I am preparing to send my first paper to a springer journal (journal of computational neuroscience), in the instruction author there is an instruction say **Abbreviations should be defined at first mention and used consistently thereafter**. I think that the abbreviations in the abstract are known for the neuroscience community. Do I have to define them first?
abstract
Based on clinical data collected using different brain imaging and recording techniques (fMRI, CT, PET, EEG, MEG, NRIS,...),<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, define your abbreviations as per the instructions. Each reader may be familiar with all, none, or some of the techniques you mention. There is certainly a set of acronyms and terminology which readers in your field will be familiar with, but anything you can do to help your reader understand your material is potentially beneficial.
You can also use the other published abstracts in the same journal as a guide: [note how this one defines otherwise common acronyms like EEG](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10827-010-0272-1) (but, as pointed out below, does not define some other terms).
Or, if you're worried about abstract length, avoid discussing every individual technique in the abstract and save it for the body of the manuscript.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Generally, in such situations, there are multiple factors at play. They include specific field of study and relevant de facto standards (community consensus), specific publication and relevant author instructions as well as required (or chosen) publication style. If any of these factors do not clearly prescribe the abbreviations policy, I would suggest to use the following strategy:
* do not use any abbreviations in the abstract;
* define abbreviations at their first mention after the abstract;
* use relevant abbreviations throughout the rest of the text (occasionally returning to using the abbreviation definitions, if the frequency of appearance of the corresponding items is high).
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/17
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm confused when it comes to writing learning outcomes. When searching online I become more confused.
How can I understand how to write good learning outcomes.
The same for me when it comes to the syllabus, I don't know how to start writing it.<issue_comment>username_1: An example:
At the topmost level, if I am teaching an introductory course in some sort of computer programming, by the end of the course I want the students to be able to do the following, mostly without help:
* come up with a simple algorithm for a problem that's been clearly defined
* write code to implement the algorithm, in the given language
* debug their program
* look up the syntax for a command they've never used before
* choose self-documenting variable names
* self-document the code to explain to the reader, or to himself, what's going on
and probably a few other things that I'm not thinking of, off the top of my head.
For whatever course you're teaching, you have to sit down and think about what you want students to be able to do by the end of the course. Why are they taking the course? Why are you teaching it? What's the point?
I would be able to help you better if you cited some specific sources that left you confused, and if you explained what you're confused about.
For the syllabus -- why don't you look at the syllabi for some courses you've taken over the years, and model yours on the ones you think were helpful for you as a student?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you are designing the course, you get to pick the outcomes. So you get to decide what is good. Learning goals will be specific to the course, discipline, and the type of students you anticipate teaching.
There are some general principles that can help. For setting outcomes/objectives/goals in any context, the "SMART" criteria are good. Outcomes should be Specific, Measurable (by assessments), Achievable, Realistic, Time Limited (by the length of the course), and Evaluated (to see if the course is wroking).
The [Bloom Taxonomy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Blooms_rose.svg) is a system for classifying learning outcomes/objectives/goals. It is often presented with a list of verbs you can use to construct learning outcomes. These verbs describe what the students will be able to do at the end of the course. You get to pick which ones to use, but it's often recommended to use different parts of the taxonomy.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Learning outcomes are specific behaviors a student can achieve as a result of instruction and our a learning experience. An example would be
"The student will be able to write a paragraph that includes a main idea and several supporting details".
The example above is future oriented. This is in contrast to objectives which are often focused on the present. Below is the same outcome written as an objective.
"The student will write a paragraph that includes a main idea and several supporting details".
As you can see the difference between these two is superficial and the terms are used interchangeable. The main rule is to use one or the other and not both.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: The responses here are all good, especially consulting with Bloom Taxonomy. Is this a brand new course? If not, I'm sure that the department has prior syllabi (or consult with others who have taught the course before) to see what other learning objectives have been developed for that class or other classes in that program.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/18
| 477
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<issue_start>username_0: I accidentally included a source in my bib, that I didn't end up using in my paper. So basically it included a pointless source that has no info or quote included in the paper. Will this look bad or will I get docked for it?<issue_comment>username_1: Some students actually try to last-minute *pad the bibliography* that way. If it doesn't look like that (i.e. *noticeable many* unused references to sources, which you were expected to read&know), you probably will be ok.
In general, it is better practice to include a reference to a source pertaining to the topic of your paper, even if you are not directly quoting from your reference, than to arouse suspicion of *concealing to having "used" it*. Depending on the context and regulations, you might even be prompted to add references to non-written material (like a conversation) to the bibliography.
It is even rumored some reviewers expect *their* recent work to be referenced, no matter if it's of any real use to your work. On a funnier note, some writers try to sneak in a fun reference (*use with consideration!*, I'm just reporting what I have seen...).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The goal of the bibliography is to inform readers where they can find more info. Practically, almost all references will be cited in the document itself, simply because you used that reference when writing a particular section. That said, it is not uncommon to include references that are simply "related reading". The only real issue here is that no one reads the bibliography like that; they go there go find a reference, not to browse and see what you think is useful.
To that extent, if you want to list sources that are relevant but not directly cited, I would simply add a "related reading" section at the end of the document and list your extra citations there. This is a very common pattern in book chapters. Personally, I've never seen a "related reading" section in an academic journal, but I don't see any reason why not to include it.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/18
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<issue_start>username_0: Suppose that a student joins a graduate program with supervisor A. The supervisor has a bad reputation in the research group with a history of not caring for his students, e.g. professor goes to sabbatical on a regular basis and does not skype with his students, replies to emails from students in 5 minutes, does not help students with their coursework, expects students to comment on his research work, expects students to be independent, etc.
Incidentally, after a few months, he becomes more interested in the research interests of supervisor B in the same research group.
In this case, it is standard procedure for the student to be officially co-supervised by both supervisors A and B even though the student's projects are all supervised by supervisor B.
Now consider an alternative scenario. The student becomes more interested in the research interests of supervisors B and C.
In this case, is it standard procedure for the student to be officially co-supervised by supervisors B and C? In other words, does the student leave supervisor A completely?
How common is the second scenario in graduate programs?
Does the switch leave a bad impression of professors (in the research group) on the student?<issue_comment>username_1: Some students actually try to last-minute *pad the bibliography* that way. If it doesn't look like that (i.e. *noticeable many* unused references to sources, which you were expected to read&know), you probably will be ok.
In general, it is better practice to include a reference to a source pertaining to the topic of your paper, even if you are not directly quoting from your reference, than to arouse suspicion of *concealing to having "used" it*. Depending on the context and regulations, you might even be prompted to add references to non-written material (like a conversation) to the bibliography.
It is even rumored some reviewers expect *their* recent work to be referenced, no matter if it's of any real use to your work. On a funnier note, some writers try to sneak in a fun reference (*use with consideration!*, I'm just reporting what I have seen...).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The goal of the bibliography is to inform readers where they can find more info. Practically, almost all references will be cited in the document itself, simply because you used that reference when writing a particular section. That said, it is not uncommon to include references that are simply "related reading". The only real issue here is that no one reads the bibliography like that; they go there go find a reference, not to browse and see what you think is useful.
To that extent, if you want to list sources that are relevant but not directly cited, I would simply add a "related reading" section at the end of the document and list your extra citations there. This is a very common pattern in book chapters. Personally, I've never seen a "related reading" section in an academic journal, but I don't see any reason why not to include it.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/18
| 1,697
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<issue_start>username_0: So I'm a citizen of non-English speaking country, but my master's program in STEM field is fully conducted in English. Should I provide TOEFL/IELTS results when applying for a PhD program in USA or Europe? I accept that it may vary and depend on a university and country, but what should I expect in common?<issue_comment>username_1: If your school/program doesn't ask for it, then you don't need to. If it is specified in the admissions requirements, then you can provide it. Generally, it has been my observation that if you are an international student, you will need to provide TOEFL results.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If it is not clear from the advert whether there is an a TOEFL/IELTS requirement, they are unlikely to reject your application for failing to include it - at worst, I expect they would ask for it separately or make an offer conditional upon proof of a certain standard (We have an IELTS requirement and this is what we would do).
Then again, if you already have certification and you believe it accurately reflects your language ability, I don't see any harm in including it as part of your CV.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Since you are applying in Europe as well: I haven't seen any university requiring the TOEFL, but they usually require some proof of English skills. Depending on the country, this can be as lax as your current thesis, a professor from your institution certifying that you can effectively communicate in English, all the way to an official certificate of C2\*.
From what I remember, no one asked me for a certified copy when applying, it was enough for me to say that I had it, but some asked you to be ready to submit official proof if accepted. I may be missremembering the frequency, though. Cambridge has a self-verification system: my certificate has a link where anybody can see that I indeed have passed it.
If you have taken the exam, you can definitely add it to your application. Unless they say otherwise, you won't need to pay IELTS to send your scores just for applying.
---
\*To my knowledge, there is no centralised organism in charge of this, so usually any reputable school's certificate is valid.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: In the UK, you need to provide IELTS results as an evidence of your knowledge of English in order to make a successful [Tier 4 visa](https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa/knowledge-of-english) application. So, even if a University admits you on their PhD program based on your MSc taught in English, the Home Office will still need IELTS results to issue you a visa.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: It is common for a degree from an English-speaking country to exempt you from taking the TOEFL. However, it is much rarer for an English masters in a non-English speaking country to. In the US, the general rule is that they want the degree to be from an English speaking country, although exceptions can be made. It's best to consult the admissions departments of the particular schools you are interested in.
To quote a few websites:
Princeton (emphasis original):
>
> The **ONLY** exemption for this requirement is if your native language is not English, but you earned (or will have earned before enrollment) your **bachelor's degree or a Ph.D. in its entirety** in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or Anglophone Canada.
>
>
>
Harvard:
>
> A strong knowledge of English is essential for successful study at Harvard, including the ability to understand and express thoughts quickly and clearly. Although you are not required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or other proficiency exams, you may submit your scores if you have done so.
>
>
>
[MIT](https://gradadmissions.mit.edu/applications/international-applicants)
>
> Students who have received instruction in English in their primary and secondary schools and students who have been in the United States for four years or longer and have **received a degree from an American institution** may be eligible for a waiver of the English proficiency exam requirement by sending a written request to the department or program to which they are applying.
>
>
>
[Berkeley](http://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/requirements/#evidence-of-english-language-proficiency):
>
> To qualify for a TOEFL exemption you must:
>
>
> * Have a basic degree from a recognized institution in a country where the official language is English.
> * Have completed a basic or advanced degree at an institution, in the United States or abroad, where the language of instruction is English and the institution is accredited by one of the United States’ regional accrediting\* agencies. (United States universities only)
> * Have completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with a grade B or better at a regionally accredited\* institution within the United States.
>
>
>
[UChicago](https://internationalaffairs.uchicago.edu/page/english-language-requirements) (emphasis added):
>
> The English language requirement may be waived if the applicant is a native of or **studied in full-time status for at least one academic year within the last five years in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or English medium universities in Canada or South Africa.** Students who studied in English in other countries, for example, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc., are not exempt from the English language requirement.
>
>
>
[Oxford](https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/international-students/english-language-requirements?wssl=1):
>
> ... been educated full-time in the medium of the English language throughout the two most recent years before the 15 October application deadline, and who remain in full-time education conducted in the English language until the end of the school year in their home country.
>
>
>
[Cambridge:](http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international-students/english-language-requirements)
>
> If you don't have one of these formal qualifications but are currently being taught in English, please contact one of the College admissions offices for advice.
>
>
>
[King's College of London](http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/entry-requirements/english-language.aspx):
>
> Nationals of the following [all English-speaking] countries, or applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year) or a PhD in one of the following countries are not required to complete an additional English language test:
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2017/05/18
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<issue_start>username_0: When acting as a referee, I frequently find that some of my papers could be relevant to the paper I'm reviewing (let's say, in a tangential manner). Is it reasonable to suggest the author take a look at my paper, or should I avoid this at all costs due to the risk of revealing my identity and sounding that I'm shopping for a citation?<issue_comment>username_1: It happens quite often that as an expert asked to review a paper, your own work is relevant. But you are right to be concerned that it might seem gratuitous. So just like it is often the case that papers authored by any member of the Technical Program Committee (TPC) are held to a slightly higher bar at a conference than other papers, to try to avoid the appearance of nepotism, I try to recommend my own papers only if I'm really sure they deserve to be mentioned. Avoiding them at *all* costs would do a disservice to the publication because important work might be missed.
As an aside, I recently served on a TPC where I contemplated mentioning one of my papers and decided not to. A different reviewer went to great lengths to point out why my work was relevant, and I'm 95% sure the authors would conclude incorrectly that I was the reviewer in question. Meaning: just because you suggest a paper doesn't actually mean someone can be sure you're the one suggesting it!
You show a reasonable sense of caution in posing this question. That is certainly all that is required.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I agree with Fred. When I receive peer review comments for my own papers, it is not uncommon for the reviewers to suggest literature they find relevant. I sometimes assume that the reviewer may be the author of the paper suggested, but I also recognize that the reviewer is, ideally, knowledgeable on the topic of my paper (since he or she was asked to review it) and therefore I do not know for certain.
I think that if your paper is related and would be helpful for the author, then suggesting it is fine. If there are others, you can cite additional works to your own. Then, it would be more difficult for the author to identify you, if that is your main concern.
Upvotes: 3
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2017/05/18
| 1,385
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<issue_start>username_0: I am from one of the top UK institutions studying mathematics. I am under the impression that UK universities tend to have a larger cohort (~150 per year) than US but perhaps I am wrong.
I would like to know is there any difference ranking 1st, ranking in top 5 or ranking in top 10 when it comes to PhD applications especially in the US, or is the personal ranking only serves the purpose as a benchmark (say top 5% is enough).
I have heard different theories about this as some would say it's extremely important to get top first or second to get into top graduate programs, and some say that having one or two marks higher than your course mates makes no difference and tells nothing more about your ability.
Thanks for advance.<issue_comment>username_1: Your letters of recommendation will be much, much more important than your class ranking. Spend your time on getting the strongest letters you can (and learning how to do this, if necessary).
Source: I have served on grad admissions for a top math department.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Class rank is not inter-comparable, and also not universally available, so (in my experience) we ignore it entirely. "It's nice" to be highly ranked, but it's also hard to know exactly what that means. Big fish in small pond? Grade grubber? Etc.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: In my institution, the absolute ranking of the candidate is one piece of information that is considered, but often is nowhere near as important as the candidate frankly thinks it is. There are so many other factors that determine whether or not an individual is well suited to a particular area of research that *aren't* examined by an undergraduate degree. I am sure I could easily find instances of students who came in the top 20% of their degree cohort having many more successful outcomes from their PhD years than those in the top 1%, *not least because there are a lot more good students to choose from in the top 20% of the distribution!*
Most universities set quality thresholds -- e.g. "you must usually have a 2:i [UK applicant] to be considered for a PhD place" -- which *are* important to meet. For each candidate meeting these thresholds, we will typically read their application and assign points based on some quasi-arbitrary list of good things (doing well academically gets a point; doing a summer research placement gets a point; publishing papers as an undergraduate and demonstrating that you actually did the work and understood it gets a lot of points, etc) which then form the basis of subsequent discussions.
In my field at least, students who come high up in the year rankings are very good at passing exams; typically they're able to min/max the exam system, do algebra very, very quickly and have a repertoire of "tricks" that have come up in the past. It isn't necessarily the case that any of these skills translate into a successful research career.
Additionally, the type of reference form often sent to your referees have a statement along the lines of "Of all the people I have taught, this person is in the top [50, 25, 15, 5]%" and require the referee to tick the right box. Nobody I know, if they like the person they're writing in support of, ticks anything other than the 5% box (even if they frankly should). The people who read these forms are aware of this.
Finally, as mentioned by all the other posters, year rankings are not comparable across universities, or necessarily *within* universities. A close friend studied biomedical and electrical engineering at a good university in Belgium and due to an odd set of circumstances involving changing course requirements finished simultaneously first and last in his graduating year!
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Although i am not from the UK, i would like to share my impression, on this matter for Universities in Germany. Together with some factors that change the perspectives on rankings probably internationally.
For my Master Studies in Germany I was admitted in a quite competitive program, where that year only 18% of the applicants were admitted, and where being in the top 20% of your Bachelor was a prerequisite. It was an international Program in English, so there where students from all over the world. The impression of me and my fellow students were that the grading of our courses, were much stricter than for the usual programs, our averages were much lower. There where exams that were only passed by 3 out of 25 people. So in this case the combination of program reputation and ranking told much more about relative performance than the grades. My impression was however that at least in germany, grades are more important than ranking, so it was difficult for many to find a Phd position. Therefore I think that at the graduation ceremony there should also be handed out a list with the matriculation numbers, and all grades of the cohort, to give some relative context to the grades. This also helps to make sub rankings for particular subjects or directions.
But Of course such rankings are also very limited, because the situation of all students was fairly different, a few of the German students, still lived with their parents, and had no financial worries, some others had scholarships, others had to do student jobs, some had rich parents, others took a big loan, some where married, others were ill. There is a story behind each grade, and thus ranking.
If those who will asses your application only look at rankings and grades, it means that they probably did not have any significant challenges on the side, besides their studies. So they will probably select those with high grades coming from a similar situation. Those who understand the limitations of grades and Rankings, will probably focus more on recommendation letters, or even read through your Thesis, or a publication. Some how such people seem rarer at top universities, but they are there!
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/18
| 967
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<issue_start>username_0: Why do sites that host papers such as IEEE's not have a comments section for each paper? Sometimes there is something that needs to be added, corrected or clarified by the community but as far as I know there is no such a thing... or is there?<issue_comment>username_1: There are a few third-party sites where you can do this. For instance, <https://paperhive.org/> and <https://scirate.com/>. None of them has a large user base, at the moment. There used to be more (<http://www.arxaliv.org/>, <https://selectedpapers.net/>) but they seem to be down.
(Disclaimer: I am a friend and a former colleague of one of the founders of Paperhive.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: **Reason 1:** Many publishers (still) see themselves simply as content providers. A reader goes to the publisher website, downloads a pdf and leaves. A publication is understood as a static (dead?) document, so post-publication activities are not encouraged technically.
**Reason 2:** The publisher website landscape is very fragmented. Even smaller scientific communities have to go to multiple publisher websites to get their content. So, a researcher would need multiple logins to add comments on the different websites. A high barrier even today.
**Reason 3:** A simple forum-like comment covers only a few of the post-publication discussion use cases. It is good for general opinions and corrections. Annotations, however, are much more targeted and also cover use cases like corrections of specific mistakes in formulas, paragraph-level questions and statements, discussions around data and images, proofreading, and referencing of specific parts of a document (example of direct linking at PaperHive: <https://paperhive.org/documents/jKRG3MqMuj66/revisions/QOdeW6lxZMHk?a=s:Vjw91UM7br1A>).
These are some of the reasons why we at PaperHive [Disclaimer: I'm one of PaperHive's founders] chose to build a system that is connected to publishers' websites but enables the communication on a separate cross-publisher platform entirely dedicated to reading and discussing. We have a small widget that informs readers on a publisher website of existing discussions (see example on a partner's website: <https://www.growkudos.com/publications/10.1016%252Fj.neurobiolaging.2014.04.026>) but the actual reading & annotation happens on PaperHive.
All public discussions are under the **CC BY license** and we follow the **W3C open annotation standard** (which is the foundation for interoperability and portability). We have an API for the export of annotations (documentation in progress) and have on our roadmap to archive the discussions at one of the two most-widely used systems in publishing (Portico or Clockss).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: There are a couple issues with this that I've both seen and experienced:
* It's probably not worth it, as few papers actually *draw* comments. Pubmed Commons, for example, means you can leave comments about a paper on it's Pubmed entry. I looked up some of my papers...there isn't a single comment. Not one. And while I'm not the most prominent researcher in the world, we are talking about a body of papers with 500+ citations. So...why bother with implementing this?
* If you *do* get comments, you're vulnerable to things. For example, the anti-vaccination community launching a spam campaign. While you can restrict the comments to subscribers, what about open access journals? Crackpots with library memberships? Many of the same arguments that you should be able to comment apply to the *public* being able to comment. And that means moderation. Whose going to do that?
* What are the obligations to commenters? Am I free to ignore them? Or, if J. Random asserts there's an error in my paper, do I have to address it. How *much* do I have to address it?
TL;DR: There's significant costs and not a lot of clear benefit, especially when there are ways to contact an author directly.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/19
| 1,251
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<issue_start>username_0: In the United States, are the startup packages offered for tenure-track positions at research universities typically significantly different for the assistant and associate professor levels?
Background: I am a researcher in computer science considering moving from an industrial position to a university tenure track position. I have recently received an offer for a tenure-track position at the associate professor level (expected, given my career position).
The startup package being offered seems rather weak to me, however, particularly comparing it against a startup package that I know was offered to another person who recently entered this department in a similar position but at the assistant professor level.
Is it typical for a new associate professor to be offered a much smaller startup package than a new assistant professor (perhaps on the theory that they are already established in their career), or is the university giving me a weak offer?<issue_comment>username_1: Your startup package is negotiable, to some extent. In addition to the fine answers I'm sure you'll get, my advice would be to assess whether your startup offer is sufficient to launch a successful career. If it flat-out isn't, you need to hold out for a package that is. Don't accept a position where you don't see the resources you need to be successful, or at the very least, a good plan to get them.
If you don't see what you need, you can continue to negotiate for more. There are sometimes more creative solutions available, such as talking to your prospective chair about common or shared resources that would be made available to you, pre-arranged collaborations that could help you get started quicker .....
If you can be successful with the offered package, but you still don't feel like its big enough, you've got some thinking to do, but it will come down to a decision you make using data we don't have access to, like how bad you want the job, what other possible offers are in the wings, opportunities for your spouse, and other squishier stuff.
As to associate vs assistant packages, that's tougher. Recruited Associates often may be coming in with some of their own resources, and aren't starting from scratch. They've also demonstrated that they're less of a risk on the way in, and might be worth an additional investment.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Your explicit question
======================
Your question is about the statistics of startup offers to Associate versus Assistant Professors. I don't know if there's a resource that's able to answer that in detail, in general, across universities. The only Associate Professor startup package that I know of was indeed lower than most Assistant Professor packages, but I'm not in computer science, this Associate was bringing their own grant money, and N=1!
Your implicit question
======================
However, it sounds like you're trying to use this data to make inferences about whether or not the university is giving you a "weak offer", and to use that information to set your negotiating strategy.
Don't.
======
This is a bad idea, for a couple of reasons.
A "weak offer" is not interpretable.
------------------------------------
Let's say the university *is* making you a weak offer. Normally they'd offer $X, but for you, they're offering $2/3X. Uh oh! What does this mean?
* They're not really all that excited about you. Sure, they'll hire you, but you were the best of a bad bunch. Not worth throwing money at.
* These are hard financial times. The new budget is much tighter than previous years, and there are hard limits on what they can afford.
* They don't understand your needs. Of course their previous hire, the robotics specialist, needed a lot of startup. But you, you work on computability theory, all you need is a pencil and a notebook, no problem!
* It is a lowball offer, but it's flexible if you negotiate hard. The other hires were given similar offers, but negotiated hard and raised it fine.
* Any combination of the above.
So, even if you did have an answer to your initial question, then you are left with even more questions.
Your startup needs are independent
----------------------------------
Your startup needs are not dictated by what other people have been offered. Whether or not you need item X or software Y to succeed in this position cannot be determined by comparing your number to other people's numbers. This is a common problem in startup considerations, where the thinking is backwards.
Start with what you will need (and be generous, it's always good to have a little wiggle room). Come up with a budget to calculate what you would need to succeed, obtain grants, and really flourish. Share that itemized budget with your university contact. If the number is way off the number they are offering you, reflect on what is needed and what is flexible, and reflect on what is your best alternative to a negotiated agreement. That is, are you able to say "no" to them and walk away? Do you have other options? Can you maybe get away with using some cheaper equipment? Can you be creative with the startup, for example having it spread over several years (that way the capital outlay for the university is lower)? There are lots of options. Remember, the university has made you an offer because they want you. It is in their interests for you to succeed at your job and to flourish, so it is in their interests to ensure that you receive an adequate startup package.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 3
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2017/05/19
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<issue_start>username_0: To start with, let me confess a sin that I have committed a few years ago. A friend of mine asked me to proofread several of his papers before sending them for publication. After helping him several times without expecting anything in return, he offers to included me as one of the authors of another paper after I proofread it. Being immature and greedy, I have accepted the offer, which is a great mistake. Later the paper was published and I was listed as one of the authors of the paper, and I understand nothing about the paper itself. Now I am facing the mistake that I have made and have decided to do something about it.
1. Should I always exclude the paper from my resume? Although I was officially listed as one of the authors, I do not feel that I contributed to any part of the paper except proofreading.
2. Is there anything else that I should do about this situation?<issue_comment>username_1: Your startup package is negotiable, to some extent. In addition to the fine answers I'm sure you'll get, my advice would be to assess whether your startup offer is sufficient to launch a successful career. If it flat-out isn't, you need to hold out for a package that is. Don't accept a position where you don't see the resources you need to be successful, or at the very least, a good plan to get them.
If you don't see what you need, you can continue to negotiate for more. There are sometimes more creative solutions available, such as talking to your prospective chair about common or shared resources that would be made available to you, pre-arranged collaborations that could help you get started quicker .....
If you can be successful with the offered package, but you still don't feel like its big enough, you've got some thinking to do, but it will come down to a decision you make using data we don't have access to, like how bad you want the job, what other possible offers are in the wings, opportunities for your spouse, and other squishier stuff.
As to associate vs assistant packages, that's tougher. Recruited Associates often may be coming in with some of their own resources, and aren't starting from scratch. They've also demonstrated that they're less of a risk on the way in, and might be worth an additional investment.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Your explicit question
======================
Your question is about the statistics of startup offers to Associate versus Assistant Professors. I don't know if there's a resource that's able to answer that in detail, in general, across universities. The only Associate Professor startup package that I know of was indeed lower than most Assistant Professor packages, but I'm not in computer science, this Associate was bringing their own grant money, and N=1!
Your implicit question
======================
However, it sounds like you're trying to use this data to make inferences about whether or not the university is giving you a "weak offer", and to use that information to set your negotiating strategy.
Don't.
======
This is a bad idea, for a couple of reasons.
A "weak offer" is not interpretable.
------------------------------------
Let's say the university *is* making you a weak offer. Normally they'd offer $X, but for you, they're offering $2/3X. Uh oh! What does this mean?
* They're not really all that excited about you. Sure, they'll hire you, but you were the best of a bad bunch. Not worth throwing money at.
* These are hard financial times. The new budget is much tighter than previous years, and there are hard limits on what they can afford.
* They don't understand your needs. Of course their previous hire, the robotics specialist, needed a lot of startup. But you, you work on computability theory, all you need is a pencil and a notebook, no problem!
* It is a lowball offer, but it's flexible if you negotiate hard. The other hires were given similar offers, but negotiated hard and raised it fine.
* Any combination of the above.
So, even if you did have an answer to your initial question, then you are left with even more questions.
Your startup needs are independent
----------------------------------
Your startup needs are not dictated by what other people have been offered. Whether or not you need item X or software Y to succeed in this position cannot be determined by comparing your number to other people's numbers. This is a common problem in startup considerations, where the thinking is backwards.
Start with what you will need (and be generous, it's always good to have a little wiggle room). Come up with a budget to calculate what you would need to succeed, obtain grants, and really flourish. Share that itemized budget with your university contact. If the number is way off the number they are offering you, reflect on what is needed and what is flexible, and reflect on what is your best alternative to a negotiated agreement. That is, are you able to say "no" to them and walk away? Do you have other options? Can you maybe get away with using some cheaper equipment? Can you be creative with the startup, for example having it spread over several years (that way the capital outlay for the university is lower)? There are lots of options. Remember, the university has made you an offer because they want you. It is in their interests for you to succeed at your job and to flourish, so it is in their interests to ensure that you receive an adequate startup package.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 3
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2017/05/19
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<issue_start>username_0: I've been on a couple of research projects with a few professors and have had some success recently and plan to do more collaborative work through the end of this calendar year. One student is constantly leeching off of me and imposing himself, such as wanting specifics about my work, specifics about private meetings between me and my research advisors, wanting to come to lab while I am there to do some work. (he is not part of the lab.) How do I tell this person to back off and do his own work, establish his own connections and stop creeping on me and stalking my every move in hopes of leapfrogging me, just because I've had some recent success? Do I have to continually say, "this is private and ongoing research that isn't published yet"?<issue_comment>username_1: Your time is yours to control. If someone just wants to meet to learn about your field, it's polite etiquette to give them a brief meeting and let them learn... it is a learning environment, after all. It sounds like your situation has progressed well beyond that. I would simply tell the student that due to your own time constraints you cannot continue meeting with him. Consider redirecting him to the department chair/administrators, where he can ask about the process for joining a lab.
For what it's worth, if it's really beyond academic interest and he's just a stalker, that changes things a bit. Definitely work with whatever resources your university makes available to figure out how to deal with a stalker.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You seem to assume the worst case scenario. The student may be genuinely admiring you. It is common in the industry to shadow someone for training purposes and the person may be assuming it is ok here as well. Also, some people are bad at picking cues, so he may be oblivious to your discomfort. Or even worse - painfully aware, but feeling he deserves such a treatment because of his lowly status.
Now, you of course have every right to not wish to mentor this person in any way. So I would suggest to be open but also generous with him. At the end of the day, you may need his help later, so it won't hurt to be nice now.
More practically:
* Select a time to **address this issue in private in a separate meeting**. For example, invite to have a lunch or coffee together.
* **Summarize the problem in neutral terms**
* **Acknowledge his good intentions** (*even if you believe otherwise*). Sth like "I appreciate you want to learn how to be a good researcher and it is flattering that you think I am one".
* **Give an objective (preferably external) reason that has nothing to do with him personally.** For example, by letting him into the lab/sharing details of private meetings you are violating a policy and can face repercussions. Or your supervisor doesn't appreciate external people in the lab or meetings. Or, as much as you enjoy his company, you really can only focus when you are alone. Don't invent a reason though.
* **Offer a practical alternative**. "I actually think you will learn most by doing A, B, C rather than shadowing". A, B, C can be a book that you read at some point that really illuminated you. Or some best case practice of being a good researcher. Or perhaps you don't mind having a monthly "mentoring" meetings with him. Maybe he has a specific weakness or an under-leveraged strength, and you can advise on to how to work on those. Whatever lifehack you feel comfortable sharing and that can genuinely help the other person.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: This is a companion answer to the one written by @olgak. First, quoting Olga:
>
> The student may be genuinely admiring you. It is common in industry to shadow someone for training purposes, and the person may be assuming it is ok here as well. Also, some people are bad at picking cues, so he may be oblivious to your discomfort. Or even worse - painfully aware, but feeling he deserves such a treatment because of his lowly status.
>
>
>
This is very insightful. But where I differ from Olga's suggestions is that to my mind, she's neglecting to consider the role your advisor or P.I. can play in addressing the problem. So here's my slightly different answer:
1. You can, optionally, try, once, to get some more distance with this eager beaver, hopefully without bringing offense (the flavor of Olga's suggestions is great for this).
2. If that doesn't work, or if you don't want to play that role, let your primary advising or collaborating professor know that you are uncomfortable. Don't make it sound like a complaint yet (reserve that for the future, if this first step doesn't work), and try to give the eager beaver the benefit of the doubt in your description. Your main message needs to be be
* (explicitly) In his/her eagerness, <NAME> has been asking me lots of questions about my research, and I'm uncomfortable and unsure how to handle it.
* (implicitly, i.e. I doubt you'll need to say this out loud) Can you handle this for me, please?
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: How to properly label graphs that can be dimensionless?
One of reviewers of my document strongly emphasised on labelling plots with which I generally strongly agree. On this occasion, however, I was explaining a general mathematical model on generated *time series* and by *time series* I mean an observation (value of a variable) that changes. Non of the variables I'm plotting has any units and the only reason why I added label *Time [s]* on x axis so that reader doesn't have to think too much what is there. Reviewer suggested adding units to all other labels, such as dimensionless amplitude, amplitude square and inverse of amplitude square. It seems that adding `Density [1/|1|^2]` or making up a unit might be considered a bit offensive.
Here are examples, where I am supposed to label axes. None of used variables requires a unit.
[Density of dimensionless variable.](https://i.stack.imgur.com/e0RpZ.png)
[Time series](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JcEfP.png)<issue_comment>username_1: Lack of a unit never implies that a clear label isn't necessary. How can time not have an appropriate, non misleading label? How about "Index" or "sample number"? Just because it doesn't have a unit doesn't mean that you can't come up with an appropriate label? Even "Normalized Amplitude" or something. If the lack of a unit isn't immediately apparent, sometimes "unitless" where you would normally include a unit will clear things up.
Lastly, look toward your literature. If you can't find an example close to what you're doing, you may be reading the wrong literature, or not reading enough of the right literature. Having to ask about something like this is somewhat of a red flag on your due diligence.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If the number is dimensionless, you clearly can't add a unit. Even adding "seconds" to time is rather spurious if there aren't tick marks on the axis.
If the reviewer is finding things unclear, it's an indication that some of your readers will as well. You could make sure to explain in the caption that the axes are dimensionless and exactly what each axis represents, or if that can't be put simply, provide a reference to the section of the text in which it is explained. You could consider writing "Dimensionless density" or "Density (arbitrary units)" as the axis label.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: If the unit or even the label is not important at all then [arbitrary unit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrary_unit) might be a possibility.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/19
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<issue_start>username_0: It is possible to purse an online PhD in mathematics? Even though I am already 40 years old, this is the dream I have. I am a full-time teacher, and because of economic reasons I cannot give up my job to dedicate my entire time to work on a PhD. It would be great if there was an online program, but I was not able to find it. Can anybody give me an advise? Do I still have a chance to study for a PhD with a full time job? I understand that it may be almost impossible for me, but I just want to know if there is a chance.
Any suggestion in this matter is greatly appreciated<issue_comment>username_1: Online PhD is impossible, no university would allow you that. It's important for you to communicate with the experts in your field, and you can't do that by just emails.
@username_2 mentions in his answer that you shouldn't do a PhD if you want to keep your salary. However, I'd argue there is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping your paycheck while studying. Why do you **have** to give up your job for a degree? Why the MBA students can keep their jobs? They are in the top 1% income brackets. Many PhD students do that simply they are fresh graduates and thus have nothing to protect.
Why not a part-time PhD? It's not uncommon to study PhD although it'll be quite intensive and challenging.
While it's possible to keep your job while studying for a PhD, it can't be online. Prepare for the huge workloads.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> It is possible to purse an online PhD in mathematics?
>
>
>
Highly doubtful. A PhD is not course-based, like an undergraduate degree. You can't just "do" a PhD, as in finish the given classes and work and call yourself done. You need to do research, both independently, and in collaboration with your supervisor. You're not learning things that are known, but learning how to discover things nobody else knows, and how to communicate knowledge. So this isn't something that can be completed with a few courses.
Could you do this remotely? Maybe, but it would be really hard. I had to do a portion of my Masters remotely, and coordinating over Skype is very difficult, and while we made it work, I would not recommend it. The times I went in to meet with my supervisor, I often felt like I learned more and made more progress than over the weeks previously.
>
> I cannot give up my job to dedicate my entire time to work on a PhD
>
>
>
Then why do you want your PhD?
It's worth mentioning that PhDs usually paid. They're not well paying, compared to teaching, but if this is *truly* your life's dream, you may be able to make it work economically. Many students do, after being saddled with debt from their undergraduate.
>
> Do I still have a chance to study for a PhD with a full time job?
>
>
>
Again, highly doubtfull. A PhD is usually roughly the amount of work of a full-time job, and what you're doing in it corresponds more to a 9-5 office job than to courses with homework. If you want to have no home-life, you could maybe make both work, but scheduling meetings with your supervisors and such would be a nightmare.
Part time PhDs exist, but they're tricky.
**One final note**
If you are doing a PhD, and you are not getting funded to do it (or at least, are paying large amounts of tuition) then be wary, as a predatory institution may be taking advantage of you.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: It's definitely possible to get a PhD online from a reputable school. The University of Florida, the flagship school of the Florida university system, for example, offers a [number of options](http://distance.ufl.edu/doctorate/). Nova Southeastern University, another reputable school, also offers multiple options. However, if you look closely at the degrees offered, I think you'll find that they tend to be in a relatively small number of fields, e.g. psychology, education and criminal justice. These are generally considered high demand fields so the Universities' that offer those degrees can be reasonably sure of getting decent enrollment levels. I think you're going to find that it's very difficult, if not impossible, to find a decent program in a relatively low demand subject like math. (I have a masters in math from the University of Florida so I'm not just taking cheap shots at the math guys.)
It's also worth noting to those who are suggesting that such a degree would only be useful in academia that a PhD does have value in other fields. Some school districts [base salaries](https://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/docs/00/00/06/82/Employee_Salary_Schedules.pdf) (scroll down to page 13 for an example) on the highest degree earned by the employee so a PhD can have direct monetary benefit outside of academia.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I'd say it's not impossible, but it is challenging to find an opportunity. I myself am about to complete the final hurdle (the viva) to my PhD. My field is Artificial Life/Artificial Intelligence, not Mathematics, but my experience may be helpful to you.
At the age of 49, I decided to do an MSc by research just for my own personal satisfaction. As an experienced software engineer in Ireland who doesn't want to live in a city, I had zero expectation that the MSc would increase my earning potential or lead to a more interesting job. I just wanted to do it. I worked part time during the MSc and also had a scholarship, so the money was OK. The scholarship allowed me to pursue any topic I wanted as long as it was related to data science. I chose a research project that I had in the back of my mind for years, but thought I would have to wait until I retired to pursue it.
After completing the MSc, the company that gave me the scholarship hired me as a researcher. Like many large companies, they have an education programme that pays tuition for employees who want to continue their education. Normally that would mean working full time while trying to do a PhD. However, they were interested in my project, so they allowed me to continue working on the project during a large part of my work day. This was ideal for me, of course. And it worked out OK for them as they got a few patentable ideas out of it, and some new product ideas. And within a few months I expect to be awarded a PhD.
I've been *incredibly* lucky, but I think there are some practical steps you can take. I'm reading between the lines of your post, but I suspect what's most important to you is *learning*. And learning on your own has never been easier, with eBooks and videos and online courses. So I suggest you pursue that in your spare time. That will be its own reward, even if you go no further.
At the same time, look for opportunities to use what you've learned in your work, either in this job or another one. Also look for opportunities to get a master's if you don't already have one, even if it isn't in Maths. Maybe you can do research in an area that involves Maths. (This is what I did; I have incorporated a fair amount of Maths into my own project.) Again, all of this will be its own reward.
All of this may lead to unexpected opportunities for a PhD. Good luck.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Some of the other answers seem to have a rather narrow view of how a PhD operates, so let me share some observations.
In the first place, in countries such as the UK and Ireland there is often no coursework so that the degree is awarded solely on the basis of the thesis and the oral examination on it. (Of course the oral may also examine various things which a PhD in the relevant area should know.)
Moreover it is common for at least part of a PhD to be done part time. Many people study full time for a PhD for the first three years, say, and then finish it part time if their funding runs out.
I also know of least two examples where someone started a PhD in pure mathematics when they were over 40, pursued it part time for the full duration of their doctoral studies, and emerged victorious with a PhD. Both people I have in mind worked full time while doing the PhD. (They also had an MSc when they started the PhD.)
So I guess this a positive answer to the question
>
> Do I still have a chance to study for a PhD with a full time job?
>
>
>
though of course it depends on your circumstances, and it's a far from easy task.
Separately, I know of someone who did a distance learning PhD through the Open University, and went on to have a successful academic career. Having said that, I just looked at the OU website (<http://www.openuniversity.edu/>), and didn't see PhDs among the degrees offered.
Let me also observe that being accepted into a PhD programme in certain countries can be quite separate from being funded to do the PhD. So while it certainly wise to be wary of potentially predatory institutions, it can be perfectly normal to be charged for tuition.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: It depends...
I know a few people who have done or are doing a PhD part time in my institution. One was retired, and got his PhD aged 80! (and no, did not plan to go on to a career in academia); and one is working part time for the same institution. Closer to your situation, however, a third is simultaneously working full-time at a lower-tier educational institution; a final one was working part-time for a public-sector organisation.
Relevant features:
* This is in the UK. PhD programmes here typically don't have (lots of) coursework, and don't have PhD qualifying exams.
* This is a perfectly [good institution](http://www.gla.ac.uk)! We're no degree mill.
* None of these was part of an advertised ‘part-time PhD’ programme, I don't think. Googling my own university's website, I can see that we support this mode (and more so in some areas than others) but don't much promote it.
* In each case, the students were living in the same city, or nearby, so had/have opportunities for personal interaction. That is, this wasn't an ‘online PhD’, and I think that would be challenging to manage.
* I'm not sure exactly how each was was set up, but I think each emerged from a personal approach or a pre-existing relationship – such as having known the supervisor as an undergraduate – which ended up with a supervisor agreeing to take the student on, and sorting out the paperwork at that point. With us, the time-limits for part-time PhD study are obviously longer than for full-time, but they're not indefinite, and I think in each case the workload is/was pretty full-on.
* The first three of these happened to be in the humanities, which tends to have more flexible arrangements for PhDs, and which (for various reasons) is pretty relaxed about people starting or finishing their PhDs part-time. The last was in astronomy, though.
I think this wouldn't have been possible, or at least not easy, if there were significant coursework requirements. I doubt that it would have worked if there wasn't the possibility of regular face-to-face meetings, but who knows. Certainly I know of PhDs *finishing* largely online, when a student has had to move away for one or other reason, but that was when a personal relationship had been solidly established. Googling my own university's website, I can see that we support this mode (and more so in some areas than others) but don't much promote it.
So the answer to your question is: maybe, and there's no generic answer. There's no deep reason why this can't work, but you'd need to persuade a potential supervisor that you wouldn't be a waste of their time (how: exercise for the reader), and it'd need to be at a university where this was administratively possible.
The answers to the one or two very similar questions seem to have useful further advice.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/19
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<issue_start>username_0: If just received second doctoral degree, how does one sign their name at the end of an email or other correspondence. Would it just stay Dr. So and So or be Dr. Dr. So and So?<issue_comment>username_1: Depending on the country and local department customs, signing Dr. So and So would be already ridiculous enough. But I don't know of any situation where signing username_6 So and So wouldn't come out as a show off. I particularly would think very poorly of someone signing their name in this way.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In Germany I have seen the title dres. (for doctores) used for multiple PhDs.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: *(Other countries may have other customs, but this has been my experience)*
In most circumstances, no one bothers writing "Dr." as a prefix anyway! Informal situations in general tend to drop prefixes and suffixes, especially honorifics and degrees. I guarantee you that <NAME> doesn't make dinner reservations as "Sir <NAME>". Most people with doctorate degrees don't introduce themselves as "Doctor So-and-so", similarly to how people don't think of themselves as "<NAME>ior". In formal situations, this is obviously different, but writing a letter to my friend, I wouldn't sign as "The Honorable username_3" if I were a courtroom judge.
Assuming that one is in a situation where convention would dictate a person with a doctorate to sign with the title, a person with two such degrees should probably just sign as "Dr. So-and-so". If mentioning both degrees should happen to be importance, "So-and-so, Doctor of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ and \_\_\_\_\_\_\_" should suffice.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: The usual form in Austria would be "DDr.", which you see quite often, especially on lawyer's plates. After that, it would be DDDr. (and probably so on).
Remark : He is at least DDDDDDr.: <https://www.nachrichten.at/oberoesterreich/Das-ist-Doktor-Doktor-Doktor-Doktor-Doktor-Doktor-Norbert-Heinel;art4,843952>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: For real life examples, search for ["Kieferorthopäde" (that is, orthodontist) and "username_6"](https://www.google.com/search?q=Kieferorthop%C3%A4de+%22Dr.+Dr.%22) or for ["Kieferorthopäde" and "DDr."](https://www.google.com/search?q=Kieferorthop%C3%A4de+%22DDr.%22). In Germany and Austria, orthodontists typically study both medicine and dentistry, and some of them do a doctorate in both disciplines. Germans seem to prefer "username_6", whereas "DDr" occurs primarily in Austria.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: As one with two earned PhDs in the US, people refer to me in writing professionally as Dr. MYName. When living my name in any biographical information, it is listed as My Name, PhD, PhD the first time it is written. After that, it is just Dr. MyName. However, if persons are being listed by the title first, it is written as username_6 Myname following conventions in Germany, Austria, and parts of Africa.
Those who are offended are those too lazy, ignorant, or stupid to earn one PhD, let alone two.
Signed,
username_6
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I got invited for an interview for a PhD and they asked me to prepare a short presentation of ten minutes about an aspect of a previous research and what skills it gave me to tackle this phd project.
So I get the idea but my problem is about the "aspect". What do they mean by an aspect ? Can it be just the methods used for my research or should it be really something more specific ? All the methods I used seem important to me...
Thank you for any help or tips !<issue_comment>username_1: They want to see one element of your research accomplishments rather than a full explanation of everything you've ever done. If you have extensive, varied research experience (or, perhaps, if you just like to ponder the details of each project) then this can seem daunting. It's unlikely that you can present *every* detail of *every* method and its applications in ten minutes, though, so you'll need to choose one project or result and keep the details to a minimum.
The skills needed to complete a PhD aren't limited to those learned in the course of doing the research, but also planning projects, adapting methods to your own purposes, interpreting your findings, presenting them, and even general skills like working on a team or knowing when a project has become too complicated. Even the presentation itself is a demonstration of your communication skills. Choose an element of your previous experience with the best examples of these skills and how you've developed them.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: With this sort of interview they are looking for evidence that you can do research, communicate to others about your research, and that you will be able to be successful in your new program.
I think there are two ways to approach this. The first is to find an aspect of your current/previous research that will be directly applicable to your PhD project and describe that. It will directly give evidence that you have preparation and background to help you with your PhD. The alternate approach is to show that you've learned research skills that will help you face and overcome the obstacles in your new research program.
For example (from Computer Science), let's say that you're applying for a research program working on self-driving cars. In the first approach, perhaps you've worked on object recognition in images using deep neural networks. Then, you would describe the neural network architecture you used, why you used that architecture, and how you were able to classify objects in images as a result. You could then point out how this experience would be directly useful for your new research in self-driving cars.
On the other hand, suppose you've done nothing in that area. Maybe your background is in databases. Here, you might describe how you had to sanitize your data in your database to get your analysis to work - that the end techniques didn't work unless they had good incoming data. This would then show that you've learned to handle data appropriately, and when you worked on the self-driving car project, you'd have the experience in handling incoming data to be successful there.
In either case you will show that you can communicate your research, and hopefully show that you have some skills that will uniquely prepare you to take on the challenges of the new program.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/20
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<issue_start>username_0: My adviser is writing a book for a course in computer science he will be teaching next fall and I will be the teaching assistant for that course. He wants me to review the book and go through the problems and give him feedback on both.
He didn't say that I will get rewarded or recognized for my work in reviewing the book or the exercises associated with it, but I am guessing that my name will be mentioned in the thank you notes section at the beginning of the book, as usual with most published books based on courses. So my questions are as follows
* What benefits do I get from doing this review, if any?
* Also, is this work considered part of being a teaching assistant?<issue_comment>username_1: In questions like that, it is a good exercise to play it through being contrarian, e.g. as follows: "I do not get any rewards for helping my adviser. I am not going to tell him that there are errors in the problems when I encounter them - let him sort that out himself, it's not my business. And if I were to do it, I should mention that I expect to be named as at least sub-author, or prominently in the acknowledgements, or I certainly won't do it."
This is (hopefully) slightly exaggerated, but do play it through - and now adopt your supervisor's perspective in how your advising relation will look like if he sees your view this way and decides to treat your advisory relation in the same fashion.
Importantly, note that you TA the course anyway, and will encounter flaws in the exercises, so it is not likely to be undue extra work to help him find errors in the book.
It would be a different story if you had a strained/unhelpful relation with your advisor, but you mentioned nothing in the question to indicate you have.
Bottom line: you may go for a minimal effort in helping your adviser - but do not expect more than a minimal effort in return then.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You'll gain his trust, if you do a good job. You will also gain a deeper understanding of the material as you'll read it thoroughly not just to learn it, but also having to think about how the material is presented. Don't expect anything else.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_3: Since you have chosen a career in the academia by enrolling on a PhD course, I suppose your main motivation is the advancement of science. Here you are given a unique chance to uphold academic excellence in your field by serving as another pair of eyes for the forthcoming book.
This is a great honor and an opportunity to be a part of what might become a standard component of the academic curriculum of your future colleagues for years to come. Other answers bring up important aspects of this work, but the question sounds as if you do not realize how your contribution would go towards the fulfillment of your goals. Review the reasons that made you embark on a PhD course. Remember that service to science is often selfless.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: It should be obvious, but I will explain this nevertheless. Reasons for:
* You are TA for the course. Who is the second most appropriate person to review the book for this particular course? First one is the professor, well, the second one is you.
* Poorly written book will be your problem too, as students may expect you to explain things that are not properly explained in the book. So it is in your best interest to help the professor produce a good textbook, it will make your life easier too.
* Undoubtedly the professor trusts you enough to ask for your feedback. Be nice and show him that he is right in trusting you.
Now, possible reasons against:
* You are not really into your TA job and this is only additional burden for you.
* You are not confident you master the field enough to be TA, so you are not confident you should give feedback on the book.
If any of two latter are the case, you are right not to bother with the book, but on the other hand, you should think really really hard whether you want to be TA on this course. I do assume that the rejection of the offer to review a book will be interpreted in this sense by the professor as well.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: You can also regard the peer review aspect of it as an important part of your PhD training.
When collaborating on a paper you will need very similar skills. The lead author may be senior to you, so you need to learn to point out *to someone senior* the things that aren't clear to the reader. When writing your thesis you need to be able to read *your own* work critically, so if you don't collaborate on papers written by others during your PhD, this is a chance to develop those skills.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: In addition to all the other answers, you will learn how to find mistakes in a textbook, which is a vital skill if you're ever going to teach a course yourself, or if you're ever going to write a textbook yourself.
Please note that if you were asked to *write a review* of this textbook for the benefit of someone other than your advisor, e.g. for a book-review column or to inform a publishing decision, that would be a conflict of interest and you should turn it down. I mention this because your question title is ambiguous.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Critiquing the work of others is a great way of learning. It forces you to think very deeply about the material and about how best to communicate it; it also forces you to think about how to express your criticisms and improvement suggestions in a constructive way, which is a great skill to have. The experience will be invaluable when you later come to write a book or course of your own. In addition, you are improving the quality of the course which means you are making yourself a valuable (and hopefully valued) member of the academic community.
I would advise you not to think about what reward or recognition you will get from a particular activity, but rather to think about whether the activity is of benefit to the community, in which case reward and recognition will surely follow. (The same applies to those answering questions on StackOverflow, incidentally...)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: As in some other answers: this activity will help *you*, and it will help *others*, and it surely ought not be a "burden", because you'd need to be doing the same thing, effectively, for any text assigned.
True, if the initial product is slip-shod, so that it only becomes usable after your and others' inputs, you are being "used" a bit. But... no, there's scant way to monetize this.
I myself don't ask my students to critique or proofread things, although I make open invitations, exactly because I do not want there to be any impression of obligation. Not all advisors are direct or forthright, or perhaps believable in their claimed expectations. My riff is that I claim to not trust anyone but myself... but would welcome "suggestions". :)
I think the real point is that a very-serious *engagement* with the material would serve you well in terms of professional competence, future teaching... and scoring some brownie points with your advisor.
Try to visualize it as being a thing that you might have wanted to do *anyway*, so that the fact you'll not be paid, or maybe not be given credit, is irrelevant. After all, we really don't do these things for the monetization, no matter what Central Administration's software faculty-evaluation (etc) software pretends to mandate.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: The main point of having a University is to combining research with teaching. And this also holds for about everyone working at such a place - or should at least. A PhD in a much industrialized environment may be a different story.
It is not uncommon to see a professor transform his lecture notes into a book. This will not make him any rich, really. Just think about how small the audience for an advanced book is. It is our global society that benefits from the book. So, thank you!
You can expect the book to be a better than average kind of lecture material. It should be fun, both with the students and with your advisor. Discussing why a problem the professor decided to present in a particular way and not one that you have seen elsewhere may be very educational. And you should always give feedback, even when this is just some power point slides.
I seem not to get the point of your question. If you are saying that the quality of the nascent book is too premature to be exposed to the students, then this may be some good feedback to give - constructively. Just be happy that it is not a book of someone completely different that your professor's course is following - same work, but nobody to discuss with.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_10: In addition to what has already been said here, I offer this. When you go on the job market, there may be places that wish they could hire your advisor, but they can't. So they'd like to hire someone who is an expert on the most recent work of your advisor. When you revise your advisor's book, you likely become the second most expert person on the topic, and potentially very hirable.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/21
| 484
| 2,247
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<issue_start>username_0: If a PhD student (hard sciences like math, physics) decides to work in industry after graduation, are publications important?
For transition to industry, what are the most important factors to take note of during one's PhD?
Thanks for any advice.<issue_comment>username_1: Publications demonstrate several things such as:
1. Ability to conduct, complete, and document work
2. Ability to communicate clearly
3. Interest in broadening the field's knowledge
4. Interest in staying aware of the "state-of-the-art"
All of these are good attributes to demonstrate with a publication record. Continuing to publish in industry is also valuable, but it is seldom "publish or perish."
Regarding important factors: use elements of your Ph.D. to demonstrate that you can work independently to solve difficult problems. A strong work ethic and ability to solve problems are key traits that employers are looking for.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: For transition to industry, the important factor will be the ability to quickly convince the potential employer that you're the best person for the specific job. Which typically means you have to tailor your resume/CV to each employer.
Keep in mind that a potential employer typically have to go through many resume/CV within a short period of time. The person deciding which candidates should be shortlisted for interview may not be familiar with your research area. There may also be several candidates with PhD from different areas applying for the same job, along with a number of candidates with experience in the type of work similar to the position being advertised. So simply listing all your publications isn't helpful.
Instead, try to explain how your research experience makes you the best choice. Emphasize some of the research experience or publications that are quite relevant to the position. For example, if you're applying for a job as data scientist at an e-commerce company, and you have publications related to, say, automatic mining of customer opinions or automatic discovery of substitute/complementary product relationship, then it may be good to mention and emphasize that as evidence of your suitability for the job.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/21
| 463
| 2,007
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<issue_start>username_0: Is it true that Tier-1 schools in the US use an automated GPA filter before an application is even reviewed. Especially for international students?
If so, how does one go about getting past it and having their application reviewed?<issue_comment>username_1: I cannot speak for every graduate program; however, in my experience the answer is 'no.' The candidate is regarded as a total person and the GPA defines only one part of them.
Regarding getting past it: if the filter does exist those who put it in place believes it adds value. The only true way past it is to have a higher GPA than the filter. Apart from that, you can reach out to the department that you're interested in to show that you are more than your GPA.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: In my experience, no. The only automatic filter is for the university's minimum required TOEFL score; this requirement is imposed by the university and is not under the department's control.
Furthermore, for international students coming from academic systems that the committee is less familiar with, the GPA is less informative. If you weren't familiar with the Italian system, for example, it would be hard to know what a [grade of 27](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_Italy#University) represents. So in these cases the admissions committee is likely to rely even more on the letters of recommendation. For a successful application at a "Tier-1 school", the letters likely need to come from someone knowledgeable about the reality of such a program (perhaps they received their PhD from a comparable department, or taught there in the past) and make a convincing case that you could be successful there. Even an extremely strong letter saying "This is the strongest student in Country X this year" might not be sufficient, if the committee doesn't have sufficient information to compare that with other applicants.
Source: I have served on grad admissions at a Tier-1 math department.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/21
| 558
| 1,655
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<issue_start>username_0: This is not a specific LaTeX question, hence why I post it here.
I am typing a report for a project. I use multiple sections of a handbook (say, page 113-116, a bit later 389-390, etc.). What is the proper way to deal with this? Should I include a separate citation for each? I've looked at the [IEEE editorial standard](https://www.ieee.org/documents/ieeecitationref.pdf) but they don't mention this.
LaTeX thing: If yes, is there a way to do it with bibtex without copy-pasting the entire thing in my .bib file and just changing page number?<issue_comment>username_1: In the [IEEE editorial standard](https://www.ieee.org/documents/ieeecitationref.pdf) you linked to, you will find the answer on page one in the books section. Example [2] says:
>
> [2] <NAME>, “Random patterns,” in *Computers and You*, <NAME>, Ed. New York: Wiley, 1994, pp. 55-70.
>
>
>
*Computers and You* is the book title. "Random patterns" is the cited section/chapter.
If you wanted to cite another section/chapter of the same book (let's say with title "X", author A. Nobody and on pages 100-110) you would have to add a second reference in the bibliography:
>
> [3] <NAME>, “X,” in *Computers and You*, <NAME>, Ed. New York: Wiley, 1994, pp. 100-110.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: In LaTeX you can simply write:
```
Bla bla bla \cite[p.~3]{ReferenceKey}.
```
which produces
>
> Bla bla bla [1, p. 3].
>
>
>
where [1] corresponds to key `ReferenceKey`.
For more information, you might find this video enlightening (2:28)
<http://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/ieeereferencing/gettingstarted>
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/21
| 1,649
| 6,820
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<issue_start>username_0: I am doing an integrated BS-MS in Biological Science from an Indian university and currently am in the 6th (post-final!) year. In this MS part of the program, I am supposed to take a few grad level classes and mainly focus in research. I also need to pass 8 *MS thesis* courses (worth 3 credits each), in which my supervisor grades me on my research work that particular semester (I can take as many as 4 of them in one semester). The grade for this course is either **S** or **X** i.e. Satisfactory or Fail.
I took one of the 8 courses in the summer following my senior year. I worked very little and met my supervisor only 3 times in the term. As a result, I received the X grade in the thesis course. In the following semester (Fall), I took 3 MS thesis courses. My performance was better, I met him more often but according to him, it was not worth passing all 3 - he said it was only good enough to pass 1 of the 3 thesis courses. But since failing 3 thesis courses would have led to termination of my degree, he gave me pass grade for 2 of the 3 courses and cautioned me that another fail course would mean the end of the program for me.
After this, my performance research-wise has been good, I have been more regular. My relationship with my supervisor has also improved, although it could be much better. I have received a pass grade in all the remaining thesis courses and retook the 2 I had failed. Since I had not made enough progress in the one year, I continued my work further until it reaches a publishable position. I am finishing my second year this summer (6th year overall) and the work seems to be coming to an end.
I applied to for PhD positions at US universities last fall. When I asked my supervisor for recommendation, he said - "*Ya, I will write one for you, but it won't be a glorious recommendation. I will mention what you did, your performance in my course...*". Anyway, the results came out, and it was not good (**1 accept out of 9**).
(hope this was enough of a background!)
**My question is** **-** How much does an X grade in thesis research course (2 such, in my case) affect my PhD application. Are these thesis credits looked at closely? Such X grades are rare in my department, so I don't know how bad the situation is.
**EDIT** - I think this question is sufficiently different from others asking about a failed subject course. I am asking about failing thesis credits, which is different because a) these can be easily retaken and one can take as many as 4 of them in a semester and b) they directly corroborate with your research performance as opposed to normal courses.
I would be **SINCERELY OBLIGED** if someone could help me with this. It has been troubling me for months, and any answer towards this question/situation would be enormous for me!<issue_comment>username_1: To be successful in applying for PhD programmes, you need to demonstrate your ability to perform research.
Unfortunately, failing a thesis research course says rather the opposite to the admissions committee. By the sounds of it, your lukewarm recommendation letter from your supervisor will have done nothing to help matters either.
To improve your chances if you are planning to apply again, I would suggest trying to publish your work (you hint in your question that this may be possible) and, if you can, finding someone else who can write you a much stronger letter of recommendation.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Let me try to summarize. You took several master's level thesis courses that were graded pass/fail and you failed two of them. Moreover, your supervisor wanted to fail you on one more but refrained from doing so because you would have been dismissed from the program. Then you retook them, passed them, and since then have consistently done passing work, but it is clear from what you say that your advisor is still no more than moderately satisfied with your performance.
Sorry to say, but this sounds bad to me. You have been really struggling in your master's program, and to me it sounds like your advisor does not think your performance warrants admission into a PhD program and probably indicated that in his letter. And then of course there's the fact that you already applied to PhD programs and were not successful -- that's about as strong evidence as you could get.
What should you do? Here is my advice.
>
> First make sure you finish your master's thesis, and that you finish as strong as you can.
>
>
>
If I got the chronology right, you expect to be graduating at the end of this summer. I don't know the Indian academic calendar, but in the US that would mean about two months from now. You say the research "seems to be coming to an end" and that you haven't written your thesis yet but "will have one in 1-2 months time." If I were your master's supervisor, then even disregarding the above considerations I would be a bit concerned about the timely completion of your thesis. Most master's students are very inexperienced when it comes to academic writing, and without substantial help from their supervisor they may not understand the scope of the task. I supervised a master's thesis once. The student was strong, and I think she spent several months just writing (and revising) the thesis. Do you have a clear plan of how you will get from where you are now to the completion of your thesis? If not, talk to your supervisor ASAP.
>
> Do follow through with attempting to publish your work.
>
>
>
My impression is that in the biological sciences, thesis work that is well-regarded and thesis work that has been published in a reputable (I still can't bring myself to say "high impact") journal are pretty close. So if you can publish, then there may be an "all's well that ends well" aspect to your studies.
>
> Consider "laundering yourself" by doing another master's degree, perhaps in the US.
>
>
>
A lot of US programs are more willing to take chances on a master's student than a PhD student. The downside to this is that master's students are often not as well funded as PhD students (or are not funded at all), so you may be putting yourself in a tough financial situation -- please think at least twice about doing that. But if you can find a funded master's degree at even a not-so-great US institution: well, that's your foot in the door.
Good luck.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: It is understood that not only you're doing well in your thesis courses, but that you get A at least. Being ranked first is even better. Consider taking a course from another advisor and doing extremely well at it. That will demonstrate your competence, put your new advisor in a good mood, which translates into great recommendations letters. I hope this helps.
Upvotes: -1
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2017/05/21
| 837
| 3,578
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<issue_start>username_0: My professor has submitted a letter of recommendation for me for graduate program admissions, and has listed that I did X and Y (specific activities) under him, when I was only involved in doing X. He shared the letter with me after he submitted it, that's how I know.
I emailed him saying that I only did X and gave him info on how to submit a new letter, and his response was that if the admission committee ever calls him to check, he will clarify.
I really worry about this because 1) committees seldom check, 2) it's a falsehood that I did Y under him, 3) I think he is forgetful, and may just not remember to correct himself if they ever check, and 4) if I don't convince him to change this it would be like I am complicit in the falsehood.
He's a chill, old dude, my professor, and I don't want to rub him the wrong way by saying "We would be lying, please submit a new letter".
What's a gentle, tactful way to convince him to submit a new letter of recommendation with the correct information? Or is it okay if he clarifies if they ever call him to check?<issue_comment>username_1: I would say that this would be a different situation if the recommendation was for a potential employer, rather than for graduate school admissions. If this were for a potential employer and you might be expected to do Y, this would be a bigger issue, in my opinion.
Although the letter does not represent your abilities 100%, calling it a lie suggests that your professor knowingly stated falsehoods about your abilities on the letter, rather than it be an oversight as you describe. Sometimes these things happen. His writing a recommendation for you is outside of his other academic duties, so you are asking him to volunteer more work on top of what he has already volunteered to do.
In my many years on graduate school admission committees, we have only contacted references of candidates in cases where there is a questionable part of the application that suggests that the candidate is not prepared for the program or would be a potential problem. If everything else in your application looks fine, this may go unnoticed. Plus, the graduate admissions may find it strange that your reference submitted a revised letter. In my opinion, I would just wait to see if this comes up. Then, you can simply state, "Yes, my professor said in my letter that I did Y under his supervision, but I really was more involved with X and can only speak about X." This is very different than if YOU stated in your application that you could do Y. Your reference making a mistake would be more forgivable than if you knowingly made the same statement (if all else is fine with your application). If your professor didn't give you a copy of the letter, you would have never known that this is an issue.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I also see this more as a professor's problem than yours. You can always explain to whoever may ask that the professor's recommendation was entirely written by him without your influence and oversight (as it should be!) but you really think that the emphasis should be on X.
As far as I know, recommendation letters are (mostly?) not visible to the candidate, so if professor writes half-truths, it cannot be your problem (as far as it is not really overboard and someone starts thinking that you choose the nutty old prof because he is forgetful and can be easily influenced).
But in general, this is not your problem, as long as you are clear that you only claim X, not Y when directly asked.
Upvotes: 2
|
2017/05/22
| 1,893
| 7,881
|
<issue_start>username_0: I finished a humanities Ph.D. about a year and a half ago, with an exceptionally unsupportive committee and dysfunctional department. I've had some short-term contract/freelance work since, but my search for more stable employment (including alt-ac and adjunct work) has really been discouraging, and I'm looking for some advice about my next steps.
Broad-strokes background: I pretty definitely chose the wrong institution, though I'm not sure I could have known that when I started my MA. Roughly half of the tenured/TT faculty turned over while I was there, and there was a period of almost five years when literally nobody in my program defended a dissertation. A lot of students in the program struggled with committee changes, bizarre faculty infighting, and generally weak advising—but they all had the benefit of least one or two solid faculty advocates. Even with a change of adviser halfway through the program, I really did not have that kind of support.
Health/disability issues played a role here. I was diagnosed with multiple health conditions in the first few years of my program, and disclosed those diagnoses to my committee. They were superficially supportive, but not genuinely understanding about my need for accommodations while my condition stabilized, and at times were actually quite cruel. (I have been advised, informally, that some of the comments my first adviser made about my "limitations," etc., probably merited legal action under the ADA.) Rather than recognizing this hostility as abusive or inappropriate, I definitely internalized it, and spent a long time believing that the problems I was having with my committee were my fault, because I was weak and lazy and screwing things up. (For the record, although I missed targets along the way because of my health issues, I ultimately completed the degree faster than most people in the program.)
What I didn't see because of this dynamic was that my (new) adviser and second reader were in some kind of battle to the professional death, and that they were trying to pull me in different directions because of agendas that had nothing to do with the content of my work. I also couldn't see that they were criticizing some elements of my work not because there were gaps in my argument, but because they were legitimately not grasping what I was doing with literature that was outside of their expertise. (My adviser was at least better than the second reader about acknowledging gaps in his expertise, and was never actively unkind.)
I'm obviously not going to claim that my dissertation is without faults, that I don't have room to grow as a researcher, or that I haven't made mistakes. But my outside reader—whose field aligns closely with mine—was quite enthusiastic about some sections/elements of the project that my committee dismissed. Other faculty who attended my dissertation defense expressed distress at the conduct of the second reader, and indicated that they thought that she had been unconstructive, needlessly aggressive, and had plainly misunderstood some of my central claims. I wouldn't dispute that I could have done some things better, but I am absolutely sure that I couldn't have done anything to really 'fix' the situation.
I emailed my adviser after my defense to express some concerns about the experience. He told me that he would consult with the chair, and get back to me. He also indicate that he'd give me some additional comments for the final revision before my filing deadline—but he didn't. After I filed the dissertation, I emailed my adviser to request a reference, and to ask if we could schedule time to chat about what I should do next. It has been ages, and I've gotten no response.
I don't necessarily expect my references to be glowing. But am I right in thinking that I am at least owed a *response* to a request for a reference? And, without that reference, am I correct in thinking that I have basically no chance of teaching again? I do have references from faculty in other departments where I worked as an adjunct/sessional lecturer, but they can't really speak to my research skills, and my feeling is that the lack of anything from my own department makes me professionally untouchable.
I'd be really grateful for any guidance you might have about how to push for a decent reference, or how to finesse the job search without one.<issue_comment>username_1: We don't know if your advisor didn't respond out of passive-aggressiveness, or through a slip-up. I recommend you assume the latter and try again.
You can also try phoning or visiting during office hours or some time you think he's likely to be in. And/or leaving a message with the department secretary.
If you get clearer evidence he is intentionally ignoring your request, you can then approach the graduate program director and explain your problem. S/he should either arrange for a departmental letter of reference (as might be done if the advisor is not available to write a letter), or give your advisor a push.
If that doesn't get you anywhere, you can try going up the administrative chain of command.
There is an alternate approach, and I recommend you pursue it concurrently: take or audit a class from someone you think would be in a position to write a strong letter. You might do this at your home institution or somewhere else.
Aside from all that -- I hope you have lined up your outside reader for a letter.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm sorry that you had such a negative advising experience, and in particular that faculty at your institution were unsupportive (and worse) about your health problems.
As you say, you finished your PhD a year and a half ago. The good news is that you're well out of that highly unpleasant environment, and I hope you're experiencing the benefits of that. The bad news? Because of what you're asking, I really wonder what you've been doing professionally for the last year and a half.
>
> I don't necessarily expect my references to be glowing. But am I right in thinking that I am at least owed a response to a request for a reference?
>
>
>
Yes, of course. I'm sorry that you even have to ask.
>
> And, without that reference, am I correct in thinking that I have basically no chance of teaching again?
>
>
>
No, that's too strong. It would most certainly be better to have references from within your department, but that's not always possible. Sometimes the one reference from within your department would have come from your thesis divisor, but s/he died. Sometimes good people are not viewed well by their PhD-granting
departments. It's not good, but it's not the end either.
>
> I do have references from faculty in other departments where I worked as an adjunct/sessional lecturer[.]
>
>
>
Great, do that.
>
> [B]ut they can't really speak to my research skills[.]
>
>
>
Well, good news: there are a lot of academic teaching jobs for which your research skills are largely to completely irrelevant.
>
> [A]nd my feeling is that the lack of anything from my own department makes me professionally untouchable.
>
>
>
Can you get a letter from *someone* in your department, even if they are only superficially familiar with your research? That doesn't make a lot of sense logically, but psychologically it allows people to tick a box, so it could be helpful. If you can do that *and* get a strong recommendation from your outside reader, then I think your problems are pretty close to being solved.
Finally: please don't wait a year and a half wondering whether someone will reply to an email you sent. You should have checked in about ten times by now. Again, I am really sorry for your poor treatment: one of the worst aspects of being treated poorly is that it makes you expect to be treated poorly. That sucks.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
|
2017/05/22
| 786
| 3,555
|
<issue_start>username_0: I want to make a *direct* comparison between my simulation result and a published picture of other people's experimental result.
There are a lot of morphological features of similarity, which are difficult to describe by words only, and it should be better to simultaneously put the two results in my paper instead of suggesting readers to find that cited picture themselves, so I want to make the comparison by putting their picture and my numerical result side-by-side.
Specifically,
1. The picture of their experimental result was an optical photograph in black and white, while my simulation result was colorized;
2. My target journal is different from that of the cited paper.
I did find a similar example for my reference and thus I kind of doubt that this is not a usual practice in paper writing. Could anybody suggest me what should do before I prepare such a figure and submit my paper? Thank you!<issue_comment>username_1: You will need to contact both the corresponding author of the cited paper and the journal the paper is published in. The details surrounding what you can do with republished figures differs by the source journal's policies and licenses ([see how PLOS has a CC BY license](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/licenses-and-copyright), for example). The key element is to secure written permission from people responsible for the original figure - the source journal will let you know know how to handle that.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: If the source is an open-access paper under a creative commons license, it's easy - copy the figure and attribute the source and license.
If not... most publishers have a system for this. The STM Association, which covers the majority of mainstream scientific publishers, has a set of [guidelines](http://www.stm-assoc.org/copyright-legal-affairs/permissions/permissions-guidelines/) for permission between its members, setting out what is reasonable to reprint, and importantly has a general reciprocal agreement that they will honour each others requests without charge. This covers both books and journals, broadly speaking.
[The STM list](http://www.stm-assoc.org/copyright-legal-affairs/permissions/permissions-guidelines/) has the appropriate links per publisher. Some have a blanket permission, others require a bit of paperwork. For example -
* a figure copied from a Portland Press-published paper does not require permission to be reused;
* a figure copied from a Royal Society of Chemistry published paper *does* require permission, but this permission will be automatically granted at no cost if you fill in the online form correctly.
You do not need to do this before submission (at least, not in the cases I've dealt with) - it comes after acceptance when you know where it will be published and you're sorting out the details.
In the majority of cases, because copyright is transferred to the publisher (or they are given a very broad license to authorise republication) you do not *need* to approach the author. However, you might want to anyway.
Firstly, it's polite, and I'm sure they'd be pleased to know you're publishing something building on their work. :-)
Secondly, and potentially more importantly, permission to republish doesn't mean that the publisher will send you the files. You might need to get hold of a copy of the master images rather than the version put out by the first journal, in which case you'll have to speak nicely to the original author and hope they can find them...
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2017/05/22
| 813
| 3,686
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD candidate in the school of enginerering.
This question is about my dissertation literature review.
Through my review of past dissertations, I see three styles of literature review. One is a single literature chapter which has the past theories. The second, and most common due to the style of publishing three journal papers, has the literature review separated into each of the contribution to knowledge chapters (typically three chapters). The least common is a hybrid with the single literature review chapter plus literature reviews in each contribution chapter (looks like it was a three paper but did not get published so modified into a single paper dissertation).
To remind the reader and/or allow for self contained chapters, should each contribution chapter have a literature review? What should the chapter literature reviews contain? Should each chapter have a literature review even if it is repetitive from the main literature review chapter? Is it just the underpinning theories in the chapter literature reviews?<issue_comment>username_1: You will need to contact both the corresponding author of the cited paper and the journal the paper is published in. The details surrounding what you can do with republished figures differs by the source journal's policies and licenses ([see how PLOS has a CC BY license](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/licenses-and-copyright), for example). The key element is to secure written permission from people responsible for the original figure - the source journal will let you know know how to handle that.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: If the source is an open-access paper under a creative commons license, it's easy - copy the figure and attribute the source and license.
If not... most publishers have a system for this. The STM Association, which covers the majority of mainstream scientific publishers, has a set of [guidelines](http://www.stm-assoc.org/copyright-legal-affairs/permissions/permissions-guidelines/) for permission between its members, setting out what is reasonable to reprint, and importantly has a general reciprocal agreement that they will honour each others requests without charge. This covers both books and journals, broadly speaking.
[The STM list](http://www.stm-assoc.org/copyright-legal-affairs/permissions/permissions-guidelines/) has the appropriate links per publisher. Some have a blanket permission, others require a bit of paperwork. For example -
* a figure copied from a Portland Press-published paper does not require permission to be reused;
* a figure copied from a Royal Society of Chemistry published paper *does* require permission, but this permission will be automatically granted at no cost if you fill in the online form correctly.
You do not need to do this before submission (at least, not in the cases I've dealt with) - it comes after acceptance when you know where it will be published and you're sorting out the details.
In the majority of cases, because copyright is transferred to the publisher (or they are given a very broad license to authorise republication) you do not *need* to approach the author. However, you might want to anyway.
Firstly, it's polite, and I'm sure they'd be pleased to know you're publishing something building on their work. :-)
Secondly, and potentially more importantly, permission to republish doesn't mean that the publisher will send you the files. You might need to get hold of a copy of the master images rather than the version put out by the first journal, in which case you'll have to speak nicely to the original author and hope they can find them...
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2017/05/22
| 1,303
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<issue_start>username_0: I have written an essay last year, as a personal exercise. I now have a course at uni on the topic and could basically just hand in this essay now, the topic fits perfectly. I have also never submitted this essay to any other course or so.
Could I just hand in this essay, or would I violate some rules with that? Is this maybe already self-plagiarism?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Could I just hand in this essay, or would I violate some rules with that?
>
>
>
Rules are specific to your institution, so we can't answer that for you. But I can't imagine why a rule would exist to prohibit this, and it would be very hard to implement.
>
> Is this maybe already self-plagiarism?
>
>
>
No. Self-plagiarism is about claiming credit more than once for the same piece of work. If you've not submitted it anywhere before, you're fine.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> **Could** I just hand in this essay, or would I violate some rules with
> that?
>
>
>
If you wrote it as a personal exercise and it was never submitted to any course (i.e. never read), I can't see how anyone would notice the difference - provided you are right about the fact that it answers your assignment perfectly and you are not subconciously trying to make it fit into the assignment.
>
> **Should** I just hand in this essay?
>
>
>
Aside from the rules, consider the teaching value of writing an essay (which you obviously already know, since you wrote one as a personal exercise!).
If your workload allows it, you might find that re-working on that essay a year later is really instructive. Your perspective (on the content, but also on the writing level) probably changed in one year, and with the head-start of having a first version already, you could dig deeper into the subject and end up really learning a lot and producing an essay worth an amazing grade. Or, if you don't feel like reworking this one, maybe you could pick another subject altogether? The teaching goal of essays is usually to have you research a new subject; handing in your already written one, while being legal, would certainly not serve that purpose.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Many institutions include in their definitions of plagiarism something like:
>
> submitting a paper as original work in one course when the paper has already
> received credit in another course (unless prearranged with the professor).
>
>
>
(The above is from my own institution's Honor Code, as stated in the student handbook.) If you were at my institution, what you're proposing wouldn't violate the letter of the honor code since the work wasn't graded in another course. Your own institution probably has an honor code or a policy on "academic integrity"; it may or may not have similar language. As far as the "legality" of what you're proposing goes, your answer is probably in there somewhere.
That said, you probably still sense that your instructor might not look kindly on this—otherwise you wouldn't be here asking the question. If you were my student and you handed in work that you had written well before you even took my course, I would be somewhat disappointed. As @username_2 alludes to in their answer, the reason I assign essays & written work is to make you think about a subject *in the context of my class*, as part of the process of learning the course material. By presenting me with work whose preparation was completely separate from my course, you're depriving yourself of this opportunity to make deeper connections and understand the subject even better than you did before.
However, there could be other professors out there whose main goal in assigning a paper is simply to allow the student to demonstrate mastery of a particular subject; such a professor would probably be fine with you submitting your older work. Other professors might have different pedagogical reasons to reject the idea. So it probably boils down to the following: **ask your professor whether this is acceptable.** Depending on their pedagogical priorities in giving this assignment, several things might happen. They might say it's fine; they might say "I'd like you to substantially revise/rewrite it" (as suggested by @username_2); they might say "actually, this paper wouldn't satisfying the requirements of this assignment, so you'll need to pick another topic"; they might say "I want everyone in the class to be writing about something they don't already know about"; or something else entirely. Ultimately, if you want to do something unusual for an assignment, it's better to ask permission of your professor than it is to risk a messy and protracted debate over its acceptability after the fact, when your grade is on the line.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Some aspect that was not discussed yet is the time you invested into your essay. The other students got their topic at a specific time with a deadline so they have a limited time (maybe even while having to work on other classes in parallel) in which they can work. You however had potentially more time (or maybe nothing that distracted you) so you had an advantage by preparing this essay in advance.
At first it could be seen as unfair that you don't have to invest more time, but in the end you have been lucky and are now rewarded for your good preparation.
But this is probably such a rare case that you just have to talk to your professor.
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/22
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<issue_start>username_0: In The Computer Journal I was looking at the [Instruction to authors](https://academic.oup.com/comjnl/pages/Manuscript_Preparation_Submission) page, I did not understand the below instruction-
>
> Authors should supply a list of between three and five referees who
> would be suitable to referee the paper. Please enclose full name,
> email and full postal addresses.
>
>
>
I thought after paper submission, the editors will review it & recommend if there any changes are necessary. But according to above instruction it seems that author has to provide suitable referee list. Then editors will review submitted paper.
***In this specific context***,
What does referee mean? How does it differ from editor? Also if an independent researcher needs to submit paper, where does he find more than 2 referees? Is referee equivalent to peer?<issue_comment>username_1: The **editor** works for the journal and recommends changes to the article for clarity and organization. He or she also makes the final judgments regarding if and when an article is published. The editor does not evaluate the work technically in the same way that referees do. The **referees** are peer reviewers who are deeply familiar with your field of work and will evaluate your article for its scientific merit. To have your article published, it must be approved by both the editor and the referees.
For a further explanation of how to suggest referees, see the accepted answer to this question: [What is a referee in the manuscript submission process?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/61165/what-is-a-referee-in-the-manuscript-submission-process)
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: They clearly mean people to do peer reviewing.
It's a shame that they go out of their way to ask people to provide their own reviewers, since that is not exactly a way to get an unbiased set of reviews.
<NAME> once said he wouldn't belong to any club that would have him as a member. I wouldn't submit to any journal that can't find its own reviewers.
If they do this, be sure they are not a "predatory journal" whose primary purpose is to charge you fees for publishing your work.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The editor(s) are the people who are ultimately responsible for the journal and it's publications. However, often times they lack the requisite expertise to understand the nuances of papers that are submitted. The standard practice is to ask other researchers who have a similar expertise to the submitted paper to read and review the submission. These researchers are the referees. They are not affiliated with the journal, and are usually academic researchers. They will write reports on the paper that will give the editor a better grasp of the importance of the paper, and are often asked to explicitly recommend the paper for acceptance or denial.
The first thing I would do is look through the citations for potential referees. If your paper is a direct reply to another paper, uses or extends someone's technique, or refutes someone's ideas, definitely put them on the list. After putting anyone whose work is directly connected to yours, pick the remaining people from a list of people who have done similar work in the past. If you work in a field or topic where there is contention about interpretation or multiple schools of thought, you should probably pick people who roughly agree with you (this isn't an issue in my field, mathematics).
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/22
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<issue_start>username_0: We have Science homework due tomorrow and it's basically a *"fill in the boxes"* homework about energy in Microsoft Word. Well, my friends and I quickly realised that the teacher had put all of the answers in white font in the boxes. So, all we need to do is change the font to black and there's our homework.
I really don't know if this was an accident, intentional or a trap to test which of us are honest or not. So what do I do?
Do I just turn the font to black, read it over and laugh at how easy it was, or do I delete the boxes and actually try? I know which one I should do, of course, but if all the people in my class have done that and the answers are the same, what do I do?<issue_comment>username_1: There are several reasons you should do the work yourself, ignoring the filled in answers:
* It is the honest thing to do.
* You will learn far more from the homework that way.
* The filled-in answers may not be the right answers. For example, the teacher could have used a file from someone who had done the homework for calibration, and made some mistakes.
* If the teacher sees a lot of 100% correct answers, with exactly the same wording and formatting, they may become suspicious and realize what was going on. In that case, it may be very important to be able to honestly say you did the work yourself.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Be honest, let the professor know about their mistake, do the homework and show your results. When you let the professor know about their mistake, do it privately before class, don't call them out in front of the class. Remember your teacher is only human, too. I used to be a professor at a local community college and have made the same mistake, so this was from my experience with it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In college, the textbook exercises have answers, in the back or as a separate book.
The point isn’t to do busywork, but to *practice*. Work it out, and then check to see if you’re right, and try again if necessary. You can have the answers up front if you are mature enough.
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/22
| 2,057
| 8,650
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<issue_start>username_0: Teaching at least two courses is necessary in my institution.
Because of a very busy schedule and lack of time for doing my other academic duties for the next semester, I am thinking about teaching multiple sessions of the same course (in the same day) for the next semester. The course is the freshman calculus if that matters. The good thing is that the course has many TA's and they grade the exams. In each session (in a big amphi) about 300 students are enrolled.
I taught this course at least 6 or 7 times in the past (only one session) without problem.
I write this to ask what are the pros and cons of teaching multiple sessions of the same course?
I ask this question because I have never taught a same course in multiple sessions.
I found this link
<http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/teaching-multiple-sections-of-the-same-course/38472>
But I would like to ask your opinion about this. Especially your personal experience would be helpful to me.
Sometimes when I teach two courses with some similarities (e.g. some intersection between their topics), at times I get confused, I think I have covered some topics in one of them, but in fact I have not covered it. Fortunately I ask the students about that. But for an identical course I don't know what arrives.
This is only one aspect of my question. Feel free to give your opinion about other pros and cons.<issue_comment>username_1: I've done this. The big con is it can be incredibly boring, but maybe that's just me. And agreed, what did I say to the one class and not the other?! The big pro is it can help you refine your materials and teaching methods. I've had two of the exact same classes taught in the exact same way produce *very* different results.
Write some things down before you start. If nothing else this becomes a checklist to get you through the semester. Goes a long way to keep from getting confused about what you did or didn't cover.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: The main pro is of course that it cuts your lecture preparation time in half. Since for many courses lecture preparation is the most time-consuming aspect, this is a very significant time savings. That you don't know this already makes me suspect that your teaching responsibilities are rather light. At my institution, a full-time instructional faculty would teach four courses per semester (and at some other institutions it would be five). Even a tenure track faculty member at a nationally ranked liberal arts college will often be teaching three courses at once. In these circumstances it is common to speak of "preps" -- i.e., the number of distinct courses you're teaching. So e.g. an institution with a 4-4 teaching load, it might be a policy that an instructor never has more than two preps per semester.
I have taught a lot of freshman calculus myself, and after you get experienced enough the prep time really dwindles. For instance, if you're going to lecture on integration by parts, you decide that you will introduce the formula by anti-differentiating the product rule, then do a few examples showing various standard techniques, then go back and talk about definite integration, then do a few more examples. I could give that lecture right now and it would go fine. It would go better if I thought more carefully, but I think the quality would level off at about 20 minutes of preparation. You've taught the course enough times that you're probably in a similar situation. But even 20 minutes a lecture adds up. Also, since freshman calculus is just about as minimally prep-intensive as it gets, teaching any other course would increase your prep time. And the non-lecture parts are still more efficient if it's two sections of exactly the same course. Presumably you're writing the exams, and I hope you're writing different exams, but writing two different sets of exams for the same course is still a lot easier than writing exams for two different courses.
As the other answer mentions, you do experience a bit of "Wait, did I say that five minutes ago or 75 minutes ago?" when you teach the same thing twice on the same day. It can feel a little weird...but it's not a problem. If discrepancies arise between the two courses, you had better write them down, because they will be very difficult to remember. You'll always be asking students which section they're in. And finally: yes, it will certainly be less *interesting* than teaching two different courses, but it sounds like you have plenty of other things to occupy your interest.
I want to end with some commentary. A calculus lecture with 300 students sounds rather outmoded to me. With that many students, there cannot be any reasonable expectation that you will stop to field many student questions: if 20% of the students asked a question, those questions and their answers would replace most or all of the lectures. You are also not grading their exams. Probably you're not holding office hours for 600 students in a meaningful way. So what *teaching* is really being done here? Is the only reason it's called two sections instead of one is because there's no room to seat 600 students? Are the students really getting more out of your lectures then if you just videotaped them and then they just played later to whoever wanted to see them?
I don't think this is a very good pedagogical choice. At my department we recently adopted a **small class initative**, in which all precalculus and calculus I courses are capped at **19 students**. To cover all these courses we had to hire a ridiculous number of new instructional faculty, which frankly I worry could be bad for the long term health of the tenure track faculty. But as a pedagogical choice, it seems to be working very well. A "lecture" for 19 students is different thing entirely than a lecture for 300 students: the instructor really can interact individually with the majority of the students in a given class period. If you are long term member of your department, I respectfully suggest that you reconsider the practice of having such large lectures.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: In my own direct personal experience, and in observation of many colleagues over the years, I see that, although certainly any particular prep time goes down over time, it can also go *up* either medium-term or longer-term, depending on one's memory. If one has pointlessly good long-term memory, the issue is not remembering what course content is, but, rather, what one has covered "so far" in *this* episode. Hence the possible need to brief-note-to-self about this. At another extreme, things might have slipped out of one's mind, e.g., through disuse, so that (even if immediately recognizable) one's notes need to include details.
More directly responding to the question: yes, reduced prep time is a plus, if one needed prep time. A down-side is the extra baggage of keeping track of what was said "earlier today" rather than "last year". Deja vu all over again?
I myself would prefer to teach *different* things, because my own prep times tend to be not-so-bad, and I'd prefer to think about *varying* things, even if relatively simple, rather than too-repetitive scenarios. I have some troubles about the deja-vu thing even year-to-year and decade-to-decade, which I admit is an unfortunate side-effect of a happily good memory and decades of experience, but/and I do try to make every day a "fresh" teaching situation, which is easier if each day doesn't already contain duplicates.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: As other commenters have noted, you must stay organized when you teach multiple sections. For me personally, teaching multiple sections is a joy. However, I want to bring attention to one further advantage and one further disadvantage that I don't believe have been articulated yet:
**Advantage:**
You get a chance to learn to be a much better teacher. If something you do works in one section, but not the other, then there is reason to believe that your delivery may have been problematic. If it works in neither, then you have very good information that the problem is with you.
**Disadvantage:**
Designing multiple exams (assuming that your examinations are in class), or having to worry about students passing information on to students in the next section. One way you can get around this is by designing n+1 exams, where n is the number of sections you have, and using one as a "practice" exam to negate the advantage that the second section will gain by having knowledge of the types of questions you ask and how (generally) difficult the examination is.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/22
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<issue_start>username_0: Do I lose copyright if a journal accepts my paper and publishes it? Can I send my paper to colleagues, or is this *technically* illegal if they do not have access to the journal via their institution (or haven't bought it themselves)? (whether people do this anyways is a different question).
In short, is there anything I cannot do or that I would be restricted in doing after having published my paper in an academic journal?<issue_comment>username_1: In most cases, journals ask for transfer of your copyright to the publisher. In these cases, you cannot technically distribute copies of the article any more without the publisher's consent.
The details of what you can and cannot do, however, differ between publishers. You will get a form upon acceptance of your paper that lists the legal details and that the publisher requires you to sign before they publish the article.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In addition to Wolfgang's response, publishers do have individual policies about what can be shared freely. For instance, many journals I have published in have provided me with a link to 50 free downloads that I can distribute to colleagues.
Also, some journals allow you to share advanced drafts of your paper (like the final version submitted in Word form), but not the published paper. Check with the policies of the individual journal.
Upvotes: 1
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2017/05/22
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<issue_start>username_0: An example: I've been using some suitcase, mostly (but not only) for traveling to conferences. Gradually, the wheels have wore out, and in my last trip I was walking over some gravelly road for a while and they're now completely busted. There are also small tears in a couple of places. So, for a trip I took last week, I bought a new suitcase. Again, I'm using it for conference travel, but of course also for strictly personal use.
In your experience, is it customary/acceptable/possible to ask for reimbursement for this kind of expenses - products which travel-related, not specific to the conference you're attending, and suffer wear over time?
**Notes:**
* I'm a post-doc in the Netherlands, so if you feel your answer is academic-seniority-specific, or country-specific, please qualify it.
* I actually spent a lot less on this trip then other people from my research institute - less than half, since I didn't stay at a hotel but with a friend. So it's not as though I'm artificially inflating the bill.
* I realize one answer could be "just try it / ask about the institutional policy and see what happens"; but I want to hear about norms and customs.
* I'm not asking about the ethics, I think it's perfectly ethical for me to make that request and get the money.
* The suitcase cost 60 EUR, to give you a sense of the amount of money we're talking about.<issue_comment>username_1: This seems petty. You also don't account for wear and tear of your suit or shirt when you wear it at the conference. It's just one of those things you own in life, that wear out, and that you replace. The fact that you use a suitcase to transport your luggage -- in fact, the fact that you transport any luggage at all -- is your choice when going to a conference, and so it should also be your responsibility to replace it when the time comes.
All of that would be different if you were using a personal suitcase to transport things that are required for attending the conference. Say, if you were a vendor at an industry show associated with the conference, and you have to take product samples along. Or if your talk was on a new device, you took an example of the device along, and it would occupy a suitcase by itself.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You will have to check your local regulations at your institution. (my answer is based on my experiences at public US universities and companies)
Tax code may also be important in determining what items you can expense, both for yourself and your institution. For example, in the US you can deduct certain costs related to having a "home office" as business expenses. But if you play video games in your office after hours, the whole thing is void! Similar restrictions apply to other possibly dual-use items, such as a car (may be a business expense, but the rules for reimbursement change to those involving business use of a personal vehicle if you use it for anything that isn't business).
Tax law is relevant to expense reports because your company/institution is probably treating those costs as expenses, and therefore they are not taxed as income. If you use anything for personal use it becomes a type of income and must be taxed, even if your institution wanted to provide it. In that case, they would have to not only provide you with an expense reimbursement, but also add the amount to your income, withhold taxes as appropriate, etc (of course this system could vary greatly by country) - this all seems like it would be quite a bother, and if I were an administrator I wouldn't be too happy if a post doc, or full professor for that matter, made me go through all of that for 60 euros.
In my current institution's policies, there is a list of exclusions for business travel expenses. The item on that list that applies to your situation is:
>
> Statement of Policy
>
>
> Following is a list of expenses which are not payable/reimbursable with university funds. [...]
>
>
> Personal items and services, (e.g. toiletries, luggage, clothes, haircuts, etc.)
>
>
>
I tried to find some information on business travel in the Netherlands, but I was only able to find information about allowed reimbursement amounts for transportation, lodging, and meals, which may suggest that those are the only categories commonly reimbursed, but it may also suggest that there is more freedom for specific institutions to set their own policies. Also I don't read Dutch, so I was limited to documents that were available in English.
If you had a institution-owned computer, you might be able to justify the purchase of a carrying bag for that computer (but not cash reimbursement for wear on a bag you purchased previously), but not for a bag that carries your personal items like clothing, etc. If this was permitted, it would probably be purchased for you or reimbursed the way you would be reimbursed for other types of equipment, not through the travel reimbursement procedures, and the bag would be institution property, so you would be leaving it behind with your business laptop when you leave the institution.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You tagged this as "etiquette." I will write an answer focused on the etiquette of the question.
Such expenses are part of the cost of doing business, as the accountants say. To take such a petty view (thanks for the great word, Wolfgang), makes you look like a nitpicker, not a team player, and not a scientist.
Haven't you got better ways to spend your time than nickel and dime your employer for every last bit of juice you can squeeze out of the lemon?
Upvotes: 2
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2017/05/23
| 438
| 1,890
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in a science class in which we have to write lab reports. Lab reports count for a significant part of our grade. I was working on my lab report but before I got to check over my calculations, a peer of mine mentioned the results he got. I realized that my results were different and saw that I had a very dumb calculation error.
I am not sure if this is considered cheating because I am not sure if I would have noticed the mistake had I not heard from my peer (although I did plan on checking over my work).
I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on this situation. I plan on telling my teacher exactly what happened tomorrow before handing in the report, I just feel really bad and guilty now. Any help/advice would be appreciated. Thank you!<issue_comment>username_1: If you corrected and understand the error, it *may not* be cheating, but there is at least one caveat: If the syllabus or professor states that collaboration is prohibited, it is cheating because you violated the terms of the class.
The safest route would be to tell the professor (or annotate your work) documenting the careless mistake. If you explain that you understand the problem, it's probably ok.
In my view the goal is understanding the material foremost. In fact, I have graded exams with slight computational errors with only a slight (e.g., 1point) penalty if the process is correct. That's why students are often directed to 'show all work'.
Honesty is always the best course.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't think this is cheating at all, unless you specifically asked peers of their results.
The important thing is the understanding of the material. Your peer may well have been wrong in their answer and led you down the wrong path, but the important thing here is that you've double-checked your own work and recognised a mistake.
Upvotes: 3
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2017/05/23
| 1,511
| 4,959
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<issue_start>username_0: I am going to do a presentation about academic ethics for my class, and one of the themes are conflict of interest. As of now I have found only generic examples, such as research done with corporate funding, but never concrete examples. In addition, most concrete examples, I presume, are dull and minor. So are there any high profile case I can refer to as demonstration?<issue_comment>username_1: The manipulation of research and press coverage by the tobacco industry on the health effects of smoking would make an excellent case study (see e.g. Bero, 2005), not least as many leaked internal documents have come to light over the years which leave no doubt as to this having been a deliberate policy.
>
> One infamous internal memo from the Brown & Williamson tobacco
> company, typed up in the summer of 1969, sets out the thinking very
> clearly: “Doubt is our product.” Why? Because doubt “is the best means
> of competing with the ‘body of fact’ that exists in the mind of the
> general public. It is also the means of establishing a controversy.”
>
>
>
-- [The problem with facts](https://www.ft.com/content/eef2e2f8-0383-11e7-ace0-1ce02ef0def9), <NAME>
Just one example would be the attempt to refute an influential Japanese study on the effects of passive smoking. The actual employees of the industry were left off the study to confer some distance ("ghost authors")
>
> The tobacco industry generated a study, the “Japanese spousal study,”
> in an attempt to refute the findings of a 1981 cohort study showing an
> association between secondhand exposure to tobacco smoke and lung
> cancer
>
>
> The parties involved in conducting the study
> included a tobacco industry scientist, a tobacco industry consultant,
> an industry law firm, and two Japanese investigators. The consultant
> was the sole author of the final publication
>
>
>
-- Hong and Bero (2002)
Interestingly, the picture is not completely negative, as Big Tobacco's policy of "distraction research" (funding ***unrelated*** research for good PR) led to some important high profile discoveries and Nobel Prizes.
>
> Prusiner is a neurologist. In 1972, he was a young researcher who’d
> just encountered a patient suffering from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
> It was a dreadful degenerative condition then thought to be caused by
> a slow-acting virus. After many years of study, Prusiner concluded
> that the disease was caused instead, unprecedentedly, by a kind of
> rogue protein. The idea seemed absurd to most experts at the time, and
> Prusiner’s career began to founder. Promotions and research grants
> dried up. But Prusiner received a source of private-sector funding
> that enabled him to continue his work. He was eventually vindicated in
> the most spectacular way possible: with a Nobel Prize in Medicine in
> 1997. In his autobiographical essay on the Nobel Prize website, Prusiner thanked his private-sector benefactors for their “crucial”
> support: RJ Reynolds, maker of Camel cigarettes.
>
>
>
-- [The problem with facts](https://www.ft.com/content/eef2e2f8-0383-11e7-ace0-1ce02ef0def9), <NAME>
<NAME>. (2005) [Tobacco industry manipulation of research](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1497700/). Public Health Reports. 120(2):200-208.
<NAME>., & <NAME>. (2002). [How the tobacco industry responded to an influential study of the health effects of secondhand smoke](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1124865/). BMJ : British Medical Journal, 325(7377), 1413–1416.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: A major example of this, which came into recent prominence, is the sugar industry paying scientists to downplay the health issues associated with sugar consumption.
From the New York Times article:
"The documents show that a trade group called the Sugar Research Foundation, known today as the Sugar Association, paid three Harvard scientists the equivalent of about $50,000 in today’s dollars to publish a 1967 review of research on sugar, fat and heart disease. The studies used in the review were handpicked by the sugar group, and the article, which was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, minimized the link between sugar and heart health and cast aspersions on the role of saturated fat."
<https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/well/eat/how-the-sugar-industry-shifted-blame-to-fat.html>
You can also read the original paper which this article is based on here:
<http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2548255>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: A recent example in France :
<http://en.rfi.fr/france/20170613-top-doctor-trial-failing-declare-total-job-french-pollution-inquiry>
<NAME>, a french scientist, was paid more than 300000 euros to wrongly testify under oath before french senate about risks related to pollution
(I am french, so sorry for any typos).
Upvotes: 0
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2017/05/23
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a biology PhD student (25, female). I've recently handed in my thesis after a long struggle but I've not defended yet. In short I've had a really bad experience with my supervisor and my PhD and want to get out of academia altogether but I don't know how. I don't want to quit before my thesis defense but I don't know how I can survive things continuing as they are.
To provide a bit more detail about my situation: I started my PhD straight from my undergrad. I was working on my final year project with my supervisor, she was constructive and helpful despite being strict. I enjoyed working with her. When she told me that my 3rd year project was a pilot for a PhD project and that I should apply, I was delighted. I could continue to work on my research for another three years!
My relationship with my supervisor went well for the first year of my PhD, I was producing results and we were getting ready to publish some of these results in a nature family journal. I think this is when I started having problems. There was a lot of external stuff going on, I was in a terrible flat and loosing sleep, and due to these factors I made a mistake taking down a sample size on one of the drafts (my supervisor insists on at least 5 drafts before anything can be considered finished). It was an easy fix, I just had to check and update some numbers; but my supervisor made it seem like the end of the world. She was so angry I was terrified for days. This was probably when I started to be afraid of her, but I made the fixes, the paper got published and everything seemed to go back to normal. But, I've had problems with self harm in the past and while I thought that part of my life was over, I found myself doing it again. I wasn't really thinking too hard about it, it was just stress and if I could do better I would stop I told myself.
Fast forward about 2 years. The self harm hadn't really stopped, and I was still exhausted but my supervisor was mostly friendly, so although I still panicked when she talked to me I thought things were okay. I briefly considered quitting halfway though my second year, but since I'd come halfway I thought I could make it the rest of the way. I was coming up on my PhD deadline (September), and spoke to my supervisor about whether she thought I'd be able to hand in on time. She told me that it might take an extra month but I'd probably be able to do it. Unfortunately, this was also the point that my supervisor got really busy writing a grant, and kept telling me she was too busy to look at my drafts. Fair enough, I know academics are busy people and that, in her world, my PhD is not the priority. My work slowed down, I felt like I was loosing all motivation. September slipped by, I wasn't going to make the deadline, but, my supervisor said, that's fine, I could hand in at Christmas. In the meantime, my supervisor arranged for me to teach her lectures and do marking so that I could be paid and so that she had more time to work on her grant. She also wanted me to do more data collection so that this time she could get a paper into nature. I asked her if I could prioritize my thesis writing, it was important to me that I handed in, and then I could work more on papers. She reluctantly agreed that this would be fine. Christmas passed, and she still wasn't happy with my thesis, asking for more and more rewrites, even if it meant going round in circles. At this point I was trying desperately to stop self harming, which I have more or less managed, but I was also becoming increasingly suicidal. I couldn't see an end to anything short of that. This was when I finally admitted I was having problems and started trying to speak to the well being services at the university. I have a councilor now, who is helping.
I finally managed to hand in in April, although I'm not confident that any of the work in my thesis is really mine (It feels more like the supervisor has written it). I thought things would get better, I've gotten myself a temporary job working with a conservation organization, lecturing for the students who come out on their expeditions. I also made the decision not to apply for a postdoc with the same supervisor, she'd tried to encourage me to take it, but I cant survive three more years of this. I tried to explain to her that although I thought the project was exciting, my mental health prevented me from committing to a long term post (I did NOT mention that I was terrified of her). Since then, she's been increasingly angry. She's told me in as many words that anyone else would have fired me on the spot and that I should be grateful that I can work on such a great project. She also keeps telling me that its very inconvenient for her that I've got this new job (as it will be taking me into the field and probably out of email contact for two months), and that she wants me to do loads more (unpaid) work for her before I leave.
I desperately want to get out of her sphere of influence, I'm still having suicidal thoughts on a near daily basis and I feel sick at the thought of having to meet with her, as she seems to always be angry right now. I need to defend though, otherwise all of this will not have been worth it. My thesis defense is set for September, although she tells me my examiners are angry because I am out of the country during June and July (although I asked her before I applied for the job whether this would be a problem and she told me no).
Is there any way I can cut contact with her without causing a confrontation or anything like that? I don't know whether I can work with her any longer but I don't want to ruin my chances of successfully passing my defense.
EDIT: I want to say thanks to everyone for their thoughtful replies on here. Its been a few months now and my situation is substantially better. I can happily report that I did in fact pass my viva, and was awarded my PhD in September. My relationship with my supervisor is not much better, but therapy has been helping enormously with my depression and anxiety. I have also ended up making the decision to leave academia, and have had a productive summer working as a teacher with a conservation organization overseas, and have been offered a job with a conservation organization here in the UK. I still interact with my supervisor as she is keen to publish work from my PhD, but I am much less emotionally affected by her threats and criticisms these days.
Given my situation, the advice I'd like to offer to anyone else reading this post is that things can get better, but it is rarely possible to cope with issues like stress, anxiety and depression alone. Seeking help is NOT weakness, it really can help, and you don't need to be afraid of judgement from a professional, they only want to help you. My problem with my supervisor left me feeling extremely isolated, I didn't think I could tell anyone without making the situation worse, but getting help is the most important thing.<issue_comment>username_1: Giving answer for people in your position is hard.
I would suggest firstly tak with some psychologist since I think you need to talk about it and ventilate it out.
Then you need to think about your priorities.
And you have full right to be astute. I would say to her that you will continue working with her but later would change my mind. The only negative can be future impact on your reputation since you are dealing with manipulative person.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have worked in a group for two years where I also had problems with my supervisor, these were partly due to me, partly due to him, but in anycase our co-operation did not work very well, so I left and found myself another supervisor for my PhD studies. My relationship to my previous professor even got better, because I believe, I was relieved of my stress in my relationship with him. This kind of personality conflicts are very common in any kind of environment, where you need to deliver consistently...
But after reading your post I got the impression that your problem is a lot more of a personal problem. I think it is not only due to the character of your supervisor or how she treats you. Many people have problems with their bosses but your reaction is a bit outside of the usual range of reactions. It seems you have a hard time with stressed situations and these are unfortunately situations which you cannot avoid in life from time to time. It also seems that you show these rather certain behavioral or psychological patterns in these situations. You also mention these patterns are not showing themselves only with regard to your current situation but are recurrent. These give me the impression that your perception/interpretation of the outer world is somehow pushing you into this hole of destructive state of mind.
My advice would be: please seek professional psychological help. Psychology is not the most exact science but there is a lot of accumulated information in that discipline, which can be of help to you. It can help you to transform your perception of the facts and see light where you have seen only dark before, see hope in the future, whereas you feel deep in a dark well with no light reaching you and no ladder to go up. It can help you break those destructive thinking patterns. Communicate more with friends, family whoever you have around you. other people have gone through similar situations, I can guarantee that. I also took therapy for multiple years in my life and also during the time I was working with my previous supervisor. From my experience it definitely helps. Also I don't know how much the university councilor can help you, I would rather ask the councilor to give you the contact of a proper therapist since your problems seem to be transcending the usual student-supervisor conflicts. You do not continue playing basketball with a broken leg, so first keep your mind healthy to be able to use it for science.
I believe if you seek professional help and come to a more peaceful state of mind most of these problems you have mentioned above will be solved automatically, or will not seem to be problems at all.
**In regard to the comment by JeffE:**
I see your point, but I know also from my own experience, when you are so deep in a dark skate of mind, your interpretation of other peoples attitude gets also also compromised. I think the "problematic, abusive boss" is something more or less common in the todays world (of course, I am not trying to normalize it or saying it should be like that), but I found some of the phrases by the OP much more alarming, such as: "self harm", "increasingly suicidal", "I desperately want to...", "I was terrified for days". I believe these and the recurrent self-destructive state of mind is the more alarming pattern than the pattern of abusive supervisor. From my experience, first thing to do is to come back to a healthy state of mind, where you can judge the situation unbiased and take the right actions based on these healthy judgements.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: You have **handed in your thesis**, which is very good and a very reasonable point to stop working with your supervisor, especially if she's not paying you anymore.
At this point, it is only the thesis defense, and usually it is hard to get this wrong. You should realize that you defending your PhD successfully is almost **as relevant for your supervisor as it is for you**.
In my opinion the best time to stop working on this project is right now. Look for something else (which you already seem to have), concentrate on new projects, and tell your supervisor that you want to continue with your career / life after having handed in your thesis. You have already communicated that you don't want to work with her on the long-term, so is clear that you are going to look for other long-term opportunities.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: Well, let's go through this step by step. I read in a comment that you are in the UK, but I will pretend you're in the U.S. since that's the country I know best. You may have to adjust some of what I'm going to say, to account for the difference of country.
First, please see a doctor immediately. If you can't get an appointment for the same day, go to a hospital. (Take along plenty of interesting activities with you, and a meal, in case you find yourself having to wait several hours to be seen.) You can print out the question as you wrote it here, and just hand it to the doctor, if you find it difficult to initiate a conversation verbally about the self-harming behavior and the suicidal thoughts you've experienced. If you're up to it, you could optionally edit it down to a brief introduction, or do some highlighting of the parts that the doctor needs to know to get started working with you.
Let me explain. It can be helpful to be followed by an MD, even if you don't start medications, and even if you are in treatment with a psychologist or other sort of therapist.
If medication is prescribed, ask plenty of questions about what side effects to watch for, how long it takes to see improvement, and under what circumstances you should discontinue the medication, or seek immediate medical attention. Keep a symptom log, to share with the provider when you go back for med checks.
Second, inform some department administrator (or even a secretary) that you are taking some time off due to health problems, and ask them to inform your supervisor. Initially you can be vague and leave it at that. You can ask the doctor's office, clinic or hospital, or a friend or relative, to do this for you, and it is even possible for a voicemail to be left while the office is closed.
Once your health is stabilized sufficiently, then you can go on to the next part.
In this part, you apply to the appropriate university office as a student with a disability. In the U.S. this would be the "Office of Students with Disabilities" or a similar name. Documentation needs to be submitted. You may need to get some evaluations done.
The process of getting at least some sort of provisional diagnosis, and documentation to satisfy your university, may slow down your graduation date, but I would encourage you to think of Aesop's tortoise that won the race by *not* hurrying.
Once you're officially recognized as a student with a disability, the disabilities office can explain to your department and your supervisor what supports you will need, going forward.
I would like to explain what it means for a student with a disability to be able to utilize a university's educational services *without discrimination*. It's taken me a few years to start to really understand this. It means that you and the university need to figure out what supports will level the playing field for you, so that you can get the same meaningful benefit from your education as a non-disabled student can do without special supports. This isn't rigorous legal language (which varies from country to country anyway) -- it's just an attempt to get the concept across.
In your case, since conversations with your advisor tend to aggravate the feelings that increase your chances of self-harm and/or suicide, it may be helpful for those conversations to be mediated, in other words, for a neutral third party to be present during those conversations. I have found, through direct observation, that this support can be surprisingly helpful, both in reducing the student's fears and anxiety, and also in reining in the educator's behavior.
You have years ahead of you for figuring out whether there are some patterns in your perceptions and reactions that may have contributed to the situation you find yourself in currently with your supervisor. And for figuring out what qualities, weaknesses of character, errors in judgment, stressors, etc., in your supervisor's life may have contributed to things developing the way they did. But for now, I recommend just postponing all those questions. There is no need to point any fingers or attribute any blame anywhere at this time. At this time, you and the university simply need to find a set-up that will permit you to continue your studies without feeling unsafe.
It may turn out that the best way of supporting you for your final phase of your studies is for a different supervisor to be assigned. I wouldn't recommend starting out with this as a hard and fast request. If the appropriate people at your university see your current supervisor behaving badly, after the office of students with disabilities gets involved, I don't think you'll have to make a request. There are certain requirements on professors, and if your supervisor can't honor them, you can expect the university to protect you one way or another.
Note that retaliation is not only morally wrong, it is also illegal in the U.S.; I would be very much surprised to find out otherwise in the U.K. context. So I think you can set your mind at ease on that score.
If you can find a support group, that could be helpful for you. Also, I would expect there will be a suicide and crisis prevention hotline that you'll be able to call for moral support, or just to say, "I'm having a difficult day," or "Today is a bit better."
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I sincerely hope that you feel better. I understand your situation, as I was under similar pressure to finish my PhD. I didn't go as far as becoming suicidal, but I cried at home fearing that this situation would never end, or I'd never get my PhD after all these years. Sorry!
There are multiple points to make here, and I hope this helps:
1. Failing you is most likely not an option to your supervisor. Why? They won't fail you after having you work for them for years. It's like saying "hey look, we had that student who worked with us for a few years and his work published a few papers, but eventually we found out he's a horrible student". Do you hear how ridiculous this sounds? It'll harm them a lot, and I suspect they would even have to answer to a higher authority on that if they fail you. It's good that you submitted a thesis, because that's your way out.
2. Shit happens. I feel that you're incapable of handling mistakes and/or pressure. Although this may sometimes look as a motivation to make things perfect, you have to understand that shit happens, and people are not robots. They get angry, and they are not necessarily nice enough to apologize. So, learn to own your mistakes and even more importantly, learn to move on. Seriously this is very important for any serious job in the future. The stress curve never goes down with age!
3. I'm glad you're consulting a professional regarding your suicidal thoughts because that's not something I think you can handle on your own, and it's important to know that.
4. Since you handed your thesis, now is the time to stop working for your supervisor, especially if you're not paid. However, I would like to recommend that you start to think about doing more friendly confrontation without panicking with her. If you're thinking that all the people in your career are going to be nice and friendly, you got that all wrong. Almost in every workplace, there's the professional awkward person who does what he does very well, but is socially unpleasant, and you have to learn how to handle such relationships.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 3
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2017/05/23
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<issue_start>username_0: How common is for good and high quality research papers to contain 1 or 2 paragraphs of copy paste from previous papers of the same researcher?
Is this common or it's a red flag of low quality research?
**Edit:** 2 papers from the same researcher tackle different problems. To solve each of these problems some sub methods are used. On paper A sub methods 1, 2 and 3 are used. On paper B sub methods 3, 4 and 5 are used.
Sub method 3 is copy pasted (exact same explanation) on both papers A and B. The newer paper (B) makes no reference to paper A. The papers have nothing in common, aside from using this sub method.<issue_comment>username_1: As a user of papers I strongly prefer copy-paste to rewrite for the sake of rewrite. It takes a lot longer to see if there are any differences in the method between the papers if the descriptions use different words.
That said, it seems to me that the later published paper should reference the earlier one.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: For methods, probably very few people notice or care about copy pastes (for the reasons said by others here, although I more often see "as described", which can be a pain).
That being said, from a strict definition, self-plagiarism is still plagiarism. Referencing something and quoting it word-for-word are two very different things. Plagiarism software should pick it up and self-plagiarising is technically academic misconduct. Outside of methods I would consider it the reddest of red flags.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: This came up a number of years ago on a technical program committee for a computer science systems conference. If I remember correctly, someone identified a page or two of text that was identical to another publication, people objected, and the paper was rejected over the self-plagiarism issue.
So it does happen, and some people do care.
That doesn't mean it isn't relatively common, and also, the amount of repeated text here was more (let's say 2 pages out of a 12 page paper), not just a couple of paragraphs.
But it is clearly a gray area, and something that some people feel more strongly about than others. I think if I were reviewing a paper with that sort of overlap, either with another published paper or a dual submission to the same venue, it would be a red flag, and I would push back. But if it was just a couple of paragraphs about background or methodologies, I wouldn't reject it out of hand. Some might.
My own approach is to start each paper anew, unless I'm extending something explicitly (conference->journal). Call that *rewrite for the sake of rewrite* if you like, it's definitely safer.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: What should a grad student do during summer?<issue_comment>username_1: It really depends. Some take classes, some take a break, some travel, some continue on their research.
For me, personally, I've spent last summer taking courses to fulfill some degree requirements and I'm doing the same this summer.
Every person is different. Some graduate students are different. There is nothing that you *should* be doing, but maybe depending on where you are in your studies, there are few things you should prepare. Getting ready for your dissertation? Do some research. Need a break? Take up a hobby or maybe travel a little.
It may be best to talk to your advisor.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: You do not mention if you are a doctoral student or master-level student.
Typically, summers should be used to get ahead in your program of study and/or career. Especially if you are not engaged in supported research under an advisor. So, reading papers that will advance your thesis/dissertation and/or writing papers for publication are common summer activities. Planning summer work also helps prepare you for a career in academia, where many contracts are 9-10 months during the year.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: **Summer While You Are Enrolled**
You should do the same thing you do the rest of the year, but with more focus on research.
To elaborate:
Graduate studies are not usually about classes. You will take some classes, to get a breadth of knowledge in your field, and to get up to speed on your specific area of research. But most of graduate studies is reading, creating, and evaluating research. You will read papers, and work on research that you can write papers about.
Summer ends up being an ideal time to do these things, because you're not usually taking or TAing classes, and your supervisor is not usually teaching, so you both have more time to dedicate to research. Particularly if you're looking to have a career in Academia, then having published papers are very important. But even if you're looking to go into industry, the projects you work on will probably be more important to your career than the classes you take.
(This doesn't always apply to Course-based Masters or Professional degrees, like Speech Pathology, Library Science, Medicine, etc.)
**Summer Before You Start**
Reading your question, I realize this may be what you're asking. If you're starting in September, what should you do leading up to then?
I have a few main suggestions:
1. Catch up on your personal life. Whether this means taking a vacation, working extra to make some more money, or just relaxing at home, spend some time on the things that you might not have as much time to do during your studies.
In particular, try to get your mental health in order. Graduate studies are usually pretty stressful, and between having to independently motivate yourself, facing deadlines, and reading the work of others, it is *very* common for graduate students to face anxiety, depresssion, stress, and the imposter syndrome. So if you can get your stress levels to a baseline before you start your studies, it will make it easier to handle the elevated difficulty that comes with graduate studies.
2. Get a head-start in related skills. The summer before your studies is a great time to teach yourself LaTeX (if you're in a field that uses it), or wor processing, or spreadsheets, or whatever is common in your area. Learn how to use a citation manager like Mendeley or Zotero. Get acquainted with Google Calendar or another schedule managing tool
3. Get started on your reading. One of the hardest things about graduate studies is that you will spend a lot of time with a lot of very smart people who seem to know a lot. For the most part, they know a lot because they have read lots of papers. So, if you can familiarize your self with the *actual* research that is going on in your area, the things that you don't learn from textbooks and undergraduate classes. You're not going to be able to do too much just in the summer, but any little bit you do will help the start of your studies be less overwhelming.
Upvotes: 4
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<issue_start>username_0: I am not sure this forum is the right place for this question, but I'm pretty sure it would quickly be closed at MathOverflow.
There is a well-known mathematics journal called "International Mathematics Research Notices", published by OUP. It's almost invariably cited as "Int. Math. Res. Not. IMRN" [sic] or similar, which has always struck me as oddly redundant. The curious ubiquity of the abbreviation is doubtless due to the fact that MathSciNet provides references in that format: "JOURNAL = {Int. Math. Res. Not. IMRN}".
On the other hand, Worldcat has many [listings for the journal](https://www.worldcat.org/title/international-mathematics-research-notices/oclc/474030119/editions), some of which have the double IMRN, and some of which don't. As far as I can tell, the journal's page doesn't specify a preferred abbreviated form.
Another possibly relevant factor is that the journal is usually referred to be this initialism: people call it "IMRN" in ordinary conversation, which isn't the case for any other journals I can think of, JAMS perhaps excepted if you count pronouncing it (and nobody writes "J. Am. Math. Soc. JAMS").
The question: why does MathSciNet double the journal name, and should I be doing the same? (Perhaps the underlying question is: who decides on official journal abbreviations?)<issue_comment>username_1: Not a mathematician, but neither I nor any of my colleagues was ever able to paste bibliographic references without revising them. I wouldn't necessarily care about somebody else writing "Int. Math. Res. Not. IMRN"—. At least, "Int. Math. Res. Not. (IMRN)" or similar punctuation would highlight the redundancy better—but I'd avoid introducing a third form if two are standard.
>
> The question: why does MathSciNet double the journal name, and should I be doing the same? (Perhaps the underlying question is: who decides on official journal abbreviations?)
>
>
>
Your style file comes with guidelines—I'd guess they don't standardize journal abbreviations, so there's no standard.
Style manuals also come with guidelines, but I've never seen this matter being regulated.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: This is just speculation, but the reason could be because of the slightly complicated history of the IMRN journal.
Throughout you should remember that MathSciNet grew out of what originally was a print publication called *Mathematical Reviews*. It was extremely important that they have a uniform house style for referring to journals.
Originally there was a journal called *International Mathematics Research Notices* published by Duke Univ. Press from 1991-2001. On MathSciNet its abbreviation was **Internat. Math. Res. Notices**. When the journal moved publishers to Hindawi in 2002, the abbreviation became **Int. Math. Res. Not.** on MathSciNet. In 2005 Hindawi started a new journal called *International Mathematics Research Papers*, which was indexed by MathSciNet under the abbreviation **IMRP Int. Math. Res. Pap.**
In 2006/7, the two journals were both transferred to Oxford Univ. Press. There was some relationship between the two journals (I remember seeing it in an old author submission guideline) and the two are treated as sort of a pair. Probably in an effort to clearly distinguish the two journals, either OUP or MathSciNet decided to list the two journals as, respectively, *International Mathematics Research Notices. IMRN* and *International Mathematics Research Papers. IMRP* with abbreviations **Int. Math. Res. Not. IMRN** and **Int. Math. Res. Pap. IMRP**.
In 2009 or thereabouts, OUP merged IMRP into IMRN.
I would surmise that the "duplication" appeared in an effort to add some redundancy for better disambiguation of two journals with extremely similar titles. Now it survives as a vestigial testament to the journal's history.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I know someone who recently got the fellowship and unfortunately everyone else in his circle of friends and colleagues are complaining that he got an amount of help and input from his advisor that they feel was unfair. (He was the only fellowship winner in his group.) My friend is currently feeling like crap because of these hurtful comments, instead of getting congratulatory comments. He admits to being lucky for having a caring advisor but he also worked extremely hard on his application.
What amount of help from the advisor is bordering on unethical, when it comes to the NSF GRFP application?<issue_comment>username_1: There is nothing wrong with having assistance on this or any other fellowship application. It would be foolish not to seek out assistance. Note that the NSF even [advises](https://www.nsfgrfp.org/applicants/tips_for_applying) "get feedback from others" and [provides a list of experienced people who can help applicants](https://www.nsfgrfp.org/applicants/tips_for_applying/experienced_resource_list). The expectation is that applicants *will* have help.
While there may be a level of assistance that is inappropriate, someone who "worked extremely hard on his application" should not spend a moment worrying about this. The complaints from his peers sound like jealousy.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: This is not quite a direct answer, but has a bearing on this and similar issues:
If the grad student is able to *learn* from their advisor so that they can write a better proposal, isn't that a good thing? Or, facetiously, is it required that somehow advisors should not impart useful, insightful, expert information to their advisees?
(Amazingly-to-me, some of my colleagues have said so to me, indeed, that it is unethical to give one's PhD students any help on their thesis work, for example. It was not possible to have a sane further conversation about what "advisor" meant, under such hypotheses...)
Also potentially confusing: there is much mythology promoted on the internet that gives the idea that 20-somethings (perhaps especially in STEM fields?) are "all grown up", and will very shortly become world experts in whatever they're doing. This is horribly invidious, in many ways. E.g., as a corollary, surely one's advisor cannot really help much (not that decades of experience might help: the main miscalculation entailed by inexperience seems to be the failure to appreciate the advantages of experience...) ... and then as a logical distortion of that, one's advisor \_ought\_not\_ help. (Since they can't, anyway?)
In my observation, many talented, smart people waste far too much of their energy by attempting (often for egotistical reasons) to be prematurely intellectually/mathematically "independent" of "old people" (=faculty). In my own direct experience, going to a very good graduate program in math helped me overcome the notion that mathematics was "a good vehicle for ego", even for the very best mathematicians. That is, learning from (and respecting) other peoples' efforts is perhaps the premier skill one should desire.
E.g., if one can pay attention to experienced experts well enough to write a fellowship-getting proposal, one is succeeding, not only money-wise, but in terms of assimilating the larger mathematical culture and expertise. It is absurd to object to this. It would be more to-the-point to consider the relative failure of advisors who decide... for whatever reason... to with-hold such guidance. (Teachers who don't teach? Advisors who don't advise? Etc.)
Still, yes, I know, there are popular beliefs that are at extreme opposites of the above.
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<issue_start>username_0: Several Master theses in my department contain a CV of their author. I don't really see the point in doing that - anyone you're sending your thesis to that would need your CV, you'll probably be sending your CV already anyways. So why do people do that?
(I've edited this question so it's less of a 'does your university do that' kind of thing - sorry to the guys who already answered.)<issue_comment>username_1: Here in Austria it is common practice to add it to your masters thesis and it's mandatory at most universities in a PhD thesis.
The benefit is that the reader can get some information about the author.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: At the University of Vienna, it has been forbidden to add a CV to master's or PhD theses since 2016 (see e. g. here: <http://web.archive.org/web/20170415151405/https://ssc-lebenswissenschaften.univie.ac.at/formulare-und-infoblaetter-download/diplom-und-masterstudium/>).
Internationally, I have seen this practice very often, though I cannot see a clear advantage of it (I think most people would prefer not to look through a long thesis to find a CV, but would rather look for it on your homepage).
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<issue_start>username_0: I want to post my manuscript to bioRxiv before submitting onto formal journals, but I still have several concerns:
1. Can I claim I am the first for the discovery by posting my findings on bioRxiv ?
2. Similarly, is it a feasible way to prevent others from publishing ealier than me on the same topic ?
3. Are there any risks of having my research scooped after posting my manuscript on bioRxiv ?
Thanks and Best regards,
Michael<issue_comment>username_1: (1) I discussed this question recently with few colleagues from biomedical field, and, as far as I can see, major part of the field do not accept a non-reviewed experimental findings as a proof of discovery. This is mostly for two reasons: first, there is no single preprint server in biology. There are BioRxiv, F1000, PeerJ, ASAPbio, Arxiv q-bio, and probably more. And all these papers are not indexed in the main paper bases, like PubMed or WoS. So to keep up with the "pre-publications" one will need to check every single pre-print server. And this is too much. Second problem is the fear that if the field will start to acknowledge the priority based on the claim, without checking the rigor of experimental design, it may promote the sloppy data handling, because researchers will rush to put their flag everywhere. And we are talking about the very populated field, where many sub-fields have a clinical relevance or otherwise related to highly sensitive problems of human/animal health and well-being.
(2) Probably no, but this is the risk that one takes in research when he/she is going to conference, submitting grant application, and etc. The question is whether this risk provides some benefits in return.
(3) I still think that biomedical field, in general, would benefit from fast communications of the research finding behind the closed doors (i.e. without making scientific statements to the public). Even from the personal perspective, it is a way to faster position yourself as a researcher among other colleagues.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Putting immature article before peer review is not proof of discovery.
If yes, we can easily scoop other's findings by posting quick, short and sloppy article in Preprint server (after knowing their data for example in some research conference) .
Also, the benefit of Preprint server is that researcher can publish there data quickly before long peer review and publication process.
However, in reality, most of the author post their articles in preprint sever when they noticed that some other group were also working on the same topics and wanted to insist their priority. This is quite ugly and selfish motivation.
All paper needs to go through peer review when the paper needs to be polished.
Even though that is time-consuming, this process is equally required for all academic paper.
Therefore, posting article in preprint server after knowing some competition is dirty scooping.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: In fields that use [arXiv](https://arxiv.org/), publication in arXiv does establish a definitive date-stamp on the work (and an accompanying archival DOI) that is generally understood and respected by practitioners in the field. Nobody could reasonable "scoop" a work published there without being called on it by their peers.
bioRxiv is intended to provide the same for biology-related fields and technically does so. The culture of those fields, however, is often not yet as accepting of the idea of pre-publication and incrementally evolving works. Hence, for example, the much greater concern with the ideas of "priority" and "scoop" to begin with. A few journals still even consider sharing a pre-print in bioRxiv to be a sort of "self-scoop" that prevents you from submitting for peer review in that journal!
Still, the only way to change this culture is to embrace more open and sharing practices. I would advise checking whether others in your sub-field use bioRxiv, checking the publication policy of your target journal in [SHERPA/RoMEO](http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/journalbrowse.php?la=en&fIDnum=%7C&mode=simple), and checking if your co-authors are amenable to pre-print sharing. If you see others in your subfield sharing, and if there is no veto from the journal or co-authors, then go ahead!
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