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2018/05/07
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<issue_start>username_0: I was working 3 years on a project, that I came up with on my own, worked on my own, published 2 papers on it. I want to drop out of Phd (or take leave) and do start up at this point using my code.
Can I do it? Or because I developed this code while doing my Phd it cannot be used for commercial purposes?
EDIT: I am in US, top university for CS.<issue_comment>username_1: I'm not aware of any blanket prohibition, anywhere, that say that you can't use code developed during a PhD for a commercial venture - but most Universities in the US will have some kind of intellectual property agreement in place to state what the process is for doing this.
You will need to check with officials at your University to see what agreements you are subject to - but you should go a step farther than this. Specifically, you should see what departments might exist that can actually help you.
In the US at least - and I'm sure many other institutions around the world - there are departments specializing in intellectual property, "knowledge transfer", corporate spin-offs, start-ups, entrepreneurship, etc. These can be a rich source of support and networking, if they are available to you, even if you have intellectual property agreements that assign various rights to the University.
Universities want to earn money for these projects, as I'm sure you do as well, and 100% of $0 is $0. Universities often heavily facilitate the process of converting this work into money, and it is not abnormal for even a place that has heavily restricted intellectual rights assignments agreements to assign use rights and royalty agreements that have zero cost for the first $200,000+ US dollars in income. There are often even startup grants available, accelerators (even if they are not called that - places that provide space and equipment to help starting businesses), introductions to investors, showcases, and more. You won't know until you ask and look for them, as where they are located tends to vary heavily by institution.
For the exact nature of the agreements that apply to you, we can't say; I've seen everything from "the student owns their own work" to "anyone funded assigns all rights and ownership to the University", and I'm sure there are agreements everywhere in between. You are right to check them out in advance of a major decision, but this is so specific that you'll need to talk with multiple people are your specific institution to see what applies to you. You may also need to speak with an outside legal professional (lawyer experienced in this area, etc) to verify, but your local administrators are your best first point of contact to see how things work.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You should ask officially, as others (notably [username_1](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/109338/19385)) answered. At some places and countries, your university -or research organization funding your PhD work- will even help you (perhaps with a paid leave and/or some [business incubator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_incubator)). At other places, it will forbid that and you could be sued. Perhaps your advisor might be helpful (so consider speaking with him about that startup idea, if you are on good terms).
In France, where I live, getting help on a startup with a PhD idea is probably easy (thru clusters like [Systematic](https://systematic-paris-region.org), [BPI France](https://www.bpifrance.fr/), etc...). The official stance is that France is wanting more of that (and provide dedicated funds to help that), and it is likely to be the same in most European countries.
However, **I recommend finishing your PhD** (with 3 years of work on it you probably are not very far from that), get the official doctoral degree, and later on work on your startup (with approval, in some official setting which might ask you to give some parts of your company to the University or some other licensing terms, and perhaps help, from your University). An abandoned PhD work is a failure.
Even if your startup works, having the PhD (really) shows that you are able to end a difficult challenge. And if your startup fails (which is likely, since most of them do) the PhD is a useful blanket (or safety net) to have. 5 to 10 years later from now, having a PhD on your business card could make a lot of difference (and perhaps earlier: I guess that banks will more easily lend you money if your startup has the blessing of your University or research institution, whatever that means).
Conversely, dropping your PhD work right now, so close to finishing it, is probably a very stupid thing (and could send the wrong message to future VCs or potential clients : that you cannot be trusted because you are impulsive). Think a lot before committing that.
BTW having a working code on some research problem is really different from being able to sell it successfully (and requires different skills). And a research prototype software is quite different from a commercial product.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I've been through this a few times, but note that I'm not a lawyer. This is just advice to get you started on what you can look further into.
First of all code per se is covered by copyright not patents, and the copyright is probably owned by your employer (in a typical employment agreement). If the govt funds it you may be required to make it available to other researchers. If you never sell or publish the code you're using at your startup, no one generally knows or cares you're using it. Of course I've heard of people trying to sell their company get burned when the lawyers doing due diligence submits the code for copyright check.
The invention described by the code would presumably be patentable (because everything is these days), but whatever you have already published is no longer patentable in many countries. And in the US it will no longer be able to be patented one year after publication. This is all similarly owned by your employer if still patentable. After you publish it of course you and anyone else can do it.
One option is to see if you can get the University to patent it and have your company license it from them. This would actually be a great option as it adds prestige to your company. Plus the university's lawyers handle the legal stuff and protect/enforce the patent. This will also help you get funding. VC's will want to see you have protection for your IP (and conversely they will of course be turned off by potential IP issues).
Another option is to "engineer around" it by changing everything somewhat. Presumably you as the expert on the topic can imagine different ways of doing the same thing.
A final option is to not worry about the university and see if you can get anywhere on your own first. Then if you meet with success, you can now afford to deal with the IP issues. This is more the bootstrap option if you'll be scrounging one customer at a time and no one even knows what you're up to. Frankly the odds are you will find you need to change what you are doing anyway. Every customer tends to need a totally custom product oftentimes.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/07
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<issue_start>username_0: I got a B- in my biology course this semester and the day I received this grade I checked my requirements for a specific course I want to take next year and it said the minimum requirement was a B-. However when I checked it again the grade is now a B. I am off by 1 point. Can I ask my professor to change my grade?<issue_comment>username_1: You can ask, politely, but don't expect a positive response. "Because I need a higher grade to (get into graduate school, keep my scholarship, take a later course,...)" simply isn't a good reason for a faculty member to change a grade that has been assigned correctly according to the course policies.
You'd be in a very different position if you had become aware of a mistake made by the professor in grading an exam or homework or in computing your overall grade in the course.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: As Brian says, professors aren't likely to give you a bonus point just so you can take the next class in the series. After all, there has to be a cut-off *somewhere*. As an anecdote, I have laughed with multiple graduate students about silly grade-grubbing attempts they're sent.
Most universities let you bypass prerequisites with instructor permission. Since you were so close to the cut-off; and it looks like the cut-off changed in the meanwhile, you might have better luck asking next quarter's professor if you can take her class anyway. In my experience, you might have to register later, which could be difficult if this is a popular course, but I would say you have a better chance with that then getting that 1 point out of the other professor.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: As a general rule, it is annoying to instructors to get requests for increases in grades that do not have any substantive argument about the quality of the work attached. Asking for a higher grade on the basis of some desirable consequences that will accrue to you is not a good idea (though some professors might accede to this out of impatience with the matter). If you are going to seek a higher grade, it is appropriate to bring some specific issue in grading to the attention of the instructor (e.g., a question being marked incorrectly or overly harshly), and have a *bona fide* reason for believing that there are grounds to give you a higher grade.
As other have suggested in their answers, in your case it is better to bypass this completely and just seek a dispensation from the entry requirement for the next course from the instructor of that course. I would suggest that when you go to speak to him/her, you go prepared to give a reason of why the instructor should have confidence that you can handle the course despite you not meeting the required grade (e.g., have you done some extra study on that subject since finishing). If you have a half-decent reason, it is unlikely the instructor is going to quibble over one mark, especially if you are keen enough to come and get special permission to enrol.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Since it's not mention in the answers, but only in the comments:
When you ask for permission to enter the new course despite the grade deficiency, offer to do some extra task or exercise to compensate for the lower grade.
After all, the minimum grades are there for a reason - the professor believes that students that don't have this grade do not have the requisite knowledge to follow his course.
An offer that takes you work but not the professor, shows that you are willing to put in effort to get there. Professors really appreciate that, and it will massively increase your chances of getting in.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Since no one mentioned it, you could take a different tack and try the "grandfathered in" approach. If, when you started the course, the requirement for that course you want to take was a B-, you could humbly approach that professor and/or the registrar and let her/him/them know that you had hoped to take the course and at the time you chose to take the preparatory course the requirement was a B-...and ask if they could show some leeway with the requirement in this type of case.
I don't think the prof or registrar has any written-down stipulation in the school's bylaws to cooperate with this request, but sometimes when a change goes into effect, professors and administrators will be more lenient with those, like you, for whom the change happened while they were preparing to take the class. That's possibly because, unlike merely getting something you want for requesting it, the concept of grandfathering in those whom a prior law applied to exists widely in society.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/08
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<issue_start>username_0: I slept through my 8 am final last Thursday, and I didn’t wake up until 11:50 am. By the time I scrambled to remember what day it was, it was already noon. I frantically sent the professor an email telling her what happened and asked if I could take it in her next section (the syllabus said no, but I was desperate). I found her at her office where she said she couldn’t meet with me unless the head of the department of marketing (her boss) was present. The meeting is tomorrow at 12:30, after two other finals starting at 8.
A 0 is the grade you receive when caught cheating. I did not cheat; I did not lie; I slept. I don’t believe an F is a reflective grade of the knowledge and work that I put into that course is an honest one. I don’t believe that a student should learn and learn for an entire semester and then have one time slot to prove their knowledge. People make mistakes and I need a chance. I need to think of an innovative assignment to turn in after the meeting that may interest her in giving me a few points to pass. Or, I need to market to the marketers my case.
Does anyone know what I can do? What I can take upon myself to do – even though my professor said there is nothing – to show her that I am willing to put forth the effort and that I am committed to learning.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> It feels like one of the deadly sins but it's actually a physiological need...
>
>
>
If it's a physiological need because you were sick at the time of the exam, then your school should have a policy about how such situations are to be handled.
While I sympathize with your plight, it sounds like the problem was that you were too tired and just slept through the exam. If that is the case, then I'm afraid to say that the professor may have every right to assign you a zero for not taking the exam. There are some schools where the policy would be to assign an incomplete in such circumstances, but this is entirely school-dependent.
The essential issue is that if you do not have an **excused** absence for an exam, you're at the mercy of the instructor and any existing policies. At my school, for instance, the policy says that anything other than an approved university activity cleared in advance is at my discretion. So if the instructor chooses to give you a zero, there's nothing you can do.
You also need to consider things from the instructor's point of view: giving *you* a do-over because you slept through the exam would require that she give *any future students* who did the same the opportunity for a do-over as well—after all, why should only you get special treatment? Granting your request would mean that, in the future, all you'd need is to say "sorry, I overslept" and you could postpone an exam you weren't ready for. This is simply unfair to the instructor and to all the students who prepped for the exam at the scheduled time. This is simply not a fight you can possibly expect to win unless there are exceptional attenuating circumstances that have not been mentioned.
Upvotes: 8 <issue_comment>username_2: Speaking from personal experience, I advise you to accept the consequences of the events that occurred and move on.
There are, and will be, many important situations in life that require you to be in a certain place at a certain time. Punctuality and accountability are, quite arguably, even more essential in the workplace than in academia, where missing an important task or event can cost you your job or can put lives in danger. Yes, mistakes happen. But the most important lesson of one's formative years--one that I personally believe is increasingly lost upon each successive generation of students--is learning how to ensure that important tasks are not missed, and if unforeseen circumstances arise, that you can anticipate and make appropriate contingency plans.
So, rather than trying to plead for another chance, rather than trying to "see what can be done," the solution is to recognize that you have made a serious error that cannot be rectified. It is no one else's place—not your professor, nor his or her supervisor, nor the academic institution—to burden themselves with the responsibility of fixing your mistake. Please understand that if that sounds harsh or dismissive, it is not meant to be. Again, I speak from personal experience. The sooner you accept the fact that there are some things you don't get to "do over," the faster you will grow as a person, and the more well-adjusted and better prepared you will be when you complete your academic education.
---
So, in light of some of the comments that have been posted in response to the above answer, I find it necessary to make a number of clarifications, which I should stress are not necessarily directed at the individual who originally posted the question.
First, I am not suggesting that one should not **ask** if an exception or alternative arrangement could be made. But any request must be understood to be made with the expectation that the answer is–and will be–no, that the default position and policy has already been spelled out clearly and well in advance, and that once the decision has been made, you are to abide by it. This is not some kind of "negotiation" you are entering into. This is not something where, if you "just try harder" you might convince someone to take pity on you and you can get your way.
For someone to respond to the above by saying "but I could end up in serious financial debt and be 'forced' to drop out," again, I am not unsympathetic, but surely such a consequence could not have been lost upon you when you were informed of the policy in the first place. If something is that important, then a commensurate degree of preparation should have been made. Why should you be given special consideration when others did not have this issue?
If you were a critically ill patient in a hospital, scheduled to undergo a surgical procedure to be performed by a skilled specialist, but that surgeon oversleeps and is not available, and you die, is that a situation where the surgeon can just ask the hospital for a do-over? Conversely, what kind of patient would accept your excuse if you were that surgeon? That is the kind of real-life scenario that adults must prepare for. The notion that a student can even think that some kind of after-the-fact negotiation is even **possible**, is one that the professor has every right to regard as insulting and wholly inappropriate.
Upvotes: 8 <issue_comment>username_3: Consider it a cheap life-lesson in the importance of punctuality. Once you are in the workforce, the penalty for sleeping through an important meeting can be much more severe.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: It sounds like you're still in finals, so the first part is containment – you likely have other exams to be ready for and should probably focus on them.
Next, as from [@username_1's answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/109345/38709), it's likely that the instructor is in a position to decide. If it's important and you have the time to spare, you might want to review your school's rules to confirm and look for any caveats or alternative provisions.
Now there's your meeting with the instructor and the department head. It's hard to tell you what's right, but I'd think:
1. ***Don't*** expect to win this battle. If it's important and you handle this gracefully, you may have a chance to avoid failing the class, but be prepared for it to not work out.
2. ***Don't*** try to undermine the instructor's ability to make the decision, assuming that the rules confirm that it's theirs to make.
3. ***Do*** try to understand the instructor's beliefs on the issue.
* Do they believe that written policies are intrinsically important and to be obeyed?
* Do they believe that you were negligent and deserve to fail?
* Do they believe that your situation is an unfortunate consequence of logistics?
4. ***Do*** prepare arguments to address the concerns stemming from those beliefs.
* If they believe that written policies are intrinsically important, you may want to stress that the written policies don't *require* them to fail you, but rather leave it to their discretion (or whatever the policies actually say; gotta read 'em).
* If they're concerned that you were negligent and merely being lazy, you may discuss your situation if you're, say, working a side job or/and taking an overloaded course load. Otherwise, for all they know, you were up late partying.
* If they see things as an issue of logistics, you might comment on how the scheduling issue arose and then focus on how to reschedule the exam.
5. ***Do*** prepare actionable solutions, e.g.:
* Retaking the exam in the exam center later.
* Having your final exam grade replaced by the lowest grade you've received on a prior exam, possibly with a further penalty on top of that.
* Taking an ***I*** (incomplete) for the semester and completing the exam later at a time of the instructor's convenience.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_5: Sleeping is a physiological need shared by every other person in your class - who ***did*** get to the exam.
If you had a medical condition, you may be able to get special dispensation for that. Expect to need formal documentation from your doctor though.
Grading purely by exam may not be the best way to assess the course, but the fact is that they've chosen to assess it that way, and they have every right to do so. It's very normal for universities. Really don't try to fight that, because you'll lose.
In the UK, universities generally have the facilities for formal resits later in the year. Ask about this. For now though, your grade is zero.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_6: There is one thing that actually worked for me when I was a student and slept through an exam and then when I was teaching students myself and had students who slept through my exams.
You can attempt to negotiate that you are allowed to take an exam and if you pass with an A, you get the minimum passing grade (61% or D or whatever) for the course. If you get B or less, you fail. It should work with the professor, unless the school policy forbids such arrangements.
As scaaahu pointed out in the comment, that is a pretty disadvantageous position, and that is why it has a high chance to be accepted. Of course you should try to bargain to retake the exam on standard terms, but your bargaining position is pretty weak there so you might have to settle for whatever works.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: Unlike others, I sympathize with you. I am almost always on time, I have spare time for bad traffic and other common causes don't make me late. But still I've had two occasions like this myself.
Once I had a food poisoning- I started throwing up at like midnight before the exam and at 5 in the morning I emailed the professor that I can't come because of sudden health issues. He replied something along "come at one of these dates when I'm having some other students".
The other time was when I was an examiner myself. I had no excuse. I had like 8 alarms and I just closed my eyes after the last one to wake up to a call 2 hours later when students went to complain that I'm missing. I arrived as fast as I could (still nearly 2 hours late), apologized, held the exam for whoever was still willing to take it and arranged another date for the ones who had left. I explained it all to supervising department and had no consequences other than working another day.
The last example is what I'd suggest if "can I please take the exam at another date" fails on your meeting. I would ask the head of the department what would they do if the examiner was the one who slept through. I suspect they wouldn't drop faculty member because of a single sleepthrough. But it's far more important to have examiner present than to have a student's, so how would it be fair to have more severe consequences for you than to the examiner?
Note: if "can I please take the exam at another date" is responded with "you can take at the July resit" or "you can retake the whole course next year" - it's fine and you don't use my final advice.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_8: I don’t contest any of the answers, but it is possible that the policies they assume ***could*** be different in your school. If there is a counseling department, I recommend visiting them for additional advice.
I suspect that the school would like for you to **not** drop out.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: The same thing happened for me some years ago. I slept and missed a final exam. The irony was, the course didn't have any midterm exams or homework and its qualification was solely based on the final exam!
Here's what I did. I wrote a letter to the professor explaining my excuse and admitting the consequences, but I asked him to have mercy on me. The grading system was a 0 to 20 scale (and not F to A+), and the minimum grade for passing was 10. I asked the professor whether it was possible to give me a 9 to minimize the damage.
The professor did so, and although I failed that course, I remained grateful of his generosity. Next semester, I took it again and passed. So my personal advice is: it's not a big deal. These things happen. And life goes on...
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: It sounds like you are simply out of luck. The best advice I can give is see if your school has a policy wherein you can re-take a course and substitute the new grade for the old one (sometimes called 'gapping').
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_11: Is this a UK thing?
In the UK if for any reason you miss an exam you can resit it later in the year but the maximum grade you can receive is the minimum pass mark usually around 40%.
Also I’m pretty sure there is a way to defer your whole course by one year, keeping the points for the current modules and just redoing the maths part next year. Not sure about fees tough.
It is a cold harsh world out there man. You screwed up.
But maybe a good thing for you as it sounds like you are not a 9 to 5 kinda guy. University degrees are for people who want to join a company and spend their life working as an unwitting slave 9am to 5pm to make someone else rich.
If you believe sleeping in is not screwing up and you shouldn't lose your job (or grade) over it, go find something more fulfilling to do with your life and reach your full potential whatever it is.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_12: Do you have a health issue that might explain you sleeping in ? I made it to the exam but fell asleep during it. Needless to say I failed. Subsequently I discovered I had chronic renal failure. 7 years later and with a lot of support from the University I got my degree. So please check your health.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_13: Find out if you have the option of testing out of the class from the school and request to take that test instead.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_14: You need to apologize for missing the exam.
Yes, you needed to sleep - you may even be overworked. It's pretty common in college curriculums these days for students to be overworked.
But every other student *also* needs sleep, and if they have a curriculum anything like yours, they are *also* overworked, and they still made it to this exam - so you really have no ground to stand on for this being an acceptable excuse.
A grade of 0 is also *completely* appropriate for someone who did not take the exam - you got none of the questions correct because you did not take it at all.
So, your only option left is to apologize for sleeping through the exam - you can explain the situation, but you should *not* expect, or ask them to expect, a special exception just because you were tired. If this were a situation where you missed work because you overslept, you'd lose your job.
As it stands, you're in a better situation than you think - you *have* an opportunity to present your case, and you should show that you are deeply sorry for your actions, and ask for an opportunity to retake the exam.
Be very polite and apologetic for your actions - teachers often don't get to choose exam times, and make-up exams can run even more afoul of their already busy schedule. Being able to retake the exam is a favor - not a privilege that belongs to you.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_15: Yes, sleep is a physical need.
No, that does not excuse missing a test.
To provide some perspective, I'm narcoleptic, so I'm painfully aware of the influence sleep has on your body.
I've also never missed a final because of it.
That's not to say I haven't slept through tests.
* I've gotten to a test and fell asleep waiting for it to be passed out (the helper woke me up).
* I've fallen asleep while taking the test (the proctor was kind enough to wake me up).
* I've fallen asleep while reviewing my answers (the proctor woke me up to collect the test)
I'm *very* familiar with sleep causing testing trouble.
Missing your test because you slept in doesn't really stir my sympathies, and it probably won't earn you any pity from your Professor.
You should prepare for the probability that they're going to say "No". The requirement that a witness be present implies they expect you to react poorly when this happens, or that this would trigger something like academic probation.
While it's unlikely you'll be kicked out from failing one course, the consequences of making a scene can be significantly more severe - particularly if you lose your temper.
So, make sure you're well rested and fed going into that meeting, keep in mind your position is about as weak as it could possibly be, and accept whatever response they give with grace.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_16: Is the policy of missed exams spelled out in the syllabus, i.e., if you miss an exam the score is equivalent to 0? I have a policy of no makeups, unless there is a major earthquake at time of the exam or you proved that you could not come because you broke both legs on the way to class. Even if you proved the aforementioned two cases, I may not give you a makeup, if your past performance (like zeros on previous exams) indicates it would be a futile exercise. That is for the legals. Once I cover the legals, I tend to look into the issues. Mostly, if the student misses the first midterm I tell him that I would like to see how he does on the subsequent exams. If they are reasonably good, say 60% I would allow him to take the first test makeup. Mostly, missed exams are an indicator of trouble student, irresponsible, poor performance, etc. One should however always have one's ear also tuned to a possibility that this was an honest mishap. It is actually easy to discern the two cases. Then, of course many people do not bother, just give a makeup and all... I do not know how your story unfolded, but having other assignments good will help your case a lot.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_17: You should try to figure out why you overslept. Is this something that's simply caused by lack of sleep, is it caused by poor sleep quality due to e.g. noise, are there medical issues that you need to get to the bottom of? If you understand better why this has happened, then that will help to prevent this from happening again. Even if you're not allowed to sit this exam again, you will want to prevent missing out on yet another exam.
If you have figured out the cause of the problem and have implemented good remedies, you'll feel a lot more confident speaking to the staff at your institution about the incident. By basing a request for a makeover exam on a problem that you have spent some effort on to fix, you are demonstrating responsible behavior. You have done whatever is possible from your side to fix the problem first, and now you are asking the staff if they are willing to do what only they can do.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_18: I agree with all the people that say you can ask, but be ready to accept a "no".
I'll add that sleeping through an exam shows irresponsibility, and expecting to be able to make it up shows a disrespect for the process.
I would recommend to approach this by suggesting a fair mitigating penalty. For example, if a zero on the exam would result in a failure, I would offer that suggesting your overall grade be calculated based upon the remainder of your grades for the course, with a substantial penalty assessed (maybe a full letter grade), would be an equitable outcome. You receive a substantial penalty, creating some fairness toward all the students that managed to follow the rules, but maybe you pass the course.
I'll add that a zero is probably only a part of the smallest penalty you would get for cheating. You would likely have an additional assessment against your grade, and you would also have a record of academic dishonesty, which would profoundly influence penalties on future incidents.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_19: As others have said, it certainly makes sense to ask for another chance to take the exam, but don't be surprised if the answer is no.
If the answer is yes, there are two responses you might have: 1. Sigh with relief and forget about it. 2. Learn from the experience.
If the answer is no, there are two responses you might have: 1. Complain about the unfairness of the world. 2. Learn from the experience.
I suppose from the way I worded that, it's obvious that I think the smart response in either case is #2.
Let me say up front that I have a lot of sympathy for you. It sucks to have worked hard all semester and then potentially fail the course because of one mistake.
But why did you sleep through the exam? Do you have a medical problem? If so, you may have a valid excuse. But if the reason is because you were up late, whether you were studying or partying, that indicates poor planning.
Years ago I heard a piece of advice that I have never forgotten: If something is important, be on time. If there is any possibility that something will cause you to be late, plan plenty of extra time. If an event is extremely important, allow ridiculous amounts of time.
Once I was late showing up for a job interview. I didn't get the job. Maybe I would have gotten the job if I'd been on time, maybe not.
Since then, if Google maps says it will take, say, an hour to get from my home to the interview, I leave 2 hours or more before. If I get there early, I make sure I know exactly where the place is, exactly what building, and if it's a big office building, which suite. I don't want to be 5 minutes before the appointment and be wandering around the wrong building because I got confused about the address. If I'm still way early, I find someplace nearby to get a cup of coffee, or I otherwise sit around and kill time. It is better to waste an hour sitting in front of the building than be late.
If I have to get up for something, I set two alarm clocks: one by my bed and one across the room, so that I have to get out of bed to turn off the alarm. Also, I make sure that I go to bed early so that I will, in fact, be able to get up.
I'm not a very punctual person. I'm often late for work and I usually show up for doctors appointments and the like at the last minute. But when it's something where I have a lot to lose by being late, I simply make sure I'm not late. It's much, much better to allow so much time or have such a good backup plan that you will not be late unless there is literally an earthquake or an alien invasion, then to rely on offering an excuse like "there was a lot of traffic" or "I got an important phone call just as I was about to leave". Are there times when there are circumstances beyond your control? Sure. But most of the time, you could still have been on time with a little better planning.
Suppose the worst case: What if you fail the class. Is your academic career ruined? When I was in college you could always retake a class that you failed. They would even take the failing grade off your GPA and replace it with the new grade. I see a lot of comments on another answer about how extreme the consequences are of being forced to drop out of school. I don't know the details of your situation, but I don't see why this should force you to drop out of school. So it costs you time and money, but it shouldn't be the end of the world.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_20: Just to give a bit of a third-party perspective from the professor's PoV, that maybe profs don't even realize. I lived with a prof for a few years and we would go on nightly walks which often turned into taking turns venting about the day's/week's frustrations.
Frequently she would complain about students that were habitually late on assignments, tasks, attendance, and then would beg special consideration when their procrastination finally ended up costing them points. I noticed that peak frustration seemed to coincide with big tests and finals as this is when poorly prepared students would finally realize that they might not pass.
During this time she was inundated with students like this begging for any latitude to give them a benefit. It would get to the point where she would commute her office hours to keep her sanity. Every student at this time, unfortunately even the good ones, were fighting against her indignation backed by wide latitude to help or not.
When it was a problem student the inner-monologue that I'd hear was "why should I go out of my way, spend my own limited time, to help you when you won't even help yourself?"
Remember, this would be an additional load on her. She would have to take her own time to proctor the test for you, or to design an alternative assignment (she was particularly annoyed by this). Professors, especially researchers, are incredibly busy and this will be seen as an intrusion on their busy life.
If I had to make a recommendation: make a plan, and make it zero-impact on your teacher. Find another teacher willing to proctor the exam on their own time, design and plan an alternative assignment that's as substantial as the final, offer to do something in exchange during your free time to make it up to her.
I can't overemphasize the need to take the initiative here, it will speak volumes to your teacher and administrator about how serious you are. It was your screw-up, if you want to expand the teacher's compassion, you need to do better than meet half-way; you need cover the whole distance yourself and make the journey seem as impressive as possible.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_21: Actually where I work 0 can only be assigned if the student is found guilty of academic misconduct. Otherwise, even if no work is submitted, the minimum mark is 1. I’ve seen this happen many times: while 0 for the final exam is appropriate, anything more than that is IMO not appropriate.
The OP should plead to redo the exam during the exam period, but expect nothing: I fully understand why an instructor would not be amused at having and would refuse to prepare another test for a single student who overslept.
I do not think asking to submit extra work will go very far unless this was an option for everyone in the class. The final mark is not a statement on the student but on the *performance* of the student as measured by the instructor, so personal circumstances completely within control of the student very rarely result in the possibility of doing extra work for credit.
The argument that “I put a lot of work into this course” will unfortunately likely carry no weight: some students do no work and pass, others do a lot of work but still fail. The final mark does not reflect the cumulative work done by a student but the overall performance of the student within the framework of a course given at a college or university, including exams where the individual performance can be assessed.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_22: It sounds like you might be out of luck for this one. The policy for most universities is failing to show up for the final means you fail the final, which (depending on the requirements laid out in the syllabus) usually means you fail the class.
That being said, your only hope is to convince the teacher/department head during your meeting to have some sort of mercy on you.
Here is what I would recommend.
1. Don't argue you *deserve* to pass the class. You messed up big here by forfeiting your 'right' to pass
2. Do argue that you put a lot of hard work into the class (mention your pre-final grade if it was good) and that you really don't want to see that go to waste. (again, this doesn't mean they **should** give you a second chance, but it is something that weights the scales in your favor)
3. Offer to bend over backwards to make things work. (Take a new final any time, do a very large remedial project **in addition** to taking the final, ect.)
Your biggest problem is that the rest of the class has already taken the final, and that gives you a big opportunity to cheat by talking to them in order to learn what was asked on the exam. Even though most students wouldn't cheat in this way, every teacher I have had assumes that students will if given the opportunity.
>
> This creates a dilemma where the teacher feels like they need to write an entirely new final in order to prevent you from cheating, but the teacher also doesn't want to go through all that trouble just because one student was irresponsible.
>
>
>
In light of all this, I would say your best bet is to offer to do **anything** in order to be given an opportunity to pass the class. You could suggest offering to do a **large** remedial project of the teacher's choosing in addition to taking the final late, with the stipulation that the teacher can still fail you if they detect *any* sign of perceived or actuall cheating. This still has the drawback that the teacher will need to grade/review your remedial project, but it might be your best bet.
Good luck and do let us know how things turn out.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_23: Like many other answers that were already given, I would say that the most recommended course of action is to accept the failing grade and to not fight it.
However, I think the second paragraph you wrote contains quite a bit of logical reasoning that I didn't notice addressed in the other answers. So I wanted to do that as well.
The original poster will not like this information, but enjoyment doesn't equate to accuracy. I believe what is about to be said to be true, even if such information may not be a nice and pleasant experience.
>
> I don’t believe an F is a reflective grade of the knowledge and work that I put into that course
>
>
>
A grade of F does not reflect your knowledge and work you put into the course. However, the grade of F does reflect what happened.
You had very specific instructions, and those instructions were not successfully met. The grade of F *does* reflect that.
>
> I don’t believe that a student should learn and learn for an entire semester and then have one time slot to prove their knowledge.
>
>
>
Perhaps such a restriction should not exist. However, whether you believe this to be decent or not, the simple reality is that this restriction apparently does exist.
>
> People make mistakes and I need a chance.
>
>
>
Many people would say that what is actually needed is a lesson, even if that lesson is as harsh as lowering a GPA and requiring the repetition of the course.
Understand that many people think of a university as being more than just a place to learn knowledge, or even a place to demonstrate that you can work hard. Many people look at the university experience as a test that evaluates whether you can do what is required, which may include things like passing an unenjoyable course, getting work done on time, being at a specified location when specified, going through any efforts required to sign up for courses and get any required signatures, and any other tasks that the university decided is required.
>
> I need to think of an innovative assignment to turn in after the meeting that may interest her in giving me a few points to pass.
>
>
>
Your instructor may not be easily persuaded. An instructor may have a lot of power to make decisions that affect a grade. This could include making a decision to be rather strict about a specific policy, even if you view the results as very harsh. As much as I may disagree with the decision that your instructor is making, I am an instructor myself and can say that I have found such ability/power to be very useful in many circumstances.
Trying to circumvent a decision is the exact opposite of accepting natural consequences for your actions, which may be the precise lesson that the instructor is hoping to impose upon you. Therefore, demonstrating that you are desperately seeking to avoid such consequences, by any means possible (including newly invented ideas like performing additional work) might serve no purpose except to reinforce the instructor's belief that winning this battle is of paramount importance.
>
> What I can take upon myself to do – even though my professor said there is nothing – to show her that I am willing to put forth the effort and that I am committed to learning.
>
>
>
See, if you demonstrate your ability to put forth effort and be committed to learning, that doesn't necessarily help your case. It only shows that you are trying to invent your own way to try to achieve the goals you desire, and not that you are willing to submit to authority or accept justified consequences.
>
> Does anyone know what I can do?
>
>
>
There is one thing that you said that may provide a key clue...
>
> she couldn’t meet with me unless the head of the department of marketing (her boss) was present.
>
>
>
The instructor has provided you with a recommendation. Arrange a meeting that involves the Marketing department's head/chair.
>
> The meeting is tomorrow at 12:30, after two other finals starting at 8.
>
>
>
Excellent. You have done so already. (And, unfortunately, already had that meeting before this answer was posted.)
Note that even if you miss the scheduled times when other people took their final exams, you could still get a good solution. Some time might be allocated for when you can take the final exam on your own. This might or might not be a decision that some people (who may be rather sympathetic, or might not be) may provide. There might be other consequences too.
Understand that you have the powers to politely request and to hope, but not to demand or insist. Fighting is most likely going to cause you to experience the people who have power in this scenario becoming even more uncooperative, perhaps even in the long term while a class is repeated. A humble approach is much more likely to serve you well, even if the final result is not what you hope for.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_24: Ultimately, your outcome will depend on the policy of your school. A possible saving grace is that your professor may be overly strict even by the standards of the *school.*
First, while I'm familiar with a 0 given for cheating, and an F given for missing an exam, an "F" meant 50%, at least in "my time" (which was the late 1970s). I'm a bit surprised that the two grades were conflated. If your F grade for the final is 50% and averaged in with your other grades in the course, it might give you a C or D.
A similar solution would be for you to be allowed to retake the final, with that grade being averaged in with an F on the first final to arrive at your final grade. The average of the F and an A would be a C; the average of the F and a B or C would be a D, etc.
In my time, a dispute of this sort went up to the dean, who typically tried to broker this kind of a compromise, because they didn't want students to fail. Hopefully, someone higher up will see it this way.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_25: The following answer is from my experience in an Australian university; the USA universities perhaps have a similar policy.
In all Australian universities, when a student can not attend an official assessment or an examination, she can apply for an academic consideration in which you need to provide evidence and valid reasons as to why you could not attend the exam and what stopped you from attending. The academic consideration application is taken very seriously in that you need to have applied for it on or before the day exam was due (you can not submit an application any day after exam day) and your medical certificates can not be back dated. You also need to provide the evidence within three days of the date of submitted application. Once, you apply for academic consideration and your medical certificates are approved by the university (some students provide fake medical certificates so university will check if the provided medical certificates are authentic), they send your application to an academic and you will be a given a chance to attend a deferred exam.
Now assuming your university also has a similar procedure and that you actually were sick because you were so exhausted and could not wake up to attend your exam, you can see a medical practitioner, get a medical certificate and then apply for an academic consideration (or whatever it is called at your university). I suggest that when you see the head of department and your lecturer, be honest with them. Hopefully, they will understand your situation and allow you to sit a deferred exam.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_26: One option I have not heard mentioned, but which may become necessary, is to take the F and then retake the course next year. Depending on the topic, might even be available in the summer (especially if you broaden to looking at other schools, etc.)
Of course F drops the GPA some and could hold up eventual graduation, especially if in last semester or it is a prerequisit for other classes. But still, I would not equate a single F with stopping school. Heck even failing out of an individual college doesn't stop you from going elsewhere.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I have recently (one year ago) started work in academia as an assistant professor or a lecturer in NZ system. We don't have tenure track system which is great. I was wondering how long does it take one to get used to academia. I will clarify my question.
I really enjoy research and working with the research students. Also, I have secured a large research grant. However, I never considered teaching as a career. Having said that, I would enjoy teaching if I had an opportunity to design my own course. Currently I have to teach courses which are given to me. I found that teaching takes up lots of time and my research outcomes plummeted as I have no consistent free chunck with no interruptions. Not sure how to cope with exhaustion of having to give a lecture.
Any suggestions how to balance research and find enjoyment in teaching?<issue_comment>username_1: I would not worry about enjoying teaching. If I were you, I'd optimize my teaching first. You need to identify the time consuming parts and simplify them as much as possible. Use help from senior faculty as much as you can. Here is what I would advise myself if I were to teach again.
First, you need to set boundaries. You must be available for students only during office hours. You'll get many emails. Answer only the ones with special requests (e.g. make up exams for disabled people) and tell the class you'll resolve all else during office hours.
Grading is a time black hole. Do not grade homework and quizzes - use some automatic system, or offload it to your teaching assistants, they'll love you for that.
Do not make up problem sets or even exams. That takes a lot of time and it's likely you'll make mistakes which will upset your students.
You should not try to exhaust the subject in class. Even if it tempts you, you should not spend time searching for ways to make the class interesting. The objective is that your students understand the basic concepts you are trying to teach (enough to solve course problems). Any nice new experiment or class project would take a lot of time to prepare and it's only worth doing it if you have a lot of help from enthusiastic students and teaching assistants.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I have a been teaching and doing research in a Swiss university for the last 8 years.
I was having the same questions as I started and here are some advice that worked for me and that bring me a lot of pleasure in teaching.
1. Focus on the students, on what you bring to them and how they progress with your teaching. To be a bit more concrete, you could try to remember what brought you joy when you were studying yourself and plan doing the same with you students.
2. Focus on activities that you like doing with students and vary as much as you can : labs, interactive coding sessions, discussions on pratical cases, whatever!
3. Integrate your research in your courses when you can. Do not focus only in the results themselves but tell them how what they are learning right now will be applied later on.
Hope this helps !
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a postdoc working in one university till 1. July. I am leaving for another university after that. During my stay at my current work, I wrote a paper as a first author for a conference that will kick off in September.
Which affiliation should I use? Taking into account that the conference travel will be covered by the new employer, however, the paper is written at my current university.
By reading [this article](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/9731/academic-affiliation-which-to-choose), it looks like using the two affiliations is one approach. But I'm not quite sure if the new employer will be happy with this.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think there's any need for judgement in this case. At the time of publication, you are going to hold a position at your new employer. Therefore, your current affiliation should be your new employer.
The work was performed at your old employer and not your new employer. Therefore you must put your old employer on the paper to disclose this.
The way to do this actually depends on the journal/conference. Some put your new employer on the top with a "work was performed at old employer" footnote, and some swap it, so the footnote reads "now at new employer". Find previous articles and copy them.
The affiliations in papers are necessary for the integrity of publications. For example, people need to contact you if they have any questions or concerns about the paper. If misconduct is detected, the institution where the work was performed holds some responsibility.
The travel is paid for by your new employer. Therefore, they are entitled a funding credit along with other funders.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: You are conflating funding sources with affiliations when they should be discussed separately.
The affiliations tell you where the work was performed. The work was performed at the old institution, so it must be listed as an affiliation, and should be the primary affiliation. If you have done work on the presentation at the new institution—for instance, used your research time to prepare the presentation and rehearse it in front of colleagues—then you can list the new institute as an additional affiliation. It should be listed as a "current address" in any event.
As for the funding issue, since they're providing the resources for you to travel, it can be acknowledged when listing anybody else who sponsored the research alongside those other sources.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am submitting my paper to a journal that requires to cite Arxiv pre-prints within the content of the submitted article (presenting the same work) to avoid self-plagiarism. How would I practically perform such a citation:
* In which section of my manuscript should I cite the Arxiv reference?
* What would be an adequate explanation for this citation?<issue_comment>username_1: Add something like this to your "Introduction" section:
>
> This paper has been published as an arxiv pre-print
>
>
>
This is the approach I used when I published part of the research I had done for my thesis. It conveys the necessary information without cluttering the paper with verbiage that a majority of readers will find irrelevant.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: In computer science, it's common for a short version of a paper to be published in conference proceedings, and then a full version in a journal. In that case, it's quite common to have a footnote to the title saying something like "A short version of this work appeared in *Proceedings of Awesome Conference 2018*, pp. 10–19. That Publishing Company, 2018." The same sort of thing would work for a preprint.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: In connection with Scholia (<https://tools.wmflabs.org/scholia/>), we are making OpenStreetMap plots online with the tiler from Wikimedia Foundation. When presented online OSM-derived maps are not a problem. However, if we take a screenshot, use that as part of a scientific article (likely a "Collective Work" - <https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Common_licence_interpretations>) and send that to a publisher there might come a problem: Publishers may require either transferal/waive of copyright or a CC BY license - neither of these options seems to work with the OSM license, AFAIU.
Would there be any possible way out?<issue_comment>username_1: Talk to a published about this. If it's an issue, then you make a map in OSM, recreate the map in ArcMap, and then publish the ArcMap version. IIRC, ArcMAP permits the use of OSM, and includes some kind of disclaimer or accreditation. Whatever deal OSM/ESRI have figured out, you should clearly be able to publish the map created in ESRI. If reviewers squawk, explain why you were forced to do this.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: First of all, note that you link to a page describing their old (pre-2012) license. They have updated [Legal FAQ](https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Legal_FAQ) and [License and Legal FAQ](https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Licence/Licence_and_Legal_FAQ) pages now. Furthermore, they have a bunch of examples on how their data has been used in [research](https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Research) already (though a lot of them seem to be various theses). See also [this question](https://help.openstreetmap.org/questions/8786/osm-screenshot-in-scientific-publication) on OpenStreetMap's help forums.
The main point is that their data, and their maps, fall under their license. If you include them in a paper, they request [proper attribution](https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Licence/Licence_and_Legal_FAQ#What_do_you_mean_by_.22Attribution.22.3F). If you do that, I don't see it as being different from [reusing a previously published figure with permission](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/3100/17254), which would be a reproduction of the figure, without transfer of copyright. Maybe specific journals/publishers would have a policy against this, but in my experience most should be fine with it, as it's standard academic practice.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I am wondering about the health aspects of black boards and white boards.
Black boards have now been around for centuries. Their only detrimental health effect is the chalk dust. Some senior colleagues tell me that they are having breathing issues after several years of teaching. Then again, it's just chalk, which is chemically fairly well-understood.
White boards are a rather recent fad in academia. They do not -seem- to produce dust as much as blackboards, but nevertheless there is a mess over time with ink dripping down onto the floor, and you need replace the erasers regularly. Last but not least, I have no clue about the ink used in those pens and their health effects.
Do you have practical advice how to handle black boards and white boards, and do you know about medical research about them?<issue_comment>username_1: Why a Black board should be preferred-
* White on black is easier on the eyes in a well-lit classroom.
(due to the difference in contrast)
* Black boards provide more flexibility - you can shade and colour with chalk
more effectively, you can write with chalk from any point in the chalk piece,
unlike the marker that has a tip
* Tend to be more economical than markers as chalk is cheaper than marker ink.
* Chalk is easier to clean than marker ink if it accidentally gets on your
clothes while teaching.
* Chalk boards don't produce glare unlike the glossy surface of a whiteboard.
(students sitting at certain angles will have glare issues )
* Marker ink residue is more harmful than chalk if ingested.
* Marker ink has an unpleasant smell, whereas chalk is odourless.
* Marker tips tend to widen and wear out sooner.
* While writing, the rough surface of the Blackboard rubbing against the chalk
gives adequate feedback to the writing hand, so it is easier to handle,
unlike the smooth slippery surface contact between marker and whiteboard.
* Dustless chalks are available that have a wax coated layer to prevent dust
from flying out.
As far as scientific evidence goes, the human eye is most comfortable reading white on black **OR** black on white, so it is a matter of convenience as I see it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The only type of board that doesn't affect the air in the classroom is a digital whiteboard (aka a smartboard). If you're using an actual white board or black board be sure that your room is well ventilated and cleaned often. For chalk boards specifically some sources recommend chalk holders and even face masks.
Here are the papers I found on the subject of white/black boards and health:
Blackboards
-----------
* [Effects of Chalk Use on Dust Exposure and Classroom Air Quality](http://aaqr.org/files/article/569/9_AAQR-15-04-OA-0216_2596-2608.pdf)
+ >
> Although using chalkboards in the
> classroom is a traditional and effective teaching method,
> chalk generates a large amount of airborne dust, and
> particularly submicrometer dust and nanoparticles that can
> penetrate into the respiratory system.
>
>
>
* [Investigation of Lecturer's Chalk by X-Ray Florescence and Fast Neutron Activation Techniques](http://www.iaea.org/inis/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/43/099/43099471.pdf)
+ >
> The presence of Ca and small traces of Al, Fe, Mg and Si elements in the different lecturer's chalk samples were confirmed utilizing Fast Neutron Activation Analysis (FNAA), lifetime, and X-ray florescence (XRF) techniques. [...] It is highly recommended that Chalk dust is
> considered an irritant and an occupational hazard as shown in this investigation.
>
>
>
* [Assessment of Airborne Fine Particulate Matter and Particle Size Distribution in Settled Chalk Dust during Writing and Dusting Exercises in a Classroom](http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1420326X11419691)
+ >
> Though real-time airborne chalk dust generation was found to be low in this study and chalk dust contained only calcium carbonate or calcium sulphate predominantly and did not contain toxic materials, chalk dust could be harmful to allergic persons and may cause lacrimation and breathing troubles in the long run and certainly is a constant nuisance in classrooms as it may soil clothes, body parts, audio visual aids and study materials. The issue of allergy, lacrimation and breathing problem is certainly critical, considering that classroom teaching involves predominantly children and also in many cases teachers who might have crossed the middle age, thus becoming more susceptible. Exposure to low concentrations of fine particles for longer durations can be a matter of concern for children.
>
>
>
* [Trace elemental profile of School Chalk from a few Companies in Punjab
areas by WDXRF Technique](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Daisy_Joseph/publication/304481816_Trace_elemental_profile_of_School_Chalk_from_a_few_Companies_in_Punjab_areas_by_WDXRF_Technique/links/5770d3c208ae6219474882c8/Trace-elemental-profile-of-School-Chalk-from-a-few-Companies-in-Punjab-areas-by-WDXRF-Technique.pdf)
+ >
> The results of this study confirmed the presence of the elements like Ca, Al, Fe,
> Si, Ni, and Cr are in significant concentrations. The exposure to elements like Ca, Al, Si, Fe, Ni and
> Cr causes irritation to eyes and skin, cough, potential health symptoms includes accumulation to
> lungs. The study confirmed that black board chalk is an irritant and occupational hazard.
>
>
>
### "Dust free" chalks
* [Investigation of particulate matter performances in relation to chalk selection in classroom environment](http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1420326X15607951)
+ >
> Surprisingly, dustless chalk made from Gypsum cannot be called really as dustless because of more [particulate matter] emissions.
>
>
>
* [Allergenicity of casein containing chalk in milk allergic schoolchildren](https://www.annallergy.org/article/S1081-1206(13)00100-2/abstract)
+ Dust free chalk often contains casein, which can cause asthma if someone is allergic to milk (typically it's infants and children who have this allergy).
Whiteboards
-----------
I didn't find as much research on whiteboards, unfortunately.
* [Solvent Exposure during use of Solvent-Based Whiteboard Markers](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3509/95a3d290635a285cb139368d4de999f1ecdc.pdf)
+ >
> It does not appear that heavy use of
> solvent-based whiteboard markers by students in a classroom situation would likely result in
> excessive acute solvent exposures.
>
>
>
* [Analysis of the indoor air quality in greek primary schools](http://repository.edulll.gr/edulll/handle/10795/3584)
+ >
> [C]lassrooms using chalk in blackboard are characterized with significant concentrations of large sized particles (PM2.5 & PM10), while classrooms using marker in whiteboards from increased VOCs and CO concentrations
>
>
>
* [Volatile organic compound emissions from markers used in preschools, schools, and homes](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03067319.2016.1250892)
+ I couldn't read enough of this paper to reach any conclusions, but it seems relevant nonetheless
Upvotes: 5
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<issue_start>username_0: I graduated 8 months ago with 7 SCI article published. Recently, I submitted another article based on my thesis work. My supervisor, who actually has no supervisory role in my thesis except for providing a monthly stipend, wants me to add him as a co-author. He argues that he supported my research, but in fact I paid him back more than he supported me, in the form of my work on various projects (totally different than my thesis topic).
During my PhD he never took an interest in my PhD thesis, rather he always used me for his short term industry projects. In 4.5 years we didn’t have a single discussion/meeting on my PhD thesis.
Is him asking me to add him as an author morally correct?
What if I refuse his request? Can my action be consider an unethical act?<issue_comment>username_1: If this is the case, what he is doing is not morally correct. You can refuse his request and thank him inside the acknowledgement part of your article for helping you. An author of an article should make some major contributions to the work, even if he is not writing any part of the article. Minor contributors should be mentioned in the acknowledgement section.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If I were to publish any of my thesis works as article, I would be adding my supervisor as co-author; to avoid any future conflicts of interests. I am anyway loosing nothing by doing so. In fact, I would expect a stronger recommendation from him. The relationship between supervisor and PhD student extends beyond just the thesis and degree. So, I would not affect it in this way.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: Is a degree in physics the same everywhere in terms of what is being taught or are there differences from one institution to the other ?<issue_comment>username_1: There are not only differences between institutions, but also within institutions. For example, at [MIT](http://web.mit.edu/physics/current/undergrad/major.html) "The Physics Department offers two different programs leading to a Bachelor of Science in Physics, giving students the opportunity to tailor their study of physics to their individual career goals. The focused option is an ideal preparation for those students who plan to go on to graduate school in physics or a related field, while the flexible option provides a strong background in physics for those whose career paths may not include graduate work in the discipline." while at [UPenn](http://www.physics.upenn.edu/undergraduate/physics-astronomy-major#core) there are 6 tracks.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In the UK, undergraduate physics degrees have to be accredited by the Institue of Physics to ensure they all teach the same material at the same standard. Of course, there will be deviations and differences between courses, particularly in specialist modules or research-based components of the degree.
This may vary depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the department in question-- for example, in my undergraduate degree I did a lot of solar and stellar physics (at least 3 different modules across my 2nd and 3rd years) because that was a strong research group in the department. However, I did the bare minimum of particle physics because no one in the department had expertise in that area and therefore there was only one module on it in the first year of my degree.
While this answer focuses on the UK, I expect the same is broadly true in other countries, except perhaps those which do not have a particularly high quality or standardised higher education system.
Physics as a subject is generally easily standardisable, as many concepts build upon previous knowledge (e.g. going from classical to quantum mechanics) and therefore all physics degrees will follow broadly the same structure. Contrast this with history, for example, where one could specialise in the Cold War period from almost the beginning of a degree, without needing to know and understand the intricate details of everything that has happened in human history from the Neolithic period onwards.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: There're a lot of similarities, and also differences. My experience is that some topics are core and every program covers them, while others depend on whether the department has people familiar with the field and / or are electives. Examples of the former:
* Newton's Laws, vectors, conservation of momentum, moments of inertia
* Laws of thermodynamics, definition of temperature and entropy
* Basic particle physics (the kind that can be memorized, e.g. "how many quarks are there?")
* Schrodinger's equation, commutators, expectation values
* Maxwell's equations, vector calculus
* Angular momentum in quantum mechanics
Examples of the latter:
* Relativity (bit of a shame, but it is a hard topic)
* Astrophysics
* Cosmology
* Quantum optics and information
* Advanced classical mechanics (Poisson brackets, Lagrangian mechanics)
* Electrodynamics
* Particle physics (the kind that requires calculations)
* Biophysics
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/08
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<issue_start>username_0: I have discovered that a co-author has submitted a book chapter to a major publisher omitting my name of co-author list without me knowing. I was included in the first submissions, but corresponding author made an executive decision to not include me, based on unknown grounds. I have substantially and creatively contributed to the work, in design, datacollection and analysis. What are my options now to get credit where credit is due? technically it is plagiarism, I think.<issue_comment>username_1: It may or may not technically be plagiarism, but it’s definitely fraud if it was done without your consent. Papers and book chapters can be retracted for such infractions.
If this has indeed happened, then your next step—assuming you've reached an impasse with your co-authors—should be to contact the editor and publisher of the book, laying out your case with the appropriate documentary evidence included in its entirety. Make sure they have enough information that they’re not going on a “fishing expedition.” There should be clear correspondence—emails showing the work and production of the article with your participation, and so on.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: It's easy for people to make stupid mistakes, especially if they had to write the author list in a new form. (Harder to accidentally delete one name from a pre-existing list, though.) I recently got an email from coauthors saying, "Oops, we forgot to put your name on the most recent submission," after being on a prior conference submission. They promised to make it right on the next phase of the project.
The absolutely first thing to do is to approach the corresponding author directly about this mistake, and politely ask them to correct it in the current draft (or with the editor and publisher, if it's that far along). They will either do so or give you more information. Even if it was somehow intentional, treating it like a mistake allows them to change course but still save face.
Before you approach them about this, be prepared to escalate the issue as username_1 suggests. If they refuse to add you back on, then contact the editor and publisher. You can also add, "The corresponding author claimed X when I asked about this today, but clearly the emails enclosed show !X." That is, if the other person is acting in bad faith, then they might try to talk with the editor and publisher before you do; and there is some benefit to being able to tell the story of a conflict first.
Upvotes: 3
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2018/05/08
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a master's student, and I will complete my master's program soon. During my second year of my MA program, I had to work on a two-semester group project because it was a requirement for the program. **My question is the types of critical issues universities care about because universities seem to see issues like academic dishonesty as the most serious offense. Would universities care about the types of incidents that I am about to share below?**
Example:
I was in a group project of five people, and four of the members were Caucasians (I am a racial minority female). I was treated terribly by two of the members (one female and one male). We had the final paper that was due just yesterday. The male, who was the editor, tends to procrastinate, and he literally waited until the last minute to make significant changes, and demanded from everyone to make the changes. We did this paper in a shared Google Doc by the way. I had another paper that was due at exactly the same date and time, so by the time that he started to become actively involved, I was much more focused on my other paper. He sent everyone an email on the morning of the day just before the due date, demanding significant changes. I was able to look at emails late that night, and he had sent me another email in the evening, asking if I was still involved in the project. By this time, I was already much more focused on my other paper. My response to his email was that I understand that we all have different schedules, and it is possible that we do things at different times. I had worked on the document and made changes a few days before he became actively involved. His response was basically how dare I challenge him, and called me a passive-aggressive person. He even dropped the F-bomb in his response. Now, the other girl. She also had similar tendencies to procrastinate and got along well with this male. On the document, she purposefully deleted my name, and put a comment, "Let's keep it this way." My relationships with these two individuals had not been positive throughout the year, but I think this incident went very far.
I never had these kinds of incidents during my four years of undergrad at a different university in the US. I am certain that this type of incident is very rare, especially at the graduate school level. I think that I should share my experience with the school because I think that this is a critical issue.<issue_comment>username_1: I'm so sorry this happened to you. A really functionalist answer is that **universities all care about whatever they are accountable for.** Things like complying with federal funding requirements and filing paperwork are, functionally, what all universities care about.
Plagiarism: Ultimately it detracts from school reputation and accreditation, not to mention frustrating faculty members. Plagiarism happens so often that schools tend to have really strongly developed rules about it.
Racially-motivated incidents: In the U.S., the [Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_for_Civil_Rights) can threaten to withhold federal funding from universities that have racial disparities. Even more important, that means that there is some reporting structure in place on most campuses, and people who (should) understand those laws.
Luckily, lots of people at universities care about a lot of things beyond what they're required to care about for the university to stay afloat. Sometimes student codes of conduct or statements on academic integrity include how students treat each other. On campuses I've been at, I believe that racially-motivated incidents between students are taken seriously.
I'm out of my depth in this part, but if you're in a situation where you feel strongly like racial bias is involved, that alone is probably enough to characterize it that way. Without iron-clad evidence that race was involved, something would probably never be pursued as a racial-bias incident (i.e. there wouldn't be repercussions to the students beyond what they would get for being non-biased jerks). However, it could be an important indicator of the campus racial climate, and that's probably how the information would be used if you reported it to the relevant office at the university.
---
It is also instructive to realize that this situation is exactly what many bias situations are like. People might gang up on someone in a way where it is obvious to or strongly suspected by that person to be racial, gender, etc. bias, but unless those people explicitly mention that bias, it is hard to prove. Yet over time, if one is in a less powerful group, they will tend to experience more and more of these people acting like jerks toward them than people who are in the more powerful group.
**The fact that the bias angle would be hard to prove is a key element of the question, because it tremendously complicates how this can be addressed.**
---
In terms of this specific situation, Google Docs should show what they typed in the revision history, so you have some proof of the incident. Telling your instructor what happened is definitely worthwhile. I'm sorry this has happened, and I wish you luck as you graduate!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I basically echo @cactus\_pardner's comments, but/and with some further points:
First, again, universities (like corporations) behave like feral, amoral entities whose only genuine concern is self-preservation or self-aggrandizement. In particular, disturbingly, they can shed administrators who in-effect impede that. So it's not that "all we have to do" is get university presidents and regents that are honest, fair, scrupulous, etc., because the very entity that is the university itself may either prevent that, or manage to get such people out of the system.
In that context, to "induce" such an entity to "care" is rather difficult. Further, it may also be a bit difficult even to induce *individuals* in that system to "care" in a helpful/useful way, first because many relatively-powerful players will have been "selected-for" not-caring-too-much, and second because even more altruistic experience people will know all too well the uphill battle that you'd face.
E.g., even the HR (=human resources) department, and "ombudsman" office, are fundamentally (in the U.S., in my observation) "CYA" implementers. That is, they exist and operate so that the entity that is the university can say that they have such offices (purportedly) acting on behalf of students, staff, and faculty who'd otherwise have too little power to change anything or even defend themselves. But their fundamental loyalty has to be to their employer... and, again, the situation will tend to drive out too-altruistic players, because the university-entity will usually prefer less-altruistic rule-players.
This is just explanation of the context. But then the point is that a relatively powerless person such as you or me has to "play" things in a way that makes the powerful entity (=university/corporation) see an advantage to *itself* to take your side or care about your situation. "Justice" alone, or human compassion, etc., are not adequate motivations, sadly.
EDIT: as requested by @username_4's comment: first, I'd claim that I'm not being so much "bitter" as "cynical", if that distinction has content. But, yes, my current thinking on this is based on several decades of direct observation, not gossip. For that matter, my initial state was a belief that universities really are the idealized and idealistic entities we might imagine they are, as opposed to for-profit corporations. To begin with, it appears that people appointed-to or otherwise hired for various high-level positions are chosen in part because they always know the right thing to say. This is presumably better than *not* knowing what is right (in the vein of "hypocrisy is the first step toward virtue, because it at least *recognizes* virtue"), but, as it turns out, this means that it is impossible to predict what *action* will be taken, from the words spoken.
I've seen more than one denial-of-tenure episodes that led to grievances, and I testified on behalf of the junior person who was denied tenure. In all cases, the institution decided that, yes, procedures were violated, but the conclusion stands. Even then, the "violation of procedures" really were blackballing attempts (which succeeded) by one or two "powerful" individuals. In at least one case, a higher-level committee was inappropriately influenced by a single individual, with the effect being to attempt to deny tenure, but, luckily, at that time the Dean was actually a conscientious person, and smelled something fishy, so the injustice was averted. My interpretation of this was that *some* individuals *can* be trusted, but that the institution is much easier to manipulate, and, therefore, cannot be trusted in the same way.
Having seen many university presidents and deans come and go, the pattern of selection process becomes clear, and it is not reassuring. The best dean I recall so far was an "acting dean", who'd been associate dean, as placeholder while looking for a more glamorous (!?) candidate. Luckily, for whatever reason, we had him in that role for many years.
There was the episode 15 years ago when I was Director of Grad Studies in math, and was "ordered" by "the Graduate School" to unilaterally change the conditions-of-employment of the entering class of math grad students, to worsen their insurance coverage. (This was motivated entirely by that entity's scrounging for money, and targeting what they perceived as a defenseless group.) I objected, both because it was exactly an attempt to take advantage of relatively powerless people, and because I'd already signed my own name on all the offers (which included, as we can understand, specifics about healthcare and other stuff). I was told that it didn't matter, because these were only kids, and anyway they'd never know the difference. Shocking... but eventually the institution relented, after some suggestions from me (and others) that with documentation of this sort of communication, local newspapers might be interested...
Chronically, women in math (traditionally wildly under-represented) have been, in my observation, treated badly, both in large and small senses. Attempts by me and a few other individuals to remedy this, while officially approved, are not actually functionally supported. E.g., recently every employee had to do a Title IX training... the point of which was in effect that nowadays by university policy people outside the Title IX office are not to do anything at all about such things, except report them to the Title IX office. This is a perfect cover-your-ass strategy for the institution, but is far too blunt an instrument for dealing with subtler things, that are essentially impossible to document. Thus, the effect is to squelch any crap below a certain (high) thresh-hold... but the institution can claim that they've taken decisive steps.
And so on...
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: I'm going to come this from the other (probably less popular!) direction.
**I see no evidence of racial bias in your description.** Of course I wasn't there and can't judge it, but to me it seems like you describe a straightforward disagreement between classmates. I would be *very* careful about raising the issue of race unless you have compelling evidence.
**It is true that the group you describe is dysfunctional.** For sure the others shouldn't have waited until the last minute, or should have made an appointment for everyone to work together on the last day. Still, I wonder if you are partly to blame for this. Again, I wasn't there, but:
* Looking at this from the light most favorable to you, it seems like you did a good job on your part, submitted it ahead of schedule, and were planning to address the remaining edits later that night.
* Looking at it from the light most favorable to them, it seems like you just dumped a bunch of stuff into a word doc, didn't help them edit/integrate/merge/revise/fact-check, didn't respond to requests for changes for an entire day (on the day before it was due!), then became hostile when they asked about it. If there was any misunderstanding about what "your piece" of the project was, so much the worse.
Regardless of whether the second viewpoint is accurate, learning to foresee and avoid such blow-ups before they happen is a valuable skill. (Of course, this is not to make excuses for racism or plagiarism, if those things actually happened).
**The university will not intervene in dysfunctional groups.** If you can make a serious case for racial discrimination, of course they should investigate that. But the dysfunctional group is really not a university issue; such things fall to the instructor of the course. The instructor probably views learning to navigate such problems as one of the course aims, and will view this as valuable experience for you. The insults, the use of the f-word in this manner, etc., is a very inappropriate way to resolve conflict, but since it is student-to-student, I doubt the university will get involved (unless you are in a culture / campus code-of-conduct that takes such things especially seriously).
**Deleting your name from the assignment is probably the most actionable piece of this.** Since you can prove that you contributed to this (assuming any of your pieces survived), and if they submitted it without your name, you could bring a plagiarism charge. I imagine the professor would just smooth it over (giving you the same grade as the rest of the group) -- this is likely to be his/her choice (depending on your university's rules).
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_4: I took from your description of the situation: there may have been some intersection of racism and sexism in your particular experience in that course. That sort of intersection can weigh a person down more than one or the other type of bias on its own.
I also took from your question that the sort of information you're hoping to get out of this Q and A could be useful for you *over time*, not just in relation to your recent experience this semester.
Here is some information that I hope will be helpful. I will assume that your university receives federal funds, as that's the most common situation.
* As cactus said, the US Dept of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has a lot of clout. In addition to enforcing civil rights laws, it also enforces Title IX, which has to do with gender discrimination. Note that in almost all situations, there is a six-month time limit for filing a complaint with OCR. The legislation that protects you does not only cover racially motivated incidents, but also pervasive patterns that affect someone deeply.
* Going to OCR is a sledgehammer. There are a couple of flyswatters also available to you (regarding gender and/or racial discrimination):
1. a formal, local complaint
2. an informal, local complaint
3. not a complaint per se, but something more along the lines of *constructive feedback*
For all four avenues, except perhaps the last one (constructive feedback), it is very helpful to have proof, such as witnesses and/or email messages.
* Right now, in the US, in most universities, it is generally possible, with a bit of digging, to find the Title IX Coordinator and his or her contact information on the web. To find the person who handles racial discrimination concerns is sometimes a bit more challenging. There may be a similar gradient when it comes to the person knowing what their job actually entails, and being responsive to things like email and phone messages.
The university *should* have their complaint procedure and form available on their website.
* **You are protected from retaliation**. That is, if you complain, formally or informally, it is illegal for the university or any of its employees or representatives, to do anything negative to you *as a result of your having filed a complaint*.
* It's a good idea to keep a journal (for example by emailing the entries to yourself or a friend) documenting not only incidents as they occur, but also your contacts with university personnel about your concerns.
* It's easier to advocate for yourself (and future students) if you have moral support. However, sometimes people in certain roles or positions, that you would think would be supportive, turn out to be anything but, and one starts to wonder whether they exist only to keep the lid on the pressure cooker. So, when you reach out for support, I recommend that you not jump into the deep end of the pool, but rather, start at the shallow end and get into the water gradually. That is, let time show you what people's true colors are.
* Even if your particular problem wouldn't make a strong case to OCR, a lot can be gained from going with one of the flyswatter approaches, including:
+ You learn more about what's allowed, what's not allowed, how to advocate effectively, where to go and how to proceed in case you or someone you know ever experiences a more serious problem
+ You put the university through its paces, and give them the opportunity to practice going through their procedures
+ You'll get better at noticing when something's off, asserting yourself, seeking assistance from the institution, and holding officials and departments accountable.
+ You'll become a better citizen and a better future parent. Experience with advocacy of this type can also prepare you for the workplace.
+ Ideally, we would like to see universities do a good job of handling complaints internally when things don't go right. (Since OCR doesn't have the budget to do it all; and since OCR can move veery sloowly.)
* If you're interested in providing constructive feedback, a good place to start might be with the instructor or a department administrator. Try to outline succinctly the types of problems that occurred, with specific examples of incidents of bias that you experienced, as well as suggestions for how things could be organized better, so as to prevent problems from surfacing.
Speaking from experience, I would say that the more practice universities get with responding to student complaints about bias, the better they get at it. And the more practice a person gets in taking action about bias, the better one gets at noticing bias and acting constructively about it. It can be extremely helpful to get started somewhere, and *do something* -- as opposed to passively doing nothing.
---
**Edit to add**: Sometimes a university is very glad to receive feedback about even subtle racism/sexism, and I can even more easily imagine diversity staff being glad of the opportunity to work directly with a student who's experienced subtle bias to improve her/his knowledge of what the university has to offer in the way of support. A university that truly supports diversity will want to keep its ear to the ground so as to improve its diversity workshops, pedagogical techniques, etc.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I'm back in uni after 20 yrs in the work force.
Only way to really drop the hammer on jerks like this retroactively is to ask the professor if they have a rubric that lets group members grade each other.
Going forward, when you start a class and prof starts talking about group projects, you need to proactively ask if they have a way for group members to grade each other. Good professors do. Good professors grade the project/presentation, each member, and then let members grade each other. That way they can get insight into who the slackers and problem-makers were.
In dealing with a group, to cut-off procrastinators from the start, you need to treat a project like a real-life work project.
1) make milestones .. what needs to be done, when it needs to be done by, and who's accountable. There needs to be cut-off dates when things are done, that way pushy procrastinators don't end up running the show according to their schedule.
2) if there's prelim work that needs to be done, tell everyone to do it before anyone talks about meeting. eg: you have to find a video to support a case study you need to read. Every member can do that on their own. You will inevitably get a member going "when can we meet?" They want to meet for the sake of meeting, and will waste everyone's time when you're all just sitting around a table ignoring each other while doing the prelim work that could have been done individually. This person either wants folks to do the leg work for them and just brief them in a meeting (because they're lazy) or they are a social butterfly that thinks all work must be done face-to-face. Now is a great time for them to learn to work as an individual. Assign them a milestone and hold them to it.
3) if someone can't get something done in time, tell everyone to let the group know SOONER rather then LATER. Inevitably you're going to have a team member responsible for a major milestone. And at the last minute, when you think they're going to hand it in they go "sorry guys, my grandmother died, so I didn't do any of my work". Gee, you should have told us that 1 week ago when we had a chance to recover. This kind of person can destroy the whole project. Let them know it's ok if life issues come it.. stuff happens. But, if it happens, let the group know sooner rather then later so it doesn't tank the whole project.
4) if you have a pushy team member, there's a few ways to push them aside... you can get with the rest of the group to ostracize them, you can get with professor to let them know of an issue (most prof's will tell you to work out your own issues, unless it's something really serious, like group member is trying to plagarize other work and you've already told them not to... had that happen in a group before), depending on project you might be able to go behind the persons back and work with other team members on the REAL project after you assign the push member "busy work" (true story, on the business simulation, we had a pushy member that thought he was in charge... he started talking about running financial simulations on the other businesses... I told him that was a great idea, so he wasted his time doing that. He'd show up to meetings thinking he had a lot to contribute. He didn't realize that the business strategy I had didn't care about other businsses, because we were hammering them into the ground and they were floundering.. but it made him feel like he was doing something important. To use an analogy, his financial simulations would be like him looking out the rear view window of a race car to tell us who we just passed.. when I was driving the car and looking out the front window to see where we needed to go. I didn't care about passing people, I cared about hitting goal lines. If we just focused on passing people, we would have been in 1st but only slightly. My goal lines put us in 1st WAY far ahead of the competition. So, by keeping idiot mcgee distracted with busy work he thought was helping, it got him out of the way so I could get the real work done.) Sometimes you just need to toss these idiots a bone to chew on, pat them on the head and say "good boy, you do good work!" in order to get them out of the way.
I think the only real consolation I can give you is that in the real world, groups often work better then in college.
In college, you have slackers that know they can get away with things, you have pushy people you can't fire, etc, etc.
In the real world, you have slackers, but they often get fired for lack of performance over time (people know who the slackers are eventually). Push people will butt heads with other pushy people, but often only the pushy people that get things done and have a brain in their head are the ones that last, because idiots that boss people around without a clue of what's going on will get let go eventually due to lack of performance.
College is just this weird pseudo-simulation of the business world, but with all kinds of loopholes that let jerks get their way, and bosses (professors) that don't care. Because in the real world, a boss wouldn't simply tell a group "well, you guys get a C on this project... do better next time." No. A boss goes "THIS IS THE WORST WORK EVER! I'm going to get with each of you individually to see why, and someone's going to get fired for this!" That's when the troublemaker gets let go.
As for your current problem.. get with the professor.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Yes, universities care about the environment their students work and study in, increasingly more so as time goes on.
The more actionable bias issues are often those committed by employees and faculty of a university. It is difficult to respond to every student-to-student of conscious or unconscious bias incident. They happen every day. The worst cases often cause disciplinary action, but the less major incidents are often not effectively responded to. Universities have started to take a more active role in training students to recognize bias, both their own and on the part of others. Things are moving in the right direction, but have a ways to go.
I confess, I've been working hard to overcome my own biases, because my school has gotten pretty good at training faculty to recognize bias. Let's say a student who looks on the ball, and is an involved student leader comes to me and says "I have three exams on the same day, can I get an extension on my assignment". Without saying how I would respond, the next day, a student who comes to class every day in a tie dye with red eyes and reeking of pot,comes to me, and asks for an extension. The two students asked me for exactly the same thing, and they're both entitled to exactly the same answer! If I alter my answer according to what I expect from the student, that would make one student the victim of confirmational bias on my part.
Now, having interacted with more than a hundred project-based teams of students, the actions you describe are not uncommon. That said, sometimes they have something to do with bias, sometimes they don't. Just because in this case the target was someone in a group associated with bias, that doesn't automatically make this a bias incident. It is very hard to tell.
My recommendation would be to pursue correction of the action, and not the cause. If you have been excluded from credit despite your best efforts to be included, talk to the prof about it and make sure your efforts receive the credit you've earned. I know this might not be palatable, especially if you have good reason to suspect bias, but I think it might be the easiest path to getting credit you deserve.
The situation you found yourself in is a problem with the team, and not necessarily an individual. As you develop experience in things like this (and you've just had a valuable experience!!), you learn to see things like this coming, and move to avert a problem. If six weeks ago, you sat down with your team and said "I'm not comfortable working under tight deadline unnecessarily... can we prearrange a schedule we can all live with?" this might have been a happier experience. I train students on my teams to watch out for stuff like this, but incidents obviously still happen.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Without your interaction with the group(emails, Google Doc history) reviewed by somebody impartial it is impossible to say if you interpretation of event is correct.
For example claims of bias:
There are plenty of people I dislike. **It is not** because of bias.
With regards if universities care:
Due to current political bias in the universities unfortunately university would probably accept that your teammembers were racist sexists just because you said so, but the problem is that if you want to be objective you must admit that you do not know *why* 2 of your team members interacted with you the way they did.
Did you check their interaction with every other person they worked during their studies? No.
Can you read their minds? No.
Is it easier for you to believe that bias and not something you did could have caused them to be upset at you? Yes.
tl;dr you make a lot of claims that are not just unprovable in legal sense, but you personally do not know they are true(assuming you did not omit anything important in your recap).
Upvotes: 3
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2018/05/09
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<issue_start>username_0: Is it ever appropriate to ask to be included in an acknowledgements section of a paper?
I contributed bug fixes to proofs in a CS paper without which it would have been incorrect in significant ways. Others who made writing-level contributions were acknowledged. As a female student, I worry I don't stand up for myself enough when I deserve credit and wonder if this is a situation where I should do so. On the other hand, it seems really awkward to demand that someone acknowledge me - it seems like a faux pas even to admit that I noticed.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> On the other hand, it seems really awkward to demand that someone acknowledge me - it seems like a faux pas even to admit that I noticed.
>
>
>
Don't be embarrassed to ask to be credited for your work. If you're not willing to stand up for yourself as a professional, others may not do it for you!
An acknowledgment is entirely appropriate to recognize your contributions, which are technically useful, but not necessarily rising to the level where it is directly tied in to the goal of the final paper. To ask for it, I would ask the first author:
>
> I think my bug fixes helped you carry out the research. Do you think you could mention my contribution in the acknowledgments of your new paper?
>
>
>
This makes it clear what you want and why you think it's useful. An acknowledgment is "free" in the sense that it doesn't dilute the author list, and there's no logical reason why you couldn't be accommodated.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Adding an acknowledgment essentially doesn't cost anything, so there's little reason why the authors wouldn't want to do it if you helped; however it is true that there is still some awkwardness involved in asking others to credit you.
One way to defuse the awkwardness could be to focus on tangible practical reasons why you think this acknowledgment could be useful to you, instead of more sensitive subjective reasons (e.g., I want to be acknowledged, I feel like I deserve the acknowledgment, etc.) E.g.,
>
> In case my bug fixes were useful to you, do you think you could point it out in the acknowledgements section? This could be helpful later to show to [thesis committee / potential future advisor / supervisor / etc.] that I made some contribution to the paper.
>
>
>
Essentially the idea is to sidestep the embarrassment in "admitting that you noticed", or embarrassment on their part for not having thought about it themselves, having possibly hurt your feelings, etc.; and just frame the request as something motivated by a practical need. (Of course the need may be completely hypothetical -- it's just an excuse to avoid mentioning more subjective motivations.)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: If I were in your place, I would not ask to be mentioned in acknowledgments, especially if you are planning to work with authors in the future.
Not all battles are equally important, think in the long run :)
p.s. if the authorship were discussed, I would say fight for it, but acknowledgments...I would not.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/05/09
| 716
| 2,947
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have a permanent email aliasing from my previous institute. My current academic affiliation (let's pretend it is Horvord University) does NOT give me a permanent email address.
Now, I am going to submit a paper to a journal and I wonder if it is considered professionally appropriate if I list Horvord as my affiliation but list my previous email as the contact?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> On the other hand, it seems really awkward to demand that someone acknowledge me - it seems like a faux pas even to admit that I noticed.
>
>
>
Don't be embarrassed to ask to be credited for your work. If you're not willing to stand up for yourself as a professional, others may not do it for you!
An acknowledgment is entirely appropriate to recognize your contributions, which are technically useful, but not necessarily rising to the level where it is directly tied in to the goal of the final paper. To ask for it, I would ask the first author:
>
> I think my bug fixes helped you carry out the research. Do you think you could mention my contribution in the acknowledgments of your new paper?
>
>
>
This makes it clear what you want and why you think it's useful. An acknowledgment is "free" in the sense that it doesn't dilute the author list, and there's no logical reason why you couldn't be accommodated.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Adding an acknowledgment essentially doesn't cost anything, so there's little reason why the authors wouldn't want to do it if you helped; however it is true that there is still some awkwardness involved in asking others to credit you.
One way to defuse the awkwardness could be to focus on tangible practical reasons why you think this acknowledgment could be useful to you, instead of more sensitive subjective reasons (e.g., I want to be acknowledged, I feel like I deserve the acknowledgment, etc.) E.g.,
>
> In case my bug fixes were useful to you, do you think you could point it out in the acknowledgements section? This could be helpful later to show to [thesis committee / potential future advisor / supervisor / etc.] that I made some contribution to the paper.
>
>
>
Essentially the idea is to sidestep the embarrassment in "admitting that you noticed", or embarrassment on their part for not having thought about it themselves, having possibly hurt your feelings, etc.; and just frame the request as something motivated by a practical need. (Of course the need may be completely hypothetical -- it's just an excuse to avoid mentioning more subjective motivations.)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: If I were in your place, I would not ask to be mentioned in acknowledgments, especially if you are planning to work with authors in the future.
Not all battles are equally important, think in the long run :)
p.s. if the authorship were discussed, I would say fight for it, but acknowledgments...I would not.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/05/09
| 764
| 3,092
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have just completed an M.Sc. in Economics with a specialisation in Development Studies from a reputed university in India.
* I am interested in eventually working in the development sector.
* I have a reasonable level of interest in doing research in areas related to development economics.
* I have an intermediate level of proficiency in mathematics and statistics.
However, I am unsure about doing a Ph.D in Economics.
What are some things I must consider and know before deciding to do a Ph.D in economics?<issue_comment>username_1: I would consider the following:
1) *Do the jobs you want require a PhD?* You may be able to have a satisfying career and a choice of many interesting and well-paid jobs (you define both of those terms for yourself) with a M.Sc. and on-the-ground experience.
2) *Are you likely to succeed in a PhD?* There is little point to pursuing a PhD if you fail out of the program. So, you need to assess your preparation and whether you are likely to be able to complete the PhD. If you are not sure, talk to some of your mentors who have PhDs.
3) *Are you competitive for fully-funded PhD positions at respected universities?* To make the time, effort, and opportunity costs involved in pursuing a PhD worthwhile, you should pursue programs that are fully-funded and that maximize the value of your degree post-gradation. These types of programs are more competitive, so you should assess (with mentor's help, if needed) your academic record and other factors to determine if you are a good candidate for such programs.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Dawn suggests great questions! You may want to pursue working in some aspect of development for a few years (especially if you could work as some sort of research assistant for government economists or economic researchers); this would give you grounds to know whether you need a Ph.D. to do what you want to.
Further, working with a reputable organization in the field may put you in a position to have great data for your Ph.D. research, perhaps including designing, running, and analyzing an experiment or carefully controlled intervention under their auspices.
You are probably well aware of the authors in [<NAME> Duflo's (pre-print version) Handbook of Field Experiments](https://www.povertyactionlab.org/handbook-field-experiments), but I want to particularly draw your attention to [Glennerster's chapter on building partnerships for field experiments](https://www.povertyactionlab.org/sites/default/files/publications/Practical%20issues%20in%20RCTs_Glennerster%20.pdf). You may be well-positioned with your M.Sc. to help make such research partnerships a success, while learning more about the field and whether you want to pursue a Ph.D.
Also, I've heard that a good applied microeconomics paper has (at least) two of the three things: good identification, good data, clearly important question. You don't need to be the best mathematician in your class to excel at those, as long as you have enough skills to complete the required classes.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/05/09
| 873
| 3,775
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a part-time PhD student coming towards the end of my first year – I have another five years left. My PhD is in Music and I do like my topic a lot. However, in the last 18 months I have also become very interested in an area that is not that related to music – computing and open source. I started looking at it as something extra to learn before my PhD started and am now finding it difficult to put down. As well as this, I would like to integrate some aspects of what I have learned into my PhD. I just don't really know what and how.
Is this something that I should bring up with my PhD supervisor or should I just "put up or shut up"? She may think it's a bit weird to mention it since she will probably feel that it doesn't really relate, however, computing (and its related ethics) are fundamental to the ways in which we undertake academic research these days. We've even had a few classes on software use. I feel that I could probably link the two in some way but little has come up yet which is obvious, though it may well present itself in the future. From past experience I tend to function at my academic best when integrating different challenging interests into my learning and I would love to integrate my learning of computing into my music PhD. I feel I have learned – and applied – a lot and I want to continue learning alongside my music learning and to combine the two in my topic.
**Question:** should I raise this with my supervisor, float some ideas past her about this or should I just ignore it? If I do the latter the question may well come back to haunt me further down the line. I don't think I "can" (nor do I want to) give this up, well, not without forcing myself to since it fascinates me. Do others have experience of wanting to mix in new ideas/subjects into their PhDs and how did you go about it?
For clarification - the PhD in Music is ethnomusicological, i.e. the PhD is to do with the study of music in culture and as culture rather than composition or performance.<issue_comment>username_1: First, this makes perfect sense. What you are describing is a project in the digital humanities, and there are others in music using computational methods to analyze music and its social context. The place I would suggest starting is to look at the [Music Encoding Initiative](https://music-encoding.org/), which has developed an xml mark-up language for music. The community there can lead you to many other possibilities for integrating music and computation at various levels of computational complexity. The focus remains on the music as the object of study but applies new research methods to it.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There are two "challenges" I see in this:
1. First, do you actually have the background to do the computer science at a good enough level (in CS PhD students are expected to publish). It is far from a social studies field and uses very different approaches and requires quite some technical knowledge.
2. A very common way to fail a PhD is the lack of ability to focus. A PhD requires you to focus on your topic for the entire duration of your PhD (which in part time is more than doubly hard - part time tends to be an up hill battle all the way). Going into a different field is a surefire way to waste your time not being able to present a single coherent PhD thesis/topic. (Esp. in the UK situation as 3 years/6 pt is very short. You normally take 1 year for getting started/literature review, 1 for writing up, and then have only 1 year for results (which would be double for continental 4 year PhDs).
Note that this doesn't mean that you should be able to find your own "angle" on your topic and refine the specific research question(s) you address.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/05/09
| 443
| 1,934
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm asking this from the perspective of the future supervisor. After a round of interviews I approached the highest ranked candidate. My error was not including a deadline in the initial email.
Now a week has passed from the last response I got from the candidate. I have sent another reminder recently. However, my patience is running out. I understand that of course the candidate might be trying to buy some time to make up their mind, and probably waiting for other offers.
Are there any other options apart from sending an ultimatum? If so, how much longer should I wait to filter out external reasons for the lack of responses? I.e. sickness, unforeseen events, etc.? This is in Europe.<issue_comment>username_1: Do you have a phone number for the candidate?
If you contact them by phone you will know whether or not they received your communication, rather than email where, as you say, you don't know if they may have experienced extenuating circumstances preventing them from responding.
If they are indeed waiting for other responses, they might be more likely to mention this on the phone rather than in an email.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Let's imagine the original offer letter with a deadline included, with the deadline coming *x* days after the date of the offer. Perhaps *x* was five business days. Whatever it would have been, just use the same value now, as a deadline for a decision, in a formal follow-up communication.
Leave a voicemail alerting the candidate to the deadline sent via email. Don't duplicate everything you said in the letter -- just mention the basics.
Build in one day of buffer. That is, if you say in the letter that the deadline is Tuesday, May 15, at noon, then wait until the next morning before you contact the next person.
In choosing a value for *x*, I would never go less than three. That would be unreasonable.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]
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2018/05/09
| 727
| 2,981
|
<issue_start>username_0: Recently my paper was accepted pending major revisions (i.e., not yet accepted), and while following the reviewers' comments and revising my paper, I realized that both reviewers missed a mistake that I made in a function block diagram. What should I do?
1. Correct it and let them know in the joined point-by-point response?
2. Wait until they tell me about it?
3. Ask them to double check that diagram?
I'm afraid it may send the wrong message and I'd look disrespectful by showing them that they missed the mistake.<issue_comment>username_1: The text is yours, you can do whatever you want with it (within reason, if you want it to still get accepted, that is).
The reviewers' opinions are just that, opinions. You do not necessarily have to do what they said, although you should justify in the letter why you didn't and how you disagree with them.
And yes, if feasible, you should correct any and all errors that you spot in the process.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: YES. The responsibility for correctness of the paper is **yours** not the reviewers’. The reviewers may help you find errors, but that is secondary to their main function: recommending to the editor whether to publish.
Upvotes: 9 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Which makes you look worse? Mentioning to the referees that they missed something or publishing a paper with a mistake in it?
**Fix the error and include it in the list of changes you've made.**
Don't mention that the referees missed it, of course. Just do something like "Response to referee 1: ... Response to referee n: ... Other changes: Figure 4 incorrectly showed blah; fixed.."
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_4: I had made such a correction just three days ago for a paper that I had published almost two years ago. A couple of subscripts were missing from my equations in my published paper. I wrote to the editor and politely asked him to correct it. And within a week it was implemented. yay!
The online version has an editor note like:
(Received 13 May 2016; published 23 September 2016; corrected 3 May 2018)
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: If you plan on having other researchers cite your paper (which you hopefully do), then you can count on your mistake being found by others - either directly, by reading your paper and finding the mistake, or by calling out someone who used your paper, inherited your mistake, and will make sure to pass the bad rep on to you. This is the last thing you want.
Correct it. Even if it were disrespectful to the reviewers (it isn't), *not* correcting it can potentially affect you a lot more.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: This is a no-brainer... it is your responsibility that the paper is correct, and it will be your reputation that is tarnished when people notice the mistake. Correct it and tell them in the response that you noticed that mistake, but it has been corrected. Nothing wrong with that at all.
Upvotes: 3
|
2018/05/09
| 1,076
| 4,276
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<issue_start>username_0: My book manuscript of ca 250 pages was accepted by a publisher. The book contract obliges me to either prepare an [index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_(publishing)) myself or to delegate the task to the publisher, who in turn would hire a freelancer at my expense, which the publisher estimated at GBP 300 (Eur. 340, USD 400).
I have never compiled an index before. Now I am wondering if it is worth it to compile the index myself or if I should rather have it made for me. Of course, this is quite subjective. But those with pertinent experience may know:
* How much time and effort does it usually take to prepare an index?
* Are there any tools or methods to (partly) automate the task and that still yield an acceptable outcome?<issue_comment>username_1: Several text formatters, notably [LaTeX](https://latex.org/) (e.g. the [texlive](https://www.tug.org/texlive/) suite) and [Lout](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lout_(software)), have good tools to make or compile an index. See [this](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Indexing) explanation about adding index to a LaTeX formatted document. And many [word processors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_processor_program) have indexing capacities.
Of course, you need to do the real indexing work: knowing what words are important in your book (and, if the word is common, knowing which *occurrences* of that word are important), and adding `\index` markup in the LaTeX source (that work is needed whatever technical solution you use to write your book, e.g. with other text processors like [LibreOffice](https://www.libreoffice.org/) or [Microsoft Word](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Word), which also has indexing capabilities). With other word processors, you also need to do some action to add a word occurrence to the index. Specialized [indexing software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indexing_Software) also exist.
Obviously, some utilities could be helpful in that (e.g. Unix [grep](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grep) with LaTeX, the `find` menu of LibreOffice or Word text processors, etc..) - to find every occurrence of some word (but you still need to decide if that occurrence should go to the index and act accordingly).
>
> I am wondering if it is worth it to compile the index myself
>
>
>
Yes, because you already know quite well your book. And that could take one or a few days of your time. Someone else has first to read it carefully, so would spend a lot more time than you.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Coming from the perspective of a former publisher, the publisher requires you to prepare an index because otherwise the author might have unreasonable demands. A typical example is "index the word 'inflation'". The problem is, 'inflation' might occur at many, many places throughout the text, and the publisher has no way of knowing which occurrences are worth indexing. Indexing every occurrence is possible but time-consuming, and also results in a bloated index.
The other possible issue is that some closely-related words are difficult to index. For example, with the word 'inflation', do you also index 'inflationary'? If you also index 'inflationary', do you index it as 'inflation'? What about second-level indexes?
We had instances where we spent hours on the index and then the author kicked up a fuss and wound up doing the index himself, which was an obvious waste of time.
My suggestions:
1. Doing it yourself is the most time-consuming but makes sure that you'll end up with the index you want.
2. If you don't want to do it yourself, ask the publisher if you can highlight the words you want indexed. Give extra instructions as necessary ("index this word 'inflationary' as 'cosmic inflation', as a second-level index under 'inflation'"), then check through the index during proofs. You'll likely find the index is messy, but you can still correct it then.
3. If the publisher refuses to do #2, then I suggest doing it yourself, especially if you're using a preparation software that allows you to do it easily. If you do pay a freelancer, remember that the $400 will likely represent a substantial chunk of your author royalties. If your book sells poorly, it could even make the book a net loss.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/09
| 1,706
| 6,906
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<issue_start>username_0: **TL;DR**
**I want to maintain full time status *for now* but my department is asking me to switch to part time status, I'm not certain that is a good idea since international students need to maintain a full time status. I'm being asked to sign and hand over a form giving up my power to be a FT student. I realize my mistake back then was responding positively when they asked the first time around if I wanted a PT status change or not (it was something I was considering, but it seems it may not be the best option, even that aside the window to make such a decision is pretty vast, stretching all the way into the Fall semester)**
**It is nobody's fault, they may be only trying to help me their own way, but I also need to maintain my visa status.**
I'm an international grad student at a US school.
So since the next semester might be my last, I was inquiring for a part-time (PT) status with my department. I wanted to know how it worked, but apparently, I didn't even have to ask, because they started forcing it on me. The administrative assistant in my department kept shooting me regular emails asking me to sign a form for something THEN AND THERE (for something which did not have any urgency), only stopped after I called them out on it. This sort of got my attention.
So I looked into it.
Intl students can only go part-time on their last semester, this is because of an (obscure) rule (which no one informed me of, but I had to dig out on my own) which states that if an intl grad student goes part-time, they cannot be allowed to re-enroll as full time. That is, after going part-time, re-enrolling as full time becomes a void act.
So if I were to go part-time and wanted to stay on for whatever reason, I wouldn't be able to.
Okay let's say this is fine, but this is something which can be decided before the next semester, which is 3.5 months away and can be done anytime within the next two months. So what is the problem? They're asking me to DO IT NOW. Mind you, if I were to fill in that form and submit it, I hand over all power regarding my student status (WHICH CANNOT BE RESTORED) and THEY'RE BREATHING DOWN MY NECK using every tactic they can into pressuring me to hand it over.
Yes, I know everything that is associated with being a full-time student and am fine with it (and may have even considered, but only considered a PT status) but I'm not really comfortable doing something this major and unchangeable in one go THIS QUICKLY.
So what else is wrong at this point? Remember what I said about the form and how it can be submitted anytime before the Fall semester (at least a few weeks before, by then I can definitely let them know). Thing is, they're forcing me to adhere by a non-existent deadline and HAND IT OVER NOW, this is straight up coercion, I've already submitted forms which keep me on as a regular student, but they're sending me threatening emails marked with underlined and bolded red text to hand over power regarding my student status.
They're using a classic pressure tactic of giving me like 2 days to submit it or go bust (for now at least).
This sucks. **I want to let them know that if there is such a change, I will declare it to them well before time (and give them ample time to process it) but not the way they're going about this ( I want to have standard status for now )**. It almost seems to me that they're very interested in sending me to PT status and doing so IMMEDIATELY (leaving me unable to change it back once that happens).
I have only been able to dig a few things up, but not more than that, plus mostly everyone is either deflecting or tight-lipped about stuff like this. Nor am I really sure about all the exact formal nor informal consequences + rules associated with a thing such as this, **so how to let them know that it's fine what they're asking and I may be all for it, just that it's inappropriate for them to hound me like this for something this ultimate/final when there's no real hurry? (given that this is a major decision, I'm not blaming anyone, if it seems okay, I'll let them know well ahead of time and they'll also get what they want, so it's a win-win, just that I get all the opportunity to consider it as much as is allowed by the university )** Also if anyone has any other info about PT status and if they have been a PT student / know someone who has been one, please let me know.
I can't really say that I need more time, then they'll use that against me and definitely try and get a YES out of me.<issue_comment>username_1: Ultimately you are responsible for yourself, as you have already found out.
You know what the rules are, so if you feel you are being unduly pressured, then you need to bring other people into the loop in your response. Talk to your advisor as well as whoever is responsible for overseeing PhD students in your program. Include them in your response to the administrative assistant. Also, when writing, show that you know what you’re talking about. Many times people acting in such a manner rely on the lack of knowledge of others to get what they want. You’ve done your homework and know your rights. That gives you an advantage. Use it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> How to let them know that it's fine what they're asking and I may be all for it, just that it's inappropriate for them to hound me like this for something this ultimate/final when there's no real hurry?
>
>
>
* Without caps except the normal ones (abbreviations, beginning of sentence, etc.)
* Without boldface
* Without anything remotely resembling bad language ("suck" is a no-no)
* Without exclamation points
* With *at most* one repetition of one item (preferably, no repetitiveness)
* With calmness and dignity -- do not let them smell fear or desperation
* By responding to emails with at least a 12-hour delay -- preferably 24 hours
* By stating something positive in each interaction, e.g. "I would be happy to meet with an administrator about this"
* By being at least as polite as them
* By calling their bluff, e.g. "If there are any departmental or university policies that could affect my decision, I would appreciate a copy or a link"
* By moving up the hierarchy (one rung at a time) if need be (e.g. go from administrative assistant to chair, assistant chair or director of graduate studies)
Also recommended:
* Ask your advisor for guidance
* Keep your advisor apprised of problems, developments, plans
I'm speaking from experience. If you can follow the above guidelines, you will have an easier time staying on an even keel through this, and you'll be more effective.
I strongly encourage you to practice presenting your case in the style and format I'm recommending,
### by editing your post.
Remember, the most effective style is succinct, polite, calm, dignified. (If it comes out a little stuffy, so be it.)
Upvotes: 3
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2018/05/10
| 402
| 1,673
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<issue_start>username_0: I had an interview today (my first one) for a teaching stream position at a college, and I'm unhappy with a couple of my answers.
Should I just consider the matter closed and send a follow-up email to the committee thanking them for their time? or is it appropriate to include a few remarks and/or clarifications about the questions that I wish I answered differently?
Appreciating any advice. Thanks!<issue_comment>username_1: My advice is to take a deep breath, what happened in the interview room is now a closed book. While I am sure that we would all like to sometimes be able to change the past. The past is a sealed land.
I suspect that as it was your first interview that you messed up royally in some way, do not be disheartened. Learn from what happened, chalk it up as experience.
I am an associate prof, I went through a lot of attempts to get my first academic post. Each time I failed in an interview room I failed less bad than the last time. I would use your interview failure as a chance to try to identify any training needs you have.
If you act in a sensible way on these then you can make yourself into a better academic.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I don't think that is a good idea. Thanking them for their time is fine but if you attempt to clarify any of your answers provided, it could prove to be counter productive and turn off some of the people on the committee.
One of my colleagues who was on a search committee experienced something similar and she did not view that very positively. (Whether it played in her and the committee's hiring decision eventually, I don't know)
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/05/10
| 762
| 3,256
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<issue_start>username_0: I am doing a PhD in the USA. I already have a masters in France and a 5 year bachelor. I didn't think it was a bad idea to take courses again in the US, as I am changing of area. My acceptance was recomended by an advisor who is paying partially my stipend (I receive 73% of my stipend from my government, who also covers muy tuition and partially the health insurance. The local University (not advisor) completes the health insurance cost). This year taking undergrad courses I haven't felt very challenged, and in a paper reading and discussion group I have found some professors with a more interesting (for me) approach to things.
Am I stuck with my advisor even if usually students pick a topic after the 1st year? How can I approach this topic with whom? The graduate advisor? My PI is also the chair of the department.
Another thing is that I know some people that do not have funding at all in this department. I wouldn't want to be stuck in this situation as the rent takes around 2/3 of my income and I have my wife living with me.<issue_comment>username_1: This is ultimately dependent on the policies of your department. The basic issue would be that if you switch to another advisor, the other advisor would presumably be responsible for covering the remainder of your stipend. The big question is if you are free to choose both advisor and topic, or if it's expected you'd stick with your advisor, but have freedom to choose the PhD topic.
The right point of contact is the graduate advisor, who will be well versed in the procedures of your specific department.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I think that the only thing that makes this a difficult question is that your PI is also your department head. My own background had some similar issues to yours. I didn't feel that my advisor was sufficiently supportive because he was seeking tenure himself. I was also only partly interested in the same things he was. Complicating this was the fact that I was, at the time, too insecure to force the issue with the department head (in this case a different person). There was another faculty member who would have been ideal for me in every way, but I didn't have the nerve to ask for a change.
Instead, I changed universities and had a much better experience. But it cost me three years. Worth it in every way, however.
As to the funding issue, you may have to seek an alternative (not absolutely clear). If you aren't currently teaching as a Graduate Assistant that might be a possibility. It is what funded my last three years. Since I was at a large university I was also able to take advantage of very low cost housing intended for Graduate Students. The pay was abysmal, but it was enough, and the housing situation also provided friendships with many others in similar situations, so there wasn't any social isolation. I had two children by the time I finished.
But the most important issue, I think, is that you are comfortable with your advisor and your topic. My advice would be to find the faculty member that you most want to work with and speak to him/her about changing. That prof may have some options for you. You can then approach your current PI/head with a definite plan.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/10
| 523
| 2,113
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<issue_start>username_0: I asked my professor to write a letter of recommendation for me. She said she would in general be happy to do that. I am quite self-conscious and worried, I would like to send an email back and say thanks, but I don't want to sound overly grateful. Since English isn't my first language, I would like to ask you how you would write something like this. Or: Would you maybe not write back at all, since the professor's email box must be super busy and sending a simple thank you email might annoy them more than anything else?
I'm so not sure about this, thanks a lot!<issue_comment>username_1: If her email being busy is an issue, then put in the title “thank you for the reference letter”
So, if they want to read it they can or they can save it for later - it’s always nice to receive thanks...
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: You're over-thinking this. It's almost always appropriate to say thanks when somebody does something for you. You won't be taking up more than a couple of seconds of your professor's time if you send a quick "thanks!"
Suppose that you'd asked for the reference in person rather than by email. You wouldn't say, "This professor is really busy so, the instant they say yes, I'll save two seconds of their time by running immediately from the room without thanking them."
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Agree. LORs take time/effort and professors typically write them for students who excel. One of my professors even addressed this in class -ie If you ask me to write you an LOR, make sure you were a good student (showed up for class, applied yourself during class, etc.)
You should say thank you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: You mention
>
> the professor's email box must be super busy and sending a simple thank you email might annoy them
>
>
>
Why not just buy a card and send it through the postal mail? Most professors have a campus mailbox usually listed on their directory page. I am guessing that many of them would be more than happy to receive mail that wasn't about some journal/conference/vendor show.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: My BSc thesis was on general relativity
MY MSc thesis was going to be on modified theories of gravity and cosmology, in hope of pursuing a PhD in this area or similar one day.
I know replies are going to be why would you want to do a PhD in an area you don't want to do master's level research at.
However, modified theories of gravity and cosmology would be my second choice right now, just from brief reading around, I don't think it's going to compare to the excitement of first learning general relativity and I did some reading around for PhD interviews- I got short-listed a fair amount and was told my academia and project description were strong and good enough, but really my lack of enthusiasm let me down-which is the story of my life because I'm a bit shy, anyway, so I just fancy a bit of a break from it, and I was thinking of a topic that involves a bit of pure maths as well as mathematical physics.
I guess pretty much my question is can you get a PhD in an area you didn't do your masters thesis?
Would it significantly lower my chances.
Could it perhaps be the case that I really enjoy my master's thesis and want to pursue a PhD in this instead?
Thanks<issue_comment>username_1: Of course it's possible to change disciplines, particularly when you move from one degree level to another. It's a natural part of life that one's interests change over time, and nobody expects researchers today to engage in a single area of inquiry for their entire careers.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I found your question somewhat hard to read. I hope I can shed some light (on what I think your asking).
It's not like your switching to Roman History. Your research is still in the realm of Mathematics and Physics. I often meet people who did their MSc in pure Mathematics that then switch to Medical Physics.
So in my opinion, it is irrelevant. You just may need to spend more time getting an appropriate background in the field. The most important aspect of attempting a PhD, is to be fascinated by it. If your not interested in your PhD project, good luck with the next 4-5 years!
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: The question should be instead: **if my MSc is in area A, can I be admitted to the PhD program in area B?** In general, the answer is "yes" if you have the prerequisites for the PhD program in area B.
I do know examples of people with previous work in physics, computer science, or engineering that have been admitted to PhD programs in mathematics. The condition was that, during their studies in those other areas, they learned enough mathematics.
I even know a top student in mathematics, admitted to the PhD program in mathematics at Harvard, who then turned around and did a PhD in political science at Harvard.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a 5th year PhD student, and I have been writing scientific papers for conferences for a few years now.
One constant in the feedback that we get from reviewers is what I call, for lack of a better definition, the "you didn't consider this" comment.
I am working on an emerging technology, let's call it **E**, that has certain advantages with respect to the industry standard, let's call it **S**.
**E** has of course its disadvantages too, and my job as a researcher is trying to address the major shortcomings, let's call them **E.a**, **E.b**, **E.c**, and **E.d**.
The problem that I am facing is that, when I write a paper addressing **E.a**, a common feedback that I get is "you have good results, but what about **E.b**? There is no way this is going to work when you consider **E.c** and **E.d** as well".
While I understand the concern of the reviewers, I am also frustrated by the fact that a paper is rejected not because my work on **E.a** is poor, but because there is a lack of research and solutions to address **E.b**, **E.c**, and **E.d**.
Moreover, I don't know how to improve a paper that was rejected based on those reviews, because they are not specific about the content of the paper.
My question is: how can I present my work in a way that makes it clear that only **E.a** is addressed, and minimize the chances of getting those unhelpful reviews? Is it possible to be explicit about it without being unbecoming?
A few notes:
1. I am concerned about conferences, so paper are limited to 4 to 8 pages, and this limits the amount of background that can be covered in the introduction,
2. Because I am addressing an emerging technology, I usually have at least one page introducing the basic principles of it before moving on to my contribution on **E.a**,
3. I do mentioned **E.b**, **E.c**, and **E.d** and cite relevant research in that regard.<issue_comment>username_1: There is simply no way to be sure that these question will arise. You may write more references, but as space is limited, you will have to make some choices.
Consider those feedbacks as help: when a paper is accepted and you present it at a conference, those questions may arise afterwards in Q&A session. Be prepared for that, as well as take them into account in the PhD thesis.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I empathise with your difficulty and wish there was an easy fix. However, going by the question and comments, it does seem like you may need to rethink your approach a little. Consider the following:
(1) In an applied research field, the bar is not just solving a sub-problem; it is ensuring that the proposed solution will work with all other factors considered. To give a very trivial and crude (pardon me) example, if a car bonnet has to be light and strong, you cannot treat the two independently and use polythene (solving light) or concrete (solving strong).
The comment : "There is no way this is going to work when you consider E.c and E.d as well"." seems to suggest exactly that. I know my example is not perfectly analogous to your problem, but I hope the essential message is conveyed.
(2) There exists an industry standard S. Therefore, any proposal to change has merit only if it can replace S on all counts. If the method S scores 70%, 80%, 60% on some relevant metrics, your method E should not score 100%, 10%, 80% , even though 2/3 metrics are significantly improved (because one metric has fallen, and that could be unacceptable). Rather, an incremental 75%, 85%, 65% would be more acceptable.
There is a constant strain in such fields between novelty and applicability, both need to be balanced out. Depending on what conference it is, one may carry more weight than the other, but the application bit can rarely be ignored.
What seems to me a better approach is:
(1) Tackle Eb/c/d in your study, even if briefly. *Not just in the introduction*, in the study and the results itself. Show that you are not simply highlighting problems (i.e. mentioning only in introduction), but doing something about them even if you don't solve them fully. Even analysing and rating the magnitude/importance of Eb/c/d is a meaningful contribution, supplementing your main work on Ea. So you don't need to solve them all, but you do need to consider them and look at inter-dependence.
(2) If possible, suggest ways in which E can be *integrated* with S. Then, the benefits of Ea can be used without the problems Eb, Ec. Again, you don't actually need to integrate the whole method. Look at ways to do it, what problems exist, how meaningful such an exercise is vs replacing an entire system.
These approaches should be good for such conferences which are indeed intended to share a developing idea. Even in those, your eye must be on the future- on how to develop it, what can be taken forward, what can be done to make it more complete.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Aside from working harder or more cleverly at pleasing these reviewers, there are two major "solutions" that come to mind, which I think are important to talk about:
**1. Read the Conference or Journal you submit to. A lot:** This will make you understand what is needed in your analysis, how to sidestep the incomplete/unsolved aspects of your method, and generally how to frame your results in a way the reviewers will like. You need to change your mindset from the student who reads a paper to expand your knowledge, to a reviewer mindset who reads a paper to understand where it fits in the field, and whether it's worth caring about (out of necessity, because that's the only way you'll be able to read large numbers of papers). This will also help you see how to make your case more concisely by using the right jargon and citations, and better fit what you need into the short conference paper.
**2. Work on the open problems at the cutting edge of your field:** this is something a person who isn't in the "hot" areas won't want to hear I'm sure.
And I don't think it's necessarily right or fair either. But you asked a hard question. The solution is going to be a doozie. If you're solving mature and "solved" problems (but better) it puts a big target on your work for a range of reasons, some good and some not. Reviewers will start from a mindset of "how can I quickly shoot down this paper I don't want to read". At the very least, this conference may not be the best venue. The task of convincing people your problem is really unsolved and your approach is important, may be one too many things to cram into a short conference paper. You are up against other papers that don't need to work nearly as hard to make that case and thus have more room for results.
Now if the above doesn't apply to you because you're already doing it, you may just have an unlucky streak. There's a lot of bad reviewers out there, frustrating us all. Plus with acceptance rates down in the teens and below, plenty of excellent papers are getting rejected.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: That sucks - it sounds like you are already doing what you can reasonably do in the word limit of the paper. I would suggest re-reading your introduction and background sections to see if you can stress the background and scope any more clearly, to head off this objection. (Really beat the reader over the head with it.) If this part is already clear, then respond to these referee reports (for a revise-and-resubmit) by pointing out the background they may have missed. If it is an outright rejection, try another journal.
Remember that you have to respond to all referee comments when re-submitting, but you do not have to agree. If the comment is not sensible, tell them that you are not making any change and say why. If your reasons are good, the editor might decide that the objection made by the referee is not helpful. Here is an example.
>
> **Referee comment:** The author's work on **E.a** is interesting, but he has failed to address problems with **E.b** and **E.c**. Without this, I do not see how his method could be a viable alternative to **S**. The author should expand his discussion to explain how to deal with **E.b** and **E.c**, and explain how these problems (and their solutions) interact.
>
>
> **Response (Disagree - No change):** The present paper is confined in scope to solving problem **E.a**, though the problems mentioned by the referee are important, and are acknowledged in the background section (p. 2). The introduction and background sections are clear on the limited scope of my paper.
> The space limits for this paper do not allow for the broader argument suggested by the referee. I note that these other problems are an avenue of current research that I am pursuing in another paper, and it is my hope that this will eventually culminate in a set of papers that solve all problems for method **E**, with a summary paper to tie them together. Nevertheless, the present paper, with the imposed word limit, is not the place for this broader research. I have re-read my background section and I am satisfied that the present paper is clear and reasonable in its scope, and no further change is required on this point.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: **Background:** I started my undergraduate career in computer science and transitioned to mathematics leaving computer science as a minor. I have just recently completed my Bachelors in Mathematics with a research project in Galois theory, algebraic geometry, and additive number theory. For the next academic year, I am pursuing a Masters in Mathematics which I will complete in a year through a 5-year (BS/MS) program.
Although I did not complete more than a minor in computer science, I have been interested in having it play a vital role in my career goals in academia.
My goal after finishing my masters is to transition into a Ph.D. program in mathematics, but I have not yet decided what I want to focus my research on.
I would like to learn about what Theoretical Computer Science is for academia and what background someone needs to become a theoretical computer scientist.
**Questions:**
Do most theoretical computer science professors have their Ph.D. in mathematics?
How much formal background does one need from computer science itself? Can this be achieved outside of a school setting?
What fields of mathematics play an important role in theoretical cs?<issue_comment>username_1: The answer to your question in "no": Most of people who call themselves Theoretical Computer Scientists have PhD in (T)CS.
And yes, you *need* to have a CS background because the word says it itself: Theoretical *Computer Science* which is the study of what a computer can(not) do and with what resources.
Math is a vital part and on different fields of TCS different fields areas of math play important role (number theory, linear algebra, combinatorics. probability theory are by far the most used ones). Generally speaking, the maths used are rarely "obscure" or too abstract/pure.
As on the question of if this can be achieved outside formal education the answer is "depends" on the motivation, circumstances etc. It is really hard to answer that.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Most theoretical computer scientists have PhDs in computer science. But there several math programs that also employ theoretical computer scientists and/or have a close relationship with the CS department at their university. These math PhD programs produce theoretical computer scientists.
The MIT math department is one such program --- plenty of computer scientists graduate with PhDs in math from MIT, although they are advised by people who would normally be considered (theoretical) computer scientists. Other programs include:
The ACO program at CMU: <http://aco.math.cmu.edu/>
The ACO program at Georgia Tech: <http://www.aco.gatech.edu/>
The AMCS program at Penn: <https://www.amcs.upenn.edu/>
I'm sure there are other such that I am missing.
These programs "leave your options open" in case you want to study some aspect of pure or applied math separate from TCS, but with the option to study TCS. Of course, if you are sure about what you want to do, a strong math background is usually good preparation for a PhD in (T)CS as well, even if you don't have an undergraduate CS major. (e.g. many of my own PhD students at Penn were math majors in college rather than CS majors)
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: "A", an independent researcher, has accepted a tenure-track offer\* and will be starting in few months from now. "A" also has few manuscripts that are currently under review in high impact journals. Say that 1-2 manuscripts are accepted before "A" joins his/her new institution, will it be ethical/possible for "A" to contact the editors to ask them to delay publishing his/her accepted manuscript(s) to a later issue to when "A" joins his/her new institution? The rationale is that this new work won't be counted toward his/her tenure if it is to be published before he/she joins the new institution.
\*This scenario is for an R1 school in the US.
Please note that "A" has discussed this issue with his/her new Dept. Chair as well as a senior mentor who serve at T&P committee (at a different school) and both advised to contact the editors for this manner.<issue_comment>username_1: I do not think it is either ethical or wise to try to delay the publications, anyone looking at the researcher will be equally impressed by a paper regardless of the address on it when it was published.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I think it is wisest to follow the advice of your chair. First, the chair's advice tells me that the tenure and promotion committees care about ridiculous technicalities like this.\* Second, you want to keep the chair "on your side" in the tenure and promotion process. Your chair is going to be slightly less enthusiastic about going to bat for you in a close tenure and promotion fight if you disregarded the chair's advice!
\*My assumption is that the institution has both letters and quantitative metrics that must be hit to receive tenure. Letter writers generally don't care too much about when the work was done, they just care about overall research impact. However, internal metrics often only count publications while you are at the institution. For instance, you might need to hit X number of publications or get Y number of points (with more points assigned to a higher-impact journal). I am sure the chair wants to make sure these publications count toward this quantitative part of the review - our department had someone a couple of years ago who was 1 point short and didn't get tenure, even though that person was well-respected.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The principle I follow in situations such as this is **"walk in the light"**. In other words, be open and honest about your situation and intentions with all those people who are materially involved. In this case, it would be A's new department chair (which you said A has already talked to); the editors of the journals involved (so I absolutely concur that A would need to talk with them); and any future tenure or evaluation committee that might need an explanation. If A is open and honest with these involved parties, then I see absolutely no problem with asking for a delay.
It's somewhat beside the point, but it's probably not very reasonable that A's value or quality as a researcher would be evaluated based on the whether or not a particular institution is listed on the same piece of work, but unfortunately, that's the reality of the world of academia that many of us live in. Since this question has nothing to do whatsoever with the actually quality or even perception of quality of A's work, then I don't see any deceit involved (unless A is trying to hide something). As long as A openly explains the situation to everyone involved, both now and in the future, then I think it is very reasonable to ask for a publication delay in order to meet institutional requirements. What would be unjust would be if A were denied tenure or promotion in the future simply because of a few months of advance publication of an article or two. I think it is an absolutely reasonable request to ask for a publication delay to prevent something unfortunate like that happening.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Honestly I don't see any moral dilemma here. If the rule is the puplication date then it is not only ethical but also smart to delay publication according to convenience. False stating the submission date is unethical, but so is asking about it (it doesn't matter, publication date does). The rules must be clear and not changed on a per case convenience (to whom?).
Notice that the submitted but not yet published manuscript was not counted in order to get the tenure track. So if it happens to be published before he/she joins the institution those will just be wasted work and an unfair advantage (luck) compared to those people that submitted later.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: >
> will it be ethical/possible for "A" to contact the editors to ask them to delay publishing his/her accepted manuscript(s) to a later issue to when "A" joins his/her new institution?
>
>
>
I would consider this action mildly unethical, since the context makes it clear that the action is taken with an intent to deceive A’s institution as to the date of publication of A’s paper. It is admittedly a small deception and falls within a gray area that some people might characterize as “gaming the system” (exploiting technical loopholes in rules and policies to gain an advantage in a way that isn’t strictly prohibited but involves minor dishonesty or pretense). Nevertheless, I do not think a person of high integrity would engage in such behavior. If I knew “A” and learned that they had done this, my opinion of them would be lessened a bit (the same goes for the department chair who advised “A” to act in this way). Conversely, I would be impressed with “A” if I learned that they had politely refused the chair’s advice. And I would think the department chair was doing their job well if they discouraged their faculty members from pursuing system-gaming measures in their approach to promotions; encouraged their faculty to expect more (both in integrity and productivity) of themselves; and lobbied with their institution’s administration to adopt healthy policies that do not create perverse incentives for misrepresentations and dishonest behavior among faculty having their performance reviewed. I realize that may be a lot to ask, but that would be the ideal. For a chair to advise their faculty to work around policies using dishonest measures may yield some short-term benefits and get the job done more or less, but it does not foster an optimal environment for the promotion of excellence.
To add a bit of context, until last summer I served for several years as a department chair at an R1 university in the US. Questions about publication dates and similar issues with promotion policies along similar lines to “A”’s question came up once in a while. I always encouraged our faculty to represent their work accurately and honestly and avoid system-gaming tricks. And on a few occasions I fought minor battles with our administration to make sure my faculty’s interests were protected in connection with what I thought were unreasonable or unhealthy policies.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: I concur with the majority of answers that say that asking for a delay (for this reason) is unethical at worst, tacky at best.
However, when the new excellent paper does appear in the highly rated journal the author's current (i.e. new) institution should be clearly indicated, even if that happens before the actual employment start date (which is unlikely). That way readers will know how to contact the author, and some prestige will accrue to the institution. A note saying where the author was when the work was done might be in order. I'm pretty sure the editors will agree to this change in the manuscript.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a second-year assistant professor who is hoping to make a pre-tenure move to a school/location that is better for my family. It is not a situation where my current department is bad or toxic, but I think my partner (job) and kids (schools, time with relatives) would be happier elsewhere.
I read a lot of advice which suggests that it is best to make a move before tenure rather than after. However, no one seems to specify *when* pre-tenure one should be looking. I am inclined to begin looking even before my mid-tenure review because the departments I would be looking in are typically small and I can't rely on the fact that they would have an opening in any particular year.
**Is there a "normal," "accepted," or "typical" time to be make a pre-tenure move?**
Here are some related questions:
[What is a better point in an academic career to move to the U.S.: as an assistant professor or after tenure?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/54137/what-is-a-better-point-in-an-academic-career-to-move-to-the-u-s-as-an-assistan)
[Job search when coming up for tenure](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/11228/job-search-when-coming-up-for-tenure)<issue_comment>username_1: There’s no such thing as a normal or typical time to move. Faculty move when the right opportunity presents itself. So long as you’re upfront with everyone, I wouldn’t worry about the timing. The only caveat is to try not to leave your old department in the lurch when you go—if possible, give them enough notice that they don’t have to scramble to replace your teaching load and other assignments on short notice.
Note that those arrangements could be through adjuncts or reassigning the load among the existing faculty, or anything else. I agree waiting for a TT hire is unreasonable—the process just takes too long. However, if you've been there a year or two, you should already have a sense of when teaching assignments are being decided for the following year and can plan accordingly.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I think the answer is "when you find a good opportunity." I have a slightly embarrassing amount of experience in this regard, as well as some experience on the other end of things viewing such applications. My experience is that they will not care where you are in your tenure review process; the advice about moving pre- vs. post-tenure is mostly just because there are usually more internal barriers to hiring someone with tenure (which still happens quite often).
Upvotes: 4
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<issue_start>username_0: I have been offered a <NAME> Fellowship as a PhD researcher. That means I would be employed by the business school to carry out 3 years of a PhD project approved by European Commission. I would simultaneously have the status of a PhD student and a business school employee.
However, the business school is perhaps ranked around 9 to 10 in that country. A serious concern is if other (better ranked) schools in that country and in rest of Europe will look down upon my PhD just because it is not from the list of elite schools in Europe. This particular school is *not ranked* by 2 of the well known rankings, though it punches way higher than its size and overall reputation *research-wise* in a third ranking, which is often considered the most trusted by students embarking on PhD at a business school.
I know what the project is and who my supervisor will be. He is an active researcher, though I don't know to what extent he would go on to support me during and after PhD.
The alternative is a regular PhD program, with a full scholarship at a pretty strong brand name within Europe (another country). However, its research ranking is not very good, but the overall impression of that school Europe-wide is impressive. The school overall features in top 30 worldwide in one of the rankings, but for research in my area of studies, it ranks between 100-150 by 2 rankings and about 200-250 by the third. This school is ranked 3rd-4th in its country and is known internationally for its MBAs *et cetera*, so at least recruiters would know the school. I don't know what project I would eventually finalize and the supervisor I would get, but as they say, the chances of things going wrong are lower at a good school.
My goal: I am looking at a career in academia afterwards. Some professors I spoke with have hinted that it is often the name of the graduating school that gets you noticed. **Could the mention of <NAME>ie fellowship compensate for any weaknesses of the specific school I attend? If so, how do I overcome the reputation and get noticed when the recruiters are said to be interested in shortlisting based on the recognition / popularity of schools?**
EDIT: The <NAME> Fellowship is at a business school that has only very recently (last 3-5 years) published in the highest rated journals but the brand image has still not improved in view of the professors I spoke with. I told them about the high impact research it has in recent years produced but according to them, it goes in the following order (for fresh PhDs in business) where your CV may be dropped after considering each of the following: 1- School where candidate did his PhD, 2- Publication record, 3- References, 4- Supervisor, his record, placement and publication record of his other PhD students. Any business management professors / anyone related to academia in business management, please give your input.<issue_comment>username_1: Whatever the answer is, you may want to especially pay attention to answers specific to business schools. (The professors mentioned at the end of the question do teach at business schools, I see.) (I have taken a U.S. B-school class and had friends in the PhD program there, and I have worked (inside and outside academia) with people with PhDs from B-schools, but I am not an "insider" by any means.) My guess would be that academics at a B-school may be less dismissive of a dual-purpose program like <NAME>, especially if you point out it will help you teach MBAs who are almost all industry-bound. However, MBAs that are connected to professors with name-brand pedigrees might be easier to "sell," meaning that the school name would help you get hired. (Perhaps see how schools characterize their faculty in materials for marketing their MBA program.)
A lot of it comes down to: **do you like the PhD project you would be doing?** Starting off with a sponsored project under the EC aegis could be a huge advantage, if you can envision an interesting project developing there. (If it would just be a glorified annual report, with significant constraints on what you can examine, then that may not be as impressive.) Instead of being "that candidate from the research university not ranked by list a or list b," you would be, "the candidate who works with the EC job-training data," say.
Also, maybe it works differently in business or this is lost in translation, but the academic job market doesn't involve "recruiters," as far as I have heard. You'll apply to many places, and the people making decisions are faculty members. They would probably care about the schools' research rankings and the quality of your research, among other interests. (The more research you would be expected to do, the more your research pedigree matters; the more you're hired to teach, the more your ability to offer the MBAs an elite experience matters.)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Having a Marie Curie scholarship is quite an achievement, congratulations! I know of schools who will take you right away if you have a Marie Curie stipend, no matter if you already know someone at that school. In Germany, rankings are often disregarded, as they tend to be highly biased. Go for what is more interesting for you, and that sounds like the ITN!
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am 19 years old. I was average in high school in Mathematics. I never participated in IMO or related competitions. As a result I didn't join a prestigious undergraduate school. However during 2nd year in abstract algebra courses I developed an obsession for the subject. My advisor told me to look over some graduate level abstract algebra textbooks which I certainly will.
My school can offer me some grad level courses in my fourth year like Class Field Theory and Modular Forms. Nonetheless, not being able to attend a prestigious undergraduate still haunts me. I know it will certainly affect my graduate school admissions.
In the long term, do late bloomers in Mathematics have a chance to pursue good research careers in Mathematics?<issue_comment>username_1: It is somewhat common to find highly intelligent, promising students that find it difficult to apply themselves in topics they are not interested in. Upon finding that one topic, these people excel quickly because it consumes them. I actually know scientists at top universities that previously flunked out of college for just that reason. So the fact that you’re experiencing this now is not surprising; in fact you’re fortunate that you’re still so young - plenty of time to dive in.
On your less-than-reputable undergrad institution, this may hurt you a bit as names *do* matter, sadly. Fortunately, if you mean to go academic in life, this is less a problem for undergraduate institution than graduate. So, you should set your sights on a good graduate school and start working on it. The best way to do this is to gain the respect of a professor you know to secure a strong letter and also start reaching out to *specific* people you’d like to work with. Take a very impassioned, personal approach, and you’ll be given a bit more consideration than the nameless others that apply.
Good luck, future mathematician!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: It might be *easier* to advance well in a more scintillating, rigorous department. But there's a lot to be said for being a big fish in a little pond, for example you might find more personal attention in the little pond. And it's easier to stand out (make a big splash!).
If you want to transfer, in principle, after the sophomore isn't a bad time to do it. But check deadlines carefully.
Will you run out of courses to take at your current college? In some locations, one can take a couple of courses from a nearby more rigorous department or a larger department in the senior year. You might not be able to transfer those credits in; but that might not cause problems if you've collected enough credits at your home institution (without adding in the transfer credits) in order to graduate. If you know that the transfer credits won't be accepted, you might want to save some money by auditing when you register for the summer class(s).
It might be worthwhile to check if your college has a foreign exchange program.
Let's say you finish out the degree where you are, but don't get into the level of program you would like in the first round. In this case, it can be helpful to take some additional classes somewhere with a strong teaching record, as a non-matriculated student, to build up your knowledge and experience.
I can't swear to this in the context of a pure math programs, but in my experience with applying to a top-notch computer science department, the undergraduate institution's name didn't matter. They were looking at the transcript, essay and recommendations. I think for math, the GRE would be on that list as well. If you can get some undergraduate research experience (possibly this coming summer).
Would the delay (compared to your peers) hold you back? Not necessarily. Many people think the undergraduate degree is some kind of race. It isn't.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I'm training a 19 year old undergraduate at this time. He seems a bit insecure and hesitant because he has an average background, but he keeps up with my assignments, which are quite hard, and has learned a lot of stuff over the few months since we work together. He actually is better at what he does than many graduate students. He has the motivation and the drive and is very curious -- I'd say he's scientist material.
He has to learn one thing: how to tackle complex problems. Once you learn that thing yourself you're out there with the big boys. It's not easy, because complex problems need lots of time, but with proper advise, persistence and motivation you'll get there.
Solving complex research problems involves learning how to simplify them (e.g. divide them in subproblems), how to search for the resources necessary to find solutions to subproblems, how to ask the relevant questions, ignore irrelevant information, be organized, etc. Once you have found your own way to approach such problems, your output and originality will only be limited by how good is your approach and what resources in terms of people, time and money you can access.
Oh, and I'm at a truly disreputable institution and my previous student is now at a very strong school in EU.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Not at all. I was just an enthusiast before but am now studying highgrade mathematics. Not to mention it only happened in two years span. I am now 21.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/10
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<issue_start>username_0: When transfering a rather complex equation from another authors published article, to a computer programming language such as R, does the intellectual property of the script itself belong to the programmer?
Or would it be like translating, say a quote, to a different language?
Does it depend on the complexity of implementing the model in the script?
I am thinking of this on more of a philosophical level, rather than specific IP laws.<issue_comment>username_1: There are some disgusting cases of patented algorithms, but in a generic case, everyone can translate a formula from a paper to code.
Even more: it's the essence of computer science in *how* to translate a formula to code. This can be done in various ways, where some are much more efficient (and hence, better) than others. So it's definitely the intellectual property of the person, who wrote the code.
Probably, some implementations can be dismissed as trivial, but most would not be.
Of course, it's still an implementation of your formula / algorithm, which (normally) would be credited as such. But this retains you no rights to the implementation.
You might retain rights for the formula itself, by patenting it or something. Unless it's something big, I would not really bother.
Disclaimer: I am not a layer.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I expect that there are few equations non-trivial enough that the author has a reasonable claim of ownership, for which the corresponding code implementation is so trivial that the programmer can't reasonably claim a certain degree of ownership of their own.
Here is an analogy to consider. If an author were to construct some great, abstract system of morality, it is indisputable that they could fairly claim ownership over it. However, if another author were to take those abstract ideas and make them concrete by way of accessible language and real-world analogies, that second author could surely claim ownership of their own interpretation of the original author's ideas. Here, I liken the first author to the creator of the equation, and the second to the programmer who implemented it in code.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/11
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<issue_start>username_0: So I lecture at a university on the department of mathematics and statistics, and this year I am teaching calculus for future mathematicians. One good thing about the mathematics course is that very seldom I have seen students cheating, since people who choose the academic path are more bound to be interested in learning the subject rather than just trying to obtain a diploma.
Well... At least until now.
There is this small group of students who sometimes whisper during the tests. The other times their class had tests I thought they were asking for an eraser or something like that. But this time they were whispering more than usual and they started stopping after I glared at them. I thought it was suspicious so I waited until the end of the test and went to check their sheets and ditto. They all wrote the exact same thing. (For those familiar with maths they didn't copy a thing or two, but two actual entire theorem proofs.)
Now next time we have tests I could try separating those guys, asking them to sit on other chairs, staying behind the class in order to make it difficult for the students to cheat and stuff like that, but in all seriousness... Those measures make it look like I'm dealing with kids. I'm not a teacher. I'm a professor. I shouldn't be dealing with kids.
Basically I want to do something about this but I don't want to start making the class look like a high school. Those guys are future math teachers/professors and I'll be damned if I have to organize the class preventing future professors from cheating like this was a normal occurrence.
So what should a professor do in this situation? Are there any things you fellow professors have done and worked? Thanks in advance.<issue_comment>username_1: Like you say, you shouldn't be (and aren't) dealing with kids. Before the next exam, remind everyone of the cheating policy and the punishments for violating it. Even put it in writing exactly what the consequences of violating the policy is. Then, at the next exam, if they violate engage in cheating, follow through with the punishment.
If the punishment is to assign a 0, then do that. If you feel the need to do so, you could even take the offending parties' exams immediately and ask them to leave so they do not disrupt the other students. As stated before, these are not children. These are adults entering the real world of real academic integrity laws. Going easy on them here will do no good.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I suppose you’re in a big lecture hall? If the ‘cheating’ is just verbal communication it’s hard to deal with, save for splitting groups up. You might consider recruiting some grad students to stand proctor, walk around a bit to cut down on it. Consider also the form of your tests. Multiple choice is easy and quick to communicate. Essay and show-your-answer is way harder to cheat on. For multiple choice, creating multiple versions might help.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Unless you have very weird exam regulations or are allowing people to take exams in groups, no one should be talking to anyone else except via the proctors. I would view this as an infraction of the exam regulations and stop them from proceeding with the exam, and file for the appropriate sanctions.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: I suppose there is a rule "Thou shalt not plagiarise” and your case is a form of plagiarism - one claims the other's work as their own and vice versa.
Show the papers to your colleague, the professor, who grants the lecture or dept head, if you both assess the tests same then when returning graded papers to your students show anyone publicly the tests and prove them same. Therefore plagiarised. And mark their works as unattended.
At the time of the test, when you catch anyone whispering, you can ask them to finish their discussion, which is obviously more important to them than the test is, in the caffeteria and leave their unimportant tests on the table as is.
Be consistent in your decisions and show them you are not an boring robot but a human who was young as well as them.
If you are really annoyed by their behaviour, you can show your displeasure less conveniently, yet acceptably in your region. You can staple their tests together and ask them to close the door from the other side. You can make a rubber stamp with large letters "DQ", "Disqualified", "plagiarised" or any other cheater-mocking text and stamp it on their papers. You can throw their student IDs through the window (be sure there is no pond they can sink in or there are no workers mowing the grass, etc.) and order them to follow. The point is to show the cheaters you are definite in your decision and show possible future cheaters that the attempt to cheating is a big no-no.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: >
> So what should a professor do in this situation?
>
>
>
There are probably all sorts of things you should/could do, but one big thing I would advise you to do is to work on your own mindset and free yourself of several misconceptions and false premises that I think are implicit in your question. Specifically, you write:
>
> Those measures make it look like I'm dealing with kids. I'm not a teacher. I'm a professor. I shouldn't be dealing with kids.
>
>
> [...]
>
>
> I'll be damned if I have to organize the class preventing future professors from cheating like this was a normal occurrence.
>
>
>
The false premises here are:
1. *A professor is not a teacher.* Well, My dictionary defines “teacher” as “a person who teaches, especially in a school”. I understand that you wrote “teacher” but probably meant more specifically “schoolteacher”, but this is a good opportunity to remind yourself that as a professor, you *are* actually a “teacher”. Part of your job is to teach, and part of teaching involves mundane tasks like giving exams and enforcing rules of academic honesty, and occasionally disciplining students who violate those rules. If you adopt the mindset that such tasks are beneath your dignity because “I’m not a teacher. I’m a professor”, I foresee a lot of frustrations in your future “professing” career.
2. *Only kids cheat.* That’s objectively false. Many kids are dishonest, but it’s a fact that many adults are also dishonest and try to cheat their way through life. Your expectations that because your job is to teach adults you “shouldn’t be dealing with [dishonest behavior that you think only kids exhibit]” are unrealistic. Again, if you don’t break free of this mindset and adapt your expectations to fit reality, I predict that you will suffer a good deal of disappointment and frustration down the road.
3. *Cheating is not a normal occurrence.* Sadly that’s not true in places I’m familiar with. Cheating is a fact of life (though thankfully relatively rare where I am), and dishonest behavior among students is merely a reflection of the broader societies we live in. Until our society changes drastically you should expect to continue to encounter cheating on a fairly regular basis. In my opinion, having realistic expectations is again key to not allowing this to drive you insane. Good luck!
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: >
> I thought it was suspicious so I waited until the end of the test and went to check their sheets and ditto.
>
>
>
I think you made a strategic mistake here. **If you want to prevent cheating, you need to intervene on the spot in the moment it is (or appears) happening.**
In this case you would not only stare at the students but walk up to them and say "You are not allowed to talk to each other or whisper during the exam. Do not do it again." If you hear whispering again, go there again and repeat but amend with "If you talk to each other or whisper another time you fail the exam." If you hear whispering again, they fail.
Of course, it is your job to prevent cheating. This does not mean that you have to everything possible but it also does not mean, that (because you deal with adults) you don't have to do anything. Just be there at the test and take action as soon as you observe any suspicious behavior.
To prevent any whispering from the start you should explicitly announce what anybody needs to bring. Also, be prepared yourself with some paper and pens. Then announce, that people raise their hands if they need *anything* and seat them such that you can reach everybody. This should lead to no need of any talking between students whatsoever.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_7: I'm a professor in the US. At most of the universities I have taught, this (witnessed whispering, identical proofs on exam) would be enough to file a report about academic dishonesty. Possibly your university will require you to speak with the student before filing this report, but not necessarily.
File the report. Give a zero on the exam (or at least on the problem, if you are feeling generous). The only thing to prevent students from cheating is for there to be consequences. If you just give them a stern warning, the best you can hope for is that they won't cheat again in your class, and will start again next semester. Most of the real consequences will then be decided by the university based on whether or not this is a first/second offense, etc.
(In all likelihood, if they do not already have an infraction on file, which they probably don't since many professors won't file them, their consequences will be minor. But it's important for you to put this one on file, otherwise there is not much that ends up getting done about repeat incidences.)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_8: I am answering this question in a student's perspective. It's been three years now since I graduated from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, as a Chemical Engineering Bachelor.
I have a ton of friends that were avid cheaters during college. That was their most comfortable game. Your students that you caught during this exam are complete newbies in this world, and their technique is totally lacking. My colleagues would set up truly intricate schemes to avoid being caught.
However, I can assert with significant confidence at this point: those are the ones that have been struggling the most since they've been out of college. There is no possible cheating when you enter the job market. There is no 'answer sheet' waiting for you somewhere to be copied from. The very scarce opportunities you will find to shortcut difficulties will usually have a percent chance to put you in jail.
That said, I believe that your best lesson, as a professor, is to take the test from them and assign a zero. Make them fail the course by breaking the rules, and you will be providing them a much more valuable lesson than mathematics: you will be teaching them to do the right thing and assume the consequences for their lack of preparation and dishonesty.
Transporting a lesson from the startup world: fail cheap and quickly, so that you learn your needed lessons fast and at a low cost. Let them have this opportunity.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_9: Unfortunately, cheating is a reality in higher education. You may have to make some small changes in your classroom if you want to combat cheating.
**1. Know your institution's policy.**
At some institutions, professors cannot determine the penalty for cheating or sometimes even whether cheating has occurred. At my institution, we are to collect evidence (e.g. student testimonial, photographs, video - yes, with our phones) that cheating has occurred, then turn that information over to a committee that reviews the evidence and decides the fate of the student(s). Before you assign some sort of punishment, be sure you can actually do so.
**2. Make expectations clear.**
In the syllabus, put a small paragraph on academic honesty. If your university gives you the ability to punish those who cheat, then outline how you will do that. Refer students to your institution's page on academic honesty and point out the consequences of violating the honor code during the first week of class.
**3. Create more than one version of your exams.**
I'm also in a mathematics department and occasionally do this to prevent - or, at least, to complicate - cheating. Creating multiple versions of exams can be as extensive as having completely different questions or as simple as reordering the same collection of questions. Many of my colleagues also print different versions of their exams on paper of different colors. Some even make only two versions of an exam but in *four* different colors to trick students into thinking there are *four* different exams.
**4. Place yourself near the problem.**
When you suspect a student (or, in your case, a group of students) is cheating during an exam, walk toward them, pause in front of them, and look directly at them. When you are quite sure cheating has occurred, stand in front of them for an uncomfortable amount of time and make eye contact, if you can.
Don't be demeaned by enforcing academic honesty policies, and don't let cheaters take advantage of you. Instead, do what you can do to make sure cheaters don't prosper.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: To minimize cheating in the future, I recommend the following techniques that I used:
1) Assigned random seating.
2) Alternate versions of the exams between seats
3) Absolutely no communication during exams with anyone but me (or other proctors).
4) Constant vigilance. Don't just sit at the front while they take the exam, wander throughout the exam. They shouldn't feel comfortable doing anything but keeping their head on the exam.
If your students were able to produce the same answer because they studied together, good for them. If they were able to communicate an entire proof during your exam? You're not proctoring.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_11: In my Year 10 computing class, I did an assignment quite easily. What I didn't know was that the rest of the class had all copied from the other bloke in the room who also found it easy. When I say copied, they actually passed a 3 & 1/2 inch floppy around the room and duplicated the text file. So, of 30 students, 29 of them provided exactly the same response. When class came the next day EVERY student except me was given a fail mark for the course and asked to write to the parents to explain why they chose the lazy path. While I felt a little maligned by the approach (I was made out to be the 'teacher's pet'), not a single one of them ever cheated again on a test (to the best of my knowledge) - they knew it wasn't worth it. A few of them had to explain why they left someone else's name at the bottom of their report... #idiots.
So, immediate action and consequence made its mark. The teacher they all thought was 'easy' suddenly had a backbone and they knew they couldn't get away with idiocy anymore.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_12: Speaking from my university experience here (it was in Germany if that matters). Preventing cheating without making it into "dealing with kids" as you put it is basically impossible. It is a constant game of cat and mouse, and you are always on the back foot. Open book exams might help, or permitting one page of paper (be sure to have exact specifications) as 'cheat sheet'.
For exams our professors would get large rooms and enforce seating policies. As 'high-schoolish' as this sounds, 'Use only every second row, every third seat' and assigning seats per student number makes whispering and passing notes pretty hard. You need something, even just an eraser? Raise your hand, ask a TA, otherwise you risk getting disqualified. One strike, next one and you are out.
They would also never be alone. In our smaller courses (30ish students) were two TAs supervising, for the larger exams we had up to six.
Empty desks, bags in the empty row in front of you. (Needed tools, water, snacks... permitted ofc.) Paper was provided by the TAs, usually stamped or marked in another way.
Only one person to the bathroom at a time, managed by the TAs.
And still plenty of students managed to cheat. This is a very recent case from Singapore, and they already ahve airport-style checks at the entrance: [Singapore Tutor uses skin-colored earpieces to relay answers to students (April 2018)](https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/singapore-tutor-used-skin-coloured-earphones-to-help-students-cheat-1839139)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_13: You should set different exams with each having different questions and make sure students sitting next or close or around each other should not have the same exam. I remember my biology teacher always use this technique and cheating had to stop because different question implied different answers.
Upvotes: -1
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2018/05/11
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm from the UK, and currently writing my dissertation. I'm citing several sources from publishers in the USA, and am unsure what the best practice is for writing the place of publication. The publisher is based in Hoboken, New Jersey. I could write it in any number of ways:
>
> <NAME>. (2011) ‘Chinese Syllable Structure’, In: van Oostendorp, M. and others (eds.) The Blackwell Companion to Phonology. Hoboken, New Jersey, United States of America: 1-24
>
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> <NAME>. (2011) ‘Chinese Syllable Structure’, In: <NAME>, M. and others (eds.) The Blackwell Companion to Phonology. Hoboken, New Jersey, United States: 1-24
>
>
> <NAME>. (2011) ‘Chinese Syllable Structure’, In: <NAME>, M. and others (eds.) The Blackwell Companion to Phonology. Hoboken, New Jersey: 1-24
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> <NAME>. (2011) ‘Chinese Syllable Structure’, In: <NAME>, M. and others (eds.) The Blackwell Companion to Phonology. Hoboken, NJ, USA: 1-24
>
>
>
I don't think I can simply write New Jersey or NJ, as I've cited another publisher from Norwood NJ. I'm not sure whether it's necessary to write "United States of America" in any form, as to me, New Jersey is unambiguously a US state (just as I wouldn't need to clarify that London or Oxford was in England). But given that I'm not in the US, is it better to do so? And if so, which form is it best to write it in?
I can't refer to my reference guide for help, as we use the unhelpfully inconsistent MHRA Author-Date system, which varies between just about every resource.<issue_comment>username_1: It's a good idea to take a step back here, and think about what the purpose of the bibliography is. Ultimately, it is supposed to allow a reader to unambiguously determine what publication is being cited, and further to help them get a copy of the publication.
In order to achieve this goal, I'd argue that specifying the location of a publisher is in most cases an anachronism. Given there is only a single 'Blackwell Companion to Phonology', which I can find in seconds with a web search, I don't really need to know that the publisher is located in New Jersey. We only still do it out of tradition. Incidentally, a **far better** way of unambiguously referencing a book is to state its ISBN.
However, bibliography styles may require that we include a location. In your case, you are unable to find a single 'correct' way of stating location for your bibliography style. So I would say, do whatever you want. Frankly, even if one of these is 'correct' under your bibliography style, I doubt anyone would notice, and if they did notice, I doubt that they would care. My personal preference would be towards brevity (e.g. *Hoboken, NJ, USA*).
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Author-date MHRA is a somewhat unique style in that the [style guide](http://www.mhra.org.uk/style/11.4) says
>
> The form recommended for use in MHRA publications is as in the following examples
>
>
>
It seems that author-date MHRA style is only a recommendation and not a strict style. That said looking at the style guide, the author-date recommendations for publisher location do not deviate from the regular [section](http://www.mhra.org.uk/style/3.1#1) devoted to their unique handling of names of towns and cities and countries as well as [giving the place of publication](http://www.mhra.org.uk/style/11.2#2) in book citations:
>
> The two-letter abbreviated forms of names of American states (see 4.5) should be included if there is danger of confusion (e.g. Cambridge, MA; Athens, GA). These are not required if the name of the state appears in the name of the publisher (e.g. Athens: University of Georgia Press).
>
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>
Upvotes: 3
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2018/05/11
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<issue_start>username_0: I came in as a liberal arts major freshman year, and by around February realized it wasn't what I wanted to do.
I took general chemistry last summer. By the end of the summer, I had begun working in a research lab and was already on track to graduate with the rest of my fellow biochem majors. By that I mean I was in the same courses as everyone else,
e.g., took organic, physics, required maths, etc.
This summer I'll be working a paid internship working in the lab, and might be able to get something published. Junior year will be this fall; I'm taking biochemistry and physical chemistry. In that regard, I'm on track with the other chem majors.
I'm not sure to what extent this is a "problem" per se, but I've really begun to enjoy physics and decided to minor it after the introductory physics courses I took this year. I was considering taking two higher-level physics courses both in the fall and spring of my junior year.
I want to go graduate school for chemistry. But will it look bad on my transcript if I have all of those physics courses junior year? That is, will it seem like I'm not focused enough in the field of chemistry? Should I be spending those seven credit hours on something like analytical chem or a special topic in biochemistry course instead? Should my junior year have more chemistry courses than biochem and pchem? Should I drop the physics courses to focus on more chemistry courses?<issue_comment>username_1: It sounds like you've got a plan to take all of the courses required for your chemistry core. That being the case, having a physics minor won't hurt you since physics and chemistry are closely related sciences. Having a broader background in a related science will likely help you as long as you have the required core courses. You will also have a chance to do some more upper level chemistry work in your senior year.
Doing research will really stand out in your application as well, and this is at least as good as having done an upper division special topics course. Since graduate school is more focused on research, having undergraduate research experience lines up well with your plans, and that will stand out to the selection committee.
My one suggestion would be to start looking ahead to where you want to go to grad school. Look at their graduate college page and see what courses are required for applicants and make sure your remaining course work lines up with that. Also look at the faculty research pages and start thinking about who you want to work with as a graduate adviser (a critical decision!). Contact a couple you're interested in and ask for a phone or skype informational interview. In addition, talk to your current research adviser or the principal investigator you're going to be working with this summer. Most likely, they will be very happy to mentor you in preparing for graduate school, and also helping you establish contacts at your schools of interest. My undergraduate research advisor helped me open doors to both graduate school and a prestigious post-grad internship that really boosted my appeal as a grad school candidate. Good luck!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you're applying for graduate school programs, you want to present the strongest case you can that you are on track to satisfy the requirements of the program and, even more importantly, that you will be able to do research in the field. Most undergraduate chemistry departments have a relatively well-specified curriculum, with a number of courses being fairly standard requirements (general, organic, physical, inorganic, analytical), and then a few electives. If possible, if you can, you should try to have all the "standard" courses and one or two of the more advanced electives finished by the time you apply.
The extra courses in physics might be helpful, but not nearly so much as the chemistry courses will be. So, if you have to choose between a chemistry course and a physics course, I'd go with the chemistry course this year, and wait until your senior year to take the remaining ones.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/11
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<issue_start>username_0: How is it received by the readers to see the dedication in, say, Chinese, while the entire other parts of the thesis or a book is in English?
Would that annoy the readers who do not know the language of the dedication?
Would that be considered as "putting private message in a publicly-designated document"?
Is there a reference that says whether this is a good/bad practice?<issue_comment>username_1: You're allowed to write a dedication in whatever language you'd like. Most readers skip the dedication page anyways, so it's not as if it's going to really influence their view. I'd find it interesting, myself, but others might be slightly confused to see a different language or alphabet. But I doubt many people would stop reading just because they saw something like that.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Supervisors will not make you change your acknowledgements or dedication. This section is entirely up to you. It is your personal choice what to include here and your choice alone. My supervisor did not even copyedit mine, he marked it clearly as such so that I was aware that I had to proofread it carefully myself.
You can acknowledge whoever and whatever is important in your life, I've seen PhD theses dedicated to God, deceased relatives, and even Cup Ramen. It's not uncommon for these to take an informal tone and have in-jokes directed at particular lab members, friends, and family how provided support.
There are no recommendations here. However, it is important that your readers (and especially your examiners) can read and understand some of it. Specifically, they will check whether your supervisor(s) have been acknowledged. If they aren't it can indicate that there were problems between the candidate and the supervisors (or that the thesis was completed and submitted without their oversight). It depends on the examination process of your institution but your relationship with your supervisor and whether they supported submission of the final version could be looked into.
Otherwise, anything goes and it depends who you wish for your acknowledgements and dedication to be directed at. If English is not your native language, it is completely acceptable to include a small passage as long as the research content of your thesis can be understood by your examiners (usually in English). It is your choice whether you translate this.
For example, here is the ending of my acknowledgements section for my PhD thesis. This is directed at my partner, also a scientist, who is Japanese (we were doing long distance at the time). No one has ever questioned me on the meaning of this or why I included it.
You can find the full thesis here for an example:
<https://ourarchive.otago.ac.nz/handle/10523/7699>[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6Osht.png)
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/12
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in a terrible situation. My two supervisors said that my thesis (about to be submitted) is borderline because I do not have any published paper (two submissions only). It is because I tried hard to submit A/A\* journal.
My program does not need the paper though, but it sorts of culture and expectation in Computer sciences where everyone normally has a published paper.
I did think about quitting before or resorting to a Master, but I cannot do that anymore because I am in my third year in an Australian uni.
Edit: Got a job that is willing to pay me a Ph.D. salary before having my Ph.D. result. In my CV, I did mention that I had submitted my thesis, but not know the result yet. And yes, they asked why I move to industry? The reason was that I want to acquire industrial experiences which will be more challenging that can result in real-world contribution.<issue_comment>username_1: The question in the title is better than the specific one asked in the body of your post. (By better, I mean more in line with the aim of this site, as it is useful to many people in doctoral programs).
How to present ourselves to employers after a failed PhD is something many of us have pondered in moments of self doubt. To be clear, we are talking about truly failing (as determed by the committee/department/institution), not leaving for other reasons before finishing.
I think one possible spin to put on it, is that you've learned many, many skills and acquired a lot of knowledge over the course of your studies that will be useful in the workplace. The exact content of the dissertation itself may have been deemed inadequate or inappropriate for awarding the degree, but that does not mean that your knowledge and skills in the general field of study in which you were working are inadequate.
This argument is even stronger in an area like CS than it is in an area like (pure) math (for example). In math, to get a non-academic job I would push my research and writing skills. These skills would be hard to sell if I had failed my PhD. But in CS, you can get jobs based on things like programming skills that might be strong despite failing a thesis defense.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You can put "admitted to candidacy" or "all but dissertation" or something like that in your CV.
In the the interview, you can say that you got a lot out of your studies, but that you've realized that the academic life is not for you. Be prepared to give one reason if necessary, and choose something as a reason that makes you look sympathetic, for example, "I found out I like working on real world problems, more than on theoretical problems that have no connection to the way people actually interact with computers." I made that up -- it's just an example to give you an idea how it's possible to present oneself in a positive light.
Don't let them get the idea that you were extremely close to defending when you decided to leave, or that you failed the defense. Let them think that you broke up with your department, not that your department broke up with you.
But take the high road when speaking of your department. In other words, don't wash any dirty laundry in public. Don't say anything negative about the department or anyone in it. If they press you for more information, just go into broken record mode.
The easiest way to pull all of this off is to imagine that a year or two have gone by since you left the program, and you're talking to them about something that was a minor headline in last year's newspaper.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: First of all, read the rules and procedures of your program carefully from start to finish. Don't make major life decisions over what you heard secondhand. For one thing, as others here, I am skeptical that you would leave empty-handed. Traditionally, failing a PhD means you get a Master's as a consolation prize and shown the door. Also note that you have rights beyond your department's decisions. They might want for their department to be special but it is generally not completely within their power to make up their own rules.
Second of all, if you do want to finish, it sounds like you are in good shape. "Borderline" is a positive answer to me, you have one foot in the winning side. You did produce papers, they just weren't accepted *yet*. Resubmit elsewhere. That count as publications "in process". Ask your committee what additional analysis will make your thesis passable. If you fail the defense, you can redo it after improvements. If you are not up against a hard graduation deadline you can continue trying. Remember research is a field that sometimes (often actually) required dogged tenacity.
Finally to actually answer your question, in industry they want to know your skills and accomplishments apart from the school graduation requirements (about which they care little). Without even a Master's you presumably aren't looking for research jobs. So they probably expect no more than a short resume (the rule of thumb used to be one page per ten years experience) which would devote a couple bullets tops to what you did in your years at school. E.g., used method A to address problem B.
As for interviews and generally framing things, you can tell them pretty much anything. Google around and you should find many good ideas. The critical thing is to be positive and avoid the appearance of being a quitter. For example, you decided research wasn't for you and you wanted to do "real work" (particularly the kind of work they do at the place who asked you the question). Or even just that you couldn't take being a starving student anymore. Or you didn't want to overspecialize your career in research. It's pretty easy to convince people who also didn't want a PhD, that you had a good reason for not wanting one yourself. This isn't really a question to ask academics, but industry professionals instead. Note that these answers are actually not lies, since you could have continued to work towards a doctorate if you really wanted to but are apparently deciding not to.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: Some universities have a rule that, for example, "if it appears that a student in your class may be guilty of academic misconduct, you must promptly ask the student to meet with you informally to discuss your concerns." The [quote](http://www.uwc.edu/sites/uwc.edu/files/imce-uploads/employees/policies/academic-misconduct.pdf) is taken from one such university, the University of Wisconsin. UW's Academic Misconduct Guide for Instructors goes on to say: "You can discuss the matter with the student in person, by telephone, **or online**. During this meeting, you should explain why you believe the student may have committed academic misconduct and give the student an opportunity to respond. It is not necessary to inform the student in writing before this meeting."
What is the rationale behind this type of requirement?
Bonus: How common is this? When did universities in the US start instituting this type of requirement?<issue_comment>username_1: The reason a meeting is called before filing academic misconduct charges, is...
Because what looks like cheating can have a non-cheating explanation, and a accusation taken far enough can be devastating to the student, who might want to sue.
So, pragmatically, the Risk Management division of the University would have advised the University that they have to be sure as they can be, in the validity of their information before taking difficult-to-reverse and possibly devastating actions.
That way, since the meeting guarantees hearing all the sides and going through a logical deliberation process, any case against the university, on such matters, would be seen as frivolous, because the University had done their due diligence, allowing the University to avoid legal costs.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I believe that the main impetus for a meeting with the student is to inform them directly that they are being charged with academic misconduct, and to know that they are consciously aware of such charges, so that they cannot claim "no one told me." In general, until recently, at my school, the process dragged on and on because the students need to sign a form indicating their willingness to accept or refuse the sanctions.
However, in recent years, this process has become more digital, and, for instance, at my university, the school no longer requires a face-to-face meeting. The forms are filed and processed electronically, and notification of the intent to file charges can be provided to the student via the campus email system.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: In my experience, many students confess during this initial meeting. In those cases I will bring the formal charges but typically recommend a light punishment (perhaps just a warning or maybe a 0 on the assignment.). Having confessed, students typically won't appeal this punishment.
If the student denies cheating and has no believable explanation, then I feel comfortable recommending a punishment of F in the course. Students can then enter into the judicial process if they want to.
In practice, I've never seen a student produce a believable excuse for apparent cheating.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Adding another perspective on this (why some prefer to contact students personally before escalating): once a formal complaint is filed, then the university has no choice but go through the bureaucratic process of academic misconduct, which is both annoying and time consuming for lecturers (they have to answer emails, attend disciplinary committees etc.). If students admit to cheating (preferably in writing), and not make lecturers go through this process, they get "rewarded" for their cooperation with a milder consequence (maybe just failing the specific assessment rather than the entire class, not having a disciplinary record etc.). In my experience, this is probably the main "unofficial" reason that people go through informal channels - settling things "in house" results in less hassle and pain for everyone.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I am about to submit my thesis. At the moment, I am looking for jobs, but my relationship with both of my Ph.D. supervisors is not good. Now I am facing another complication where I have to find a recommender for a job. I am too scared to get them to be my recommender, yet I will probably have a reason as to why not them.
My supervisors have shown many reactions which indicates that they dislike me, for example, scolding, ignoring emails, blaming, and talking behind my back. Nevertheless, I always act nice to them and say that I agree with them that it was all my fault.
I did not change the supervisors because of my stupidity in thinking that nobody will accept me as my research field is tiny. These results in me feeling as if they all tried to dish me off from this program, but I was too stubborn.
Edit: To give a note that I risked using one of them which turns out not as bad as I thought. Sometimes, the HR just wants someone to provide an honest feedback, and sometimes, the sup may just want an alumni<issue_comment>username_1: Not having the recommendation of the PhD supervisor is going to raise some flags, especially in academia. However, you can get recommendations from other senior people you collaborated with on research papers if you published any. Those people should be able to write decent recommendation letters for you. If you apply for non-academic jobs, you could also ask for a recommendation letter your boss from a previous job if you had one, or your diploma/masters thesis advisers.
Also, if you only have your supervisers to write you recommendation letters, you could still ask one of them who seems nicer. Even if they don't like you and think you're incapable, they would like it even less to have an alumnus flipping burgers. So, they might write you a reasonable recommendation for a non-academic job even though they might not be willing to give you a good letter for an academic one.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You really need them to recommend you for a job so for me you need to have a dialogue with them and ask them to recommend you, tell them how sorry you are . Good luck
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: If this is an academic job, then you need to have a candid conversation with your supervisors. Tell them you're looking for jobs and ask whether they would be able to give you a good recommendation, or if you would be better off not having their recommendation.
If this is not an academic job, the above is still a prudent approach, but your supervisor's recommendation is much less critical. So long as you can find 2-3 people willing to answer the phone and say nice things about you, you should be fine. (Most non-academic jobs require phone conversations, not letters).
By the way, I wanted also to comment on this line:
>
> I always act nice to them and comply with that it was all my faults
>
>
>
At least in the US, grad students approaching graduation should strive to be the professors' peers, not their slaves. It may have been more productive to have "candid conversations" earlier in which you raised the issues you mention directly and tried to resolve them. In particular, it's not necessarily good to accept that everything was "all your fault" -- it's OK to politely push back when you think you're right, or at least ask questions to prevent such situations from recurring. Good luck!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Having read another one of your other recent questions, I'll answer this by assuming (I don't actually know if this is true) that the chances of getting a helpful recommendation from your supervisors is quite low.
In that case I'd suggest you follow the same procedure as has been recommended on this site for the case where the advisor has died, that is, ask a department administrator to write a recommendation.
This case is a little different, though. I suggest you explain frankly to the administrator that you want to work in industry, but you need a positive letter from someone connected with your department; and that there's a bad feeling between you and your supervisors.
A letter from an administrator in a situation like this probably wouldn't be glowing, but it could be enough for you to get a job in industry. Hopefully, once you're on the job, things will go better for you and after a while your workplace supervisor will be able to give you a strong recommendation in case you want to make a lateral move.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: Are there universities that offer PhD in Mathematics without GRE or TOEFL in Europe?
I have completed my Masters in Applied Mathematics with a cgpa 8.0. I am keen to pursue research in Mathematics but I am not aware about the same. I would highly appreciate the comments in this regard.<issue_comment>username_1: You need to write the GRE exam, is not a big deal and many funding opportunities in mathematics but you can research institutions in Germany ,Germany dnt need Gre
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: The GRE is generally not used at all in Europe for Master/PhD admissions.
Another thing is TOEFL, if you will be studying in English you usually have to prove that you are proficient with the language, and there are multiple ways to do it. You have to check with particular institutions to what they require, it could be the TOEFL or IELTS or any other test of english, or proof that you have already completed a degree in English, etc.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: This is a follow-up question to [What does it take for a lower-ranked university to compete with a top-ranked one?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/109274/what-does-it-take-for-a-lower-ranked-university-to-compete-with-a-top-ranked-one).
<NAME>'s answer says that "Faculty will generally only go to places where there are also good students, and the best students go where they can historically expect to get an excellent education." Does this mean that if I want to endow a professorial chair, and I want the endowed professor to produce world-class research, I should do so at a top-ranked university instead of a lower-ranked one? The argument being that, to produce world-class research, one presumably needs top faculty, top students, and money. The endowment covers the money aspect, but there's still faculty & students, and if those gravitate towards top universities then it would presumably also make more sense to endow a chair at a top university.
If the answer is "yes", top universities such as Harvard and Oxford already have billions of dollars in endowment. Is there any way out of this rich-get-richer situation? (I'll ask this as a separate question if it is unrelated to the present one).<issue_comment>username_1: An institution rank is a not necessary a very good measure of how strong its academic programs are. The ranks take that into account, but also consider how good business it that school, how good is the connection of the institution and industry, the endowment, what do the alumni get to do with their degrees, etc.
The strong institutions are strong because they answer a need of society. For example, my graduate school had a strong chemistry program because the graduates could easily get jobs at the nearby chemical plant which was a part of a giant corporation. On the other hand, we had a so-so physics program because there were very few companies interested in what we were doing. Those few companies, however, were in microelectronics, so the few experimental groups in my department were doing that. My point is, lack of local resources was a problem.
A much worse case is my undergraduate school. The physics program shrank from 150 to 20 undergraduates per year simply because the demand for low-paid school teachers dropped significantly over the last decade. The demand for physics graduates is very small in my city because most industry is low tech, or outsourcing. This means many people with physics degrees have insecure jobs at university, or have to move abroad for work and study, or simply leave the field.
Which brings me to the professor endowment at a low ranked school. I, and a few of my colleagues, got starting grants, or just regular grants that we tried to use to form a research group. We hired students, and even postdocs, but we couldn't retain even the average ones simply because there is little opportunity in this place for a young scientist, and the salaries are small in my field. So, we get to retain only people who don't mind salaries or aren't well enough prepared and those who have no choice because of family or other issues. I got to retain no one, thus far. So, three grants so far, no group yet.
Another problem with professor endowment at a low rank institution is the biblical problem of new cloth patch on old cloth. You can put a Ferrari tire on an old Ford Escort, but it won't matter at all. The Ford drives just the same. Worse even, a strong group in a weak university stands out and attracts jealousy, and lots of it.
As an anecdote, one of my friends had a million EU starting grant he won in a national competition. The department head simply blocked all his attempts to bring new people in the group simply because he could. Not to mention the titanic amount of paperwork that the grant generated -- about two big metal closets of signed papers and reports over 3 years.
What I'm getting to is that yes, the endowment of a professor at a low rank university means a lot less than at a strong one. The low ranked university most likely has a poorly performing bureaucracy, possibly a toxic academic environment, weak connection with local industry, or nonexistent local industry, is in a relatively poor area, etc. Then, the faculty ends up squandering his endowment, because he can buy equipment (often overpriced), but can't create a research group because he can't maintain a healthy flux of people, some coming in to study, some going out to new jobs.
Oh, and a fun fact about truly low ranked places. You may get a grant now and form a decent team with reasonably good collaborations and everything, and then your country won't have another grant competition for three years just because.
**Edit** -- response to comment about money squandering:
For example, you get 1 million over three years. You could buy a 500k equipment you need, but you can't because you only get 333k/year which you have to spend by 31st december. The institution won't help you because it's a lot of money and complicates a lot the accounting, so you end up spending 333k on smaller stuff you don't really need. By the end of the year all money have to be spend, or returned to the government.
Sometimes, you try to buy your equipment when the project starts. You get your money, but not at the beginning of the year. You get them sometimes late in October (it happened to me and four of my colleagues twice already in three years). To buy the equipment, the law requires you to make an auction. The procedure goes for a few months, but cannot end later than 4-th December because the ministry of education must close the financial year. You lose money again, or settle for buying other stuff you don't really need.
Another way of squandering, which works especially well for research institute is paying salaries to your research team. You can't really form your own research team as a senior researcher unless you already have one. So, if you get a grant, you will need to take members of other research team an pay them to work on your project. You are lucky if you get three people whose specialization allow them to bring a meaningful contribution to your project. Nonetheless, you have to hire someone and pay them. You could try hiring new students and postdocs, but you'd be lucky if you found more than one guy at a time willing to work for the sum you're allowed to pay. So you hire one student who does something, you pay two-three guys who can help and another 4 whose only contribution is a friendly attitude. More than that, when you apply for grants you need to nominate the research team beforehand (except for postdocs and students).
After one year and half, the student leaves to study abroad, the helpful guys get involved in other projects and neglect yours, and you have a 6-12 months of funding left. Then you spend another 2 months to prepare a decent grant application to continue funding the work you started and you get a second chance at starting a group.
Another way of wasting research money is buying overpriced equipment. The local shady companies always seem to know beforehand how much money you have and make you offers for the whole sum. When the auction comes, the others magically withdraw and you are stuck with a take it or leave it bad offer. For example, not so long ago I proposed an experiment for which I needed an impedance analyzer. We got offers from the local shady scientific instruments company. They asked for 30k for the thing. Luckily the funding was withdrawn and I didn't have time to make that mistake. Quickly looking through experimental papers, I realized that similar experiments worked out very well with used 2k analyzers.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Does this mean that if I want to endow a professorial chair, and I
> want the endowed professor to produce world-class research, I should
> do so at a top-ranked university instead of a lower-ranked one?
>
>
>
First, "rank" is a tricky thing. It may not be that a top-ranked school is "The best place for X research...", especially if you are talking about niche topics. To use an example, arguably the two of the best places for mathematical biology in the U.S. are the University of Tennessee and Ohio State, neither one of which are what most people would consider a "top-ranked university".
>
> The argument being that, to produce world-class research, one
> presumably needs top faculty, top students, and money.
>
>
>
In my example above, both those institutions have all of those things, along with a steady stream of top postdocs.
The existence of an endowed position can *help* recruit those top people. For example, my own position has considerably more hard money than is typical in my field. This is a luxury that I have to consider when thinking about moving to "better" institutions - they reduce my quality of life.
There's also the question of context - if you want to endow a Aspen Tree Conservation, my guess is the University of Colorado is a better bet than Harvard. See also *many* things that are done at Land Grant schools in the U.s.
There's an additional argument for endowing a chair at a "lesser" university - the "Big Fish in a Small Pond" concept. An endowed chair at Harvard is one among many such positions, and may not be able to command resources, operate with impunity, etc. that someone at a lower ranked institution could. That can definitely impact someone's effectiveness.
I think the appropriate answer for "Where should I endow a chair" (besides, clearly, *me*) is "Where is the best research on what I care about taking place". That's very hard to summarize with something as crude as a rank.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: As an endowed faculty member at a lesser university in the Western U.S., I would say that there is a sweet spot for "making a difference" by establishing an endowed position. I agree with much of what has been written. You want to find a university with a historically active and productive research program in the technical area or discipline that you want to support at a less well-funded university. Reputation is important.
Putting money into a program that has no reputation is pretty much a waste, because one endowed position isn't going to change anything for all the reasons stated by others.
Some rather unproductive research universities have true areas of excellence, either by fate of geography or history. Support those areas of excellence. Your investment in these programs will have much more impact that a similar investment at at top-tier university with a multi-billion dollar endowment.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: ### Background
I am organising and conducting the exercises for a graduate course.
The exercises mainly exist to give the students the opportunity to learn by doing.
However, the students also need to participate to some extent to be admitted to a final exam.
Exercises are given out as homework one week before the class.
During the class, students present their solutions to the exercises, which are discussed by other students and me.
We evaluate this as follows (which is mostly standard at my university):
* At the beginning of each exercise class, a paper containing student names and the numbers of the exercises is passed around and each student checks those those tasks for which they feel that they can present a reasonable **attempt** to solve it.
This attempt does not need to be complete or correct; they should just be able to show what they tried and, if they failed, elaborate where they are stuck.
* During the exercise class, the student presenting a given task is selected at random from those who checked it.
* Tasks are so small that most of them cannot be reasonably divided into subtasks.
(This should reduce the uncertainty how to report when only half of a task was attempted.)
* To be admitted to the final exam, a student has to have checked at least half of all tasks.
There is no benefit for students who have checked more exercises.
Mainly, the system seems to be working well:
I haven’t spotted an overly optimistic self-report yet and I currently expect that 0.3 students will fail the exercise criterion.
### Actual Question
My biggest issue with this system is that there is a huge variation amongst students regarding how optimistic or pessimistic their self-assessment is.
In particular the system can make life more difficult for pessimistic students.
For example it happened that a student who (legitimately) checked a task and was chosen to present her attempt was stuck at some point, and another student volunteered to help out even though he did not check the task.
Hence I am asking: Is there anything I can do to effect less variability in these self-reports? In particular, I would like to flatten the pessimistic side of the spectrum.
And just because somebody is bound to remark that life is harsh and the pessimistic students need to be more optimistic anyway: Yes, but I may be able to help them learn this.<issue_comment>username_1: Would it be possible to get students to "grade" or "mark" other students submissions - blindly of course?
This may well help with those who are too pessimistic on themselves.
The rule would be that it is "constructive criticism" only and marks have to be justified :
laid out nicely +5
or
confusing layout +1 ...
Edit, you could also consider "recognising" the "best" for each assignment - anonymously i.e. this is the best this week etc... might add some competition.. or the prize is a bar of chocolate...
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm not sure what your field is and what class you are teaching. But, if it was a physics class, I'd prepare problems so that there are a few intermediate results before the final one.
For example suppose you need to solve a problem in which you seek x. To get x, you need to find x1, x2, x3. Then ask the class if they found x1 -- maybe write it on the paper and show it to you. People who answered correctly can check the task.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: If the problem (being too pessimistic) is not too common, let the student check the exercises not only in the usual way, but also with "?".
Announce at the beginning that if students are totally unsure whether or not the may check an exercise, they may check it with "?". Then, whenever a student checked an exercise with "?", let them present this exercise (with no negative consequence whatsoever) and then say, if the attempt was resonable enough to warrant a checkmark. Announce when explaining "?", that students with "?" will have to present. (This has also the advantage that students see a not-so-perfect solution which is often more helpful and more intuitive then a perfect solution.) However, this only works if exercises do not get too often marked with "?" (as otherwise, this system could be gamed).
Some additional thoughts:
* In my experience with similar systems, the "pessimistic" students are often the excellent ones, that is, the ones that pass the course anyway.
* A lot of students have exactly the number of checkmarks they need to pass the course (and not more). I do think (but without proof) that if students are just at the border between passing and failing, they will do enough work to pass and get more "optimistic".
* Announce in the first lesson as clearly as possible when an exercise can be checked and also, when it cannot be checked. It is often useful to give examples when it can not be checked as students may compare their situation to the example.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I wish you had given us the actual wording of the question on the sheet that gets passed around. I have a feeling this is a key part of the problem. If you can give us that wording, I'll see if that helps me improve my answer.
Here are some ideas for you to consider. I don't mean, with this list, that you necessarily have to do all of these things. The numbers are intended only to make discussion easier.
1. Collect some data and look to see if there's a gender correlation with timidity/pessimism. Knowledge is power. If there is a gender correlation, it will be helpful to be explicitly aware of this. (I'm not going to write specific suggestions based on an assumption that there *is* a gender correlation. If there is, I'd encourage you to write a separate question.)
2. Ask the students for feedback and suggestions. Because you have a problem with timidity in your section, I suggest asking via a short written questionnaire, not via a group discussion.
3. There should be multiple ways that students can demonstrate knowledge, skills and effort.
4. One of my fondest memories of being a student was my freshman calculus class, which had chalkboards on all four walls. The last 20 minutes of class, the teacher had ALL the students in the class write up a different homework problem on the board. That experience was fun! Like when an only child of two or three begins to experience "parallel play" in a play group. There was a bit of opportunity for interaction with one's neighbors, and the barrier between *instructor* and *student* came down. No one felt put on the spot, because we were *all* writing our work on the board.
5. Timid students may benefit from being told in advance which problem they will be presenting to a group. It might be even more helpful to let them choose the problem they want to present. Timid students may be hesitating to check off some of the problems they did look at at home, if they feel nervous that they might be asked to present certain problems that they feel unsure about.
6. It might be beneficial to change the way the question is worded on your sheet. I wish I had access to the actual wording you're using. Here is a draft wording that might give good results in English:
>
> "For each problem that you looked at outside class, please put a check mark under 'attempted'. For each problem you would be comfortable presenting to the group, put a check mark under 'willing to present'."
>
>
>
7. Ask someone with excellent observation skills to come in as a fly on the wall to observe the behavior of the more confident students, and your own behavior. There are subtle things that can have a big effect on timid students. Depending on what exactly is going on, it might be helpful to do some work in subgroups.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD student. At the beginning of my study, my supervisor told me that they are able to help me with my topic. However, later I found that they cannot even understand what is my topic. They wasting my time for more about one and a half year without any comments or help with my topic. Then, I worked entirely alone with my topic. I have done the first chapter of my study, they asked me to be co-authors with me for nothing but just because they are my supervisors. I refused this. Then, they asked me to add them in the acknowledgment as they are the supervisors of this project. They asked me to write this in every single paper of my Ph.D. papers. They did not help me with anything, they even cannot understand the difference between my objectives. My question, Must I acknowledge them in my papers?<issue_comment>username_1: This is likely to be Country and / or Institution dependant, but have you considered speaking to the Dean or the next level above them?
Is there some type pf PhD committee that could help?
Do consider that they may become vindictive if you do not include them and could cause harm or slow down your continuing progress...
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> However, later I found that they cannot even understand what is my
> topic.
>
>
>
and
>
> Then, they asked me to add them in the acknowledgment as they are the supervisors of this project.
>
>
>
simply don't add up. If they are supervisors of some project, chances are they have written the proposal of the project, and defined aims/goals/methods etc.
Moreover, because you are involved in a project supervised by your advisor(s), no matter what you do, they must take some credit. Without them, the project wouldn't exist. Without the project, that particular work wouldn't exist.
A similar reasoning is, when you publish a paper, you write the name of your university even though the university did literally nothing.
By the tone of your question and your tendency to self-righteousness, I think you should be more worried about your future in that project. If your tone to your supervisors is as rude as it is in this post, you probably will have a hard time in near future.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Acknowledging your supervisor means many things, ranging from thanking their funding and fundamental supervision to suggesting that your phD relationship is ok, although this is not necessarily the case.
Non-helpful supervisors are not only those who ignore their duties but also those who do not give the input but keep pushing you back. So, my suggestion is to change your supervisor. Move on to work with more professional people. Doing research alone is hard enough. You don't want any other barriers in your way as your journey will become harder and harder.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Whether you *must* add them to the acknowledgements is, I guess, down to your institution.
From a practical and pragmatic perspective, you *should* add them to the acknowledgements. It doesn't cost you anything, except perhaps some pride, and it avoids worsening relations between you. If you're going to have a fight with them, save it for something that matters :-)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Giving a mere acknowledgement to supervisors is a pretty low bar, and it would be a pretty extreme reaction to deny this. Even if they did not succeed in assisting you with this paper, presumably they must have made some attempt to assist you in their supervisory role, and they have taken time out of their own schedule to try to assist you as a student. That in itself warrants an acknowledgement and thanks, even if you are of the view that they did not contribute anything of value. It is usual to add someone as a co-author only when they have made a substantial contribution to a paper, but the bar for an acknowledgement is *much* lower.
I note from your further comments that you are of the view that your academic supervisors do not understand your topic, and the Dean of the Faculty is "with their side". I also note your comment that they have asked you to withdraw from the university, or at least take a long vacation. Under such circumstances, you should try to engage in some self-reflection and see if you are acting reasonably, or if you might be contributing to the problem. Refusing any acknowledgement of assistance (or at least attempted assistance) by a supervisor suggests that you are not acting in a manner conducive to good relations with your supervisory panel.
It is not entirely impossible that a supervisor could be incompetent to assist a student, or that a Dean could incorrectly side with the supervisor in this case. However, it would be *very* unusual if multiple professional scholars do not understand the topic of a student they are supervising, and are not able to provide a student with any assistance. Application of Occam's Razor would lead an outside observer to conclude that the more likely explanation is that it is the student might not properly appreciate the efforts made by their supervisors. The refusal even to acknowledge and thank them in a paper contributes to this perception.
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<issue_start>username_0: Or will some journals reject submissions if you have already published them on a website?<issue_comment>username_1: To make sure what your rights are, including:
* preprint publication before submission
* preprint publication after acceptance
* publication of revised version
* publication of publisher's version
check your journal at <http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/index.php>
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If the journal has blind peer review, make sure that the working paper has at least a different title from the submitted manuscript. Otherwise the editor may reject your paper, because reviewers could find your working paper, and this would compromise the anonymity of the review. (A reviewer's job includes checking whether the work is original. In doing so, s/he could stumble upon the working paper.)
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<issue_start>username_0: I have read a few posts here about the matter, but I don't think other posts fully address the situation I'm in. I apologize if this thread is redundant.
I would like to do research in the future, I think getting a Ph.D might be a reasonable step to take (if I were to be capable of doing research, at some point). Fields of interest: Neuroscience, neuropsychology. University I would like to apply: Yet unknown but somewhere in France would be ideal (current location: Argentina); would rather not pursuing higher education here if possible. Some background will be useful to give a proper assesment of my situation
(1) I'm fairly old at 28, and likely will not apply until 30. I believe this might be a problem when applying to some universities, since they receive brilliant people still in their early 20s.
(2) As you might have guessed, my undergrad grades are very much below average. I have three undergrad degrees and two masters in which I did good enough (not GREAT unfortunately).
(3) My grades report gives a full account of my activity, which is very unfortunate considering how bad I did stuyding mathematics: even if I passed the last courses with the highest possible grade, it will always how many courses and exams I failed before the last three semesters before graduating (and it goes up to 10). I don't think our grades here work like in the US. It's not possible to make your "GPA" go up after you failed. Taking extra-curricular courses and getting a good grade will make the final grade higher, but it will still show how many I've failed. I also graduated late when an undergrad.
(4) I am certainly not aiming at a top university, not even top 200 due to the fact of being a failure. But the fact that I am quite old and with a broken academic record makes me question if even the lower tier would take me in.
I'm very much in need of advice. If I were to apply when two years from now, there are several things I should do and it would take much time and effort, and it is unlikely I will go through those matters if the chances of going into research are way to slim to bother. Is there something I can do to make a future application "decent"? What should I consider when sending an application to a university?
Would it be better if I apply for a master X university before applying for a PhD in the same university?
What general advice could you give me? I would consider dropping the PhD plans if it is too unlikely.<issue_comment>username_1: I agree with Astronat - age won't work against you. (case in point: I started at my PhD program at 31), and also with J.R. re: your transcript not disqualifying you completely.
So your transcript records don't read the way you'd like them to. You still have other application materials that you can focus on that'll help admissions committees see your potential as a PhD student. I'm not sure what application materials you need to submit since I'm not familiar with your field or with admission requirements in French universities, but I would focus on making those other pieces shine as much as possible. If you're writing a personal statement, for example, maybe acknowledge your grades but also point out your dedication to continuing with your studies and determination to improve.
At the end of the day, committees do want students with a demonstrated track record of academic excellence. But they're also looking for students who are focused, have clear academic/career goals, and potentially a good fit in their department in terms of research interests. Ultimately, you need to show them that you're a good investment. Having a stellar transcript certainly helps, but it's not the only way to go about in it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Welcome to Academia SE! I hope that other answers will address logistics, but I wanted to address an important element of this: **why** are you pursuing a PhD?
My reading of your question, and my answer, may not be accurate for you, but Stack Exchange tries to have answers that will help other people, as well.
Perhaps some of this was lost in translation, but when you say "due to the fact of being a failure" and having "a broken academic record" (even though you have TWO master's degrees with good grades), **I am worried that you might be judging yourself too much based on your academic record.** That is, from what you've presented here, I would not consider you "a failure," and I hope that you do not think of yourself in those harsh terms.
Part of the reason I'm worried is that academic careers, almost by design, involve a lot of judgment and failure. Much of graduate school, and then seeking and holding academic jobs, applying for grants, submitting research for publication, etc., is the experience of repeatedly applying for things, being judged by someone mysterious with power, and often being rejected before applying for the next thing (cf. [a recent question about academic failure.](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/108543/what-makes-academic-failure-different-from-failure-in-another-career)). For those of us who struggle with getting a sense of worth from external sources, academia can provide tangible markers of success that feel great, but those are unpredictable and often feel temporary.
The other parts of "why" are important too. You've gotten two master's degrees. Based on what you've seen so far, what parts of academia are most interesting to you? Do you want to pursue biostatistics research within neuroscience? Or do you want to do more wetlab work? Do you want to do more behavioral research? Getting a job as an assistant in whatever area of research you want to pursue may be one of the best paths forward. Good luck!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I had a student who was, if not exactly in your shoes, certainly "disadvantaged" in being able to make it into grad school. Normally, I would just not respond and file away a cold call like that, but reading his email, which was asking for a chance to do research (not even paid—just work doing *something* related to research), and had a strong vision of what he wanted to do in the future, that it resonated with me. It also just happened that around the same time, I had some ideas I wanted to try out, and a small bit of funding available. So I offered him an internship that would be able to pay his living expenses, and gave him a shot. Today, he's thriving as a PhD student in an aerospace engineering program in Europe.
So there's always a chance. The best thing to do is to get research experience. Once you can get some people who can comment "don't worry so much about user92705's grades, because user92705 has done really well working in my lab, and I know will become a good researcher," it will go a long way in getting you into a graduate program.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Being accepted into a PhD programme is highly dependent on how you present yourself. You have two different masters? Great! This is an advantage. You chose intentionally not to immediately run down one path, instead you chose to explore options, you show you are flexible and capable of thinking in general, not just good at one particular thing.
It is about getting to know people, talking to them and showing what you can do. My master's thesis was bad, really bad. And yet I am accepted into a PhD programme, because I was able to present myself to the relevant people, show them that I have a broad horizon and aimed for a complete understanding of my field. It did help that the project was an almost exact match for my qualifications, I have to admit that.
If possible, have a look if the universities you are interested in have open research projects. That way you could have an option go get to know the people in that department and demonstrate you are good at what you are doing, even if your grades might not be stellar.
I don't think doing a masters at that particular university would help. I think that for two reasons:
1) As a Master's student you are still in education, while a PhD should grow into an independent researcher. It can happen that the "apprentice-master" relationship between you and your potential supervisor carries over to the PhD, giving you much less freedom.
2) People coming in from outside the University are even sometimes preferred to giving positions to students from the same University. While a professor knows what kind of student he/she will get when hiring a 'local' student, someone outside the institute has had a different education and hopefully brings a new perspective to the project, thereby stimulating the whole research environment
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: How does one find postdoc positions after completing a physics Ph.D.?
Does there exist a central website listing opportunities?<issue_comment>username_1: The journals/websites that advertise faculty positions in physics will also advertise postdoc positions. In North America, the canonical place to look is the back pages of Physics Today. Your thesis director/advisor should know of more targeted resources.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There is no clearinghouse or standard way of advertising postdoc jobs in Physics. Opportunities may be advertised on the Physics Today Jobs or Nature Jobs websites. But more often they are listed on an institution's job website or a research group website. Positions may be advertised on mailing lists. Some just are not advertised at all. You have to ask.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I had the same problem when I graduated. What I was advised to do was to search online for advertised postdocs. I knew from papers and conferences some people in my field, so I would go to their web pages and send them an email if I saw them advertising a position. Sometimes, I would send them an email anyway asking if they had an open position. Some woudn't answer at all some would tell me they had no money at the moment, and a small number of them were interested.
If you do that, you need to write a short email that highlights what you can do for them. You should ask your friendly faculty/adviser how to write that properly.
Another path is using connections. Your adviser/friendly faculty know people in the field. Sometimes they even write each other emails advertising an open position and asking if the other doesn't have someone graduating. Or the other way around. Or you could have your own friends/acquaintances/collaborators in your field and could ask them if they know of any open position.
A third solution is to advertise yourself at conferences. You give your talk, and after the conclusions, you show a page where you put contact data and tell the audience you're graduating soon and you want to find a postdoc position.
I personally used the first and second method. The first method got me 3 offers, and the second, 2.
As far as online resources go, I can add [this one](http://brightrecruits.com/), which I used in the past.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: There are websites listing open positions advertised by universities and institutes. They are not physics (or postdoc-level) specific, but they tend to be easily searchable with many predefined keywords. Examples (that I know of) are:
<https://academicpositions.eu/>
<https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/>
<https://www.eurosciencejobs.com/>
<http://www.jobs.ac.uk/>
<https://www.all-acad.com/>
These examples tend to be Europe oriented, but they are not exclusively so - you can find posts from across the globe. There are also ads for tenure track positions as well as fellowships, grants, etc. All-acad.com will also send you customised weekly digests via email.
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<issue_start>username_0: Is it possible to add some additional results after submitting the "complete" thesis to advisor. I must add that my advisor has already sent the thesis to Ph.D commission.
The additional results are *not* a correction of the thesis. I just want to add some more results to it.<issue_comment>username_1: Check with your advisor, and if they do not know, check with your department director of graduate studies (it may have a different name, but it is a faculty member who is "in charge" of the PhD program).
In general, there shouldn't be any problem, but your institution may have special policies and what not. As always, it is better to be open about any changes. More communication is better that less.
Be positive when you write to your advisor and motivate the changes.. E.g., "I would like to add these results *because* they improve the dissertation in such and such a way ..."
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It depends strongly on the PhD-process in your institution. E.g. my "old" university required me to publish my thesis and I was able to change and add stuff during the process. But those changes were not revied by a comittee so they had no impact towards my grade.
The general rule at my current institution is, that you can not change your thesis (no matter if bachelor, master or PhD) after you submitted it. But you could add an addendum and maybe someone loooks at it ;-).
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<issue_start>username_0: In academic work, when we are writing or have written a paper for example, there might be strong feelings of shame about the work done or to be done. These feelings can get in the way of finishing or revising the paper, or sending it to colleagues. These feelings may often lead to the writer feeling, quite strongly, suicidal. For example, when shame is the first thing they think of when they wake up. Not getting work done also leads to further feelings of inadequacy and panic over the future. Hence, these feelings make writing difficult, but overcoming these feelings requires finishing the work to a good standard.
As per the title:
How can a researcher write and research when they feel ashamed?
The shame is about the style of writing and the depth of the content/research. It is not about there being something wrong with the research. For example, I might read what I have written and feel too bad to fix it. Or, I might feel that the content (the research) is simply not deep enough, which makes going deeper difficult. Through perseverance, I finish writing papers. But, it takes a long time in an environment where both quantity and quality are important.
I have in the past seen and asked a university psychologist, but they didn't have any specific advice. The psychologist was also supporting too many other members of staff and students to really give enough time to this problem, so I am not sure that this is an option to take again.
I am looking for techniques, founded in psychology, and ideally with some supporting evidence. But more general advice is also welcome.<issue_comment>username_1: One tip to perfectionist writers: don't wait to write until your inspiration is perfect. Start writing. Write, write, write, even if it isn't perfect.
If you do not like it afterwards, throw it away and write again. And, if necessary, again.
It's good to be a perfectionist critic. It's not good at all to be a perfectionist creator - separating the two can help you balancing quality and quantity and be more productive while making progress.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I'd split off the "suicide" parts from this question. While *you* should certainly stay in contact with a professional about that part, there also likely is an outside problem, typically a lack of technical support, regular feedback and intellectual stimulation, that leads to you actually spending too much time on individual tasks, making you feel slow and inadequate and frustrated.
I hate it if I feel bad and the someone tells me *oh look others have it much worse.* ;-)
For your present writing problem, my above doesn't help much, but just in case you notice things being too slow in your next project: That's bad and needs adressing before it turns first into a writing (or funding not extended etc.) problem and then a psychological/health problem.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: This sounds a lot like depression, first step is to go see a professional. The fact that you are sharing your experience and identifying what is going wrong is already a good step in the right direction. Share more, don't walk this journey alone. The best I can offer is general advice (things that worked for me). I believe too many people suffer without sharing, so thank you for sharing your story.
What helped me get through it was as follows:
* Identify the next exciting thing that you would rather want to start with or do once this is out of the way (a new job, a vacation, a new task, a hobby).
* Break down the work into the smallest possible chunks you can (e.g. write a paragraph on X, containing the following points, or improve on X by trying things 1 - 10, or code one six line function).
* Then every day, just try to tick one of those off the list. Write one sentence, the next day try to get to two, the next day to three and so on.
* The hardest part is to start. Just start. Think of one thing and just type that out, even if it is nonsense and you know it is. You can always come back later and improve on it.
* Forget perfection, just get the stuff on the paper and tick off the tasks, see the progress.
* Once everything is "done", critique the work, and write the things that suck about it as recommendations for future work.
Edit:
* Forgive yourself every day! What you are going through is a completely valid experience, and you don't have to beat yourself up about it.
The upside of this experience is that you can now more easily identify the next time it pops up and act on it more quickly.
Best of luck. Its not easy but definitely doable even though it does not feel that way.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> I am looking for techniques, founded in psychology, and ideally with some supporting evidence. But more general advice is also welcome.
>
>
>
This answer is squarely in the 'general advice' category, filtered somewhat by personal experience.
---
You raise two areas of concern with your writing:
* style
* content
Let's take these separately.
With *writing style*, revising your work can help a lot. Naturally, if a later revision is 'better' than an earlier version, it stands to reason that the earlier version is 'worse' than the later version. But without the earlier version, you're not going to get the later version. So just get started - then you have something that you can improve ... and you don't have to publish any of the early drafts.
With content, it's sometimes the case that things that look amazing can feel quite mundane when you peel back the layers to look at how things were actually put together. Look at the recipe for (say) your favourite cake, for example. You might be over the moon with the final product, but the ingredients are likely to be simple, and (at a deconstructionist level, at least) there's nothing particularly *wow* about applying heat or directed energy.
Your familiarity with the content can make it seem less exciting than it might look to someone else. However, even if you deem it to really be nothing all that exciting, your 'job' is to document the work you've done. So long as the reason(s) you had for conducting the research in the first place still hold, it doesn't matter that you're documenting a somewhat boring piece of the whole - in academia, it's still important to communicate what you've done.
It might help also recall the anecdote about the [stone cutters and the cathedral builder](https://www.anecdote.com/2008/07/the-stonecutters-cathedral-builder/). Regardless of the work itself, how you view it affects your enthusiasm: cutting stone *vs* earning a salary *vs* building a cathedral.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: >
> The shame is about the style of writing
>
>
>
If you are embarrassed about your style to the extent that you can't ask what people think about it, then that may obstruct you too much. Have you read widely enough? Perhaps you should take time to read for love of reading rather than love of the subject-matter, pick up random books and find writers of non-fiction whose style you enjoy, and then emulate them.
Start a writing project purely for fun to take the focus off your sense of commitment and allow for uninhibited self-expression. Or write about something you care deeply about and write your feeling. Try writing to highlight injustice and appeal to emotion in your writing. Don't bottle anything in. This type of exercise could help "unblock" you.
Alternatively you might simply need a non-academic friend to read your work and offer thoughts or suggestions based purely on the style. This could help to round out a person's writing style, which will be apt to change and evolve throughout his/her life anyway.
>
> I think the psychological issues are of course a related problem, but the writing problem may also have a separate or additional solution. You sit down, you look at what you've written, and you just feel too bad to actually fix what is wrong and write something good.I am wondering if there is something one can do for that specific moment.
>
>
>
Yes. Your body is the key to your mind, whether you need some nutrient that is exhausted in your body by over-work or poor diet, or need to take more exercise, or you're just generally not exerting enough influence over your mental state, by withdrawing regularly from the vexations of the world and the intellect, and concentrating undividedly on pleasant physical sensations in your body. Spending five minutes doing just this can recharge, reset, recalibrate and reprogram body and mind, and it's very easy to do, so long as you're comfortable and fully relaxed, not excessively hungry of thirsty, cold or warm.
***FIRST*** Close your eyes and let go of everything in your mind, and feel muscular tension leave every part of your body
Think of your arm as very heavy and very warm
Allow this heavy, warm feeling to encompass your four limbs and your neck and develop this feeling by dwelling on it exclusively with your mind
After a few minutes of complete relaxation your breathing will feel more effortless and shallower as if it is breathing you in and out
Think of a pre-selected positively-phrased motto and calmly and confidently assert it inwardly:
*I Can Do It* or *I Will Do It* or *I Shall Do It*
*I will take a break and return fresh, free and clear*
*I will view previous work objectively and work on it assiduously until it is complete*
Or *I will break on through* or *I will win*
Or *I will push to deeper content/research* or *I will complete each task in the right sequence*
Anything positive that will help should it ever become a reality - so carefully pick a phrase in the first place, and ensure it has a positive formula, excluding the words not, no, none, never, and so on.
The main thing here is to remain calm and confidently detached, but gradually develop a firm will and a sense of undeflectable determination. Any muscular tension that creeps back in here should be let go as it arises
***LAST*** Emerge from this state of deep relaxation with following formula:
With your eyes still closed, and thinking of your arms as strong and firm, you get rid of the feeling of heaviness and warmth by making fists with your hands and pulling in your fists to your shoulders and pushing them out in front of you in one gentle controlled motion
This will cause you to breathe in deeply
Then open your eyes and think "Awake!"
Get up and rub your hands together to shake off any sleepiness that remains. Falling asleep or being disturbed in your meditation will automatically make you come out of deep relaxation
Repeat at least once a day, but take it one day at a time, and if you experience dangerously suicidal thoughts please seek counsel with an expert.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, and this is not medical advice or a substitute for medical advice. Follow the advice at your own risk.
These feelings might be memories of past experiences, that are activated by various "triggers" in the present.
In my opinion, the correct approach to treating such feelings, is to use trauma treatment techniques. You weren't born with these feelings, you got them from damaging situations in your past. Also known as traumas.
A simple technique that you can do at home, is called EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. There is scientific evidence that it works for trauma.
EMDR steps (my version):
1. Face something other than a white wall, preferably something far away.
2. Think of or notice the problematic memory, feeling or trigger.
3. Hold your finger up in front of your face and quickly move it left and right while you follow it with your eyes. Keep your head still.
After doing this for several seconds, up to a minute, you should get a sensation that your feelings are clearing up.
If it works, keep doing it many times a day.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: **The opposite of shame is compassion**, I have learned. (If you do look for books or therapists or meditations, "self-compassion" might be a good keyword.)
For the writing part specifically, I highly recommend the book ["The 7 Secrets of the Prolific: How to Overcome Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Writer's Block"](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/098364540X). Some of it is about recognizing and calming your inner critic, and some of it is useful writing advice about finishing. (<NAME>'s [Bird by Bird](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0385480016) is a more literary, humorous take on writing advice.)
On shame in particular, <NAME> is an expert who has written excellent self-help books based on her research. (She has a Ph.D. in social work, so sometimes her examples even come from academia, and I've enjoyed her methodological appendices to an unhealthy degree.) *The Gifts of Imperfection* is the one most centrally about not letting shame get in the way, and [it's the book she generally recommends people start with](https://brenebrown.com/blog/2018/02/16/book-read-first/). She has some [videos on her website](https://brenebrown.com/videos/) (including her TED talks, where I believe I first heard of her).
Good luck, <NAME>! You are not alone in struggling with shame about your work, and you deserve to feel better!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_8: **THANK YOU** for reaching out instead of hiding it. Please continue; it’s a healthy action. Suicide does not end the pain; it only transfers it to people who love you.
I suspect that the feelings that your writing is bad are lies from “demons.” Not necessarily actual spirits, but thoughts triggered by physiological problems that a psychiatrist could help with, or past traumas that a psychologist could help with.
But also, please keep reminding yourself that even if your writing were terrible\* that there are people who still love you. Maybe I’m one—writing this through my tears
Or maybe I’m crying because I’ve been there. I’m 64 years old, and though I still haven’t overcome my excessive perfectionism, I am thankful to God and many others that nothing I can do will stop them from loving me. I am praying a similar story for you.
\*and we know your writing **isn’t** bad after reading your question.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: One angle that hasn't been voiced yet is to **own** it. A key part of science is acknowledging the limitations of what you have done.
If you did some research and it failed to produce any meaningful results because of a critical error in the trial design (for example). Don't try and squeeze some meaning out of it just because you feel you have to, write a frank and honest appraisal of *why* the experiment was flawed, detailing what should be done by future researchers wishing to investigate the same subject again, and how they could perform a better study. But don't forget to explain what you did well, and what you did learn.
Every time you think "I should have done this, I wish I'd done that" etc. Don't think of it as a failure, think of it as more content for your 'Future work required" section and move on.
Your professors will read thousands of papers explaining why some naively designed study into something pointless was the **pinnacle of scientific achievement, surpassing all previous human endeavours** An honest, grown-up, paper will be a breath of fresh air.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: Write a paper, spend a decent amount of time on it, then stop and submit it to colleagues. If you feel like it was an inferior paper, laugh about it and say "HaHaHa! Even my inferior work is awesome! Onto the next paper!" By not caring so much about the quality, you can work hard without being distracted by depression and shame. Then, occasionally, spend a lot of time on one paper you can be proud of so that it is perfect. You end up with 3 mediocre papers and one perfect paper. Your perfect paper will inspire admiration from your colleagues. Your mediocre papers will inspire others to do more research on the topic. Enjoy what you do. Be happy.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_11: Your post brings two things to mind. **First**:
>
> In the 19th century, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) was known as the "doubting disease." OCD can make a sufferer doubt even the most basic things about themselves, others, or the world they live in. I have seen patients doubt their sexuality, their sanity, their perceptions, whether or not they are responsible for the safety of total strangers, the likelihood that that they will become murderers, etc. I have even seen patients have doubts about whether they were actually alive or not. Doubt is one of OCD's more maddening qualities. It can override even the keenest intelligence. It is a doubt that cannot be quenched. It is doubt raised to the highest power. It is what causes sufferers to check things hundreds of times, or to ask endless questions of themselves or others. Even when an answer is found, it may only stick for several minutes, only to slip away as if it was never there. Only when sufferers recognize the futility of trying to resolve this doubt, can they begin to make progress. *From an [article about OCD](http://www.wsps.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82:ten-things-you-need-to-know-to-overcome-ocd&catid=36:ocd-and-related-subjects-by-frederick-penzel-phd&Itemid=64) by <NAME>.*
>
>
>
Does any of that resonate with you at all?
There is unfortunately a shortage of therapists who have the training and expertise to evaluate for OCD. There are legions of therapists who are great at what they do, but who don't recognize OCD when it's present, because they haven't been trained to recognize it.
If you're interested, you can contact the [International OCD Foundation](https://iocdf.org/) for help finding someone with expertise in evaluating for OCD (and treating it). See related answers: [A](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/78073/32436), [B](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/83622/32436). (But note, those questions are somewhat different from yours.)
Important note: I am NOT expressing an opinion as to whether you do or do not have OCD.
**Second** (this will require some background information -- please bear with me):
My son has <NAME>. For five years, I struggled with his school district, to get him the support he needed. It was an uphill battle. School districts can play very, very nasty, and they certainly did in our case. All of us -- my son, my spouse, and I, experienced a lot of trauma throughout that time.
I eventually reached my goal of establishing his eligibility for special education under IDEA, playing the role of lawyer (without any prior formal legal training) in an impartial hearing, and then appealing to my State Review Officer.
However, nothing changed in practice, and seven months after I won on appeal, I moved an hour away and put my son in a different school district. That was last September.
My son has recovered to a great extent, but it's taking me longer. This is a comment I've heard from other parents of children with <NAME> who've been through similar experiences.
It seems that I have some form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Our current school district is more supportive than the previous one. But whenever I have to send an email to a teacher or administrator, or attend a meeting at school, I find myself spending ages analyzing the situation, to try to strike the right balance. I want to advocate clearly for my son's needs, but without antagonizing staff in our new district, without annoying them or pestering them. I edit every email painstakingly, and then after hitting "send," I still go around and around in my head, asking myself a million anxious questions, such as, "Are they going to see me as a trouble-maker? Are they going to get fed up and start giving me the cold shoulder? Are they going to try to declare my son ineligible under IDEA?" I suffer through agonies of doubting.
But I am starting to recover. In November I looked for a therapist with expertise treating PTSD using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and other techniques. The therapy is helping. I've been improving, slowly.
The interesting thing about this is that I wouldn't have won the legal matter if I hadn't been pretty obsessive about researching relevant case law, building a strong case, and writing a well-documented closing brief, and later, a strong petition of appeal and memorandum of law. But that some obsessiveness has, more recently, been making it hard to function.
(Again, I am NOT expressing an opinion as to whether you do or do not have PTSD, or anything else.)
### Bottom line: these problems are treatable.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_12: AnonymousScholar, hello! I am a mental health professional, and I treat suicidal people. I am not, however, *your* mental health professional, and my replying to you here does not make me your mental health professional, or otherwise establish a clinician-patient relationship between us, and it does not constitute medical treatment.
I wanted to reach out to you because feeling suicidal is a rather big deal. It may not seem like that you. Often people in your situation experience *so much* suicidal feeling for *so long*, that it becomes rather ordinary to them. Like, "Oh yes, another paper, another day of wanting to kill myself, ho hum."
But it's not.
Posting to StackExchange, asking for pointers for how to write papers while feeling so much shame you feel suicidal is sort of like posting to ask how to focus on writing papers while the room around you is on fire. This being StackExchange, you'll get a bunch of friendly, helpful replies that try to answer your question as asked. But really, the answer to "how do I focus on writing my paper when the room is on fire" is not creative attentional hacks to focus despite the flames, it's *evacuate the building!* Similarly, the answer to "how do I manage to write while burning with shame to the point I want to die" is not really how to manage to write while feeling like you do, it's treating your agonizing shame before it kills you.
Because, realistically, the answer to "how do I write while feeling crippling shame" is, obviously, "with enormous difficulty, if at all, and great suffering". And you knew that already, but I think maybe you needed somebody to point out to you that that's not really negotiable, and that the problem here is not how to write, but how to feel less shame.
I'm glad to hear you've reached out to a psychologist in the past. I hope when you talked to them, you didn't just ask for pointers for writing papers while feeling shame, but I'm suspecting that's what happened. When you go to a mental health professional and say, "Hey, I'm having so much shame I'm having trouble doing my work" you get one sort of response - and sorry to say, it might not be much of a response, at an overworked university clinic. You can anticipate getting a very different response when you go to a mental health professional and say, "Hey, I'm having so much shame I want to commit suicide." That's a very, very big deal for mental health professionals. Really for most health professionals of any sort. We take that very seriously, and it's the sort of thing which justifies health systems mobilizing resources for you, that might not otherwise be available to you.
And if you *did* tell the psychologist that you were feeling suicidal in response to the shame you feel about your work, and they didn't respond with concern and additional resources, then I'm very sorry that happened. That doesn't sound right at all. I would beseech you to try again with a different mental health professional.
The standard of care where I am is that someone who is regularly experiencing the urge or inclination to kill themselves should, at the *very* least, be having a weekly treatment appointment with a psychotherapist. "Psychotherapist" is the general term for a whole bunch of different sorts of mental health professional who can provide psychotherapy, which is treatment for emotional problems. It includes psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers, and various other sorts of professional. Your jurisdiction may vary in what professions it credentials or licenses.
What the psychotherapist would help a person in your situation with is feeling less shame. Unfortunately, that's not something that can be fixed overnight. Would that it were so! Alas, as you have probably noticed, pernicious thoughts and feelings can be very tenacious and hard to shift. It can take a while, and quite a lot of effort. It's easier with professional help and guidance.
I don't know where on the planet you are, and even if I knew, I might not know what resources are available to you besides your university's counseling service. I recently learned that at one school near me – MIT – the students all have a commercial health insurance product that they can take off campus to get treated anywhere that health insurance is accepted; the MIT counseling center only does very brief therapy, and if a student needs longer or more involved treatment, they're expected to use their insurance to go find a psychotherapist in the community. Most MIT students don't even know this is an option. So I encourage you to look into what options for treatment you might have, and not know about.
In much shorter term, though, I wanted to mention: if your suicidal feelings get so bad that you think you might act on them to end your life, or if you resolve to act on them, that's a **medical emergency** and you should call for an ambulance to take you to a hospital (call 911 in the USA and Canada, 000 in Australia, 112 in the EU, 111 in NZ, and 999 in the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong and a bunch of other places), or, if you can manage it, take yourself to an emergency medical service (e.g. an "Emergency Room" or "Urgent Care" in the USA or an "A&E" in Britian).
If you're struggling with suicidal feelings, but aren't thinking of killing yourself imminently, you can in some countries and locations call a suicide hotline to talk to a trained listener who can provide emotional support and help you access mental health treatment resources.
In the USA, you can call 1 (800) 273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. For elsewhere, Wikipedia has a [list of suicide hotlines by country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines).
Please take your condition very seriously, and seek professional help. The amount of suffering you're going through is terrible – and needless. There is help in the world for what you're struggling with, but you may have to let it know where you are and how badly you need it for it to reach you.
And then it would be a whole lot easier for you to write research papers.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_13: Something I haven't seen noted elsewhere - get a reality check.
From what you've said, you *have already completed papers* (and, presumably, published them if appropriate).
If you haven't, then sit down and assess the reaction to *your past work*.
* Are there critiques of your style?
* Are there complaints about your content?
If so, then you may have *existing, outside* data you can use to help improve future work.
If not, then you can assume that your normal work is acceptable (at a minimum!).
You can go over existing feedback with a psychologist - someone who may be able to help you objectively assess the feedback. You may tend to exaggerate or misread statements as being more negative than intended.
If there's insufficient feedback (pro or con), then (as others have suggested) you may need to bring in a colleague of some sort who will give you that feedback directly.
Of course, that deals with objective reality. It may be of little help (especially immediately). But, it can be an important step.
As others have noted, we suspect that (regardless of the objective reality) you may have a condition of some sort that exacerbates your problem. I personally have dealt with depression for my entire life (on medication since 1990), and understand that such things can make you *ignore objective reality*.
This is why its important to seek medical assessment and assistance, if at all possible. in the throes of depression, I can blow off objective reality, at least for a while. But, with appropriate treatment, I find that I can get to the point where I'm ready to deal with objective reality relatively quickly. And, at that point, this exercise may help make you more comfortable with your own work.
An additional personal note: I have been told in the past that I generate emails that are more detailed than all the recipients need, and that are very long (the expression "books" has come up). Having gotten feedback, I've worked to trim out things that are unnecessary; to highlight key points; to direct those who don't need complex details around sections they may not need to read. My emails have gotten generally shorter, and I've gotten good feedback that they're much easier to digest.
The point of the anecdote is to accept your weaknesses, and seek explicit ways to improve them. Initially, this may take at least as long as what you're doing now; but, the more you do it, and the more positive feedback you begin to get, the easier it will be to do, and the faster it will go.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/13
| 815
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD student and will be teaching my first class in the fall. I would like to have an engaging class. Meaning that I would rather not just stand at the front of the class and lecture the entire time. I have had some teaching experience with smaller class sizes (up to 20) but am not sure how to handle a larger class (enrolment of 80+).
For smaller classes, I have used: in class discussions, games, breaking out into small groups, student-led discussions/debates. I feel these would not work for a large class.
**What are your tried and true methods and ideas for engaging a larger class?**
My class is a 3rd year class, expected enrolment of 80, and I will have access to an iClicker.
Added notes based on comments:
* The class I am teaching is Adult Development and Aging
* Based in Canada
* I will have one teaching assistant (TA), with about 70 hours<issue_comment>username_1: Clicker questions are nice. I use them. They break up the monologue, which is good. The change in mode "wakes the classroom up". They don't "take" much time. They give you feedback on whether something was clear or not. But the amount of active participation from the students is limited; just press A, B, or C. For harder question a lot of students choose not to participate (which is also a sign).
An more intensive method I have used is to give students cards in different colors, and say all red students solve this question, all blue students that question, and all green students such question. After some time, they are asked to form groups of three, each a different color, and explain their answer to the rest. This is much more time intensive (it took about half the lecture), but the students are much more engaged. I was quite happy with the trade-off in that particular situation, but in many cases the cost of time would be just too big.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There are a lot of resources out there on "active learning," including strategies for large classes. Besides Googling, if your university has staff that help promote effective teaching (e.g. <http://tep.uoregon.edu/>), I recommend chatting with them -- it will likely save you a lot of time and effort.
Personally, I find clicker questions to be very effective when paired with small-group discussion. I ask a question; if the fraction of correct responses is between about 40 and 70%, which is quite often, I ask people to discuss in groups of 2-4, especially finding someone who answered differently from them. ("Try to convince someone else of your answer.") I wander around randomly talking to groups as they do this -- don't just stand passively, or you'll convey the impression that it's ok to be disengaged. Then I re-poll. This is both "active" and effective. (There are some nice studies on this.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I am just an M.Sc. student but I have an idea for this case.
If you have the authority, make a share for class performance in overall scoring of the course. Throughout the semester, for each course randomly select 5-6 or whatever necessary to engage all. Since it is random, everyone should attend the classes and be prepared for them as well, as it will also have points.
It can be a little 5 min presentation, or simply an elaborate answer to a question it is up to you.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/13
| 4,243
| 17,961
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<issue_start>username_0: I will try to keep this as short and concise as possible.
I am a 3rd year PhD student in theoretical physics (condensed matter theory) in a US university. I worked for a certain professor for a year and things seemed to be going well, until he announced one day that he could not continue working with me because his grant application fell through. So I was forced to look for another advisor after I had already started my third year. Nobody else in the condensed matter group wanted to take me because they all claimed not to have funding (this turned out to be a lie, as I later found out). I was finally forced to work for a professor who is 76 years old and does not do research anymore. He has an incomplete project he hasn't worked on for 20 years and I am trying to complete it. I do NOT mind working on an old project. The problem is that whenever I ask him a question or ask for feedback, he ignores me. He does not have any ideas and when I ask for feedback and suggestions on my own ideas and work, he says he doesn't know and I can do whatever I want. I have tried approaching other professors in the department for help, but they refuse to meet/talk to me, saying that they are busy. I am worried that I will never be able to come up with a decent thesis without any sort of guidance, and will almost certainly not have any publications.
My question is: Is there any way I can minimize the damage to my career that this is causing? Is it possible to get a post-doc in theoretical physics without a publication/ with a sub-standard thesis? I am an international student and there are no physics jobs in my country, so any kind of advice on how to proceed would be welcome.
If anyone wants more detailed information, I am happy to provide it.<issue_comment>username_1: **I think you should consider transferring to another grad school.** Certainly prospects on the post-doc market won't be good without any publications, interesting work, or a strong letter of recommendation. On the other hand, your advisor's grant expiring and no one else being able to take you gives you a very good reason to want to change grad schools.
**Your former advisor's letter will be crucial.** If he confirms your story about the grant falling through and no one else being able to take you, you should be able to transfer no problem. If he hints that your conduct contributed to your situation, you could be in a pickle. Good luck!
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: 20 years is not so much. If that project was useful 20 years ago, you should understand it.
Based on what you said, we have no way to know, what is in the background. A possible explanation: the professor is practically retired, is not hungry for more publications, and was nice enough to take on a student who needed help.
The important thing is: *you don't need this knowledge for your optimal strategy*.
*"he says he doesn't know and I can do whatever I want"* <-- You have free hands.
Check that 20 years old work, and check what relevance it has today. And then, follow what the old prof said: *"do whatever you want"*.
You may have got a "window seat"1, but you've also got the possibility to get your PhD and work freely. The prof is probably a honored member of that department, his protegee won't be simply fired on some cloudy reason. You surely hadn't got this option if they would want to expel you. Also the workplace world is full with such situations. Typically, you know what are the decisions about your position, but you have only a few fragments, *why*. The important thing is, if they would think you need these infos, they had said it for you. There are no safe positions, if you get a gift, there is no reason to reject it.
1Slang in the Japanese government for out-of-favor people not being fired, but not getting real work tasks any more.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: Since the best answer tells you to cut your losses and move, I'll expand a bit on the second best answer which raises a valid point. You have independence, possibly for the rest of your PhD. The question is if it helps you, or kills you.
The killing part is likely if you are isolated and can't get any help in any way whatsoever. Many postdocs fail to make progress once they leave their PhD adviser and have to come up with their own ideas. Sometimes even new professors fail. The reason is that there are many things involved in doing independent research. You have to learn how to search for new ideas, and you have to learn when to stop searching and start calculating. Plus, once the stuff it's calculated you have to learn how to write reasonably well to get it published. And everything while worrying if you got that technique right or not.
Doing research alone is a lot like flying a plane while having to replace some faulty engine parts guided by some old technical drawings and an incomplete flying manual.
So, if you want to survive in the department, you need allies. Your adviser might not help you with technical advise, but may help you connect with other senior researchers (preferably active) with whom you can discuss. He might also help you get into summer schools, especially if you need to apply for funding to participate. In fact, if your relationship with the previous adviser is ok, he might help you with the same things.
Other possible "allies": your PhD committee, if you have one, students and postdocs at your institution you are friendly with. Once you can think of a possible research subject, you can discuss with them, if the faculty are "busy". Even if they can't help you directly, they might be able to suggest techniques, papers, etc. that may help.
Conferences and summer schools are important. If you can't participate, your isolation will just increase. If you can, try to meet people working on problems connected to yours.
Also, you need to become more organized. If you have a participating adviser, you can afford to waste six months on some detail. At the end he would tell you that it was a waste of time and you should do something else. But, if you're alone, you need to either figure that out for yourself or have friends/collaborators pointing out the issue.
But, if you can't make collaborations, have no one to talk to about research and can't attend conferences and summer schools, leave as soon as you can. It won't get better, unless you're smart like that dude who was working at a patent office in Switzerland. Even that guy had a friend tutoring him in tensor algebra.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: There is one aspect missed by other answers and commenters: **you were admitted to PhD program to succeed and there are people who are interested in that happening**. Namely, you should set up a meeting with your departmental graduate advisor. That is a person who's job is to help students and guide them through grad school policies and possible help fix arising issues.
Your next point of contact will probably be department chair. It is their job to make sure that students are busy and professors are doing their job.
One advice: when meeting with these people, stick to the facts and explain what outcome you hope for. Remember, that there might be cultural differences between where you came from and US (it is definitely true in my case). There are many possible outcomes, for example:
* your current "old" prof will be advised to help you more
* you will be advised to work more on your own
* you will be teamed up with another prof or postdoc in or outside of your department
* you will be advised and helped to transfer
* you will be asked to work with prof X on topic that you both enjoy, while you get paid by teaching, not just research
* and definitely few other things can happen
Just remember that you have made significant investment in your current position, and school has made same thing.
Good luck.
PS: i am 5ish year international phd student ready to graduate from biomedical engineering program in US
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: The other answers had good advice, imo.
I'm about to suggest a few things. Please forgive me if you've tried all of this. However, please give it some thought to make sure you're not missing something.
>
> whenever I ask him a question or ask for feedback, he ignores me
>
>
>
Very few people ignore me in person. So I'll assume you're not asking him in person. Make sure you're asking in person! I immediately switch to phone or in person if electronic communication isn't going as intended.
Next, make sure your attitude toward him is correct (It might be but I thought it was worth mentioning). If you're upset or angry with him, that will likely come through when you interact with him. Sure, he isn't doing his job properly. And it could severely harm your career and future. You have a serious problem here and it's perfectly valid to feel angry and upset. However if you feel that way, it won't help your situation. What will help your situation the most is to be the bigger person. Chances are he's partially to completely oblivious to what he's doing and how he's making you feel. Give him the benefit of the doubt to overcome your emotion (that could be you one day!).
Make sure you are taking his interests into account. Do you know what he wants? One thing to do, too, would be to ask him what his goals/aspirations are. Also ask him how you can help him achieve those (and do it). If your attitude is to support him without false pretense, that will shine through. He is much more likely to reciprocate.
I can also recommend being vulnerable and totally honest:
>
> I'm really worried about my future here. I need more advice and criticism to make it. It's my dream to pursue research in physics. I can't and won't give up. However I'm stuck. I don't know what to do to move forward. How can I get the advice and criticism I need? What do I need to change?
>
>
>
I'd actually recommend recommend pursuing all options at once (although I'd recommend approach him before others at the university - I think it's better to make every effort handle things with the person before escalating). So do this while also preparing to possibly transfer, etc.
You've made it this far. There is a path to move forward. You just have to find it. In fact, you've already started down the right now by coming here for help. Don't give up!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Have you spoken to your department, which has a responsibility to make sure the necessary elements are in place in order for you to complete your degree?
If your department wants to leave you high and dry, then I suggest you consider: Your current advisor, who has one foot in the grave, seems willing to fund you without caring how much meaningful work you do on his project.
So why not spend 40% of your time on his project and 60% of your time on the project you were working on up until a year ago? And get some informal help from your former advisor? (These proportions could be adjusted, as needed.)
Alternatively, perhaps you could support yourself in the most common way -- as a teaching assistant.
But we need to explore a couple of things you wrote that suggest there might be more to your situation than meets the eye:
>
> They all claimed not to have funding (this turned out to be a lie, as I later found out).
>
>
>
What possible explanations of this have you been able to work out? What objective corroboration, if any, exists for some or all of the possible explanations? Is what you described part of a larger pattern, or was it an isolated negative incident?
>
> I have tried approaching other professors in the department for help, but they refuse to meet/talk to me, saying that they are busy.
>
>
>
What do you think about this? Do you suspect the "busy" excuse is a lame attempt on their part to distance themselves from you? If so, what do you think is the underlying reason for this? Has this avoidance pattern always been the case? If not, why the change?
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: (This is basically an extended comment, but a bit long for a comment.)
Sorry about your unpleasant situation. I generally agree that moving to another place is (probably) the best idea from the information you have given, but try to make sure that whatever issues you had in your old place don't recur. For example, check your department and possible advisers out throughly. Make sure funding is available. Though are teaching assistantships not available at your university? From everything I know, if your PhD is of poor quality, you are basically screwed. It's brutal out there. So you need to do everything you can to ensure that your PhD is of good quality. At the end of the day, the quality of your results will affect you more than anyone else, by a long way. In theory it can reflect poorly on your adviser if his students do badly, but in practice nobody cares, unless your adviser is up for tenure or something.
At the risk of stating the obvious, some departments can be in very poor shape, but it's not so obvious from the outside. So, do your homework/due diligence. Talking to current and past graduate students can be helpful. For relevant faculty, check their past students and where they are now. And also, of course, check their publications. Obviously, you will also need to visit the campus and meet with faculty and students, but that isn't sufficient by itself. Another thing to check is whether you will be able to transfer any credit from your current university, or whether you will have to start from scratch.
Other people have suggested in their answers that the situation may be salvageable at your current university. Of course, this is hard to say, but from your description, it does not sound promising. Also, did you check out your current department properly before joining it?
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_8: If you can slip into the right frame of mind, your situation is really fortuitous.
In order to make the case you're qualified for a faculty position, you need to show a high level of independence. Yes you're being forced into this situation by your current advising arrangement, but you'd probably be anyway if any school were to hire you as a faculty member. Why not develop your own research program that you can potentially take with you?
Independence doesn't mean working on things all by yourself. What it means is soliciting the right collaborations, both within and outside the standard support system offered by your university and grants.
Since you have a sponsor, assuming you have a good relationship with your old advisor you could probably go back to your old advisor's project. Or you could find the other people in your new advisor's field and work on his project. Your call about which could lead to more important work and which makes the most sense given your situation - or, as another answer suggested, you could do a bit of both. But all else being equal, you're probably better off establishing yourself in a single field.
There is a third option. Really take advantage of your freedom. Find the collaboration you would most want to be part of, and figure out how to contribute. If you think you could contribute you have no reason not to choose a top university, a Nobel laureate, or the project of your dreams. In the Internet era, with more types of long-distance communication possible, it's become easier to do this. You can enter a collaboration slowly - start by reading and corresponding and if you like what you're getting back, gradually put in more. This might be the riskiest path and might mean you need to be a visiting student somewhere or switch advisors/departments/schools again, but it always "looks good" to have a respected name or group among your collaborators.
P.S. You might be too demoralized or worried to do any of the above properly. If you are, take a leave of absence. You might also want to read about my namesake username_8, the weasel. The weasel is small and cute and so good at slipping through small openings in space and time, it doesn't fit into anyone's idea of what a small animal should and shouldn't be capable of doing. Here is one of the things a weasel can accomplish. It's lightning fast and took advantage of a tiny, ephemeral vulnerability in rabbit defense. Another one of the weasel family's achievements is weaseling their way to a life in the sea (sea otters are in the weasel family).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aoG0V.jpg)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I understand your situation and sympathize greatly. I'm in an unfunded lab and it's difficult finding TAships to fund yourself. Other people who are saying that there is something wrong with you, probably don't know the whole situation. I also completely understand what you say:**Nobody else in the condensed matter group wanted to take me because they all claimed not to have funding**.
This is because no one wants additional work. Why would a professor add another student even if they have funding. They are busy with their own problems and their own students already. It might not be you specifically. Everyone who has commented that it is all your fault or something wrong with you, highlight serious issues with academia. Things happen, funding runs out, professors get lazy and maybe don't want to take on an additional case. That doesn't mean it is the student's fault completely. In addition, the professors in the graduate group/department probably don't think their own funding, department's ranking, and the graduate group's ranking will change much if one student doesn't make it to the end of the PhD. You are considered collateral damage that's why they don't step in. I think you should consider a masters and get out as soon as you can. Then apply for a PhD at another university.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/14
| 1,039
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<issue_start>username_0: I'd like to choose a scientific paper template in LaTeX for a Deep Learning (Artificial Intelligence) project. I think the AAAI or the IEEE are interesting, however, I'd like to know under which terms I can use their templates if my work is not intended for publication. (I am also open to suggestions of other templates or styles to consider.)<issue_comment>username_1: Virtually all templates available as packages on the [Comprehensive TeX Archive Network (CTAN)](https://ctan.org/?lang=en) are free to use, regardless of whether or not they're intended for submission to the journal for which they were created. If there are any specific restrictions for their use, they would be indicated somewhere in the package information.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: While this particular project may remain unpublished, are you planning on publishing in the future? If you think you might, then it would probably be worth your time to use the template of the conference to which you plan to submit. Each template can have its own quirks, and so it is worth getting used to these.
Additionally, while you think this work may end up being unpublished, there is nothing preventing the future you from turning the work into a publication in the future. AAAI and IEEE aren't going to prevent you from using their templates for draft papers, so again, I'd suggest using the template for the venue you are most likely to publish in in the future.
Another point of consideration is where you are currently reading most of your papers. If you are reading mostly AAAI papers, then it is good experience writing your own papers in this style to see how your paper compares to those that are published and accepted in the area/conference/venue.
Finally, take a look at the preamble to the AAAI 2018 style file. You can use it for your own purposes as long as your follow their guidelines. (Put simply, if you modify the file, remove aaai from the name, and make sure you keep the acknowledgements.)
```
% WARNING: IF YOU ARE USING THIS STYLE SHEET FOR AN AAAI PUBLICATION, YOU
% MAY NOT MODIFY IT FOR ANY REASON. MODIFICATIONS (IN YOUR SOURCE
% OR IN THIS STYLE SHEET WILL RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR PAPER).
%
% NOTICE: DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE WITHOUT CHANGING ITS NAME.
% This style file is called aaai18.sty. Modifications to this file are permitted,
% provided that your modified version does not include the acronym "aaai"
% in its name, that credit to the authors and supporting agencies is
% retained, and that further modification or reuse is not restricted. This
% file was originally prepared by <NAME>, liberally
% using the ideas of other style hackers, including <NAME>. It was
% modified in April 1999 by <NAME> and <NAME>. It was
% modified in February 2009 and in November 2009 by <NAME> and
% <NAME>. It has been modified annually by AAAI since 2010. It was last
% modified on 18 July 2017 for the AAAI-18 conference.
% The original preparation of this file was supported by
% Schlumberger Palo Alto Research, AT\&T Bell Laboratories, AAAI, and
% Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. The current version was supported by the
% Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.
%
% WARNING: This style is NOT guaranteed to work. It is provided in the
% hope that it might make the preparation of papers easier, but this style
% file is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or
% implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of
% merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or noninfringement.
% You use this style file at your own risk. Standard disclaimers apply.
% There are undoubtably bugs in this style. If you would like to submit
% bug fixes, improvements, etc. please let us know. Please use the contact form
% at www.aaai.org.
```
(The AAAI 2018 author kit which contains this file is [currently available here](https://www.aaai.org/Publications/Templates/AuthorKit18.zip).)
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/14
| 364
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<issue_start>username_0: The class and year has ended. I wanted to meet with a professor who served as a great mentor with me during this year. I wanted to thank her in person and discuss pedagogy. I unexplainably dissed her by leaving at the end of the last class without thanking her or saying goodbye.
Feeling great guilt and disappointment, I emailed her to set up a last chance meeting. She responded with a long winded email about how busy she was [possibly a polite-go-away], but suggested possible times a week later.
I responded, in a clearly selfish and urgent manner, that I was available after the dates she suggested.
She responded with a "ok Ethel... i will write to you when I'm finished this week."
Upon further consideration, I feel that I might have come off as entitled to her time.
I'm considering taking back the meeting request and just writing a heartfelt email instead, possibly before she has a chance to attempt to set up a meeting.
Does anyone have advice?<issue_comment>username_1: This might be a very busy time - grading, exam board meetings etc.
As she is prepared to set up a meeting, then meet and thank her in person - it’s always nice to receive feedback / thanks / recognition...
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I recommend writing the thank-you email. The professor will appreciate having this matter closed, and not needing to spend mental energy tracking a request for a meeting on an unknown topic (mixed in with many other work items and responsibilities).
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/14
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<issue_start>username_0: I am finishing my Master's degree in Mathematics and will be enrolled in a PhD program in the U.S. starting from fall. In my country (Russia) we have thesis as a mandatory requirement for all degrees (including BSc and MSc, not just PhD). I hoped that my Master's thesis would be good enough to be published, but my advisor says it is not (I derived some new results, but they aren't very generic and groundbreaking). My Bachelor's thesis was not published too.
My question -- is it bad to have no publications prior to PhD or is it normal to begin publishing only during PhD years? In my view no publications is understandable for BSc students, but I'm not sure about MSc. The question is not about admission (I was admitted to a couple of decent programs this year), but about general timeline and expectations from students in sciences, especially from Master's degree holders.<issue_comment>username_1: My experience on this (Europe, physics department): I started my PhD last year, up to that point I had coauthorship on one publication (This dates back to my bachelors degree, I was a research assistant on a project that lead to a publication). Fellow PhDs in my current group have either one or no publicatiion as coauthors from their masters programme.
To cut it short: In my field it would be quite uncommon to have your 'own' papers (as in first author, not sure if a journal would even accept such a submission) before you finished your masters, coauthorship depends on how keen the supervisor is on publishing results (and how well the overall research on that topic is progressing, my thesis was connected to a PhD's research, as those results could be published I got coauthorship).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In mathematics in the US, it is normal to have no publications prior to beginning your PhD. In my experience, hiring committees will even tend to discount publications from before your PhD program, unless there is evidence that they are significantly more substantial than the typical REU fare. Most US mathematics PhDs never do a master's degree, and most who do don't produce a publishable master's thesis, so people also won't generally notice if your master's thesis wasn't published.
As you imply, though, you absolutely should begin publishing during your PhD program.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: In the UK (chemistry) it is uncommon to publish during the masters and this does not usually matter when applying for PhDs. As you have already been accepted for a PhD, I would not worry at all - this will be the period where you publish.
I myself, found some new results and disproved a theory but the supervisor did not feel the need to publish it. The decision can be driven by the supervisor or impact of the work.
On the other hand, masters students in China are usually expected to publish and this will greatly help them when applying for PhDs in foreign countries (at least in the UK). I have not known a PhD student in the UK without a publication from their masters. This is not only limited to China, of course.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/14
| 750
| 3,157
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in the Humanities, and I have a rough idea about the general field I want to work in. I have identified several professors who also work in this field. However, I am not sure how I can now find a topic for my dissertation. I am reading and reading, but as of now, I do not have a great idea.
I was thinking of getting in touch with the professors who might be potential advisors, but I am not sure whether that's a good idea considering I do not know my topic at all. I do not want to come across as naive - esp. since they are all at prestigious institutions.
If you think it is a good idea to get in touch, then I am still clueless about how to go about this, and what to write. I want to be honest but would like to avoid looking like a fool.
PS: I am in the Humanities, I think it's important for this question.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think it is a good idea to contact them for several reasons. First, by your own admission, you do not know what you wish to focus on. Bear in mind your competitors probably already have a specific research question in hand. Second, even if you do have a research question at hand, academics in social sciences/humanities generally do not respond (of course, I can't speak for everyone) to potential candidates' emails prior to their official submission or consideration. That is to say, your prior email, in theory, has no effect on whether the professor would positively view your application that way.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: This is not a good idea. Do not do this.
(note I am speaking from Humanities/Social Sciences, and I asm speaking from Europe/UK/NZ/OZ; USA may differ)
Researchers in the humanities who do interesting work get MANY emails that are, essentially, "I am interested in your topic generally...HELP!" I get at least one a week. But it isn't my job to teach an infinite stream of stranger potential PhDs what a knowledge gap is, and doing so for even one person sucks me away from the research that was so appealing in the first place. If a potential PhD approaches me with just a general interest and not a well-defined research topic (it doesn't have to be perfect, just interesting), I give them a kind "no". Other researchers don't even respond and even find such communications offensive: they feel the potential PhD didn't even try.
The issue isn't just that you will appear naive, the issue is that you will appear needy. In the locations I mention above, your research proposal or even just your research idea is how a potential supervisor decides if they want to spend their time on you. It shows that you are thinking like a PhD level researcher and that you are able to identify intriguing gaps in our knowledge about your chosen topic. While a potential supervisor might help you define that gap a bit better, they have to see that you are a person who is capable of identifying a gap. If they do that identification for you, they have no way to gauge if you are "PhD material": if you have the kind of analytical capability to do humanities PhD work. It isn't a perfect way to gauge this, but it is all we have.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/14
| 483
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a graduate student in statistics, writing the methods and data analysis section of an epidemiology paper. I used an obscure but highly relevant statistical method to analyze our data. I genuinely believe this is the first novel application of this method outside of toy problems in highly theoretical paper.
What I want to say is: *Previous research on METHOD XX has been limited to statistics and econometrics literature*
This seems too sweeping a claim for me to make though. It's entirely possible that someone, somewhere has used this method before. It is also a nightmare to cite. How do you cite the absence of evidence?
So, what is the best way to convey this? Is it as simple as tempering my initial statement a bit: *Previous research on METHOD XX has **largely** been limited to statistics and econometrics literature*. Should I get rid of this statement all together?<issue_comment>username_1: In lots of papers I've seen a phrase:
>
> According to (*or* to the best of) the author's knowledge, this is the first time that method XX has been applied to YY.
>
>
>
which seems fair and safe enough.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I guess the contribution of your work is the applications of the method XXXX to statistics and econometrics. Only a few research has applied the method such as XXXX to address problems in statistics and econometrics. So, your work will be the next one..... I will say that
"To our knowledge, the method such as XXXX has a few applications in statistics and econometrics [give citations to the exceptional papers where the methods similar to XXXX has been used in statistics and econometrics]."
Or you may say...
"To our knowledge, only a few research [citation] has applied the method such as XXXX to address problems in statistics and econometrics"
But be careful about differentiating your reason for applying this method against the existing way that the method XXX have been used in statistics and econometrics.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/14
| 620
| 2,793
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm hosting an academic competition, and I need to get the word out to any peers that may be interested in participating. My advisor told me to search for academic mailing lists, but I can't find any. What are the best venues to get the word out about academic information? I'm particularly interested in publicizing the competition throughout the USA and Brazil, but any advice is warmly welcomed.
**Clarification:** My objective is not spamming or any kind of malicious activities. The same way that conferences and activities are spread by someone inside the universities, I would like to reach to reach a wide audience to invite them to participate in the competition, with pure academic interests---specially since the competition is part of an international conference.
The topic is related to machine learning. But any tips for any kind of topic are welcome.<issue_comment>username_1: If you are aiming to reach out to members of a specific field, then I'd suggest reaching out to the department chairs of universities that offer it. For example, if you are looking into something designed for communications majors, professors, etc., then perhaps look up colleges with communications programs. Then find the contact information for the department chair and send them an email. You can repeat this for as many schools as necessary.
If you are going for something a bit broader, you may want to call the administrative offices for the schools, or see if they have an email address that you can contact them through.
This way, if the message comes across more like spam, then hopefully you've irked as few people as possible. If it's useful and the recipient is interested, then they will have the ability to disperse the information throughout their department or university. It's a lot of work, but sometimes that is what is necessary.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you know of relevant academic associations, you can see if they have special interest groups (SIGs) or sections for graduate students. You could politely email the graduate students elected to be in charge of those groups and ask them if they could please spread the word, and/or whether they have advice about how you can spread the word. (If those SIGs have Facebook or Twitter accounts, for instance, they might be more willing to publicize a contest there than by sending out an unscheduled email.)
Beyond that, I agree with the advice to reach out to relevant departments with the information. Of course, before you reach out, make sure that your materials are as clear as possible, look official (ask your advisor and colleagues), and have the correct contact information/URL spelled out (in case a rich-text message turns into plain-text and loses its links).
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/14
| 2,032
| 8,647
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<issue_start>username_0: I have read about many great researchers in various fields who were not involved in academia throughout their lives. Some were involved in academia only part of their life, but almost invariably, their greatest work came after a period of solitude and isolation from others. In fact, most great mathematicians, for example, were rather isolated figures. <NAME> and <NAME> come to mind, but others like <NAME> were also isolated during their periods of research. More recently, <NAME> isolated himself for around 7 years and didn't speak about his work to anyone while he was busy solving Fermat's Last Theorem. (I have mentioned only mathematicians because those are the ones I have read about the most.)
Hence, I am failing to see how being in academia/a university position aids one as a researcher, practically speaking. It seems as though the greatest research must come from within the individual due to an intense and personal love and desire for the subject, rather than due to collaborating with others or being given a better position or whatever. In fact, such things seem to be the opposite: detrimental. They would make the person focus not on the subject but on paltry things like gaining more and more money or a better reputation.
My question is simply: How does being in university position (e.g. professor) aid the researchers who are at the highest level in their field? I do not mean being *involved* in academia, because one can be involved (eg attending seminars and lectures) without having a position (please correct me if I am wrong, as I myself am not actually in academia).<issue_comment>username_1: Beyond the obvious benefits of financial stability, one must also consider the possibility that not all researchers are solitary creatures. This is especially true in the non-mathematics parts of STEM fields, which frequently require collaboration to achieve meaningful results.
Moreover, there is the additional issue of the amount of work that one person can get done relative to the number of ideas and projects that they want to explore. For instance, right now, there are about a half-dozen different project ideas that I'd like to work on, and I could probably come up with a dozen more if I had the time and space to do so. But I only have a finite number of hours that I can work, which means that I have a few options:
* find people who are willing to work on those ideas by getting a grant and hiring graduate students or postdocs,
* do it myself, or
* leave the work undone.
The last option is unappealing, and the second is basically impossible without burning myself out after a few months. So that leaves the first option, which is difficult to do if you're not affiliated with some sort of research institution.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: What follows does not answer so much the general question posed, so much as address the examples offered in the question. All of the question's examples answer the question.
Professionalstability and remuneration are conducive to engaging in the sort of committed, intense, and prolonged thinking and studying that results in deep conceptual advances. Very few professional contexts outside academia offer this sort of environment.
<NAME> was already a tenured full professor at Princeton already when he did his work on the Taniyama-Weil conjecture and Fermat's last theorem. He studied at Oxford and Cambridge, wrote a PhD with the famous number theorist <NAME>, and, prior to his work on FLT, had coauthored papers with Coates and the famous number theorists <NAME> and <NAME>.
Newton, Riemann, and Maxwell were university professors and all of their work was conducted in what were at the time the standard institutional contexts for such work, with the provisos that all three were recognized as exceptional talents, Maxwell and Newton ascended professionally more rapidly than was the norm, and all Riemann and Maxwell encountered the sorts of ordinary professional mishaps in changing jobs (and wars, and illness - Maxwell had smallpox and Riemann died from tuberculosis) and the like that all of us experience in some measure.
None of these people was particularly isolated in a professional or social sense. Maxwell and Newton occupied prestigious professorships at young ages. Newton served in parliament, was warden of the mint, and was president of the Royal Society! Riemann probably had the most difficult road professionally, but he was helped by Gauss, who recognized quite fully Riemann's talent, and he interacted with the other prominent mathematicians of his era and locale (Jacobi, Dirichlet, etc.).
These are all extreme examples of people of unusual talent and who worked unusually hard. The academic context allows them to support themselves economically while taking the risks necessary to pursue difficult lines of research that might fail. For every one of them there many others of similar talent and work ethic who pursued ideas that developed less fruitfully. The academic context allows this mass of talented, hard-working people to develop ideas that might fail, and without this the ideas that succeed might not be developed at all.
Riemann and Wiles stand out for having published relatively few papers, all of high quality. This is almost impossible without the stability provided by excellent work conditions of the sort that can only be found in an academic environment (Wiles published nothing that appeared in print from 1991-1994 - this is impossible for someone who does not already have a permanent academic job!). The sort of positive isolation conducive to deep thinking is almost impossible in non-academic environments.
In general, being in an academic environment is important in the current time for the following practical reasons: availability of doctoral students, access to research funding, access to financing for travel, and access to other researchers. Additionally, in institutions that function well (a minority), the work conditions facilitate creativity and intellectual risk taking.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: In the modern era (say, the last 50-100 years) non-professional contributions to science and mathematics have been extremely rare. (When they happen, you read about them). Doing science is a full time job, and being employed at a university or (the right kind of) industrial research lab provides you payment for spending much of your time doing research. Most science is also collaborative --- and universities provide collaborators, in the form of PhD students, postdocs, and other faculty. The modern examples you give --- <NAME>, and <NAME> --- were both employed at universities (although Zhang is a closer match for what you want, since he was employed as a lecturer at the time rather than a tenure track professor). A recent example of amateur mathematics making an impact is the solution to the Hadwinger Nelson problem: <https://www.quantamagazine.org/decades-old-graph-problem-yields-to-amateur-mathematician-20180417/>
So it certainly occasionally still happens that someone who is not a professional mathematician employed in an academic setting solves an open problem. But when it happens it is news, and I know of nobody who has done this more than once.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> It seems as though the greatest research must come from within the
> individual due to an intense and personal love and desire for the
> subject, rather than due to collaborating with others or being given a
> better position or whatever.
>
>
>
This assumption is both not necessarily true, and not necessarily true for both *all people* and *all fields*. My best work, for example, has emerged from collaboration with others, passing discussions, etc.
Indeed, I'm not entirely sure the image of the lone genius laboring away in isolation, fueled only by passion, hasn't done more harm than good.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: Many greats answers on academic career of famous and incredibly talented people.
At least German universities are what they are (a mixture of research and teaching) because they root on some philosophical principles that say they **should** mix research and teaching. While not willing to dive deep, the idea is that research facilitates better teaching (on to the frontiers!) and that teaching facilitates better research (why was that like this again?).
So, putting research institutes and company-based R&D aside, if you are a tenured researcher at a (German) university, you do some teaching.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/14
| 1,877
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<issue_start>username_0: Related: [How to motivate students to complete low-point homework?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/23420/how-to-motivate-students-to-complete-low-point-homework)
One of my undergraduate professors had a similar problem to the OP's in the above question, that is, that students would skip many minor low-point assignments in favor of studying for big exams, and the professor felt that not completing *every single assignment* resulted in a lower-quality learning experience even though a student's average still might be passing or even excellent.
The professor's solution was a policy that any student who failed to complete *all* assignments would be automatically assigned a zero for the course. That is, the student did not have an opportunity to accept a zero for the assignment that was not done - they would instead get an automatic F for the course. There was no requirement that each assignment be perfect, or even good - the requirement was that you had to at least attempt and turn something in for each assignment.
Are there any problems with this strategy from a pedagogical or ethics perspective? Obviously, some universities permit this and some do not, and the instructor in question *did* announce this policy in the syllabus at the beginning of the course, but I'm asking from a more general or best practices perspective. It seems to me that this is a non-optimal solution, more specifically one that is using an *academic* assessment system (grades/GPA) improperly as a *behavioral management* technique. That is, this strategy is similar/analogous to dropping a student's grade from a B to a C because they brought a weapon to class, or (in reverse) restricting a student from attending a campus dance because they did not demonstrate sufficient mastery of Boyle's Law (implementing a behavioral intervention when an *academic* one such as a lowered grade would have been more appropriate).
Is this a fair assessment of the situation, or is such a strategy a legitimate tool?
Obviously, the minimum level of effort required to constitute "completing" an assignment was vague and something I did not actually inquire into - one might wonder whether or not turning in a piece of paper with "I like pie, here is Boyle's Law, Boyle's Law is great, the answer to all of the questions on this assignment is THREE." would have sufficed (well, it would have been more than a blank page!). That also concerns me - whether or not being able to identify a boundary between making random guesses that effectively constitute *not trying at all* and an entirely incompetent, but sincere, attempt to complete the assignment (e.g. answers are all wrong, student failed to apply recent best practices covered in lecture, student confused Ohm's Law with Boyle's Law, student did not express all results to two significant figures as insisted upon in the instructions, answer was in French when English was required, student claimed that Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy was invented by Freud in 1543 and is generally considered effective in treating acute alcohol intoxication, student claimed that Orange is the New Black is a prime example of early twelfth-century Anglo-Saxon epic poetry, etc.), matters in determining whether or not such a penalty should be allowed.
This question has nothing to do with cheating or plagiarism.
Note: This was *NOT* Competency-Based Education (CBE). This was a regular engineering class that just happened to have this odd policy tacked on because the instructor was sick to death of students skipping his little 2 point assignments that he thought were critical. The course was otherwise entirely normal.
In response to @aeismail, yes, assignments could be turned in up until the date of the final exam, at least for purposes of not automatically failing the course for failing to turn something in.<issue_comment>username_1: Would I use this policy? No. Is it so unreasonable that I'd call it bad practice or unethical? No. After all, blowing off small tasks would get you fired from many jobs.
Your objection that academic assessment and behavior management should be separate does not seem convincing to me. By collecting and grading homework, rather than trusting students to do it, we are already in the realm of behavior management, so it becomes an argument over the appropriate *degree* of behavior management. Which will clearly vary with the subject and the group of students. Some subjects are difficult to assess with exams (making homework very important), and different groups need their hands held more than others.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: your question needs a step back: is university the place to force students' personal behavior and personal decisions? if yes, then what is the difference between university and school?
My view is simple: University is the transitional place where students learn to make their own decisions and be responsible in preparation for real-life. This means that there is no one anymore chasing you to "please study". At university you are responsible for your own learning and students quickly start learning responsibility after a little while.
If we are going to keep holding the metaphorical stick and say "you HAVE to do everything as i told you to or else" then when will these students learn to make decisions or realize the consequences of bad decisions in a relatively safe Environment?
Then comes the 2nd question: Is it for you as a university educator to actually force students to do assignments? why?
If they want to have better learning experience from your class they will choose to do more work. If not then not. It is really not your business, their grades cover their learning. whether or not they choose if your class is worth remembering after the semester end is their own choice.
Finally, some university professors make me feel they just want to control students. I had various discussions before about why for example you'd be offended of having your student use a laptop in lecture or look at his/her phone *(this seems to be more common in the USA instructors than in other countries I dealt with for some reason).*
Of course I expect like a million comment now about how you are supposed to "do what is best for them". Except that that they are no longer children, what is good for them is to teach them to be adults. This means: guide them not force them
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I agree with [username_2](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/72913/elkady) that university should be a place where students are treated as adults, and expected to drive their own learning, without anyone chasing them and forcing them to study. In view of this, I have always been averse to assessment structures that penalise students for failing to engage with the material in the way preferred by the professor. If a student is able to acquire sufficient knowledge to demonstrate competence on their exams, it shouldn't matter how that competence was attained (whether through doing all the assigned work, or some other means). If a student fails to submit an assessment task, and therefore gets zero on that assessment, that will require them to do even better on other tasks. For this reason, I have always hated compulsory attendance rules, compulsory submission rules, etc.
The **strategic problem** with this kind of assessment structure is that it mimics school-work, where there is an authority figure micro-managing the learning process. The student is expected to obey and learn according to the instructions of the authority figure, instead of being given resources and expected to use them proactively in their own way. The student is not allowed to make trade-offs in their learning process. This means that although the specific course material gets taught, the more general adult skill of proactive learning is not.
While there is a strategic drawback to this approach, there is **no ethical problem** with a professor structuring assessment in this way. Academics are rightly given wide discretion to choose the mode of assessment for their courses, and to determine what is optimal for their own teaching. So long as there is disclosure of the assessment rules at the outset of the course, I see no ethical problem with imposing a requirement of this kind on students.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/14
| 1,027
| 4,676
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<issue_start>username_0: When you email a professor to inquire about an available PhD position is it a good idea to ask if they have any available projects?<issue_comment>username_1: Would I use this policy? No. Is it so unreasonable that I'd call it bad practice or unethical? No. After all, blowing off small tasks would get you fired from many jobs.
Your objection that academic assessment and behavior management should be separate does not seem convincing to me. By collecting and grading homework, rather than trusting students to do it, we are already in the realm of behavior management, so it becomes an argument over the appropriate *degree* of behavior management. Which will clearly vary with the subject and the group of students. Some subjects are difficult to assess with exams (making homework very important), and different groups need their hands held more than others.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: your question needs a step back: is university the place to force students' personal behavior and personal decisions? if yes, then what is the difference between university and school?
My view is simple: University is the transitional place where students learn to make their own decisions and be responsible in preparation for real-life. This means that there is no one anymore chasing you to "please study". At university you are responsible for your own learning and students quickly start learning responsibility after a little while.
If we are going to keep holding the metaphorical stick and say "you HAVE to do everything as i told you to or else" then when will these students learn to make decisions or realize the consequences of bad decisions in a relatively safe Environment?
Then comes the 2nd question: Is it for you as a university educator to actually force students to do assignments? why?
If they want to have better learning experience from your class they will choose to do more work. If not then not. It is really not your business, their grades cover their learning. whether or not they choose if your class is worth remembering after the semester end is their own choice.
Finally, some university professors make me feel they just want to control students. I had various discussions before about why for example you'd be offended of having your student use a laptop in lecture or look at his/her phone *(this seems to be more common in the USA instructors than in other countries I dealt with for some reason).*
Of course I expect like a million comment now about how you are supposed to "do what is best for them". Except that that they are no longer children, what is good for them is to teach them to be adults. This means: guide them not force them
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I agree with [username_2](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/72913/elkady) that university should be a place where students are treated as adults, and expected to drive their own learning, without anyone chasing them and forcing them to study. In view of this, I have always been averse to assessment structures that penalise students for failing to engage with the material in the way preferred by the professor. If a student is able to acquire sufficient knowledge to demonstrate competence on their exams, it shouldn't matter how that competence was attained (whether through doing all the assigned work, or some other means). If a student fails to submit an assessment task, and therefore gets zero on that assessment, that will require them to do even better on other tasks. For this reason, I have always hated compulsory attendance rules, compulsory submission rules, etc.
The **strategic problem** with this kind of assessment structure is that it mimics school-work, where there is an authority figure micro-managing the learning process. The student is expected to obey and learn according to the instructions of the authority figure, instead of being given resources and expected to use them proactively in their own way. The student is not allowed to make trade-offs in their learning process. This means that although the specific course material gets taught, the more general adult skill of proactive learning is not.
While there is a strategic drawback to this approach, there is **no ethical problem** with a professor structuring assessment in this way. Academics are rightly given wide discretion to choose the mode of assessment for their courses, and to determine what is optimal for their own teaching. So long as there is disclosure of the assessment rules at the outset of the course, I see no ethical problem with imposing a requirement of this kind on students.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/05/15
| 1,352
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<issue_start>username_0: I am well aware that, when it comes to preparing to give a talk at a conference, "practice makes perfect". The problem is that, realistically, it tends not to be possible to find an audience for more than one or two run-throughs, so the only remaining possibility is to practice on my own.
Unfortunately, I have always found this to be basically impossible – it's very hard for me to get over how weird it feels to be "talking to myself", and if I do try to force myself to proceed, I always find myself getting horrendously tongue-tied in ways that I don't in front of a live audience. This almost seems like the opposite problem from what many people experience, but I find that the presence of an audience gives me energy and helps to get my brain in gear. I'm curious as to whether other people have the same problem and possible techniques for practicing more effectively.<issue_comment>username_1: Try speaking in front of a mirror(s), which might make it seem like you do have a live audience (your reflection). If you don't have suitable mirrors on hand, you could try asking your university's physics department.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I used to be the same. There is no easy fix, but it turns out that you already discovered the secret: "Practice makes perfect". Just push through, and in the end it won't feel weird anymore. I don't have a practical, actionable magic fix – you just need to practice.
Maybe one advice: I feel less stupid if I rehearse sitting down looking at my desk rather than standing up and pretending I talk to a ghost audience in front of me. If I'm preparing a blackboard talk (not easy to do sitting down), I rehearse once or twice by writing on a piece of paper and talking before rehearsing with the blackboard to get the timing right.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: For my last practice run, I either ask my group to use them as test audience or I "set the stage". As I guess you already asked everybody and now nobody has time to listen for the third time, let's try and set the stage.
We have a so-called "seminar room" in the vicinity which is rarely used for teaching (actually my own teaching is currently the most regular thing in there). This means it is free to use a lot of the time, especially if you come in early or stay late.
I go to this room and set myself up. There is a presenter and if no one is in the room I would sometimes open the windows that I am facing while presenting, so I could imagine "the world" is listening.
Sometimes if I am lucky some students are in there, passing time between lectures. Many know the room is often empty and relaxingly silent. I explain to them what I plan to do and invite them to listen. They are often shy to really give advice, but someone is there and I imagine they might take home something even if they did not listen closely.
So, I try to at least "set up a full presentation stage" and maybe I can attract some spontaneous audience.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Record the video/voice when you presenting. That is how I do it.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: You could try a virtual reality app. There are some for android. They run on Google Cardboard and, some run on Google Daydream as well. If you have a headset already, you might give this a try. I have not tried properly myself yet because the apps were a bit buggy. But, the software provides an okay approximation of an audience. Moreover, there is plenty of psychological support on the efficacy of virtual-reality to help overcome fears (e.g., public speaking). Not suggesting you have such a fear, but I think half the reason we practice public speaking is to make ourselves confident.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: There are some methods which have worked wonders for me.
(1) Getting some teddy bears or dolls as human stand-ins and present your work to them while recording it . Replay the recording later to asses yourself and fix your mistakes.
(2) Get a few of your friends over and practice with them. I found this especially helpful as they can provide critical and helpful advice on the spot from various perspectives.
(3) Close your eyes and imagine yourself in front of the crowd and begin your speech. If you stumble , just keep the pace and then focus on fixing it later.
Also some extra tips;
While you are presenting the work. try to look into the crowd and focus on a familiar face or something like a poster near the audience. If you stammer do not start panicking but continue with your normal pace . That way you wont draw attention to it. Keep yourself calm and practice some quick breathing techniques if needed.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: Perhaps you are practicing the wrong thing. If in fact you have no trouble speaking smoothly when you are front of a live audience, then you don't need to practice that. You may need to practice how you 'enter' a slide (what concept or thought you will discuss first), or how to transition to the next slide (what is the final concept or thought, and how does it connect with the next thing you want to talk about). You may need to practice what words you say in the introduction... you don't want to make that up on the fly.
In other words, do what professional musicians do. They rarely play an entire piece through during practice, but instead repeat the challenging sections.
With the goal of working out the words you will use in the tricky parts, practice will feel less artificial and more productive. Don't sweat the pieces you already know. At the end, do a dry-run with an audience to test the timing and the flow.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: tl;dr: please skip to the last paragraph.
I am currently an international undergrad at an US university, studying math. I am currently thinking of going to graduate school and becoming a university professor after that.
My dad thinks that there must be some unforeseen and implicit racial/ethnic/national discrimination against Asians in U.S. higher learning and that I must therefore invariably be more studious in learning.
However, today's America is more diverse than ever, every university have non-discrimination policy, and collge faculty hirers are in general (I think, at least) educated people. Also, based on my interactions, no one in my college seems to be biased against racial minorities/different nationalities. So I am thinking that there wouldn't be much national/racial discrimination on graduate school admissions and in university faculty hiring, especially as my major is math, which is one of the objective academic discipline. I also plan to do a career with pure math and not on industrial/applied math.
I am perfectly fluent in English and can communicate perfectly like a native except for a almost non-existent accent. I am also very aquainted with American culture.
Of course, I know that there still must be some implicit national/racial diacrimination in job hiring process in non-academic sectors (e.g. companies/restaurants) despite there being laws against it. But since universities are places were nondiscrimination is highly encouraged and there are lots of international scholars, I think my dad's claim is highly exaggerated.
I believe that my current status as a citizen of South Korea, which is a close ally with U.S., shouldn't negatively affect my image in graduate school admission/university faculty job hiring.
I found some articles [like this one](http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-uic-professor-sues-discrimination-1229-biz-20161228-story,amp.html) but I think this is an exception to a general rule.
Long story short:
Is there national/racial discrimination against Asians in graduate school admissions and in university faculty hiring/promotion in math (and/or Physical Sciences in general)? I am asking for anything in the United States (i.e., no answer needed for other countries). "Discrimination" for scholarship doesn't count, -- nor does undergraduate admissions!!! I am looking specifically for an answer about math department or physical sciences. A general perception is a preferred answer rather than specific instances, though that too is good. Answers are wlecome from those working in the admission/hiring process. Also, lack of communication skills frequently attributed to international scholars doesn't count as racial/national discrimination in my question.
EDIT: In reply to the replies below, I am well aware that any sort of unjust racial/national discrimination is prohibited whatsoever in the U.S., and I am well aware that the mainstream media and the general consensus of the people is that any sort of unjust discrimination is absolutely bad. I've attended an American high school and watched tons of American news and TV. However, I am merely asking a professional view (that is not speculative, i.e. someone who's been working in the area for many years) to what extent some people's implicit biases against Asians seems to negatively impact grad admission/prof hiring. Of course, having been in U.S. I know that no one would say "we're gonna hire this white guy over this equally qualified Asian guy just because of race." Also, being in U.S. for many years do not always count as state residency, as I am not a permanent resident.<issue_comment>username_1: I have been a faculty member in the US in mathematics for over 10 years, and involved with graduate admissions a few times. Based on my observations, there is no significant discrimination against Koreans or Asians/Asians-Americans for graduate admissions, or for hiring procedures. Implicit bias is a thing, but academics for the most part work guard against it, and as there are many highly successful East Asian mathematicians, I don't think there is so much implicit bias against East Asians in mathematics anyway.
That said, if you are applying as an international student, then diversity initiatives may produce an affect similar to [reverse discrimination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_discrimination) for graduate admissions (this is not an issue for faculty hiring). Specifically, some schools may try to aim to admit X number of domestic students and Y number of international students. (At my mid-size public university, we typically admit fewer international students because of language concerns for TA assignments, though it sounds like that would not be a concern in your case. Additionally, while you may be officially applying as an international students, since you've been in the US so long and are going to college in the US, a search committee which differentiates domestic and international applicants may treat you essentially like a domestic student anyway.)
Then some schools, may try to admit most Z students from East Asian countries, so that they can also admit Y-Z students from other regions. Because of the large numbers of strong applicants from China and Korea, this means you may be facing more competition for a spot than if you were from Antarctica. In practice, this just means it may be somewhat harder for you to get into an elite school, but if you're a strong applicant you should still be able to get into top schools.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: There is quite a bit of academic research on university entry and race, mostly in US universities, so if you are interested in learning about racial discrimination in academia, this would be a good place to start. The phenomenon of discrimination against Asians in academia is well-known and has been identified regularly over the past twenty to thirty years, both in academic literature (e.g., [Tsuang 1989](http://www.jstor.org/stable/796634?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents), [Wu 1995](https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/bctw15&div=15&id=&page=), [Wong and Halgin 2011](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2006.tb00025.x), [Kim *et al* 2011](http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-23434-001)) and in the press (see e.g., [*The Economist* 2015](https://www.economist.com/briefing/2015/10/03/the-model-minority-is-losing-patience)). The [Asian-American Coalition for Education](http://asianamericanforeducation.org/en/issue/discrimination-on-admissions/) claim that there is widespread discrimination against Asians in academia, particularly in the elite Ivy-league schools, and they provide references to a number of articles and books discussing this issue.
This issue has been studied in quite a bit of detail by the economist <NAME> in the context of his research on affirmative action (an overview of his ideas on the subject is [here](https://www.hoover.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/0817998721_167.pdf) and his recent book on the economics and politics of race is [here](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1470821036)). Sowell argues that affirmative action leads to discrimination against Asian applicants, as a consequence of this group having a higher proportion of applicants with high grades/skills. Since Asians are the "model minority", Sowell argues that the use of affirmative action in academia tends to involve a raising of the bar for entry for this group, in order to try to avoid their "overrepresentation".
Anyway, this is a big subject, and a lot has been written on it. Some users on this site may be able to give their own anecdotal experiences, but I recommend you examine this broader literature. The links I have provided will get you started, but there is also plenty more on the topic.
**UPDATE:** There is presently a [major lawsuit against Harvard University](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/us/harvard-asian-enrollment-applicants.html) for alleged discrimination against Asian applicants. It is alleged that Harvard admission staff have systematically down-rated Asian applicants on their "personality" in order to achieve racial balancing, consistent with the university's goal of racial diversity. @[BlueRoses](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/85774/blueroses): If this is a topic that interests you, I cannot think of a better example than for you to watch how this legal case plays out.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: This is more of a comment, but it fits better in the answer format, so here goes.
An attitude such as you described your father as having might seem outrageous on the face of it. However, if we remember that it is coming from *his reality*, perhaps it can be more constructive for you, for him, and for your relationship, if you allow yourself to absorb his attitude, without debate, and without adopting it for yourself, but with curiosity and empathy.
Can you ask him in a gentle, interested, non-confrontational way what *his* experiences with discrimination have been? If things are polarized between you on the issue of *Is discrimination against our ethnic group real or imagined?*, then he might feel suspicious when you try to interview him. It might be helpful to let him know why you're interested. (Maybe -- "Knowledge is power. I want to know more about what discrimination looks like, sounds like, smells like, feels like.")
If he's able to see that you would like to learn from his experiences, so that you can go to college with your eyes open, and with a healthy skepticism, you two may have an easier time finding common ground.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Higher education is extremely competitive and universities do what is in their best interest. Research universities especially, profit directly from grant funding; a big chunk of each grant goes into the university's pocket. They also fight tooth and nail for rankings as this brings in students and their tuition dollars (especially international students who pay in full). Choosing the inferior candidate for reasons of bias would go against that self-interest. One caveat is lately there has been a push for diversity, including it in the rankings even. And this does imply a bias against over-represented minorities. But I'm not sure it amounts to much except at the fringes, given the same reasons plus how difficult it is to impose preferences under current rules.
There are less direct kinds of factors like "leadership" and extra-curricular being used at the undergraduate level, which some see as a backdoor way to tilt the scales (personally I think this is the same bias against introverts that has always existed). At any rate one only needs to "work as hard" as everyone else at succeeding in these additional factors.
At the graduate level especially, American universities serve the world. In STEM fields international doctoral students outnumber domestic (Source: [OECD](https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=EAG_ENRL_MOBILES_FIELDS "OECD")). At many schools this is the case for faculty in these areas as well. You may find yourself competing for academic jobs against a pool of mostly international candidates.
One other caveat is state schools for student admissions. They are generally required by their state to reserve a large fraction of spots for state residents. But this may be limited to undergraduate and certain professional schools such as medicine. And note that one doesn't need to be a US resident to be a state resident.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: Someone has a title Lord and is a Professor. How will I address a letter? And what will the correct manner be after Dear?<issue_comment>username_1: Looking at this link, [Professions](https://www.debretts.com/expertise/forms-of-address/professions/), as provided by [erstwhile editor](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/109787/lord-and-prof-titles#comment287624_109787) in the comments to your question, the answer would be *Professor Lord [Such-and-such]*:
>
> If a professor is also a member of the peerage, or a knight or dame, the academic style and title may be combined as ‘<NAME>’ or ‘<NAME>’. He/she may prefer to be known by title alone.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The "correct" form of address, as noted by another answer is "<NAME>". However, the person in question is likely to use a less unwieldy title. Given he is a professor and a peer, there are probably ample press releases, news articles and interviews with him, and you should also look at his biography on his institution's page.
Most likely, he goes by just "Professor" in an academic context. Most likely, his reply email to you will just be signed with his first name. British academics are for the most part quite relaxed about titles. You shouldn't worry about it too much.
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<issue_start>username_0: *Moderator note:* A [follow-on question about how to avoid the behavior described here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/109937/how-can-i-avoid-being-intolerant-and-unsupportive-of-diversity-at-scientific-mee) has been posted.
---
In recent news, two academics are at odds over this incident [full article here](https://www.chronicle.com/article/He-Makes-a-Joke-She-Isn-t/243350):
>
> The fuss started when [Prof. X] and [Prof. Y] ended up in the same crowded elevator during a conference at a Hilton in San Francisco last month. [Prof. Y] said she offered to press the floor buttons for people in the elevator, whom she described as mostly conference attendees and all, except one other woman, white middle-aged men. Instead of saying a floor, [Prof. X] smiled and asked for the women’s lingerie department "and all his buddies laughed," [Prof. Y] wrote in a complaint, the details of which he disputed, to the association later that day.
>
>
>
This incident has escalated to the point that the academic organization that organized the conference has decided to sanction Prof. X.
I don't understand why the joke was funny, but that's not really important. I would like to understand why it was offensive. Specifically, I'm wondering
* **In what way was this comment offensive?**
The bullets above are not rhetorical or sarcastic; I am completely sincere. I am worried because I don't understand precisely what was offensive, so I fear that I might do something similar. I have wondered whether the remark was offensive because:
* It referred to underwear
* It referred to women (in any way) and was cause for laughter
* There is some unstated assumption about his reason for supposedly going to a lingerie department
But I really have no idea, and I want to understand. I could not find an answer in any of the news pieces on this incident.
*I realize that this question might get closed as off-topic. However, I think it is wrong to assume that no part of this is specific to academic culture (if that's the case, that's part of the answer). Certainly it occurred in a uniquely academic environment, and is a dispute between academics and an academic society, that seems to jeopardize at least one academic career.*
**Please refrain from using this as a place to express your opinion on who is right in this dispute. That's not what I'm asking.**<issue_comment>username_1: The remark is offensive because it implies that women are merely sex objects, only good for leering at while scantily clad. I implies that the women attending academic conferences are not real academics, but are only there for show. We are talking about a professor, a respected scholar who is an expert in her field. The other professor only appears to see her as an object, a servant to dress up in lingerie, not his equal. This is degrading and offensive.
If you want to avoid this kind of "fuss", talk to women (and everyone, really) as if they were human beings and your peers, rather than objects, especially in a professional context.
If you want to understand why the professor violated the code of conduct (and I think it's sad that it needs to be spelled out), [you can read it here](https://www.isanet.org/Portals/0/Documents/ISA/ISA%20Code%20of%20Conduct%200418.pdf), in particular:
>
> 4) Nonetheless, the ISA recognizes its duty to ensure that members and participants are not bullied and/or harassed. It further recognizes that this duty is of wider application and includes all members and participants, regardless of status or the period of time. [...]
>
>
> b) Harassment may be defined as, but is not limited to:
>
> i) Unwanted conduct affecting the dignity of people or individuals. It may be related to age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientati
> on, race, disability, religion, nationality, citizenship or any personal characteristic of the individual, and may be persistent or isolated. The key is
> that the actions or comments are experienced as demeaning and unacceptable by the recipient. [...]
>
>
>
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: @Najib Idrissi gave a very good answer, but I think there is one more key element to this situation, and that is the typical dimensions of a lift.
Lifts are small, people have to stand close together. This makes some people a little nervous about the possibility that someone else might take it as an opportunity to invade their personal space or touch them inappropriately. In a lift, such an act could be passed off as unintentional, because people were standing close already. Just like the problems with people getting groped on packed trains.
So in this situation, it is only kind to behave in as reassuring a manner as possible. This will reduce the fear people feel because of how close they have to stand.
As such, even if this joke had not been specifically about women’s sexuality, and just about sexuality in general, it was the wrong moment to tell it.
To tell a sex related joke is always a bit of a gamble, but if the person you are talking to is comfortable around you, it might be fine. The trick is to know if they are comfortable at that moment. In a crowded lift they are more likely to be a little uncomfortable. In a male dominated environment this is more likely to be a problem for women, but it could apply to anyone.
*The long and short of it is don't tell sex jokes unless you are confident that they are not misogynistic (in context this one was), and confident that that the other person is comfortable around you.*
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: ***Well, there was no offense intended, and initially, I didn't see how she was offended. You also can't please everyone, so it's hard to avoid offense unless you carefully curate your jokes?***
The offense was taken, and I'm saying it was an over reaction, unless given other context, as it was just a topical joke, I think. I'd say "ladies lingerie" was the first floor type that came to mind, given the circumstances, and on-the-spot jokes need people to be quick on their feet.
And I'm also thinking that the joke was probably the best one that could be given. Any other options wouldn't have been enough of a non-sequitur to be as funny, possibly offered even more offense.
An alternate floor, like "Housewares", for example, might have brought to mind "Stay In The Kitchen" attitudes.
The situation is sort of like a rapid fire answer test, think [Word Association](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_Association#Psychology) and [Rorschach testing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_test)?
Unless you can find something at least as odd as women's lingerie for a man to publicly state he wants, the joke falls apart.
The woman took offense because she didn't get the joke, I assume. A fault on her, instead of the speaker, due to a lack of historical knowledge.
While it might not be reasonable to expect that knowledge, I find her offense unreasonable, as I didn't immediately find a reason to take offense, unless the core of the complaint is that such a joke doesn't fit the academic setting... But, it's an elevator joke, in an elevator. I love how the situation fits, from a jokester's perspective? ... I might even say she fed him that straight line, but she didn't know it.
On having read some other answers and other commentary on the situation, I find the possible types of offense caused by the joke to be... loosely connected, I think is the right phrase? Although, there is enough connection, to find it as the first associations to come to mind, in someone unfamiliar with the joke?
If I were confronted, I'd ask for an explanation for the offense and defend the joke, but that might not be the best option for you.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> In what way was this comment offensive?
>
>
>
Here is a quote from the professor in question:
>
> "Ladies’ lingerie” is an old joke dating back to the days of manually operated elevators, when lift operators in department stores would yell out: “What floor?”. I meant no harm by my joke – a version of which even pops up in the Harry Potter books. Indeed, it was meant to be an attempt to make light of the mundane, boring process of being stuck in a lift. And why must such a comment have sexual or offensive connotations?
>
>
>
So it seems the joke was only offensive to those who didn't get it. They hear the word 'lingerie' in association with a woman, and assume it's somehow a sexist or dehumanizing joke, when it wasn't intended that way at all. The joke would have been the same if it had been a man pushing the buttons.
*(Edit: the joke here is that the request can't be fulfilled at a hotel, but would be reasonable in a similar context. It'd be like getting into a race car and telling the driver "Airport Hilton, please". **It's not sexual or sexist in any way**.)*
---
>
> What are examples of other comments that might be offensive in a similar way? How can I avoid offending people in a similar way?
>
>
>
It's possible for someone to misconstrue literally anything you say as offensive, so there no way to completely avoid these sort of situations.
However, when people are offended, they give off obvious non-verbal cues. If someone gets offended due to misinterpreting something you've said, the best thing you can do is apologize and explain to them what you meant.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: First, to explain why the "joke" is "funny" (inverted commas because I don't find it funny, and I suspect many others don't either). Thanks to Flater and knzhou for explaining this.
During the time of manually-operated elevators, there were so-called "[elevator operators](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevator_operator)" who would ask passengers where they were going. A possible answer for example could be "second floor". In those days, departmental stores were also organized by departments that could take up an entire floor. To say "take me to the ladies' lingerie department" is equivalent to saying "take me to whichever floor sells ladies' lingerie". The joke is that the speaker, as a man, is not expected to want to buy ladies' lingerie. The same joke would work with a female speaker asking to be brought to the men's lingerie department.
The joke is offensive because the listener didn't understand it. Since some people laughed, the listener knows it's a joke. However she didn't know why it's funny - not surprising, from the comments many don't either. Still, **since 1) women and 2) lingerie were mentioned, she assumes that it's a sexual joke**. That immediately makes it offensive.
Here're a couple of other situations which were interpreted badly: [when a man invited a woman to coffee in an elevator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Watson#Elevator_incident), and a [joke about dongles and forking at a technology conference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_shaming#Adria_Richards_incident). You can easily find more using Google for terms such as "humor in different cultures".
As to the question of how to avoid it: **unless among friends, avoid making jokes entirely because humor translates poorly across cultures.** This is the same reason that one should avoid injecting humor into e.g. a conference presentation. As you can probably imagine, the hassle that Prof. X is going through is not worth the laughs he got.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: I think the main reason why this joke gave offense has already been covered in Najib Idrissi's answer, i.e. the lingerie/sex-object angle, but there's another aspect to it:
>
> When [Prof. X] was young, in the 1950s, he said, it was a "standard
> gag line" to ask the elevator operator for the hardware or lingerie
> floor as though one were in a department store.
>
>
>
Elevator operators are almost entirely obsolete now, but back in that era, many hotels, stores, and office buildings had an employee whose job was to work the elevators for guests. It was a junior role, similar to a valet or a store greeter.
So part of the "joke" here is that Prof. X is talking to Prof. Y, his professional peer, as if she was a junior hotel employee - an occupation which carries much less status than "professor".
Women in academia have had a long struggle to be treated with the same respect as their male peers, and there's still a long way to go. ([One example of many](https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/01/25/463846130/why-women-professors-get-lower-ratings)). Because of that situation, it's a bad idea for a male academic to make jokes which rely on reducing the social status of his female peer; this amplifies the "merely sex objects" aspect of the joke that <NAME> discussed.
A lot of comedians invoke the rule "Never punch down" - in other words, don't make fun of people or groups whose social standing is lower, or less secure, than your own.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_7: **tl;dr**: The joke was funny because it was absurd and taboo (made people uncomfortable). It was "offensive" because it may have been intended to make the person operating the elevator feel embarrassed or singled-out. Avoid making jokes that make people feel singled-out.
How is the joke funny?
----------------------
As other answers have pointed out, the joke is funny because it makes reference to a time when elevator operators were the norm and people would call out the desired floor in a department store by asking for a specific department. It is an absurd (out-of-place) comment to make in the context (the present day, and not in a department store). Often, absurdity is funny.
There is, however, another layer to the humour. People will often laugh when in an uncomfortable situation. The joke is uncomfortable because of the floor that was asked for: ladies lingerie. In some cultures (I can say Canada and the UK for sure) the topic of undergarments, especially ladies undergarments, is [**taboo**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo) and therefore not supposed to be discussed in "polite society".
In what way was the comment offensive?
--------------------------------------
I think other answers are close, but slightly miss the mark. The reason I think the joke is offensive is because, whether it was intended or not, it made the person operating the elevator uncomfortable or embarrassed. On a more subtle note the reason is **context**.
The person operating the elevator may have felt like they were targeted by the joke. They asked an innocent question "What floor?" and the joker replies with the less-than-innocent answer "Ladies lingerie". We can only speculate as to the intentions of the joker, but it is clear that while the *joke* may have been directed to everyone in the elevator, the *answer* was directed to the person operating the elevator. Add the fact that the person operating the elevator was a woman, and it doesn't seem so far-fetched to think that she may have felt targeted by the joke.
To further consider this point: why was the department "ladies lingerie" chosen? The joker could have asked for "the hardware department" or "men's clothing" or "sporting goods" and the joke would have drawn a few chuckles. "Ladies lingerie" was chosen because it is taboo, and it is *extra* taboo because it is a man directing the comment at a woman. More discomfort = more likely to provoke laughs (even though the people in the elevator might feel more uncomfortable than tickled).
Finally, consider the context: a male dominated space. I can say from personal experience (as a man) that it is not uncommon for a group of men to direct lewd or taboo comments at women (or sometimes a young/innocent-seeming man) to provoke embarrassment. Heck, I'm guilty of doing it myself, before I realized how it makes the target of the joke feel! It is likely that the person operating the elevator experienced this sort of behaviour many times before and assumed (perhaps rightly) that the joke was targeted at her and was intended to make her feel embarrassed.
*Making someone feel embarrassed for your personal entertainment = bullying. Bullying should not be tolerated, especially in a professional setting.*
If it was an elevator full of women and a woman made the joke, the context would be different and the person operating the elevator may not have felt singled-out. Similarly if it was entirely men. However, even in these contexts it is possible for the joke to be construed as bullying, especially if the target of the joke is someone that the joker knows would feel embarrassed.
How do I avoid offending people in a similar way?
-------------------------------------------------
Avoid jokes involving topics that make people uncomfortable, especially when telling jokes to strangers or acquaintances. Generally avoid taboo topics of whatever culture you are in and especially avoid jokes that might make someone feel targeted or singled-out based on race, skin colour, sexuality, gender, *etc*.
Upvotes: 6
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<issue_start>username_0: I wanted to state the source of the illustration I made by myself. The illustration shows the structure of the company, which is based on my research and a number of other sources. What is the best way to state the source? Can I just write *Author* or is there a better alternative?<issue_comment>username_1: Cite it like it's not yours, i.e. the same way you would cite anything coming from anyone else.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If it's yours, there is no need for citation!
If it was published before, you should cite the first publication of it (of course while respecting all copyright rules as always when you are using illustrations).
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: There are three options:
1) It is yours and you made it from scratch especially for this publication. You do not need to cite anything. If reviewers or the editor ask, mention that it is yours.
2) It is yours and you based it on some other illustration X that was published by someone else. Then mention that you based it on X and cite X.
3) It is yours and you published it before. If you are sure you are allowed to re-publish it by the original publisher then cite the original publication. If you are not 100% sure, consult the original publisher about their rules for re-publishing figures.
Upvotes: 3
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2018/05/15
| 1,114
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<issue_start>username_0: I am an international applicant from a less prestigious school. Although with help of my coursework and recommendations letter from my advisor and internship advisor I hope I can make to Budapest Semesters in Mathematics. I also hope to get a letter from those professors in Budapest. However I am skeptical of how can it help my application for top Math graduate schools. Will a A from the toughest courses and a letter help overturn the fact that I am attending less prestigious school ?<issue_comment>username_1: In short, the answer is yes provided that you do well enough so their professors are willing to write a LoR for you. BSM courses are challenging, ELTE is a top tier research university whose professors are mostly world renowned in their fields. Keep in mind that a sizable portion of local or European participants in the program are students who did well on high school math contests.
That said, this is a big if - most of the courses offered are pure math classes and the highest rigor is to be expected. Much higher than that of a mid or low tier U.S university.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have pretty significant anecdotal insight here. I went to a very good but not quite top tier ( in math ) school and jointly majored in a humanities degree and a math degree. I was active in the math department, but was not the top student. I took maybe one or two graduate courses as an undergrad. By my senior year I decided to focus more on math, but didn't think I would get in to a top tier graduate program ( and, for me, it wasn't worth it not to go to a top tier program. Please keep in mind that this is not true for everyone and was a personal choice ). I was confident, and received confirming feedback from professors, that I probably would not be able to achieve this goal with my background.
In my senior year I applied to several scholarships for graduating undergraduates, like Fulbright and Marshall scholarships, but did not succeed. I then applied to and was accepted into BSM. It's an excellent program, and I would say that it's an even better opportunity to learn a lot. When I was there, academics was not 100% the goal for around half of the other students; for many of them it's the "study abroad" experience. I do not mean to disparage them at all; this experience can be very important for personal growth and perhaps even more important than the academic experience. I simply mean to point out that you're working with absolutely top tier educators and mathematicians who care very much about the program and if you're there for the academics then you have an opportunity work closely with them and have a lot of access.
I focused extremely hard both during the summer before BSM, and during my time in Budapest, working on a ( small ) independent research project and rounding out my background, while making sure that I excelled while in Budapest. I can echo the other answer that the courses were quite difficult, probably closer to a graduate level than undergraduate ( although I probably took more advanced courses ).
Anyway, punchline of the story is that I got in to the top school of my choosing for graduate school. I had recommendation letters from BSM professors and from professors from my undergraduate institution. I don't know how they evaluated, but I believe that my strong grades from undergrad ( at a near top but not top school ), my activity in undergrad activities within the math department, and my performance and dedication ( eg. research ) in BSM were the major contributing factors. Regarding the school I attended for graduate school, most students were high school olympiad medalists ( I didn't know what the olympiad was until college ) and/or putnam finalists ( I participated 3 years, never getting honorable mention, but scoring okay ). I definitely felt like I was the "least" among them, but learned later many of them felt the same about themselves ( see "imposter syndrome"). There were a couple of top tier graduate programs that rejected me, so I'd say that the experience put me in the mix.
So, moral of the story for me is that it can absolutely help you. It requires, however, a lot of effort and at least a pretty good background on top of that. I would also like to emphasize that I know many people that had amazing experiences and learned a ton at next tier and next next tier graduate programs, some of whom have successful academic careers. The best of the best students in my graduate program got something out of being with those stratosphere level professors that, to be honest, I was not capable of. My guess, although every story is different, is that you may have an even better experience at a next tier graduate school rather than top tier.
Upvotes: 3
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2018/05/15
| 639
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<issue_start>username_0: I am supposed to receive research funds from a Chinese university while I am working for a US university. The issue is that the Chinese university, as a part of contractual requirements, requests fund recipients to place the university name before my current university in the affiliation section of my future publications. I understand that it is common to place my current university as the first affiliation and the Chinese university as the second affiliation. Does this affiliation issue matter legally? Or is it just my choice?<issue_comment>username_1: Where did you do the work that the publication is based on? You need to check the affiliation requirements of the publisher, as well as your contractual obligations with the Chinese institution. Maybe write to the journal editor and explain your situation. Most journals state something like "Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done)..." and "If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name. The ***address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address***." (emphasis added, from Elsevier archaeology journals, e.g. <https://www.elsevier.com/journals/journal-of-archaeological-science/0305-4403/guide-for-authors>) and "The primary affiliation for each author ***should be the institution where the majority of their work was done***. If an author has subsequently moved, the current address may also be stated." from Nature Publishing Group (emphasis added). The Chinese institution, which wants to be acknowledged for supporting you, is not legally the primary institutional affiliation for work done in a US institution. You should be wary of misrepresentation, which could violate publishing ethics.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In your position, I'd strictly comply with the legal requirements and practice of your current university **in the US**. This is because you're more likely to face trouble and legal issues from an American university than coming from a Chinese university, especially if you're working in the United States.
Chinese contracts are typically vague and strongly biased. However they are also typically not legally binding, particularly within the academic sphere. They now demand you place their affiliation first so that the relevant department will gain access to money awards from your publications (actually theoretically awarded to *you*, in case you were not informed).
If their demands clash with that of your local institution, I suggest you stall the publication of such papers until you don't need their compliance any longer. As soon as you start working against their expectations there will be communication disruption and a change of relationship status. Still, no legal issues, believe me.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/16
| 592
| 2,511
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<issue_start>username_0: I have been admitted into a college in the US for a master's program. I am applying for TA positions under various professors because TAs get tuition benefits.
One of the professors who taught me as an undergrad (Prof. X) knows a professor in the department where I will be studying (Prof. Y). How do I ask Prof. X to recommend me to Prof. Y?<issue_comment>username_1: Before asking for the letter of recommendation, you should ask your new department how TA positions are handled in your new program: you'll want to know
* does Prof. Y even need TA's—not all courses get TA's assigned;
* who is responsible for deciding who will TA which course;
* when the decisions will be made.
If you find that Prof. Y needs a TA and that you'd be capable of doing the assignment, then you can approach Prof. X and ask if he'd be willing to recommend you to Prof. Y as a potential TA candidate.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Perhaps you should just apply to prof y and just mention prof x - prof y will ask their own questions as they wish.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I guess the first question you should be asking yourself is: *"is this a sincere recommendation"*? What are your personal characteristics/skills that make you a suitable student for the TA position? That is a similar dilemma you will face if you join the corporate job market in the future. If you had interesting achievements in Prof X's course, and you stood out for whatever reason, I think it is perfectly valid to state your desire to have a recommendation.
If you are going to aggregate a hell lot of value for Prof Y, he will be truly glad that Prof X suggested your name, pointing out the characteristics he previously observed.
On the other hand, if you do not feel like you have much of a track record to justify a recommendation, I guess the best approach might be to directly contact Professor Y and state your interest. Remember to put yourself in the shoes of your boss-to-be: Professors usually have hectic routines, and they will love you forever if you are able to make them forget the operational, boring activities of the courses. They will have extra time to plan their lectures and produce scientific output.
tl;dr: "Ask yourself: what are the characteristics that will make me super useful to Prof Y? If you do not have them yet, what does it take to learn them?"
If, after this exercise, you would recommend yourself, go for it, ask for the recommendation!
Good Luck!
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/16
| 674
| 2,840
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a Physics PhD student in a US university who qualified for the PhD level and waiting for the comprehensive test.
In the first year of my PhD, I wasn't able to cope up with the pressure and that caused bad grades. The result from first and second semester is below:
A, B, B ; A, B+, B+.
In the second year, I eventually understood the pressure and was able to cope up the coursework pressure along with the research pressure. And, eventually I did well in the second year. My result is:
A, A, A ; A+, A+, A
My question is how bad influence will my overall score appear to the academia and industry?
NOTE: My supervisor is pretty happy with my research work.<issue_comment>username_1: Before asking for the letter of recommendation, you should ask your new department how TA positions are handled in your new program: you'll want to know
* does Prof. Y even need TA's—not all courses get TA's assigned;
* who is responsible for deciding who will TA which course;
* when the decisions will be made.
If you find that Prof. Y needs a TA and that you'd be capable of doing the assignment, then you can approach Prof. X and ask if he'd be willing to recommend you to Prof. Y as a potential TA candidate.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Perhaps you should just apply to prof y and just mention prof x - prof y will ask their own questions as they wish.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I guess the first question you should be asking yourself is: *"is this a sincere recommendation"*? What are your personal characteristics/skills that make you a suitable student for the TA position? That is a similar dilemma you will face if you join the corporate job market in the future. If you had interesting achievements in Prof X's course, and you stood out for whatever reason, I think it is perfectly valid to state your desire to have a recommendation.
If you are going to aggregate a hell lot of value for Prof Y, he will be truly glad that Prof X suggested your name, pointing out the characteristics he previously observed.
On the other hand, if you do not feel like you have much of a track record to justify a recommendation, I guess the best approach might be to directly contact Professor Y and state your interest. Remember to put yourself in the shoes of your boss-to-be: Professors usually have hectic routines, and they will love you forever if you are able to make them forget the operational, boring activities of the courses. They will have extra time to plan their lectures and produce scientific output.
tl;dr: "Ask yourself: what are the characteristics that will make me super useful to Prof Y? If you do not have them yet, what does it take to learn them?"
If, after this exercise, you would recommend yourself, go for it, ask for the recommendation!
Good Luck!
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/16
| 2,991
| 12,639
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<issue_start>username_0: I am currently in a problem-solving mode of my PhD (theory, middle stage). I am working on something which is incremental on the last half a year. Until now, I did not get anything **non-trivial**. I noticed that I have become slow as compared to the initial two years of my PhD.
I am wondering how to speed up my research. I have tried to scan as many papers as possible. I am also trying to discuss my research problem with other students, but it is not working.
Question: Is it natural that you become slower in the middle of your PhD? How can I speed up my research?<issue_comment>username_1: In many disciplines, research amounts to an endless series of frustrations, setbacks, and failures punctuated by the occasional success. So while it’s not necessarily true that there’s a slowdown in the middle, it’s usually the case that there are periods of lower output than others.
The only projects that go smoothly from start to finish have either been extremely lucky or tend to be development-based or “following on” from someone else’s struggles. So don’t be discouraged by having a period of relatively fallow productivity—it happens to nearly everybody. It’s a sign that your problem is non-trivial and requires some work and effort to complete successfully.
As for “speeding it up,” I don’t think that’s really possible to do by scanning papers instead of reading them. It’s hard to make specific suggestions without knowing more about the discipline, but productivity in research can be elusive at times, and there really isn’t anything you can do to accelerate things, unless you can somehow try more different solutions during your workday. So perhaps it’s a matter of having fewer distractions and disruptions to your day.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I can't say that your experience seems any different from what I went through in my PhD. Completing a PhD is intentionally difficult. There is no magic formula to completing a PhD, no quick fix or way of speeding up the process- in fact, if anything, panicking and trying to find fixes could potentially have an adverse effect on your mindset impacting how quickly you complete your research.
Scanning papers will definitely not help you. However, pick a particular thread and pull it. What I mean by that is thoroughly read a couple of papers and then work back through the references they provide- really deeply get involved in one particular aspect and see how that relates to everything you do. There is no point using a scattergun approach- the only effect that will have is to make you think you're making progress when really you're probably not!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I would see a PhD studenship as a superimposition of two effects.
1. The more you know and the "deeper" you are in your topic, the more efficient are you.
2. The more projects, topics, *contacts* (!) you have, the slower you are.
The second issue is present in every job I experienced, my experience being limited to programming or academic jobs.
---
Why the preface? Well, in your second year you get faster due to (1), but the back-flow of (2) makes a significant appearance. Producing a revision for a previously submitted paper, fleshing out a small improvement in old code, understanding old code or someone's else research – all these *required* issues slow you back, sort of. Of course, then you can boast another well-placed paper, know more about some further methods, etc. But at the moment it's perceived as a slow-down.
In your first PhD year you can just start reading / programming / whatever and it feels super productive, even if the actual research output is lower.
---
tl;dr: Don't fret, it's a phase.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: As some one who's done their PhD in 3 years and supervised PhDs for 10 years:
1 - Cut the crap
It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the papers you read, so many topics, so many possible directions to go in. You need to focus. I suggest you start your first paper right now. From all the research you've done, what's a small topic where you can contribute? Make a list. Pick one. Start there, decide what more research you need to do to turn it into a paper, do the research, write it, publish it.
I did exactly that after 1.5 years in, and really just by fluke. My paper wasn't even exactly aligned with my main research topic, yet it did wonders in getting me going.
2 - Chunk it
Once you've written you first paper, keep going. If you get to five published papers, you're done. And the great thing is that you have your PhD already mostly written, just fill in the gaps, thesis done. It may seem counter-intuitive as you want to answer the one big question, but trust me, once you chunk your big research into little topics it becomes a lot easier. And you figure it out along the path. Build on each paper, you'll get there. You may even not get to answering your original research question fully, but with 5 published papers, who's going to argue with you?
3 - Ask the experts
Talk to other lecturers, researchers even outside your faculty where it fits. I had some problems I couldn't solve. Turned out most of the experts in the field at my uni hadn't got a clue either. Until I found one who did. Go to conferences, make connections. That'll also help you in your post-PhD life. Don't give up, someone out there will be able to contribute something quite valuable.
4 - "Trust your instincts, Luke"
The brain works in mysterious ways. I chewed on a problem for a year. Then, one morning in the shower I solved it. This is just how it happens. There's a physicist who said, "men who don't shave can't solve problems." Times of self-reflection, that's when the ideas come. If you could figure the answer out in a day, they wouldn't give you three years. And I'd fit in exercise, even just go for an half an hour walk. Lot's of famous people got their ideas that way.
5 - Get off the hamster wheel
I certainly didn't work hard, yet did it in 3 years. There are students working 14h days including weekends. And they take 5 years. Why? Because all their doing is running on a hamster wheel. I had a student who went kite surfing every afternoon and did a great thesis in 3 years. Why? Because he focused on the finish line. It's easy to get caught on the hamster wheel. You're doing work, right? I spent 14h in the lab today, well done, pat on the shoulder. The reality is, if it's not helping you to get to the finish, you're wasting your time. Stop self-gratifying work, do the hard stuff, the work that'll actually get you there. And if you don't know what that is, figure it out. Yes, it's harder than just sitting down and doing "something". Take a snapshot of what you know and make a plan from that. Keep checking your progress against the plan and modify the plan as necessary. And that links back right to point 2 - if you keep pushing out papers, you're making measurable progress. Plus, you build confidence that what you're doing is actually valuable. You got proof in print.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: Focus. A common mistake that PhD students make, and in fact many humans make throughout any career, is that they don't focus when the time is right. In the beginning, it is very good to venture into everything and anything to see what's out there and what is worth doing. After the first year it is about time to draw a very specific goal with a sharp plan that will get you there even in the most pessimistic scenario. That's where your PhD adviser comes in most handy as they know this game very well. Do not disperse your attention on anything else until you get that PhD diploma. At some point closer to your 3rd year you may (and should) find out that there are better things to research or do in general. Good, make a quick note of it and put it away until you are done with your PhD. Until then, follow the plan and get it done.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I left a PhD due to some extreme life hardship (unrelated to the PhD), things I wouldn't wish on anybody, but going through really rough times taught me a lot about how to be successful. Here is my advice.
1. Personal development is not wasted time
------------------------------------------
It may be tempting to spend all your time on your PhD. But even seemingly frivolous pursuits like learning to speak a new language or learning neuroanatomy will help you find new solutions to problems. Read books or take cheap online courses related to productivity, creativity and success.
2. Learn to think for yourself
------------------------------
It's easy to run a test and discover a 30% speedup for a 10% cost. It's a lot harder to answer the question "What proportion of businesses will be willing to spend money to implement this?" or "How come nobody is using my tool?" To answer these questions you need to be able to put yourself in someone else's position; you need to think about the dynamics of the communities and publication channels through which people learn about new things, and you need to try to reverse-engineer the success of other ideas. For instance, I discovered a powerful library for my research because a student had written a series of "novice-friendly" blog posts about how to use the library his group had developed, and this came up in Google while I was searching for something else.
This kind of thinking will help you pursue ideas with more value and impact. I have found that as I got better at this, I became much better at coming up with clever ideas, too.
3. Go back to first principles
------------------------------
There are a lot of implicit assumptions and habits of thought in the way we currently do things. But often they are imperfect. They are useful tools, good approximations, but don't take them as gospel. Explore the unwritten assumptions. Get your head around why these tools are effective, but also try to understand their weaknesses and limitations. Think about problems from first principles, without the support structure. Think about the problem in a "boots on the ground" perspective instead of an "ivory tower" perspective. (Depending on your field that may be rushed doctors needing to make "least risk" judgments, or the crazy compiler and CPU optimisations and cache hierarchies that make actual computer performance quite different from the theoretical.) Two perfect examples are asymmetric cryptography and cryptocurrencies, which both solved a theoretically impossible problem by using solutions that are theoretically breakable but are good enough in practice.
4. Valuable habits often sound crazy
------------------------------------
I found that simply writing a weekly report on my work was often a surprising source of new ideas. But doing unusual things can often spark even more creativity. Here are some ideas:
* Hand-write or dictate a report instead of typing it.
* Write a "letter your grandmother could understand" once a week about your work.
* Write an article once a month blasting your work (i.e. tearing it to pieces) or religiously defending the current state of the art.
* Write a list of the problems you are currently stuck on. Create a visual representation of the problem. Now simplify each problem to a "logo". Choose a piece of music that represents how you feel about each problem. Listen to them in random order.
* Do a similar thing for existing solutions to related problems.
* Use the [Po technique](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po_(lateral_thinking)) to explore solutions to each problem. Try other de Bono techniques.
* Record yourself giving a short (or long) overview of your research topic. Play it back and hopefully things you missed will jump out at you.
* Create mind maps of problems and solutions. Try finger-painting them.
* Read out a description of your research area but replace one of the key words with a random word like "pigeon".
* Don't forget there are lots of apps that may be able to help.
Different things work for different people, of course. But try to stick with something for a while, as it is very easy to lose a good habit.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: I think it is like an engineering design procedure. From basic to detail design stage you need more time to pass from idea to reality. Maybe the amount of spent time to achieving goals is greater, but the quality and type of achievements is crucially different.
But if you still think should be more productive, do a research on “how to increase your productivity“ and so on to find out very useful online papers and weblogs about this.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/16
| 1,709
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm an international student, originally from a country in South Asia. I have been admitted to a PhD program in Mathematics. The school is ranked in the top 70-80 range.
While I'm interested in getting an academic job in the future, I'm aware that it would be very difficult for me to get an academic job after having graduated with a PhD from the aforementioned school. Therefore, I'm seriously considering keeping my options open to enter the industry as well. I'm especially considering this option since I, ideally, don't wish to move back to my home country directly upon graduation.
My questions are as follows:
1. As of yet, I'm looking to complete my PhD in analysis/probability/PDE's. Would this allow me to keep a options in the industry open? If so, what options are generally available if one has a PhD in these field(s)? Is the job market robust? Or should one consider completing a PhD in a different field?
2. Is it especially hard for international students to find a job in the industry (or academia) after graduation? I'm open to looking for a job in multiple countries. I'm also considering the possibility of moving/transferring to a statistics program to keep more job options open.
In a nutshell, what can students like myself do now to achieve the best possible outcome which can be achieved by attending a middle tier graduate program in mathematics.
**Edit:** With regards to post-doc positions, I am assuming that it will be very hard for me to find a good position after having graduated from a top 70-80 school. Given this additional information, could someone please guide *international students like myself* who may want to keep as many options open in the industry?<issue_comment>username_1: You seem to be completely ignoring the possibility of getting a postdoc in a better school.
In addition to being a great opportunity to expand your social network, it would give you the chance to do more (hopefully good) work before applying for faculty positions.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: These are partial answers, and I hope someone with more industry experience will chime in.
1. The topic of your thesis (i.e. your specialty within math) does matter, but it's not a dealbreaker. I've seen algebraic geometers get banking jobs directly after their PhD or postdoc. (Granted, they were coming from top departments.) The logic seems to be that someone with the quantitative skills and motivation to get a PhD in math can learn domain-specific stuff on the job. *Having said that*, the closer you are to applied math, the easier a time you'll likely have, since you can sell yourself as both smart and in possession of in-demand skills. Analysis/PDE is a decent middle ground, especially if you can do something sort of applied. Probability may be the ideal compromise, since it's relatively in-demand in academia, and it also puts you closer to statistics, which is incredibly hot in industry right now. Needless to say, coding skills will also help. If coding is relevant to your thesis, great. If not, it's still a good idea to learn it on the side and find a way to demonstrate your skills publicly.
2. Being a citizen of [country] will generally make it easier to get a job in [country], but again it's rarely a dealbreaker. One of the best things you can do is seek out internships in industry during the summers of your PhD. Then when you apply for a job at that company, you won't be a faceless non-citizen, but a person who they already (hopefully) have a good impression of.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: It's good you're asking these questions before commencing the PhD.
There's nothing like doing the research yourself to answer these questions. Use your favourite job portal as a starting point. If you don't know which portal to use, try Google, and possibly refine by the country you want to work in (e.g. Google for "jobs in the USA"). Then search for your specialization.
For example I'll use [Indeed.com searching for jobs in the US](https://www.indeed.com/l-United-States-jobs.html). I refine by jobs requiring a PhD in mathematics (it is very unlikely the specific subfield of mathematics your PhD is in matters). As of time of writing the top five results are:
* [Lead data scientist (Cartus Corporation)](https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=b08c82789d6988d5&tk=1cdlk0c6f1d4j70b&from=serp&vjs=3)
* [Data scientist (R Shiny)](https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=ae6828a995907cb8&tk=1cdlk0c6f1d4j70b&from=serp&vjs=3)
* [Supply chain data scientist/analyst (Apple Inc)](https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=69058140c61def36&tk=1cdlk0c6f1d4j70b&from=serp&vjs=3)
* [Research Scientist – Novel Hybrid Simulation Methods (Data + Principled approach) (Siemens)](https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=9c94e95ecdb9e618&tk=1cdlk0c6f1d4j70b&from=serp&vjs=3)
* [Quantitative Healthcare Research Scientist (Biostatistician or Epidemiologist) (Google)](https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=d64bf5808b99d617&tk=1cdlk0c6f1d4j70b&from=serp&vjs=3)
You can research these jobs, especially the ones you want to do, to find what they need, and tailor your PhD studies to pick up those skills. For example if you're interested in working for Apple, they're looking for knowledge of SQL, VBA, SAS, and Python. Learn these things and you should stand a better chance after your graduate. As of time of writing, there are a total of 4385 openings listed. Whether or not this qualifies as 'robust' is up to your interpretation.
As for whether it's harder for international students to find jobs, the answer is "yes". Most countries will have some laws to protect their own. A typical example might be, before a company can hire a foreigner, they have to advertise the position to citizens and permanent residents for some time, and prove they can't find anyone suitable. However, if the job requires very high skills (or very low skills, oddly enough), the odds are better that the country doesn't have suitable people among its own population. The good news is that jobs that require a PhD in math are very likely to be receptive towards international applicants. You will know if your nationality is working against you if the advertisement says "only citizens and PRs need apply", or if you approach a hiring agency which responds with "for this job, it's very unlikely international applicants are hired".
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/16
| 326
| 1,485
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<issue_start>username_0: For German undergraduate and graduate math classes, does the professor or assistant write the exercise sheets?
In the United States it is typical for the professor to write them. I am curious what the situation is like in Germany.<issue_comment>username_1: At my university in every class I had and heard of the assistant wrote the exercise sheets(and often the exam too). Many times the professor did not even fully know which tasks are on the current sheet. Of course this varies a bit, in later more advanced classes the professor is typically more involved in the exercises.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: From my limited experience I can confirm that most of the time, assistants write the exercise sheets and exams (and often the professor has at least a look at the exam). What I want to add is that there is a lot of recycling going on: When it comes to lecture slides, I often notice that many professors just change the name and dates on last year's slides or use the previous lecturer's template.
This is in my experience also true for exercise sheets, at least when the professor is the same. Rather than writing new exercises every semester, assistants combine exercise questions from previous years and sometimes add an old exam question. So it might be the case that a professor has contributed to the exercise sheets when he started giving the lecture and after that, it's mostly assistants doing the work.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/16
| 3,601
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<issue_start>username_0: I had an interview a few days back for a grant for graduate studies. The interview panel consisted of various judges including some of the most renowned and well known researchers/professors in my field(s) of interest. Some of them almost have a celebrity status given the kind of respect they command.
Now comes the bad part. My interview was going good for most of it, I was answering a question when I was told that none of what I said made sense. I was completely caught off-guard. To the best of my knowledge, my answers were correct, but the committee did not share my enthusiasm. I came across to them as an impostor who was simply winging things/saying random rubbish.
The interview went downhill from there. I was so flustered that even the questions which I could have answered in my sleep went wrong. I tried putting some things down on the whiteboard and tried explaining my answers but by then the committee had lost interest. The overall experience was very bitter with me almost coming across as undeserving to even has been shortlisted for the interview. Post the interview, I felt extremely guilty not for torpedoing my interview, but because I felt that I had wasted the time of such esteemed academicians.
**My question is regarding, what if any action should I take at this point?** I know for a fact that the grant will not be awarded to me, but that is not my concern. Some of the members on the committee are at the forefront of research and work in their field (which heavily aligns with mine). I do not intend to spoil my relation and any chance of a future collaboration with them because of this one interview. Some of the possible actions that came to my mind were:
1. Sending an email to one or more members of the committee, apologizing for the interview.
2. Sending an email to one or more members of the committee, asking for feedback.
3. Sending an email to one or more members of the committee, trying to explain my answers and why they were not completely wrong given the context.
Are any of these too far fetched? Any alternative action that you would recommend? Or should I just let it go?
PS. In case you find any details of my question to be fuzzy, please ask for clarification. Any sort of help/feedback will be appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: First of all, you should cool down before you take any action. Clearly, the interview was an emotionally intense event for you, so don't do anything in the spur of the moment (and "a few days later" may still qualify as "in the spur of the moment" in this context). Let a few more days pass, and see how you feel later.
Second, seek the guidance of a trusted person or mentor who is aware of the details. Maybe your advisor can feel out to what extent you have really bombed the interview quite as badly as you perceive it? Note that especially for interviews on grad student level, the committee will be *positively used* to people giving bad presentations and not being quite able to argue their case. Unless you have made a really monumental blunder, the committee has probably already forgotten about the details of your interview by the time the next coffee break rolled around.
Which brings me to the third point: no matter what you do, don't write an email reminding people that you did poorly or excusing yourself for not doing better. Don't try to argue your points, either. This won't make your interview better, but now people may also think of you as somewhat unprofessional. If you feel you need to write an email, keep it professional, thank them for the opportunity, and ask for feedback.
>
> Any alternative action that you would recommend? Or should I just let it go?
>
>
>
Letting it go is generally the right course of action in these situations. I have personally done my fair share of bad presentations, bad interviews, and (in retrospect) crappy paper submissions. Learn from them and improve for the future. You are a student. Mistakes are to be expected. Life will go on.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Your question reads:
>
> I came across to them as an impostor who was simply winging things/saying random rubbish.
>
>
>
But I wonder what the committee said that made you feel that way.
I know you feel like your answers were on the mark, but I'm going to side with the committee here and assume that you weren't demonstrating the kind of mastery and expertise they were hoping to see. This doesn't mean you were an "imposter" or that what you said was "rubbish," it simply means I'm assuming they know more about this subject than you do, and they were hoping that their interviewees had a stronger grasp and mastery of the subject matter than you displayed.
I've learned the hard way that it's possible to know just enough about a subject that you can – how does the old expression go? You know just enough "to be dangerous;" that is, you may think you fully understand the concepts, but you don't have all the details ingrained enough to sound like an expert when put under close scrutiny.
I'm guessing that they didn't really regard you as an "imposter," but more like someone who had some more learning to do and wasn't yet ready to receive the grant.
As for what to do next, I would avoid your third solution, which would be to prolong the debate outside of the interview. That would likely rankle their ire even more.
I wouldn't apologize for wasting their time, either. That sounds too defeatist.
Your second solution aligns most closely with what I'd recommend, but I wouldn't ask busy people for specific feedback. Instead, I'd recommend sending one or more of them a thank-you letter for pointing out that you still have a lot of learning to do, and letting them know you intend to keep studying the subject and developing a keener mastery of it.
Perhaps you can tell them it was a humbling but eye-opening experience, and you intend to leverage it to further your career, your goals, and your aspirations.
I would think that the committee members would find it hard to argue with such a humble approach, and some of them might be impressed by your willingness to learn more.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: There is really no need to do anything in this situation - interview panels are aware that people sometimes stuff up their interviews, get nervous, fail to explain things correctly, etc. Experienced research-leaders like the ones you are describing have probably conducted a number of interviews, both with applicants for academic positions, and post-graduate candidates, and grant-candidates, etc., and it is likely that they've "seen it all". It is also quite possible that they would test you by telling you that what you said made no sense, when in fact it did make sense, just to see how you would react to this (which is a well-known interview technique.)
The fact that you were selected for an interview means that you have the academic background to be considered for this kind of grant. If you made a mess of the interview, they will not conclude that you are incompetent and write you off for all time, especially since you are still only a grad-student. (Don't over-estimate the level of understanding that experienced professors expect of a student. To an experienced professor, *all* grad-students seem like imposters who are winging it!)
Now, if you really feel you need to apologise, you should feel free to email the panel. In this case it would be best just to write a short email thanking them for the opportunity to interview, and noting that you feel that you did not do a good job of answering their questions, and you're sorry if you wasted their valuable time. There is no need to go overboard; don't bemoan your answers; just say that you feel you didn't do a good job explaining yourself. And whatever you do, **don't** attempt to *re-explain* or elaborate on the answers you were making at the interview - have mercy! If they didn't enjoy hearing you speak about these at the time, they definitely will not enjoy plowing through a second explanation!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Adding to the previous very good comments:
People tend to forget. As long as you are not very well known in your community at present, it is very likely that non of the committee members will remember this situation in a year or so. So don't worry about long term impacts.
Professors know that people can be very nervous in interviews and underperform.
If you really meet one of them again, you could talk to them in an informal setting (like a dinner reception at a conference or else) and tell them how you felt.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Important interviews can be very emotional business. Also, **performing well during such an interview is not an easy skill**. I think you are not the only person to learn that "the hard way". Everyone experienced a failed interview, and the committee people have seen dozens people to fail. You are no exception.
Instead of worrying about the bad parts, you need to **take this as a precious lesson**.
An interview is not just about seeing what you *can* do (although it is also important), but also finding out what you *cannot*. The interviewers need to see how far your understanding goes (and what happens beyond) and how you act outside of your comfort zone. If the interview is tough and you feel lost, that does not necessarily mean it is going bad—it simply means they have reached your limits. What matters is how do your limits compare to others'.
Certainly, this was not the last important interview of your life/career.
Do not regret the failure; embrace it and learn from it. Next time, you shall be ready for this situation (which caught you by surprise this time and got you off balance).
Also, there is no reason you should feel like wasting the time of the professors on the committee. They agreed to be on the grant committee and interview the candidates to pick the best; interviewing you was a necessary part of the process.
Finally, regarding your next step: **I would recommend against contacting the committee members**. Do not further emphasize this episode. As was said in other answers, they probably forgot by now, and the only potential effect the email might have is to remember you as "the guy who failed". If you get to meet them in the future under different circumstances, you can talk about it perhaps in an informal setting and maybe even have a laugh together over the whole story.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: Don't worry about it too much. I read an essay online from an academic who had vomited on the department chair during an interview. Your interview was much better than hers.
She got the job.
You might ask yourself if these are people you want to work with, per @Thomas King's comment.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: >
> Post the interview, I felt extremely guilty not for torpedoing my interview, but because I felt that I had wasted the time of such esteemed academicians.
>
>
>
**One:** these esteemed academicians (who look like some sorts of demi-gods) were there to interview you. These esteemed academicians apparently do not know how to interview very much.
**Two: use it as as a learning opportunity.** You will have a lot of interviews and some of them will be painful. I once had an esteemed academician who covered his face with his hands after one of my answers. I concede that my answer was not the most brilliant but I asked him to stop the drama **after 15 minutes of holding his face and making weird noises** because it was disturbing. He was clearly offended. I got the job.
To answer your question: it is not likely that anything you could do would change the mind of your esteemed academicians. Since they have a first-grader level experience in hiring, they will not have any second thoughts after receiving your letter.
Just let go, learn (not to be disrupted by some comments, among others), and go on. Good luck finding a position!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: As someone who's been on the other side (the committee), taking at face value what you wrote, it sounds like you had a mediocre, not horrid, interview. One which you didn't perform very well at, and someone on the committee behaved like an ass.
I don't know if academia would be better or worse off if such an occurrence were rare enough to be memorable for members of the committee. But it very likely isn't. They've each collectively and individually interviewed dozens of junior people whose ideas seemed naive or uninteresting (whether the problem is the ideas or the interviewers' lack of imagination combined with narcissism is always a question...); who were less than compelling speakers; or bumbled questions. Whoever behaved like an ass to you probably behaved that way all day, maybe their entire career, and more humane members of the committee are probably heartily sick of his (it's always a he, somehow...) behaviour.
Bottom line is what feels like a big deal to you has likely already faded in the mists of time for them. The bar for making a *bad* impression is high, just like the bar for making a *good* impression. You likely merely didn't meet either one.
As others have answered, I'd learn from it as best you can, but I would not pick at the scab by taking *any* action in response to the interview itself. To the extent things did go badly rather than just not-good, the last thing you want to do is cement that in peoples' memories. Or force the kinder members of the panel to wrack their brains weeks after the fact to try to recall enough of the details in order to write a nice response note to someone junior who has since written to them, clearly distressed.
You *can*, if you wish, think about some of the discussion points and if you can turn them into something interesting/exciting (best to confirm this with a 3rd party....), reach out to specific individuals on the committee that you would like to have a positive relationship with and focus on the exciting/refined/improved ideas. Something along the lines of
>
> Dear X. You interviewed me 3 months ago for the <NAME>. Moneybags Ceremonial Monopoly Money Grant. We had a bit of an inconclusive discussion about *y* and *z*. I've followed up on this, of course, and think there's something quite interesting here, namely *a* and *b*. Thought you might be interested (regardless of the grant, of course). Let me know if you'd like me to send you more information.
>
>
>
However, I'd do this only after checking with someone that *a* and *b* are in fact good, not just "dang, I wish I had said that..." slightly-better answers. And that *X* is in fact an individual good for you to build relationships with, and likely to respond positively to such outreach.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/16
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<issue_start>username_0: I recently completed my PhD in mechanical engineering and have been applying for postdocs in neuroscience for the past 5 months.
My field is dynamical systems theory and statistics, so I look up professors working in neuroscience who use those techniques and send them emails. I have sent 3 dozen emails since February but I barely get any responses.
I got two interview requests in February. One of them rejected me. The other professor stopped replying to my emails after the first interview and he did not pay my interview travelling expenses either.
Sometimes it feels very hopeless. Please, please any recommendations, help or advice is very appreciated; especially from people who have changed their research area post-PhD.
This is my Cover letter.
>
> Hi Dr. F,
>
> I am writing apply for the postdoctoral position in your lab at Columbia. My training is in the domain of dynamical and nonlinear systems theory (primarily in mechanical systems) and I am interested in bridging to Neuroscience for my postdoctoral research.
>
>
> My interest in the brain goes back almost a decade to my undergraduate
> years when I took up a regular meditation practice. I am very
> interested in the broad and mechanistic aspects of neural computation.
> I am fascinated by the application of concepts such as dynamical
> systems, stochastic modelling and network theory to the study of the
> brain.
>
>
> I completed my PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the Some University
> under the advisement of Dr. Advisor (June 2018
> Conferral). I have worked on a wide variety of problems so far -
> powering micro-implants in brain using arterial blood pressure,
> stochastic analysis of nonlinear vibration energy harvesters, the
> spontaneous spinning of a rattleback on a vibrating surface, sound
> wave manipulation in fluids, tunable mechanical metamaterials and
> nonlinear metamaterials. I currently have 3 published manuscripts, 2
> journal papers in peer review and 1 manuscript in preparation. I have
> published 9 peer-reviewed conference papers. During my PhD, I have
> worked on collaborative research projects with senior faculty and also
> as a mentor to several undergraduate students. I previously earned a
> Bachelors and Masters in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute
> of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur (Class of 2013).
>
>
> I am fascinated by > your recent research contributions. I really liked the paper titled " Abstract Context Representations in Primate Amygdala and Prefrontal >Cortex" that used neural population decoders to show that
> representations of task contexts appeared in the Amygdala in addition
> to the PFC. Also intriguing was the preferential weakening of the
> signal in the Amygdala when an error was committed. I also liked you
> paper titled "Energy efficient Neuromorphic classifiers" that
> implemented a basic image classifier on a novel neuromorphic processor
> and demonstrated significantly lesser energy and computational cost.
>
>
> During my postdoc, I intend to apply for fellowships and possible
> avenues of funding. I am interested in using my training in dynamical
> systems and stochastic analysis to current research problems in
> neuroscience and hone my technical skill-set to succeed in my future
> independent research. My CV is attached. Please do not hesitate to
> reach out to me for further inquiries.
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: You'd get a much better reception applying for positions with biomed engineers who do neuroscience. It's not all the way to your goal, but it is about three quarters of the way there - a big step in the right direction.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I have the same issue, I recently completed my Ph.D. in computer science. Accordingly, I have applied several times for post-doc positions around the world and I was able to get only three interviews. Unfortunately, none of them was willing to give me the post-doc position.
Based on my short experience, it will be better to submit your application for a Fellowship with peer review process such as <NAME>odowska-Curie programme. Open up to the world (China!).
Best wishes.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: A different approach seeks to demonstrate your interest and comprehension of the material first: read his/her most recent papers thoroughly and email *with great questions and comments*. PI’s love to talk about their research. If you can engage them a bit that way first, a later appeal asking if they’re accepting students will be given more consideration. Keep the emails short and to the point - an unexpected long email like yours may just get sent to trash.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/16
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<issue_start>username_0: I am teaching a large Humanities class (150+ students) in the US this semester and am in the process of grading midterm essays. This is my first time teaching a class this large and I'm not sure how to handle feedback.
With smaller classes, I always liked to give students very detailed feedback, so that they could understand why they got the grade they got and so that they could improve their writing in the future. This is very time consuming and therefore unpractical with that many students. I also do not want to burden the TA helping me grade either.
I'm wondering what the best course of action is?
Should I just give them their grades and tell them to come to office hours if they want to have more detailed feedback ?<issue_comment>username_1: Here are some options/ideas to consider:
* Giving just a grade and asking to come to office hours is certainly defensible. I've read that most students don't read extensive feedback.
* Commit to giving a grade and very short feedback.
* Create a written rubric with check-off categories for various scoring criteria. Require students to staple this as a cover sheet on their submissions. Grade by checking appropriate boxes.
* If you have an online learning management system, it may support rubric grading as above, so you can do the check-off grading without additional paper. (e.g., I do this on Blackboard for computer programming assignments).
* Set a budget as far as time you can legitimately devote to this task. Keep written records (e.g., spreadsheet) of how much actual time is spent on this overall task. Have the TA track time as well. If time spent is over budget, iterate and cut/modify/streamline something.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: When grading assignments for large classes it is common for large groups of students to make the same mistakes. Therefore during the next class period you can give some general feedback to the whole just.
You simply point out the common mistakes that most made and often the majority of the class is happy with this.
It is also reasonable to discuss potential answers and or share how you would address the essay questions. If anybody is still dissatisfied they can come to your office
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: There are apps that let you record feedback. My students loved listening to my thoughts as I read their papers. It was extremely helpful and less time consuming.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/16
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<issue_start>username_0: I have some undergraduate students doing research in my lab, and I pay them by the hours. I've observed that the students usually do what I tell them and don't go beyond that (as we usually expect from research) even though I encourage them to do so. They also work exactly the assigned hours (says 10 hours/week). You know, like the regular employees in a company, not like a researcher in academia.
I discussed this with other faculty members in my department, and some of them told me that I have been doing it wrong. That I should not pay the students (except during the summer) as this job is for them to have research experience and learn research skills. Only the students who are really interested in doing and learning research will volunteer to work in the lab for free, and these are the students we want in the lab, not the students who (mainly / only) work for the compensation. And my colleagues told me that they had very few undergraduate students working in their labs for free, but those have been very good students who would co-author papers and continue to graduate schools (Master or PhD).
On the other hand, I've heard from some good undergraduate students (in terms of GPA and technical skills) that they would never work an unpaid position.
I've been thinking about this lately. Am I doing it wrong? I'm not cheap, but if paying the students to do research results in wrong motivation and expectation for them, and if not paying them is a good filtering mechanism to select good students, maybe I should do that.
What do you think? Do you have any good strategy to have good undergraduate students doing research in your lab?
Btw, I'm in the US.
**Updates**: I was not clear in my original post, so here are some clarifications.
* My expectation: the research tasks for my students require them to get familiar with a programming language and learn to use some special software before they can do the research. These skills are not taught in the formal course of study, so I can't find any undergraduate students who posses these skills. These are very valuable skills in my field, especially in industry. If I were them, I would spend my personal time to learn these skills as fast as I can, and, in parallel, spend most of my paid time in the lab to use these skills to do the actual research tasks. I would do that because I am excited about doing good research work. That's my expectation. My current students have spent almost all their paid time in the lab to learn, rather than to do. And they only learn during the exact assigned work hours. Two months in, and they are still mostly in the learning / training mode.
* One might say that companies pay new employees to learn / train / retrain before they can actually do useful work. But a professor / university lab is not a company. Compared to a company, even a small startup, I have very limited funding and resources (not to mention the retaining rate of undergraduate students after training is much lower than at a company). I must figure out the best way to spend my fund.
* Purely from the productivity point of view, paying undergraduate students to do my research seems to be the worst way to spend my research funds and my time. A skilled PhD student or part-time contractor can finish the tasks much much faster and likely at higher quality than my group of undergraduate students can finish in 3+ months. I know that because during my postdoc, I mentored a number of good PhD students. The total cost would be similar in the end. Given that, why did I hire them and agree to mentor them? Because I liked that they seemed to be interested in research, and I wanted to give them opportunities to gain such skills and experience.
* However, if their cost is eating too much into my limited funding with a minimal return, I should have a second thought about it because in the end, no one but I must take care of my own business (my research, and eventually my tenure). Getting research funding has become increasingly difficult.
* Do I care about disadvantaged students and want to give them opportunities? My colleagues and I are going to organize STEM camps for many underrepresented students in the area, free of charge (of course with external funding). But I think this should be separate from my research career, for now.<issue_comment>username_1: You may be assuming that the students who only work the minimum time required are motivated only *to get the paycheck*. I would speculate that students actually work the minimum time required *to keep you happy*. Dedicated, high-achieving students know that they need both research and grades to get into grad school -- keeping you happy achieves the first, and maximizing their time studying achieves the second.
Whether you should pay them or not is maybe opinion based. Here are a few points:
* Many schools have too many students and too few research spots; taking only those willing to work for free seems like a decent way to thin the pack
* But, many students require a paying job; by not paying the students, you may inadvertently advantage wealthier students.
* A successful arrangement I've seen is that the professor pays for "useful work" (usually manual labor, or maybe work from a senior student who has learned something) and only offer unpaid positions for other work. But, in the US, "unpaid" is often not an option -- students either have to get credit or pay -- and since students have to pay for credits, this means they are actually paying for the privilege of working.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Generally, yes undergraduates should be paid for their research. This is an equity issue. At many institutions, a large portion of the student body has to work while they study in order to survive. If student research is unpaid, those students will not be able to participate. Students who have to work are often also members of other underrepresented groups such as racial minorities.
It is also a justice issue. If students are doing valuable work, it is only fair to pay them. It is also unjust to expect students to work more than the assigned hours.
I should add that it is not appropriate to pay students for work that earns course credit.
If your research students are not achieving what you want them to do, you need to be sure you are setting clear expectations. You also need to be willing to part with under-achieving students.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_3: I was an undergraduate who was paid for his work (rather than receiving credit; I had the option of one or the other, but research credits in the department I worked in were useless to me). I worked at that lab throughout undergrad and am now a staff scientist in the same group.
You really should give your students one or the other, or both, if your university allows it. It seems to me fairly unethical to have someone do work for you without compensating them. Of course, there are realities of budgets, but you really should strive to pay people for work they do.
(Honestly, it's ridiculous that you have to *pay* to take research credits, but that's a different post.)
>
> They also work exactly the assigned hours (says 10 hours/week). You know, like the regular employees in a company, not like a researcher in academia.
>
>
>
Well, yeah. Before I was hired, we set an expectation that I would work 10 hours a week in my mentor's lab. (In fact there may be a limit on students' working hours, my university's was 19.) I don't understand why you think anyone would work hours for free when they are paid hourly. If you need more than 10 hours/week out of them, then **hire them for more hours.**
Even if you had volunteers; you should set some sort of expectation with them for how many hours (on average) they should put in. Yes, some weeks will be more, some weeks less, but a volunteer should know how much work you want out of them.
>
> Only the students who are really interested in doing and learning research will volunteer to work in the lab for free
>
>
>
This is not true; let me be a counterpoint. Only the students *who can afford to* will volunteer to work in your lab for free. That is, students who have support from their parents, or who don't already work a job for money will work for you for free. I am sure that the best undergraduate research assistants do not come solely from the pool of people with wealthier parents.
>
> Am I doing it wrong? I'm not cheap, but if paying the students to do research results in wrong motivation and expectation for them, and if not paying them is a good filtering mechanism to select good students, maybe I should do that.
>
>
>
No, not paying them is **not** "a good filtering mechanism to select good students." You sound like a new professor, and I think your own "filtering mechanisms" will improve as you interview and hire more undergrads over the years. At my lab, we went through about three for a position over three quarters before settling on a good, motivated undergraduate.
---
**Edit:**
After thinking about this for a few days, I would also point out that some types of relationships don't need to be paid. For example, students at my university can do honors projects in their department. Supervising these students is more of a service from professors than an employer/employee relationship, and undergrads seek out professors to supervise them, rather than professors recruiting students.
I assumed from your description of your students having been hired for 10 hours/week that this isn't the relationship you have with them. To put it another way, if you are getting value out of them that either you or a graduate student would have had to perform (e.g. feeding rats, interviewing human subjects) you should pay them. **If you put out an ad looking for undergraduates, you should pay them.**
In terms of equity, you should always be trying to pay your undergraduates, but I don't want to deny the existence of some relationships where not paying them may not be unethical.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: Yes! When I was an undergrad, I worked in a lab starting my freshman year and my PI paid me $3 over minimum wage and gave me research credit. The university could only pay me for 20 hours/week max since I was a full time student but by the end of my senior year, I was probably working 40 hours/week and did not care that I was not getting compensated. By being paid for those 20 hours/week I could focus my time on research instead of having to get another job to pay for my expenses. My PI even paid us more during the summer for staying on and because he truly believed that we should not have to worry about money during the school year. Now of course, not every student worked as much as me, but the lab recruited really great undergrads who were very dedicated to their work. Like others have commented, this culture of having "free interns" has already become illegal in many industries, science is just lagging behind.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Would the same students that do good work when not paid do bad work when paid?
If the answer is no, would all students that do good work also work for free?
If the answer is also no, the only reason to not pay would be to have a way to filter out unmotivated students. But let's be honest, that can't be the correct way.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: While I was studying I was a paid research student at my university (in Germany if it matters). While I was only paid for a certain amount of hours, there was one thing that greatly motivated me to put that extra bit of work in above my contract:
Working towards my thesis. While it was officially not allowed to start on the thesis project early (check your departments rules on that, yours may very well differ), doing work on a project and using said work as a foundation to do more interesting research during the thesis was perfectly acceptable. In short: I worked, did the 'boring' part of a thesis while I worked (learning the theoretical framework above courses, learning the laboratory procedures, doing preliminary experiments), and when I was ready to begin my thesis I could draw from a pool of prebuilt knowledge/data to accelerate my progress and do interesting experiments using advanced techniques.
So to sum it up: If possible, give an additional incentive, as in the possibility do link a thesis with the work the students are doing and they should be interested in putting extra hours in. Students are all about efficiency, managing university, job, socializing and spare time activities.Knowing they get a small head start on a thesis should (at least for the good students) be reason enough.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: It's unfair to take valuable labor from anyone, including students, without compensation. On the other hand, new undergraduates just starting in a research lab are often 90% training and 10% productivity (\*). For new graduate students, it might be 75%/25%. So the training alone might be pay enough when a student is first starting out.
(\*) 1 undergraduate summer = 1 graduate student month = 1.5 postdoc weeks = 1 professor week. That may sound harsh, but it's my own experience after 30 years spread across all four of those categories. It also varies by student.
A typical progression might look like this:
1. Join the group for a month without pay or credit, and demonstrate
that you can contribute and collaborate. Solve a simple technical
problem or two.
2. Get paid relatively low wages for a quarter/semester/summer to be a
simple assistant to others in the group: an apprentice. Just do what
needs to be done that day. Become an expert? Higher pay.
3. Get research credit for a project that's actually *yours*. You're
expected to produce publishable results, if not a full paper. Increased
future career earnings are worth the cost of tuition.
4. Get a summer or other research fellowship that combines the best of
2 (pay) and 3 (interesting project).
Those who want more pay or more freedom will work hard to earn it. Those who don't aren't rehired next term. I had one mentor tell me to "fire" one student each year. Looking back, I wish I had accepted that advice much earlier in my career. Be explicit from Day 1 what you expect so they're not surprised and you're not disappointed.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_8: I think payment should **depend on the type of work being done**.
If an undergraduate student is doing *menial work with limited training value*, **they should definitely be paid**. I would include cleaning lab equipment/dishes, running very simple experiments, animal husbandry, filing paperwork, etc.
If an undergraduate student is *mostly learning techniques and applying them to their own research project*, or a shared project where they can be considered an author **then they can be paid or compensated with course credit**. However, if such a student continues in their work to the point that they are no longer mostly learning, the lab should definitely consider offering to switch them to a paid position.
If an undergraduate student is *bringing existing skills or training* to the job then **they should definitely be paid.**
---
I think, in an ideal world, all undergraduates should be paid for their work, but in many cases it is actually a cost to a lab to take on undergraduates. They take a lot of time and resources from the other people in the lab.
In my experience, many professors are willing to take on this additional burden for the benefit of the university and the next generation of researchers. However, budgets are limited, and compensation with credits is often the only way a lab can afford to have students work there.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_9: * A student doing their prescribed research practicum, i.e. as part of their studies, should receive appropriate teaching and their credits and marks as detailed by the course they're enrolled in.
This is part of their studies, and they should not be paid (by you) - If they find someone to pay them for studying [military, scholarship], that's fine - but IMHO there should be no other money involved in the purely study-related relationship between you as examiner and them, just like you don't pay them for listening to your lecture.
* Students *working* for you should be paid for the number of hours they actually work. IMHO this is also important to ensure a clean professional relationship when you meet them again not as employee but as students in a lecture/prescribed practicum/exam.
* To me, such a clean relationship is a matter of personal integrity and honesty. Both are IMHO important in research.
I don't want to work with people who cheat, and I don't cheat neither.
---
Let me answer also from a German perspective (chemistry).
* What I've seen so far are rather different the tasks for student employees vs. students doing the research practicum they are required to do for their studies.
+ The research practica prescribed by my studies were rather like tiny theses. You got/chose a project, went for literature, developed something (e.g. I implemented a new experimental setup for the 1st year practicum), discussed this with your supervisor and in the end handed in a report. Expectation was that the supervisor spends more time in supervising/teaching them than they'd need to produce the work output of the student.
These students would typically work roughly the prescribed number of hours - partly because these practica also happen during the semester so they are restricted in time by the lectures they attend
(though they'd also try to make sure they hand in a good and finished project)
+ In contrast to that, students employed for helping were there to actually help their supervisors, i.e. a clear net gain in work done. E.g. not a literature survey for their own research but running an errand to the library. Not developing a new experiment, but just making sure all solutions are ready for the next batch of 1st-year-students. No measuring for their own project, but maybe working as "autosampler" for the supervisor. All in all, rather comparable to a technician job. (Which doesn't mean that the student cannot learn anything, but the amount of learning is more like the expected gain in experience with any kind of job rather than at a university course.)
Time are kept on a schedule or time sheet, I've never seen a discussion about asking more than the agreed hours without compensation in that context.
* The German university system (i.e. the corresponding law) is very sensitive on possible pressure/abuse of power in the surroundings of exams. Our professors are public officials. Mixing money and exams is a big no-no (although the other direction is of course worse).
+ A professor asking a student to work without compensation for anything but the official courses the student is enrolled for and who is or will be involved in examining the student would get close to "acceptance of benefits by a public official" i.e. corruption (in relation to importance and vicinity of the exam).
In other words, the practice you describe from your colleagues would be considered illegal over here.
+ If a student is employed, certain IP (exploitation) rights go automatically to the employer here - whereas a student explicitly holds all IP rights to the work done during their studies, including the thesis. Students are typically not aware of this. Both you and the student may be thinking you paying the student for a compulsory course is just nice. But particularly with a good student in a STEM lab (high chance of producing something relevant in terms of IP rights) this may be considered taking an unfair advantage of the student. And again, we're getting close to questionable behavior of a public official - now even without intent.
* Some courses prescribe or allow that the students do some of their practica outside university. These practica *can* be paid (but often/typically? are not employment). Even a thesis can be done in industry this way. However, the official construction is that the marks are given by the professor (who is not part of the contract between student and company), and, particularly for external theses, the professor has a duty to make sure the conditions are not unfair against the student.
In my studies, external prescribed practica were in research institutes rather than in companies and we were not paid (just like our fellow students who did the same practicum at university). Voluntary longer practica (e.g. during semester break) were not called practicum but student summer jobs (Werkstudent), typically had regular employment contracts and like the student helpers you were expected to actually work, i.e. produce a net output.
* >
> if paying the students to do research results in wrong motivation and expectation for them
>
>
>
I'd say on the contrary: as a professional, I expect to be paid for my work, and this is what the students should expect and learn to expect as well. More precisely, I expect to be paid for signing/handing over my work. If the work stays my own, and *I* am the one to decide what to do, that's a different proposition. I'm also happy to negotiate the exact terms. I've happily been doing research where we found a good balance with comparably low wages - and I quit a research position where I decided the balance was not OK.
* and you mention that unpaid work/over-hours are usually expected in research.
In addition to the non-monetary considerations above, over here the concept is that there are certain levels of salary that already include all necessary over-hours. This is clearly true for professors, and equally clearly not the case for student helper hourly wages.
---
All this refers to students up to Master thesis. PhD "students" are not considered students in Germany, and there things work completely differently.
In particular, the rules to avoid abuse of power are somehow systematically suspended.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: >
> I've observed that the students usually do what I tell them and don't go beyond that (as we usually expect from research) even though I encourage them to do so. They also work exactly the assigned hours (says 10 hours/week).
>
>
>
I think your expectations are based on an incorrect perception of the reasons why this type of undergrad summer research job exists. They have existed for at least a hundred years -- e.g., <NAME> did a foundational experiment in quantum physics in 1909, while he was an undergrad at Cambridge. But until ca. 2000, they were seen as exceptional things that only the most exceptional undergrads would do. As late as ca. 1980, there were no formal REU programs. At the school where I got my undergrad degree in physics (UC Berkeley), I think there were roughly 100 physics majors graduating per year, and of those my impression was that maybe 1 or 2 were involved in research. (No, I wasn't one of them.)
Over the last 20-30 years, credential creep has led to a situation in which many mediocre STEM students are expected to do an REU, simply because if you want to go to grad school, it's perceived as a box that you have to check on your application. I'm at a community college, so we don't do research, but our students often do summer REUs. I often talk to these students in September, and when I ask them what they worked on, I pretty uniformly find that they can't describe the science. At all. Not even at a basic level, like "we were trying to find cancer genes in rats," or "we were analyzing gravitational waves."
If you look at it in this way, it absolutely makes sense that your REU students don't act like researchers. They aren't researchers. They don't have the exceptionally precocious level of knowledge and ability that would allow an undergrad to do research. They are doing this thing because they see it as yet another hoop to jump through, and they don't really understand what they're doing or why.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_11: This was asked a while ago, but I feel the need to chime in.
It is absolutely unfair to not pay an undergraduate student simply because you’re worried that paying them would result in a lower work ethic.
For context, I am currently an OOS third-year undergraduate at UW-Madison. I work part time, about 15 hours/week and attend class full-time. My school is entirely paid for by financial aid (which tells you a bit about my financial situation since UW doesn’t give out a lot of grants unless you’re a bit below the threshold).
What I’m saying here is that I, and many students like myself, NEED to make money to pay for food. I worked in a lab last year and had to quit because I was only getting paid $9/hour, even though I am on a work study with a high limit. Most of the labs on my campus will not pay undergraduates even if they have a work study, and if they do pay, it’s well below the average for other on-campus jobs.
To not pay undergraduates AT ALL is unfair and excludes all students that simply do not have the time to commit to 30+ hours/week for classes, 15+ hours/week for work, AND 10+ hours/week for research. We have to eat, and so often times, we have to choose between a decent paying job and research. My advice would be to advertise to work study students, and pay them a decent wage (whatever amount would be considered “good” for the specific campus). You’ll get motivated, hard-working individuals, and they’ll be more motivated to work extra hours.
For clarification, work studies are paid for by the federal government until the limit is exceeded (if they’re receiving $3,000 or more and getting paid $10/hour, they most likely won’t exceed the limit for the academic year).
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/17
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<issue_start>username_0: This July I will be in the fifth year of my PhD. I am doing my PhD from India in bioinformatics. Within my four years, one year was for coursework, so that I did not get to delve deep into research in that time. In our institute, every year we have an annual evaluation, where it is decided whether a student’s fellowship will be extended for the next year or not. Today, my advisor expressed to me that he is not happy with my work.
My current work status:
* one published review article,
* one article has been rejected four times in peer-review. Most of the times, the decision was based on technical issues raised by the only peer reviewer. I try to incorporate all the reviewers’ comments as much as possible.
Not much of language related issues by reviewers.
* two articles are ready for their first submission to journals (my advisor still not happy with grammar),
* another article is in preparation.
I think the amount of work is pretty good to get an extension. When I asked him why he is unhappy, he said he had no question regarding the volume of work but my grammar mistakes are too much (I did tell him that I make my paper go through Grammarly (free version) and Microsoft word and also my husband who himself is a PhD). He also said that my papers are not getting accepted; hence he isn’t happy. Each draft that I write goes through about twenty times of checking by my advisor, yet they are getting rejected.
I am not getting any technical help from my advisor so I have to depend on the reviewers’ comments for this.
My point is: The work is in my hand but not paper acceptance right? It’s no one’s fault that paper isn’t getting accepted, right?
These uncertainties of probable fellowship discontinuation are stressing me out. I do not know what to do. Sometimes it feels like I will give up. Can somebody please tell me how to make my professor understand that paper acceptance is not in my hand and that he is increasing stress in my life which is doing me no good? How do I make him understand that grammar mistakes and papers not getting accepted are either too trivial an issue or out of my control (respectively), so that he does not discontinue my fellowship? Can someone point out to me where my mistake is?
What I have understood is that he wants me to work till 2021. My institute will allow me to submit my PhD before 2021 and not beyond that. But he wants to stop my fellowship. It's like working without pay. He wants me to work without fellowship. He is not saying he doesn't want me as a PhD student.
Also, my institute does not have the privilege of having a writing center or having someone who checks English before publishing. We do all of this alone. Indian universities mostly doesn't have these priviledges. And mine isn't even a university, it's a research institute.
Now many of you may be thinking I am not working hard enough. I try to dedicate as much time possible to my research.<issue_comment>username_1: If grammar is the main problem, get a tool such as [gramarly](https://www.grammarly.com/) to check your documents for you.
Regarding the papers:
* How many do you need for a PhD at your institution? Some institutions only require 1 accepted and 1/2 submitted depending on the field of study.
* Why was the one paper rejected 4 times (grammar issues or technical issues)?
* Why are there 3 completed papers that are not yet submitted?
I would advise you to maybe (without seeing the work and assuming gramarly fixes the grammar issue), combine the papers into larger contributions if they are getting rejected on technical merit. Take the reviewer comments to heart and work to significantly expand the papers and and address the limitations they see. Some (bad) advisers try to produce as many papers as they can, and this can result in papers that are "thin" and easily get rejected.
Keep up hope, the fact that you have 1 peer reviewed paper accepted is a good indication that you are probably on the right track and it proves you have what it takes to complete the PhD. So aim for completion of the PhD. This work is your career, and you should obtain your PhD while doing it. The work is not done after you completed your PhD.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This is a tough one.
To be brutally honest, from your post I can gather that your English is not up to scratch for English language journals. And that's not a minor issue.
Thing is, it's not your supervisor's job to fix your English mistakes and it's not ok to keep giving him draft over draft over draft. Academics are super busy people. And if you want a paper published it has to be free from English mistakes. No-one is going to fix that for you.
In regards to the rejected paper, four rejections is a lot. It shouldn't take more then 2 revisions to get it accepted. Do you fully understand what the one reviewer want fixed? You need to fully address the issues the reviewer raised, otherwise you won't get it accepted.
Having said that, if you've done enough research for five papers, you've done very good work. It looks to me it's your English that's holding you back, not your research.
Can you get help with English from someone? Don't rely on software, that's not going to fix it for you. Can you afford to pay someone to fix it for you, there are people you can hire to proofread? Can you take a 3-6 month break and do an advanced English course? Is there someone at your university you can talk to?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: If your advisor has brought up the grammar issue repeatedly, but your response is "my software checker isn't good", then I can see why he would tire of you as a fellowship student. You are getting a fellowship, a privilege many students fight hard for. But instead of trying harder to fix your grammar issues, you regard them as "too trivial". I wonder if that is your attitude towards other things your advisor and your referees bring up.
I knew a fellow PhD student whose grammar was very poor. He took his papers down to a university writing center several times a week and went over them sentence-by-sentence with a person whose job it was to help international grad students with their English. The papers would come back with many marks made during the revising sessions. I saw these because occasionally he would ask me for help, but most of the time I would just see him sitting at his desk struggling over editing his papers.
Since I lived with him for a time, I got familiar with his schedule. I estimate he spent about several hours every morning, revising his papers' grammar and style. In comparison to other grad students I knew, he got up very early, usually by 7am.
I wish I had learned more from his example back then.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Many answers and comments focus on the grammar. Equally important is the paper organization: saying things clearly, in the right order. Of course you also need unpublished scientific content. Most reviewers are not native English speakers either if the science is good, a few typos or grammar mistakes would certainly not lead to a rejection (possibly, minor revisions).
Your supervisor accepted you as a PhD student; that comes with some tasks, one of them being to teach you how to write good papers. Of course in most fields the system pushes professors to accept as many students as possible to publish as much as possible and they don't have time for their students. If your paper has been rejected four times, that's more your supervisor's responsibility than yours: he should have identified that the first submission was not of high-enough quality. He corrected the paper many times, so maybe he is not good at writing paper either...
Well, I think you should tell him (nicely) that he has his share of responsibility. You should also identify the actual reason why he want's to stop the fellowship. It can't be because you're not publishing enough: that's IMHO mostly his fault, since you are working hard. It could be that you have weak scientific bases, you work inefficiently, maybe that he spent many hours with you rewriting articles and that you are not learning fast enough?
You could also bring the article to another Prof or experienced researcher, ideally not related to your Prof to avoid diplomatic issues, and ask if they can identify enormous issues with the article.
In any case, asking to work for three more years without salary is not reasonable.
Concretely, this is what I suggest:
1. Identify the actual issue with the article and understand really on what ground your supervisor wants to stop the fellowship.
2. Try to find an agreement such as: both of you finalize the article and submit it in the next X months, and you keep the fellowship for Y months.
3. If not possible, see if you could end your PhD quickly without fellowship.
4. If not, either try to find another supervisor (very rare, but there have been such cases), or find another job...
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_5: I see you are guilty of what we all are guilty of:
You love your results. You are proud of them.
It is out of the question for you that those precious results of your work are trivial or not enough to someone else.
I am not trying to ridicule you. I really mean that we all are guilty of this.
Paper rejections hurt, they hurt badly. The time, the effort, the sleepless nights, the countless boring hours spend re-reading it word by word to find typos. The idea, your idea. That cannot go lost.
Truth is, quite a lot of papers never get published. And they do so for a reason. Yes, sometimes reviewers are cruel. But often they just feel cruel to you, because they criticise your "baby".
You have one published review article (Nice, but not your *work*. It is a proof that you know your field and are good at writing. I am fairly sure nobody would publish a review with bad grammar. It is supposed to provide a comparatively easy to read overview in a much more "fluent" language than research articles often have.)
The first article about your own work is in an endless review loop. Not because of the language, as you say, but because of technical details. And that is *your work*.
How the other two articles will fare during review you do not know. Probably reviewers will be much more focused on the technical details than on language.
Your supervisor corrects language, tells you your problem is language, but I think they are either missing something or avoiding to criticize your work. I cannot tell you why (without knowing either of you and your work).
But I suspect like the only "actionable" criticism you get is from the one reviewer. I know you state that there is no problem with your work and you put much effort into it. But sometimes effort is not enough and it just does not work out. (I am sort of in that situation, so not speaking from a high horse here.) But this is the point where you need to try and improve things. You need to get the results closer to the expectations (of your supervisor and reviewers). When that is achieved, you can still find some help with the language if necessary.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/17
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<issue_start>username_0: I wrote a cover letter that takes 2 pages: 1 for the main text explaining the purpose of the research and why it is important, and 1 consisting of my name and institutional details plus references.
1) Should a cover letter be of 1 page maximum in general?
It is not mentioned the journal's website. If this is the case, I guess I should play with the font size and line spacing.
2) Is it ok to include two citations to emphasize my writing?
I included the two references right after mentioning my institutional details.<issue_comment>username_1: Shouldn't "explaining the purpose of the research and why it's important" be in the paper's abstract and introduction rather than in the cover letter? I'm accustomed to cover letters of the form "Dear [Editor's name], I would like to submit the [enclosed in the old days / attached nowadays] paper, [title of paper], for publication in [name of journal]. Sincerely, [name of author]".
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I have always written short cover letters (say, half a page). Something like
>
> Dear [Editor / editor's name],
>
>
> We are pleased to submit the enclosed manuscript entitled [blahblah].
> We believe it brings [blahblahblah] and has some applications in
> [blahblah].
>
>
> Best regards,
>
>
> [your name], on behalf of the co-authors
>
>
>
Adding references is IMHO far too detailed! If the editor wants more details, he/she can read the abstract or the whole article.
You might want to specify your research field to get more specific answers.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I think you should shoot for a one page cover letter, but it's not a requirement. The goal of the cover letter is to convince the editor that the submission is suited for their journal, and send it out to reviewers, so your first priority is to make the editor read the letter with a positive mind. This is usually easier with a shorter letter, but as I said, it's not an absolute requirement.
If your letter summarizes the results, discusses the potential readership, and also explicitly addresses e.g. significance criteria, it may be harder to fit it on one page. If *fluff content* like author names, affiliations\*, etc. spill over on the next page, I wouldn't worry about it. If you fill the next page with more text, I'd start trying to cut down on it, if at all possible. What you shouldn't do is to play with margins and font sizes. That's very transparent, and doesn't improve e.g. word count and the reader's willingness to put in the time.
\*I've never put affiliations in cover letters, as it is in the paper and submission systems anyway. Maybe this varies from field to field, and between single and double blind journals.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
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2018/05/17
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<issue_start>username_0: Attention has been drawn recently to an incident that occurred at a scientific conference and its sequelae [described in this article](https://www.chronicle.com/article/He-Makes-a-Joke-She-Isn-t/243350):
>
> The fuss started when [Prof. X] and [Prof. Y] ended up in the same crowded elevator during a conference at a Hilton in San Francisco last month. [Prof. Y] said she offered to press the floor buttons for people in the elevator, whom she described as mostly conference attendees and all, except one other woman, white middle-aged men. Instead of saying a floor, [Prof. X] smiled and asked for the women’s lingerie department "and all his buddies laughed," [Prof. Y] wrote in a complaint, the details of which [Prof. X] disputed.
>
>
> [Prof. Y] [...] then wrote to the association’s executive director, who forwarded the complaint to the group’s Committee on Professional Rights and Responsibilities, which determined that [Prof. X] had violated the conduct code.
>
>
> [Prof. X] insists it never should have gotten to that point because he tried to resolve the problem informally, as the association’s conduct code recommends. After being informed that his conduct was under investigation, [Prof. X] wrote [Prof. Y] an email assuring her that "I certainly had no desire to insult women or to make you feel uncomfortable." He suggested that [Prof. Y], who was born in Romania and raised in Israel, might have misinterpreted his remark. When he was young, in the 1950s, he said, it was a "standard gag line" to ask the elevator operator for the hardware or lingerie floor as though one were in a department store.
>
>
> "Like you, I am strongly opposed to the exploitation, coercion, or humiliation of women," [Prof. X] wrote. "As such evils continue, it seems to me to make sense to direct our attention to real offenses, not those that are imagined or marginal. By making a complaint to ISA that I consider frivolous — and I expect, will be judged this way by the ethics committee — you may be directing time and effort away from the real offenses that trouble us both."
>
>
> [Prof. X] was told to write an "unequivocal apology" to [Prof. Y] and submit a written copy by May 15 to the association’s executive committee. The apology should focus on [Prof. X's] actions, rather than [Prof. Y's] perceptions of them, it said, adding that if he failed to comply, the executive committee would consider appropriate sanctions.
>
>
>
As a male member of academe, I am worried. I feel bewildered and fear that I might also offend someone some day.
**How can I avoid committing an equivalent faux pas in an academic environment, such as an international conference?**<issue_comment>username_1: When I step on someone's foot in a crowded subway, I apologize, even if I didn't do it on purpose. I don't refuse to say I'm sorry, I don't imply in a sarcastic way that the other person should have gotten their foot out of the way, I don't suggest that it cannot have hurt all that much, and I don't tell them they should relax, it's just a prank.
If you read the full story, you will see that Prof X's problems really started when he reached out to Prof Y to tell her she was wrong and had no right to complain, and even further refused to formally apologize when asked to. When you read the organization's reasoning, you see that they also consider that it is not so much the intent of the actions that matters, but rather the consequences and hurt they caused.
So I would suggest apologizing if someone tells you that your actions hurt them, instead of telling them that they had no right to feel hurt. Showing that you are a human being capable of empathy helps, usually. I have never witnessed an attempt at going down the second route that worked out well.
Upvotes: 8 <issue_comment>username_2: Two rules which would have saved him
------------------------------------
**Do not speak words which may demean or sexualize others, even as a joke.**
By this, I mean it is a good idea to use neutral, sanitized language in a professional context. More casual or familiar language should only be used when the speaker is familiar with everyone in the conversation.
To wit: A hotel does not have a "women's lingerie department", so his comment was clearly not a serious response. This leads his listeners to wonder what he really meant.
It is certainly debatable whether he intended to demean or sexualize her. But his intent behind the "joke" would be irrelevant if he never said it in the first place. There is no professional reason to mention lingerie.
A simple "Floor 11, please" would have sufficed.
**When in unfamiliar company, do not discuss sexual matters as a general rule, and most especially do not direct sexual remarks toward unfamiliar people.**
The same rule applies when one party has power over another, e.g., supervisor/subordinate or professor/student. There are potential legal and ethical problems in this case, and it is best to avoid that quagmire entirely.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: The problem here stems from two sources 1) it was a bad joke in poor context and 2) as [Najib pointed out](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/109939/92924) the guy didn't accept responsibility for his actions. Breaking it down:
It was a bad joke
-----------------
[As was pointed out in this question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/109789/what-was-offensive-about-the-ladies-lingerie-department-joke-and-how-can-i-av) what exactly the joke was was unclear. Let's go back to the original joke to see why. According to the guy:
>
> When [Prof. X] was young, in the 1950s, he said, it was a "standard gag line" to ask the elevator operator for the hardware or lingerie floor as though one were in a department store.
>
>
>
In the 1950s when elevator operators were a thing, if you asked to be taken to the hardware floor, the joke is relatively clear:
* I am confused about where I am because conference centers don't have a hardware floor.
Making the same joke today would relatively clear though it have the previous humor and would add an extra potential layer of self deprecation:
* I am old and senile because I don't realize elevator operators aren't a thing anymore.
If we assume he was in an elevator with all men adding to the joke that he is looking for the lingerie floor adds more possibilities to the joke:
* Why is he looking for women's lingerie? Is he suggesting he is a cross-dresser? Is he wanting to leer at the sexy clothing?
When the person he is speaking to is a woman, it adds the possibility that the joke was actually aimed at her:
* Is he suggesting he wants to buy her lingerie?
Seeing as it was a conference where women are under represented another possibility arises:
* I am confused about where I am because you don't belong here. You belong in a shopping center or some other place with a lingerie store.
Basically, because of the context and content of the joke it became unclear what the joke was. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, he was trying to make an innocent old joke and chose poorly. However, because of the time and place he made the joke it is also possible he was trying to demean [Prof. Y]. In the context of an academic conference where there is already a lot of sexism the women there are having to overcome, making a joke that can be interpreted as sexist is dangerous.
He didn't take accountability
-----------------------------
Everything probably would have been fine if [Prof. X] had responded by saying, "I'm sorry, I was trying to make a joke at my own expense, but executed it poorly and it came off as if I was trying to make a joke at [Prof. Y]'s expense. I shouldn't have made that joke, I didn't mean to imply anything at all about [Prof. Y] or the presence of women at this conference." By insisting he did nothing wrong he failed to acknowledge how is words impacted another person specifically and a group of people generally.
Instead, while [Prof. X] did state that "I certainly had no desire to insult women or to make you feel uncomfortable" and "Like you, I am strongly opposed to the exploitation, coercion, or humiliation of women" he did not acknowledge that his statement could be interpreted as doing exactly that. Instead he insisted that the interpretation of his joke was invalid saying "As such evils continue, it seems to me to make sense to direct our attention to real offenses, not those that are imagined or marginal" and called her complaint "frivolous".
The committee even stated that this lack of accountability was the greater crime stating "[An even] more serious violation, [than the comment in the elevator was] that [Prof. X] chose to reach out to [Prof. Y], and termed her complaint ‘frivolous.’"
How to avoid a similar problem
------------------------------
1. If you are going to make a joke, think about how it might be interpreted in the context you are in. In particular, make sure it can't be interpreted as making fun of a group of people that has to overcome adversity to share space with you.
2. If you do accidentally make a bad joke that comes off the wrong way, accept the impact it had on the other person and apologize.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_4: You simply apologize. Note that you do not apologize for your intentions or for them feeling bad (like "I'm sorry you feel that way"). You apologize for the offence you caused (whether it was your intention or not). If appropriate, you may explain what your intentions were.
Example:
* You: "blah blah blah something that sounds [or is] sexist."
* Another person: "That is offensive"
* You: "I'm sorry I offended you. That was not my intention."
* Another person : "Ok. blah blah"
* (optional) You: "The comment meant blah blah blah. Thank you for bringing up that it offends people. [or something similar]"
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: To avoid getting yourself into a mess in the first place:
* Gradually build up your awareness and understanding of diversity concerns by reading an article or book chapter once a month about gender and diversity issues in academia.
* Build up your empathy: when you hear about an incident of intolerance, imagine that you work in a female-dominated field that men (including you) have had difficulty cracking into, and someone says something that draws attention to your gender minority status.
Let's imagine you've been called out for saying something sexist or intolerant.
Perhaps you showed ignorance, lack of consideration or a lapse in judgment. Perhaps someone else showed hypersensitivity or reactivity.
* It's understandable that you might feel confused, hurt, indignant. Express these feelings in private, not in public. Remember that email can *appear* deceptively private but is actually extremely public.
* Allow yourself time, before responding in a public way, to think about what happened, and imagine how the other person/people might feel. If you draft an email, don't hit "send" right away -- sleep on it; show it to someone whose opinion you value.
* If anyone pushes you to apologize before you feel ready, ask for some time to reflect. An apology that criticizes the person who felt hurt is worse than no apology at all.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: In addition to the other answers, I want to highlight that it's not enough to just apologize, as you can see in the example in the question. Apologizing for the wrong thing can make the situation worse.
As a cyclist I'm reminded of this frequently when I try to have a friendly chat with a driver who almost ran me over. Drivers who seem genuinely apologetic were probably merely ignorant about how to drive safely around cyclists. However, there are many other drivers who refuse to recognize that what they did was dangerous, and will instead at best apologize for only startling me, not almost killing me. The implication is that the danger exists only in my mind, and I find this to be a very self-serving attitude. Some drivers have clearly stated that nothing they did was even slightly dangerous. It doesn't matter if I try to convince them that what they did indeed was dangerous, either. To top it off, these drivers often add things like "I'm a really pro-cycling person, and you're just being oversensitive." But mere talk has little value to me. If they were a truly pro-cycling person, you'd see it in their actions.
You can see elements of the same mistake in the given example.
Admittedly, sometimes the offended person is wrong. But even if you believe this is true, being courteous is still the best course of action.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: It is obvious that these two colleagues don't know each other very well.
Jokes about emotionally sensitive topics are never appropriate with an unknown audience. Politics, religion, and sex are some of the most emotionally sensitive topics.
If you know your audience extremely well, you can craft a joke that has the desired effect leveraging these strong emotional cues. Until you have that kind of intimate knowledge of your audience, odds are you will upset them. Occasionally you can avoid the fallout of dealing with an emotionally sensitive topic by effectively lambasting all members ("A priest, a Rabbi, and a Minister") but to do so, you need to clarify a scenario that's clearly fictional ("walk into a bar").
Not knowing these ground rules for comedy is a sign that [Prof. X] isn't a funny person, and is pantomiming other people that are deemed funny. This joke seems to be one in the vein of Groucho Marx, an incredibly funny person; except, that when Groucho said it to a complete unknown person in a hospital, he rephrased it as "Men's Kidneys, Please." In a department store, his joke might have worked, but I doubt he could frame the context to make it work.
Now, his inability to properly apologize has been covered well. Exceptionally well in Najib's answer, so I won't cover it in detail here.
So, you have a person that doesn't joke well and doesn't apologize well. It is hard to tell a person that they don't do something well, as most people tend not to receive information about their shortcomings well.
Ideally [Prof X] would take a class or read a book in the art of apologizing; but, it seems that he would see such a thing as patronizing, and decline. Perhaps he would consider otherwise if the request was framed in the light of the damage his poor apology has caused; but, odds are more likely he'll rationalize that this wouldn't be a problem if [Prof Y] just didn't make such a big deal of it.
After all, [Prof X] will eventually make a second misstep, we are all human and non-perfect, and if he was more skilled in apologizing; it would help the world view him as vulnerably non-perfect, but sincere and kind hearted. Such a combination is even better for one's career than perfect, because people strongly identify with those who are flawed outside of their area of competence.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: >
> How can I avoid committing an equivalent faux pas in an academic
> environment, such as an international conference?
>
>
>
In this particular example by being more careful. Do not make jokes with unknown people unless they are very tame jokes.
In general you can't. No matter what someone will eventually take offence at you. Sometimes with good reason, sometimes for no good reason. Don't let it bother you too much, such is life.
When it happens be honest and think if you could have done something to avoid the situation. If so apologize, no buts.
If neither did you intend offence nor could you have done anything to avoid such offence then do not apologize. Don't apologize for things outside your control.
The following decision tree shows how to deal with requests for apology. Note that the option "Explain why you should not be offended" never appears, that almost never works.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/91nzk.png)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_9: So I am going to do something foolish and wade into this issue. Your specific two questions are:
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> How can I avoid inadvertently offending my female peers and getting into trouble for it?
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and
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> How can I avoid committing an equivalent faux pas in an academic environment, such as an international conference?
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These really are two different but similar questions. There are also deeper dimensions to this problem, including the issue of how both professors experienced themselves.
Let us start thinking about how Professor X may have experienced the question of "what floor?" I grew up in a place that still had one elevator operator when I was very little. I also used to spend Saturday and Sunday morning watching old movies and old television shows from probably age 8 to 18. I have seen more very old movies that I could probably count and I still watch them. I watched many American and British movies and television shows.
Professor X, who is both British and 75, would have spent about half of his life not only seeing this joke live in the real world, but watching on television and movies. This was more the case after the operators vanished. This is because humor is about a disconnect between the speech and the environment. I could probably find an Academy Award winning movie with that line in it. I certainly could find principal comedians who have performed that line.
It is quite possible that the professor who said the joke was trying to make people feel more comfortable with an old silly joke. I am bringing this up because, assuming neither the original speaker or you are a predator like <NAME>, if you do this faux pax it will likely be with positive intent or without thinking, but no ill will.
In academia, there are multiple levels to this issue. It is possible that this professor is a predator, though there appears to be no evidence of this anywhere. The specific problem in academia is that it is common for there to be only a handful of academics specializing in many fields. In this case, Professor X is not only a principal academic in his field, he is faculty at two Ivy's and Oxford. This professor is powerful. This professor may not experience himself as powerful, but just ordinary.
Now let's look at Professor Y. Professor Y may be too young to even know what an elevator operator is, probably never saw the mountain of movies that used it as a gag, and was American. Professor Y may or may not know their relative power position, but believes that some consequence for the action taken should happen. We do not know the personality of Professor Y, nor do we know their views on punishment, appropriate conduct, or Professor Y's cultural experiences.
Professor Y is also trying to act appropriately. Not only is Professor Y offended, but feels the need to protect other female academics. Professor Y also appears to be acting in good faith.
This is the problem with this type of situation, it is really only a problem if both parties are acting in good faith. If Professor X was a predator, this report may have caused other reports and some of them may have caused dangerous revelations to come to light and we would not be discussing this. Likewise, if Professor Y had a habit of being litigious it would become known within the community and she would probably begin to be ignored. That is a problem though, still, it is what people do.
For the second question regarding an *international* academic conference, the simplest is don't tell jokes. When I was an undergraduate an international student from Japan gave me a book of jokes and I didn't find many funny and I found some extremely offensive. I didn't tell him I was offended, but I did explain that an American wouldn't find these funny. Furthermore, humor is conditioned on the culture. The Three Stooges wouldn't be considered funny anymore, indeed, there would probably be Twitter attacks on them.
Nonetheless, you could easily do a non-humor based faux pas in an international setting. Cultural rules on food, clothing, body positions, and so forth are extensive and contradictory. Americans regularly give the English their equivalent to "the bird," without meaning to or even any idea that they are. The best solution, if you believe you have offended someone, is to flat out apologize. You can explain you were unaware of the perceived meaning and that you will try and be careful in the future. Unless you step on a taboo and seriously cross a line, most people will laugh it off.
Professor X crossed an *American* taboo and it is a new one. I don't know the professors involved, but I would expect neither of them foresaw the results or feel they are really in the wrong. If you break a taboo, you probably cannot fix it. Both of them probably broke taboos, actually.
The old rules of civility, particularly English, would have both of them talk it out and try and "make nice," to use the older phrasing. The fact she went straight to a formal complaint violates the society's actual rules, but also probably the older English norms and customs professor X values.
The most you can do is try and be civil whenever possible. Of course, as mentioned above, Professor X was probably trying to do just that.
Now as to female academics, that is a slightly different question. I am presuming you are in the United States. If you are not, then nothing I said applies.
For starters, the social rules are changing very fast in the United States. Indeed, much of the political unrest is that some parts of society have decided to hold onto older rules while other parts have tossed the older rules and have adopted new ones. Two women could easily offend each other if their operating version of the rules are different. In fact, I have seen that happen. I know of two female academics that are at loggerheads over what are differences in generational perceptions of appropriateness. There are also power issues as one is a full professor and the other an assistant professor.
Still, I would like to point out a study.
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> Files J, <NAME>, <NAME>, et al. Speaker Introductions at Internal Medicine Grand Rounds: Forms of Address Reveal Gender Bias. Journal Of Women's Health . May 2017;26(5):413-419.
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Now, as a disclosure, I find this paper problematic on methodological and statistical grounds. There are three specific issues that should have been addressed in the editorial process, in my opinion.
The first is that there is a disclosure issue. Incomplete disclosures are not unique to this paper and plague many fields, but I find them troubling. The second is that the inference may suffer from Yule's paradox and so either the inferences should have been greatly restricted or cautioned, or not done at all. The third is that they had data that they didn't use, most likely for reasons of cost, time and the fact they likely didn't know it would matter, but which could have flipped the inferences to the other direction.
With those disclosures, let me provide descriptive information from the article which bears on this discussion.
The paper is from data collected from video recordings of internal medicine grand rounds. The speakers were physician and researcher peers with MD, PhD and MD/PhD qualifications.
In professional dyads, women introduced other women as *doctor* 97.8% of the time. Men introduced other men 72.4% of the time. I bring this up because I would be willing to bet that the same female physicians don't stop at stop signs 97.8% of the time. That is an incredible level of social conformity for *any* group. It implies it is very important to the group. Being called "doctor" and calling someone "doctor" is quite important to women.
Men, overall, only introduced a person as "doctor" 65.6% of the time with women doing so 96.2% of the time. Men introduced women as doctor 49.2% of the time.
There is a lot more going on here, but if you drop the inference of implicit discrimination, it still says a lot about the four sex groupings.
For women, explicit signs of respect are important and the joke could have been interpreted as that she was less than he was. You never joke downward. If you are powerful, relative to another group, you don't tell jokes about that group. With women, the fact that they are engaging in a behavior at such a high rate says it is important to them.
For men, on the other hand, being introduced as "doctor" is not of particular importance. One could infer, at least enough to investigate whether it is true, that men have other sources of power in addition to their degrees. As such, the title means less. Since it means less, they use it less. You could actually argue that in a meeting filled only with doctors, the title could be dropped entirely. That the formality is present implies that someone with power or a group with power feels that it should still be used at a high rate.
I am interested in this line of research for a couple of reasons so you will understand the advice I am going to give you.
The first is that I am rarely addressed as either "doctor," or "professor." I noticed this very early on, while other people are always addressed by title or with the title preceding the name. Because I am curious, I have been counting this and I have been addressed by title six times in the last four years.
The reason I noticed it was it is disconcerting sometimes for me to be addressed as "mister," by individuals who seem to have forgotten that I am a "doctor." However, as I have performed research in two completely different academic fields, I viewed this as a research question. "What triggers people to use titles?" It may help you here.
It also isn't that I am doing minor work. I just submitted a paper to a conference with the conjecture that there is an entire branch of stochastic calculus that nobody noticed. If correct, its effects could impact things ranging from particle physics to the social sciences. Still, I would be willing to bet money that if the paper is accepted, I will be introduced using my first name in its diminutive form "Dave."
Because my first research field was in industrial psychology and we performed field observations of seventy-seven teams in the field over a period of many years, I became proficient and tracking who spoke to whom, the nature of the content and word use and word choice. So I started, informally and without an IRB as I am not publishing, paying attention to academic language use. I saw some professors addressed as professor one hundred percent of the time. It was the personality characteristics. They were so formal as people, even when not working, I couldn't imagine addressing them by name without a title. Others, like me, were so laid back that they were rarely addressed by title by anyone.
To avoid offending anyone, female or male, listen to them. I did observe that several female colleagues expressed views that formal shows of respect were important to them. Although they didn't say it in those words, if you listen, you will hear it. Sometimes the best way to find out what matters is to shut up. Consider this my permission to you to shut up.
You should avoid jokes in general with colleagues that are not your friend. I have a fellow academic who is female that I usually stop by and say good morning every day. Her office is on the way to my office. However, on the day after <NAME> was elected, I told her that I would have to stop going to her office starting January 20th. With the new rules of appropriate behavior, I expected her to come by my office and to bring coffee. She would also have to say good morning to me before I would say good morning to her given her reduced status for the next four years.
With good friends, you can usually joke. Still, you should be careful. Jokes are associated with pain and sometimes that pain is personal.
The best way to avoid offending anyone is to remain in a formal emotional stance until you know how they want to be treated.
You are going to offend people in life, see the advice above. Spend time being considerate, listening and showing respect. Then they will forgive you when you remind them that despite their doctorate, they should be bringing you coffee now that we have new rules. With some friends and in some environments, that joke will fly. In others, it will not. If they know you care and respect them, people will forgive you your faux pas.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: This situation looks complicated and bewildering in large part because it has already gone several rounds before you even reached it. Your goal should not be to avoid any and all possible uncomfortable incidents, but to avoid them going many rounds and becoming complicated and bewildering.
>
> How can I avoid committing an equivalent faux pas in an academic
> environment, such as an international conference?
>
>
>
I'm going to assume you mean equivalent to *what you quote*, and therefore Prof X's denial that this is exactly what *really happened* is irrelevant to the question. However it is worth bearing in mind that just because someone remembers something a bit differently from you certainly doesn't mean they've invented their own reaction to whatever it was that happened.
You cannot avoid ever making the faux pas of a comment that affects someone differently from how you wanted it to. Even worse, the effect which you desired from an action (including speech) is *not* the end of your responsibility for that action.
It might happen, it might not, but you must not fall into the trap of thinking it never will. You especially must not fall into the trap that Prof X. gives every appearance of having fallen into, of thinking that **if my intentions are good then I will cause no harm. My intentions are good. Therefore, if someone claims I have caused harm then they are either making it up or otherwise being unreasonable. The harm is not my fault.** All parts of the syllogism are wrong in their way.
What you can do, is mentally prepare for what happens when some incident like this does occur:
* If you are a white middle-aged man, be aware of when you are surrounded almost (but not entirely) by other white middle-aged men, and try to develop some awareness of the range of effects of being in a small minority in such a group. Often it doesn't matter at all. Occasionally it will be extremely intimidating to face a group of like-thinking people (because all laughing at this remark), especially like-thinking white middle-aged men, when you are not one. What are *likely* to be the most memorable examples of Prof Y's previous experiences involving groups of men laughing at something which makes her uncomfortable? Probably not the positive ones, if indeed any of them have been positive. So, what effect did that group have, on the impact of Prof X's remark?
* If you can, read the room. If everyone in the room except one person is laughing because of something you just said to that person (or about them), then *regardless of what it was you said and what you meant by it*, you might like to consider their point of view immediately, rather than waiting for it to be presented to you in writing by a disciplinary committee.
* When someone says that you caused them harm (including humiliation), start by saying (or at least thinking, if you're not quite ready to say it yet) "oh no, that's terrible, I'm sorry", rather than saying "well, self-evidently it cannot be my fault, so let's try to get to the bottom of what's wrong with you, how you came to the absurd conclusion that you've suffered harm, and why you should shut up about it ASAP".
* Applying that principle to the case at hand: don't use someone's upbringing (or nationality, race, gender, religion, etc) as an explanation of why they might have failed properly to grasp the normative opinion of the majority of white, middle-aged men in the room. See also: effects of being a group dominated by that demographic.
* Maybe don't mention underthings to women you don't really know. But bear in mind that making a specific list of things to avoid cannot possibly succeed, because the issue is not whether that particular joke about the lingerie department is or is not on a list of "jokes I'm entitled to make at academic conferences". The issue is the belief in one's entitlement.
In summary tiny offence + powerful ego = big offence. It is not easy to control your own ego, but it's easier than avoiding even tiny offences for the 40 years or more of your expected career.
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> As a male member of academe, I am worried. I feel bewildered and fear
> that I might also offend someone some day.
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You have offended people in the past and will do so again. Worrying about it is fine.
Bewilderment will be somewhat diminished by actively trying to identify when it has happened, and when it is happening. For example, can you think of a time in the past where someone has said to you, "I find that offensive", or "I'm hurt that you said that"? How do you think they felt? How did it make you feel? Did you think as you said it that what you said was inoffensive? Did you still think that after hearing them? Are there jokes that you have told in the past but now consider offensive or otherwise inappropriate? Etc, etc. Try to spend your time thinking about this rather than worrying too much about incidents you weren't present at :-) This isn't especially complicated, it's just difficult not to be defensive, especially if you are afraid.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_11: Every time you say something, there is a risk. Topics that are especially risky are sex/sexuality, race, class, and the like. When it comes to these topics, it is always wise to make sure you're absolutely confident that the individuals in your current vicinity are okay with your conversation, or especially humor. Oh, and on humor, my opinion is that humor (even beyond the discussion about offending someone), should be *for the other person*. When your are making a joke, are you making sure that the other person you are saying it to will laugh? Or are you just trying to make *yourself* laugh? Whenever there is some issue of someone making an offensive joke and then going "aw come on it was just a joke," it always seems to stem from the person making fun and then *expecting that everyone else be amused by what they think is funny*. When you tell a joke for someone else, like to cheering them up or just lighten a moment, make sure the joke is actually for them, since this will help you consider what their actual sense of humor is. Keep in mind also that people have vastly different experiences. Individuals such as women currently face many issues, and it's not that these are new by any means. We are just in a society where they are more empowered than ever to talk about oppression they've been dealing with since written history.
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<issue_start>username_0: I am halfway through my PhD (given 3-year contract) and I feel I'm in my worst phase. The PI (let's call this PI **X**) who recruited me as a PhD student left my institute for a better position somewhere. Before X left, X assigned us (Ph.D. students under **X**) to a new PI in our department who is not yet all experienced in the work I'm doing. Once in a while **X** is talking to me through skype but now **X** seems to be mainly interested in authorship of the work we have done together and also a project we planned to do.
The main problem I'm facing now is, I don't have anyone to give me feedback on the analysis/interpretations I'm making from the data. If I don't get any critical comments/feedback on my work, I'm feeling I'm not learning anything new. And, this will also be a problem in the long run, when I make my work into a manuscript. Our department head, who recruited **X** seems to care about the situation but I didn't discuss it with him. As I have this new PI (who is also recruited by dept. head), if I discuss the situation with the department head, things will get more complicated. I know as a PhD student, I should be more independent but if I don't get enough feedback on my work, how can I improve my critical thinking.
Any suggestions on how to deal with the situation is greatly appreciated. I can provide any additional information if required.
Thank you.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't understand why this sentence has the word "but":
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> Once in a while X is talking to me through skype but now X seems to be mainly interested in authorship of the work we have done together and also a project we planned to do.
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Without the "but," that would sound great!
In principle, your choices are:
1. Transfer to X's new institution
2. Stay where you are but continue collaborating remotely with X (with lots of email and some occasional phone calls and video conferences).
3. Allow yourself some travel to where X is for some in-person collaboration (this has to be done with consideration for X's schedule and preferences, of course).
4. Talk to the department head and ask for advice.
5. Talk to someone else in your department and ask for advice.
Another thing you can do is basically choose option 2 (and perhaps 3), but try to be more independent than before, so that you don't need to take up so much of X's time. Here are a couple of tricks for doing that:
* Have a dialogue with X in your mind, where you lay out a question, and then you imagine the discussion that would ensue with X, based on what you know of X. This works best when you're *almost* asleep.
* Rubber duck your problem with a good listener, as programmers do when they're having trouble finding a bug. Walk the listener through the background to your question, and the question itself. Often, going through this careful exposition with a human being who at least *looks* like he's paying attention will get you unstuck.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: As a PhD student, you should start building your network of colleagues, and X might be a good person to suggest people you can network with. See this as an opportunity to grow your own reputation and collaborate with others outside of X. You might be able to keep X as an external advisor or your thesis committee, while having an academic advisor at your current institution that helps you more generally with the requirements of graduation. Sounds like you want to get feedback-- and one great way to do that is to go to conferences, present your papers and share your own feedback with other people working in your field.
If you are near graduation, or post-general exams, you should submit to a doctoral consortium where people of your cohort can share what they are doing. Also, the advice that is given at the DCs is helpful to guiding you onto the job market. In my experience, the DCs gave great feedback on what directions they would be interested in for your research, and also notes that might be more generally applicable to the job market that you should keep in mind as you pursue your research.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: Basically I was offered a PhD after my bachelor's degree based only on my performance in the BSc but I enrolled on an MSc and kept this offer as backup. I have been offered another PhD but it is based on the MSc results rather than the BSc results. The second offer are asking if I could accept the offer sooner rather than later, but obviously I don't want to refuse the first offer just yet as I know that it is guaranteed. If I email the second offer and say that I want to accept, would the supervisor who made me the first offer somehow know that I had accepted the other offer and withdraw his offer? I do not want to turn down the first one if I have not received my MSc grades. I assume that different universities would not correspond over this type of thing, but I don't know for sure, and I did tell the people who gave me the second offer that I had already received an offer elsewhere and which university made that offer: is this all confidential or could they inform the people who made the first offer?
Obviously, if I don't meet the conditions for the second offer, I could then fall back on the first offer whose criteria I have already met.<issue_comment>username_1: You should contact both programs and openly describe the situation.
Each individual academic field is fairly small, and academics do regularly talk to each other. Reneging on an offer will tarnish your reputation. Even if you successfully pull off this stunt, you will earn some enemies, which can bite you later (e.g. seeking jobs, applying for grants, etc).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You are toying around with the first offer. It is perfectly reasonable to ask them to wait for a response from another offer; but accepting an offer as a Plan B from the outset, since you have the reasonable expectation that someone else will make you a better one and you will dump the original offer is really not a pleasurable position to put them in. Whether they will know is unclear, but you can be assured that sometimes news travels fast and over improbable routes.
What's more, science is a small world, and while not for the PhD, you may reencounter the original people for reference requests, postdoc applications, as journal and proposal reviewers. While in theory the process should not be affected by being dumped by a prospective PhD, it's anyone's guess when you may need, if not their favours, then their goodwill, unless the offers are in significantly different fields - and even then.
That being said, some people don't care and yet succeed. While it's not really ethical, IANAL, but legally, in the UK you probably can do it before you signed anything.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: On the applicant side, did admissions require the same documents as today? Also, since gathering the required documents presumably took longer (especially for an applicant who had already graduated), how soon did the applicant have to apply before intake? For example today's graduate programs commonly have a January application deadline for August intake - what was it like in the past? Since today's students regularly email prospective supervisors before applying, did students in the past also regularly visit campuses before applying? Finally, how much were application fees then compared to now?
On the admissions committee side, did committees rely less on personal contacts and more on the submitted documents? E.g. suppose an applicant submitted a recommendation letter by Einstein, who a member of the committee knew firsthand. Today, I presume the committee would email Einstein to discuss the applicant. Would committees of the past do the same (but with telephone / post)? If not, was there a greater risk of forgery?<issue_comment>username_1: Since just before the transition to the use of the Internet for admissions—in the 1980's and 1990's—the kinds of documents submitted haven't fundamentally changed. What was more difficult back then is that everything had to be printed out and mailed, and application forms had to be individually written or typed out. Deadlines were basically the same as they are now, if not a little later—all of my deadlines were in January or February, whereas now they may be in December. It's not easy, as one might imagine, to visit lots of schools in the US, and in engineering, students normally visited after being admitted, not before. As far as fees go, they haven't changed that much, I don't think—I remember the fees when I applied being about $50 to $75 per school.
As you can imagine, credential fraud was much easier to commit because there was no easy way to teleconference via means like Skype or Google Hangouts, so you couldn't really tell who you were speaking to on the phone. This was most obviously a problem in terms of evaluating the English skills of foreign applicants. I know of at least one department that completely blacklisted all applicants from China for a number of years because multiple applicants would have a colleague with stronger English skills "stand in" for them in the telephone interview, and then the accepted candidate showed up with far worse English skills than the person interviewed. Nowadays, with the possibility of teleconferencing, and with ID's included in the test documents for TOEFL and IELTS, it's much easier to know who you are interviewing, making such fraud much more difficult to achieve.
With respect to contacts, that of course applies—if you know someone who's written a letter of recommendation, and there's any questions, of course you'd want to contact the person by phone or email.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Same deal, probably. Just call or write school and ask them to mail you the application. Like mail, mail. Type it up. I think they had mailers for the recommendation letters to go directly to them. Yeah, most deadlines were end of DEC or end of JAN. Replies by mid-March. Fat letter good...slim letter bad. Is that still a thing? (I'm actually not that familiar with current system.)
I do remember in early 90s getting the grad applications mailed to me. And then by end of the 90s, dept said they were all emailed to the kids. Change-over was fast...couple years. And lots of college undergrads were already hooked into computer systems, so they could deal with websites and email.
But I imagine the transition for undergrad applications may have been more gradual. HS students having less computer access. Donno...did undergrad in 80s and when I say "type", I mean typewriter for that time...not even a Brother word processor. There may have been some handwriting, too...and I had to concentrate as my penmanship was normally bad. Pre-wrote the stuff for practice and then transcribed...to avoid too many line-outs or white-out.
I showed up in grad school in 95 and had never used email. Prof insisted on it for something and I told him "I'm receive only" mode. He said there was no such system. I told him someone had explained to me how to get on shared comp and read my email but not how to send it. (More of an operator issue.)
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/18
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<issue_start>username_0: I have a £1000 of funding that I can use for my research or teaching. I have bought a few books with it, but I have no other immediate necessity (conference trips etc). I do not like the budget to lapse (by the end of this July) and I am afraid I may have looked past some potential benefits I could have gained using the budget.
What are some possible ways for me to make use of this sum in this limited time?<issue_comment>username_1: Spend forward (into 2018-2019) with opportunities related to the research which originally got funded.
Why not top up with a last-minute research trip, or a write-up trip completed and paid for by the end of the grant period?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There's always a new version of some software you use. This is also the perfect time to learn how to use a software package. There's always something to be learned and always someone willing (to be paid) to teach it.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/18
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<issue_start>username_0: For reasons I had very little influence on, most of the projects I participated in over the course of my PhD did not produce reasonable results. I managed to get involved in small side projects and publish at least something, but those are not very novel in itself and not "on the edge of knowledge".
The edge of knowledge I pushed is what could go wrong when you are a lone representative of a "service science" in a collaboration, who is asked for input in the beginning, but later overthrown. And in the end, we look at the data together and establish we can't do what we wanted with it. And part of the problem is in fact that my input was not that valued by decision makers.
This take-home message is more of a meta-topic and for sure not the main result of my thesis though.
In my thesis, I will (with a heavy heart) go through those projects and discuss them. Discuss what happened, what we did and what we should have done and could have done. This writing process is a very hard piece of work to do and is taking a toll on me right now. But I am doing it and trying to detach myself from the thoughts of how these failures could end up killing my dreams of an academic career.
In my defense, I am supposed to paint a picture-perfect representation of at least one major project. I don't have any options for this. I got caught in doing small "services" to help my collaborators and starting new projects ("we will do better this time") which always ran into a roadblock (mostly before I even got significantly involved).
I do not want to whine about science in my defense. I do not want to explain what went wrong, to the people who did it sitting in the room with a plan to cheer me through my presentation. But what *can* I do?
People usually find one "example" of what they did that worked out well and then "blow this up" to be the main point of their defense, while it might only be a small part of the work they did over the years. But I cannot find a single interesting topic with nice results. They are either trivial or failed.
Has anybody done a "fully failed" PhD defense ... and passed? How would one do this?<issue_comment>username_1: The specifics here are certainly best discussed with your advisor. They should know about your discipline, and how to frame results in a way that is suitable for the community.
>
> Has anybody done a "fully failed" PhD defense ... and passed? How would one do this?
>
>
>
For me, it does not sound at all like you "failed" in your PhD. A PhD is a research project, not a product. Ultimately, you (and your committee) should not evaluate your results based on whether they ended up being useful, but based on whether you had a reasonable thesis and a thorough scientific study of this thesis.
That is, if you proposed a novel approach, collected reasonable data, and thoroughly validated your initial thesis, your research was *successful*, independently of whether this approach then ended up being used in the larger project context. Sure, it would be nice to be able to say that your approach has then helped these other people to do A, B, C, and D, but the real world does not always work like that.
To me, it is mainly a question of mindset. If you yourself consider your PhD "failed" you will have a hard time selling it to a committee. You need to embrace the idea that you did good research, and not measure the success of your own work on factors outside of your control. In that sense, you should defend what you did and why. You can, and maybe should, discuss why it ended up not being used if there are interesting lessons learned, but stay away from political or interpersonal arguments (these can indeed sound whiney). Stay positive and focus on what you did, not on how much other people then liked the results.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: The short answer is yes and it is jokingly referred to a "PhD for Effort". More importantly is why it is ok.
### Having projects fail teaches you what a bad project looks like
A big part of the reason a PhD helps you grow as a scientist is because in a PhD allows you to fail. I am fond of saying "getting a PhD means you have learned how to fail productively". In a company where they lose money when your experiments don't work, someone will come along and stop you if you are heading down an unproductive path. That makes the projects more likely to succeed, but it means you never had to figure out where things were going wrong. By banging you head against the wall for the last few years you have learned what a bad project looks like so in the future *you* will know when to cut the cord.
### You may have actually failed because you are better
There are a *ton* of papers out there with unreproduceable results. It has become a big problem for a lot of the top journals. Sometimes this is due to chance, but at least some of it is due to things like unintentional p-hacking. It is possible at least some of your projects went wrong because you had better experimental design or because you did a better job of analyzing your data. If you could only get a PhD for positive results it would be discouraging good scientific practices.
### Projects always look less impressive to the person doing them
You have been staring at your work for years. You know all the ins and outs and all the details. Of course nothing looks novel or interesting to you anymore, you know every result like the back of your hand. Try stepping away from it for a little while or getting some fresh eyes on the results. If that doesn't work, try explaining what you did to to a little kid. It is easy for things to feel small when you are explaining the details of the experiment, but when you have to simplify things down to the bigger themes you realize how much it ties in to your field. Some of the best defenses I have gone to were basically just a set of marginally related projects tied together with a good story.
Big picture summary
-------------------
Even if you didn't get the results you wanted, you became a better scientist. That is why getting a PhD is part of your "education". Instead of being disappointed in the results, step back and let yourself get excited. With fresh eyes, you may realize you have more than you think.
Upvotes: 3
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2018/05/18
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<issue_start>username_0: I am wondering if anyone has experienced conflicting feelings of failure associated with their work? Essentially, I am struggling to continue my students and maintain a proactive attitude while continually facing an ever growing list of tasks.
I find myself struggling to even start the list in the morning, and when I do I either fixate on one particular task or rush it (which I later chastise myself for). Throughout my undergraduate degree I worked hard and made great progress, however upon reflection I find that unless I am sure my work is ‘perfect’ I am very reluctant to submit it, and will later feel guilty about it.
I guess most of these behaviors are associated with the fear of failure and/or self belief, or something such like. But I wonder if anyone else has experienced them in their work and if you have discovered any strategies/advice you think would be beneficial.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know if this is the best approach or if it works for everyone, but here is what I did in the past when I was paralyzed by just looking at the never ending list of things to do.
I simply broke down every task into more manageable pieces. Now I have an even longer list, but the good thing is non of the items on the list looks scary. After making tasks manageable, I set deadlines for every task. Deadlines forced me to stop working on a simple task just because it didn't look "perfect". At the end of the day if there is still time and I have energy, I can easily start working on the items that didn't look "perfect" to me without delaying any other task(But at the time I was burning out, and I realized that. So I stopped working on the things that didn't look "perfect" to me. Instead I took a break to clear my mind.).
If you can prioritize the tasks and break them down to more manageable pieces it is great. If you can't, may be you can ask a friend to help you.
After completing a task without over thinking about it and without missing a deadline, what I felt was success and that is what kept me going.
This way I kept my sanity and started to regain self respect, instead of punishing myself for not committing to work and spending the day paralyzed.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: 1. To do lists can be nice for staying organized.
But to do lists can drive you nuts.
So, one idea would be to try a different approach. Here's one option among many possibilities: Put your deadlines in Google Calendar. Check your calendar at reasonable intervals, and close it when you don't need it.
2. A work buddy can be helpful. You check in with your work buddy at regular intervals, such as twice a day. You encourage each other by providing positive feedback when you get through something tedious or unpleasant.
3. Sometimes it's fun to plan specific rewards (that are meaningful to *you*) for accomplishing specific things.
4. When a person is going through a difficult patch, sometimes it's surprising what new thing in life can turn things around. For me, after a recent difficult patch, the first thing that made a difference was to get a hamster. The second thing was that I discovered a beautiful place to walk, with lots of interesting trails and a map of the area that had some mistakes, which made making my way around the trails doable but a bit challenging.
5. I don't know if perhaps there are some tricks to getting through some of the more tedious responsibilities in your job. Perhaps talking to colleagues will give you some good ideas along these lines.
6. When a person is feeling this way, checking in with your primary care provider (G.P.) can be a productive step. I was particularly concerned about this sentence: "I find that unless I am sure my work is ‘perfect’ I am very reluctant to submit it, and will later feel guilty about it." I would suggest that you print your question out and show it to your doctor. I have written a couple of answers here on the subject of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Of course, I don't know whether that might be part of what's giving you difficulty. But you might want to take a look and see if anything in those answers is helpful for you.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/18
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<issue_start>username_0: From my understanding of the reviewers' comments, it means our proposed solution adds nothing new to the body of knowledge even if we get better results than the state-of-the-art work.
The reviewers believe our work is just an application of existing literature. While many published works do integration + per-existence method to enhance the result, we use pre-processing + per-existence method to do the same. We were rejected, while others were accepted.
Any advice is appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: ***Lack of Novelty*** is an ill-defined statement. If you and your co-authors believe the manuscript has good contributions (compared to similar papers in the field) then probably the reviewers are just not expert in the area and thus thought of your work as marginal contribution. I would suggest addressing the reviewers comments to your best and submitting to a new venue.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The question 'Should I...' implies that there is, in fact, some foreseeable change/improvement that you can make. If this is indeed the case, then go ahead and make the change. A submission should be your best version; usually if we ourselves are unsatisfied with our work, it's unlikely that reviewers will be satisfied.
There is the chance that these changes will add only minute improvements. There's also the chance that making changes to your proposed solution requires considerable time, effort and resources. If either of these are true, it may be a good idea to retain the paper as such, add a small future work section and mention these new directions.
If, on the other hand, you believe (as someone in the field who has done due diligence) that the novelty factor of your manuscript is reasonable, then there's a good chance another journal and reviewer may feel similarly and accept it as it is.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/18
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<issue_start>username_0: Some time ago a professor gave me a small mathematics problem for independent research. While doing reading for this problem I found a substantially different but not unrelated problem mentioned in one of the professor's papers. I did this problem instead.
I would have thought that this means that I picked the problem myself from a paper suggested by the professor, but the professor says that s/he "gave" the problem to me because that's how people see it in Mathematics. This sounds strange to me, and if that's what the professor wants, fine. But I'm wondering if this really is normal in Mathematics.<issue_comment>username_1: It's research. You set out to build a plane and end up with a space ship. Or a glider -- most often a glider. If you were my student, I wouldn't say "I gave you the problem". I would probably say that I started you on a research direction.
Two years ago, a friend of mine gave me an idea and I tried to follow it. His idea seemed to lead nowhere. At some point, I read some paper I found by accident and found a way to continue his idea that he most likely couldn't have thought about. I did calculations and wrote a paper about it. Because he gave me the starting idea and constantly provided feedback and suggestions, I put him as last author on that paper.
Usually, advisers get authorship that way. In other words, they start you on a problem, and as you progress, they try to guide you and suggest you resources that could help you. You do start with their idea, which is often wrong, you do the work, and get something that is new. If it comes to authorship, some think that it's enough to get it if they just proposed the problem to you and did nothing else. I think that's not ethical, but it's hard for a student to enforce ethics.
The situation is different if the adviser has some strong indication of what the result of the proposed problem should be. That means he already did some work on the problem and needs you to finish. Then he deserves authorship even if he does nothing but point the problem out to you.
So, "giving the problem" and giving you a direction to work in is quite different. In the first case it's like you're a miner, and your boss tells you to continue digging a given hole because there's gold in it. You find the gold, he deserves a cut. But suppose he tells you to dig a random hole. You find no gold, you move to another hole, and find it there. He doesn't deserve a cut in that case, but he deserves thanks for letting you know that digging in a hole might lead to gold.
If it was business, the professor would get nothing beyond thanks, because they usually say that ideas mean nothing, it's only the implementation that counts.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: A short answer: first, in mathematics, this is a typical way of speaking, yes. At best, the advisor has a very good idea that the suggested direction will be fruitful, in one way or another, and is *not* asking for co-authorship (despite traditions in other disciplines).
That is, hopefully it's much more than "just an idea", namely, it is an idea that fits into or extends something that the advisor has thought about for a long-enough time so that the way it should play out is approximately predictable. This is very important side-information! :)
So, yes, I myself "give" my students projects... based on a large context... which I would bet will turn out well, one way or another... *and* be fairly interesting to experts, *and* be publishable, *and* not tend to allow them to be "scooped", *and* be complete-able within a good time-frame. All those attributes are highly non-trivial (as we say in math) to arrange. Some expertise required.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: As a mathematician, I personally wouldn't care whether I "gave" a problem to anybody or whether anybody "gave" it to me. This means pretty much nothing. The mathematical problems are not owned or exchanged for profit. They are just shared in the hope that somebody may turn out smart enough to solve them. So if your adviser wants to be able to say that he gave the problem to you and you want to declare that you picked it yourself, you two may have as endless argument about it as you wish, but many people would just shrug at all that nonsense.
As to bringing the matter further to the matters of co-authorship, etc., in mathematics, if the professor is any good, he wouldn't insist on, or even suggest a co-authorship to his student unless he did the lion's share of the work himself. He may agree to it if the student offers it though. The standard politeness requires to be generous with offering co-authorships and reluctant with accepting them.
If all your adviser really wants is that you thank him in the paper for attracting your attention to that problem, I would certainly oblige. This costs you nothing and doesn't diminish your credit by any amount (if you care about such things) while it can help him a bit with his promotion score or grant proposal.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/18
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<issue_start>username_0: I am having a problem and I need some input to reflect.
Long story almost short:
I am in the UK. I have started an interdisciplinary PhD research. At the end of the first year, during the progress panel review, I wrote some potential problems about inter-communication, difficulties in running my work, etc. The times passes, and after 3 years I am ready to submit the work planned, as agreed with my supervisor. 3 months before submitting my thesis, happened an important episode, that made me write an official complaint on both inter-communication and work problems deriving from this episode, that could (and actually would have) create problems in my viva.
After this, I had a great co-supervisor, that arrived to my university just 8 months before submitting. My supervisor instead has almost never done anything - you know that type of people that keep behaving as a friend, speaking about their funny experiences, and in the end (instead of saying: "wow, you are unable to run your work. I'll make sure you find a way/you could try that strategy.") just say: "Oooh, that is a problem: to be fair, it's normal to ask 5-6 times the same thing for that". In the end, career-obsessed, my supervisor has not submitted a ticket for me to work with the super-server of my University - after saying "yes, no problem" (at a certain point I have created another strategy) -, and has stopped replying to my emails about my thesis 6 weeks before my submission, has never provided any review even though I started sending to him chunks of my submission 5 months before submitting. I have mentioned this to the Head of PGR Studies.
All this because I was confident in my work. But my work is interdisciplinary (which is notoriously difficult for examination), and a little naivety about selecting my examiners has brought me to fail (revise and resubmit). As my work is interdisciplinary, instead of giving specific reasons on why to dismiss half of my submission, I was just given instructions on how to make it disciplinary.
Usually, in my field, PhD students are expected to submit 90 minutes of music. I asked my supervisor if it was possible to submit 45 minutes of music and 40.000 words on the topic of music theory. The answer was "yes, that's fine". I have also presented part of my written dissertation at a conference in the UK.
My co-supervisor, while reviewing part of my thesis, complimented me on the depth of argumentation and novelty for my field.
During my viva, though, after spending some good words on the work and addressing some minor questions here and there, in the very end I was told "Good the music. About the written dissertation, though, you have written what other people have said. We acknowledge you have read a lot". There I was like "??? Wait, that dissertation is half of my submission", and after a short silence of panic, I was asked to outline my dissertation in 1 sentence, and was not given the right to use more than one sentence when I asked for some space. Here, the viva ended and I failed. The reports say that "the dissertation is well written, but it has no focus and brings no contribution to knowledge" and that therefore they asked me to dismiss my thesis and provide more music. I do believe that the problem is "interdisciplinarity": that feeling of "Is it music? Is it mathematics? Is it philosophy? Is it physics?".
After this, maybe to cheer me up, my supervisor has said (in front of another faculty) "Well, to be honest, in music composition it happens often that examiners don't pay much attention to the written part". Here I was again "???". The reasons for dismissing my written part were very generic - a simple "it's unfocused; it's unclear; brings no contribution to knowledge" without pointing to any concrete example or argumentation.
The problem is that now I have just 1 chance to pass or fail. And my supervisor has just warned me with a 'written notification' (before even listening to my proposal for improving my work) to follow the recommendations of my examiners, and that if I don't, I will go against the recommendations of the whole department and the blame will be mine. He has not asked me why my project is important to me, nor has agreed to see my proposal on reworking the material and submit to another board - not that I would do that, but from "recommendations" we have passed to strict "guidelines" with a supervisor that has refused to listen to me. What was before so "easy" to not get even a review, has suddenly become a taboo.
Question 1) Just to know, I guess I can't change university right? I am stuck with him, correct?
Moral: I submitted a PhD that has never been reviewed (and I understand now some unclear things - yes, the response of the examiners was a general "it's unclear") and now I have just 1 chance. For this chance, I am "very recommended" to throw away the thing I would like to work on in the future and do just as they recommend. And on top I have no money. For me this is a complete defeat - even if I pass.
Question 2) What should/could I do?
Best<issue_comment>username_1: From my understanding of your situation, you did something unconventional for your thesis. The examiners didn't like the approach, and told you to do something more conventional in your revise and resubmit.
Since you have only one more chance, your supervisor (and I think your co-supervisor) are telling you to do the safe thing and revise as your examiners have specified.
You would prefer to do the risky thing, which is submit a revised, but still unconventional thesis, but they are not advising this. They are probably right. The time for a risky approach has passed. You are concerned that you won't be able to pursue your scholarly passion without the risky approach. However, please note that you do not need to delete those words from the universe forever. You must simply find another venue to publish/present them. It is just not your dissertation/vita. Instead of discussing with your co-supervisors how to get the examiners to prefer your unconventional approach, you might discuss where you might submit that work outside of the defense.
Another question is if you are right to be frustrated at your supervisor for not advising your better. I think that it is probably fair for you to be frustrated. The supervisor or co-supervisor should have raised red flags for you that the original submission was going to be problematic. At that stage you could have made the submission more clear and had a better shot of the "risky" interdisciplinary thesis being accepted. But that ship has sailed, and it really doesn't' serve you to focus too much on this now.
Note that I am in the US, so there may be some UK loophole you could exploit that I am unaware of. I hope someone in the UK will chime in if so.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I don't have any experience in music, nor do I know anyone who has done a PhD in a similar area. However, in the UK, it's common to be asked to summarise your thesis in 3 minutes, not one sentence, but similar point.
My PhD is also interdisciplinary - medicine, genetics and statistics. I'm currently writing the corrections. There was one comment from the examiners that I don't agree and I wrote that in the response letter and my main supervisor was strongly against that (I passed with minor corrections). I should avoid going into a conflict because the examiners may not agree and the thesis may still not get accepted. In fact, one of my colleagues that passed with minor corrections had to reply to another round of comments because he ignored comments of the examiners that he didn't agree.
At the end of the day, you need to please the examiners, without compromising yourself. Although, that may be difficult in your case. Perhaps you could follow the examiner comments and publish the deleted parts elsewhere? In my case, I deleted the part where I stated I don't agree with them but answered in a more political way, saying that I agree only on one thing. Still working on the corrections so I don't know if that worked out.
Not sure if this is of use to you, but I thought I would give you a few examples from the UK and highlight the risk you're taking if you decide to resubmit a risky approach.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/19
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<issue_start>username_0: I am currently a CS PhD student in an East Asian institution, in my fifth year, one year overtime over the normative period. I have passed all my qualification and thesis proposal exams and just need to submit and defend my thesis. Unfortunately, I don't have any serious publications in top conferences or journals (tried to sumbit several times but got always rejected), only a handful of low-quality workshop and medium-low tier conference papers. For these reasons I have been constantly blamed by my supervisor, and he may not be willing even to sign the thesis defense request, leaving me in the dreadful prospective of spending several years more just to see a paper accepted, and prolong my overtime and agony.
After confrontation with other students, and even professors of other university, I strongly believe that this situation is due mostly to poor guidance from my supervisor and senior PhD students and post-docs during my early years, poor publishing strategy, a not very feasible research project to produce concrete and verifiable results, and until recently obsolete equipment. I am also very frustated because I have been working almost every day, often many hours a day, and I have been collecting much less results than other people working only a fraction of the time and graduating in less than 3 years.
I tried many times to discuss the situation with my supervisor and other people in charge in my department to solve these issues, but they all repeat the same things, that it is normal to take many years to finish a good PhD, I should concentrate not on graduation time but on quality, I will easily find the job I want afterwards, and things like this. Unfortunately I cannot agree, since in the Asia-Pacific region, where I am interested to work, there is a very strong competition from candidates finishing the PhD in the normal 3-4 years time. Also coming (and with a Bachelor) originally from a country in southern Europe where the level of primary and secondary education and the level of the IT field is very low, I am already at a disadvantage with respect to other more skilled candidates, and is already making harder for me to obtain a working visa. I have in theory already found a job in one of the company where I would like to work, willing to sponsor me a visa, but it is only a conditional offer based on graduation that may be easily withdrawn if I fail to graduate in the timeframe they believe is reasonable, losing this opportunity may lower my morale even further.
I would like to ask suggestions about the current options I have:
* I can consider withdrawing from the program and look for jobs. This has the risk of leaving me almost unemployable and force me to return back to my home country with just a Bachelor degree, unable to find a serious decently-compensated job, a career black-hole. Even if I look now for jobs I would have to state I am currently enrolled in a PhD, with companies assuming automatically I am going to finish it (because in Asia is the norm).
* I can stay for at least one more year trying to publish and graduate. I would waste a lot of time just waiting for reviews, unable to develop any useful skills in the process and log useful working hours. And again, 6-7-8 years in a PhD would be a black mark on my CV, and I am already teased enough for this when I participate to networking events.
* I may insist to submit my thesis at the first useful occasion (in a few months, due to university regulations). But keep complaining may not be useful and may ruin all my relationships even further.
I had to keep some of the details generic as I cannot disclose too many information. Please also note that my main goals when I started my PhD were to find a job in a big corporation about Research & Development, and maximize the chances to be able to emigrate from my home country. I still hope I can figure out the best course of action to come out from this situation. Thank you in advance for your replies.<issue_comment>username_1: Can you not pick up a Master's degree at least? That would make your resume look stronger and account for at least some of the time you've spent in the program. Most European and US programs will give you a Master's after a certain amount of work (I don't know options in Asia though).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I suppose there is a difference in fields, but your research should be evaluated by a committee, and the level of research you have done is independent of where it was published. Even unpublished work can be part of the theses, so your argument of waiting for reviews is strange.
The committee *should* not really care where it was published or presented. They should evaluate your work - not the conferences/journals.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> they all repeat the same things, that it is normal to take many years to finish a good PhD, I should concentrate not on graduation time but on quality, I will easily find the job I want afterwards, and things like this.
>
>
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I don't think you should let strangers on the internet override advice from people who know the details of your situation and are familiar with this region of academia.
Rather, I would try to understand what they mean by "quality." If you're doing the right thing and just need to leave it in the oven a bit longer, then I don't see an issue. If you're just spinning your wheels and don't know how to achieve the quality they want, that's the real question you need to address.
>
> keep complaining may not be useful and may ruin all my relationships even further
>
>
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It's reasonable to make sure you and your advisor are on the same page with respect to your technical and career goals. But I agree that if he understands your situation and is still telling you that it's too soon to graduate, then you would be unwise to keep pushing the issue.
>
> I can consider withdrawing from the program and look for jobs...[otherwise] I would waste a lot of time just waiting for reviews, unable to develop any useful skills in the process
>
>
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No! Get your PhD at any cost. You should only withdraw if you think you will not achieve your PhD and are just wasting time (which does not seem to be the case here). Further, I don't think "waiting for journal decisions" and "doing useful, interesting work" are mutually exclusive.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/19
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<issue_start>username_0: I know that every subject GRE test has the maximum score 990 and the maximum percentile 99. However, upon looking some data on the ETS website, I found that the math subject GRE score starts from 920. Also, I heard that somebody got score 930 and percentile 99. What is the truth? What is the maximum math subject GRE score?<issue_comment>username_1: *I'm not a mathematician and not involved with this test; all I know is what I read on the internet. If anyone can confirm that they've seen someone get a perfect score in the last few years, that'd be great*.
**The maximum score is (almost certainly) 990.** I assume you were looking at [this](https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table2.pdf), which shows that any scores 920 and above are in the 99th percentile; that is, only 1% of test takers score 920 or above. This does not (necessarily) imply that scores above 920 are impossible.
From the GRE website:
>
> Every Subject Test yields a total score on a 200 to 990 score scale, in 10-point increments. Note that each of the individual test scales occupies only a portion of the 200 to 990 score range.
>
>
>
The second sentence is a little vague, and in principle could imply that the top few scores are "not used." What we know for sure is that since 200-990 in 10-point increments is 80 possible scores, and there are only 66 questions, there will be at least 14 values that are not used. Since they said the scale is from 200 to 990, it would make little sense to "not use" the top few scores...but it's possible.
One wrinkle: there is also [this practice test](https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/practice_book_math.pdf) in which a 66/66 only gets you a 910. But, I don't think we can necessarily extrapolate from that; it may just be that the practice test is easier than the current test.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: According to below, from 2014 up to June 2017 the top score was a 940.
<https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table2.pdf>
However, this year the test must have been rescaled.
I have gotten a 970 (99%) on the Sept 2018 test today.
As I left one question blank by mistake, I believe that
now the top score of 990 may be obtainable.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/19
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<issue_start>username_0: I am writing a text for a website where I'm going to sell nootropics.
I was wondering if it is illegal/fraudulent to copy the text directly from the scientific papers onto my website without directly referencing the papers? (I will reference the papers at the end of the text).<issue_comment>username_1: You must quote copied text and cite it where it is quoted.
Citations at the end are vague and can be misleadingly general. Specifically, it can give the impression that the cited works support all of the text on the page as a whole. Specific citations are honest in that they clearly delimit what is being cited from the rest of the content of the page.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: In the scientific community, doing such a thing is frowned upon. In short, one can do it, but the negatives clearly outweigh the positives.
If you're appealing to the scientific community with evidence, scientists like to vet the supporting evidence by reading the citations. If your appealing to non-scientists, your evidence can quickly get mistaken for opinion if not presented as supporting evidence.
Journalists sometimes hide their sources with the hackney phrase, "an anonymous source says". Even in journalistic circles, this is poor practice as it basically advertises that you can't find a person who's willing to say it with a proper citation. That, or you made up the statement and the fake source.
If you are concerned that the citation will break up the flow of the writing, then work the citation into the writing.
>
> In 1996, Prof. <NAME> at the University of Elbonia found that flatworms dance to the tune of a polka best.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: You can eather use username_2 format or put the name of author and publication year in parantesies at the and of the sentence. or you can put a number at the end of the sentence that coinsides with the number on your reference list. in this way people can look where you are taking the sentence from and check it. as username_1 said only references is vary vaigue and I just might want to check where a particular sentence or idea come from.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: It is both unethical and *illegal* to copy text if you don't acknowledge the source. If the amount of text is substantial, copying usually is illegal even you do acknowledge the source.
If your operation is small, and you don't care about your reputation, you may be able to fly under the radar and not get caught. But first ask yourself the Dirty Harry question.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: The effort you spent writing this question exceeds the effort you would spend citing your source.
So just cite it more clearly and don't bother to worry about whether you can avoid it or not. There's no downside to citation. If you're worried about the space this would take up, then link to the bottom of your text instead of citing in some long form.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: When you quote something exactly, turn it into a quotation and include a citation next to the quote. You're using words somebody else went to the effort to create, and you need to give the credit to them. A references list at the end is not specific enough to give the specific credit where it is due for the quotes you're including.
As someone who has written scientific papers, I would think it very unethical, fraudulent, and disingenuous to find text that I had written copy-pasted onto a website without a note that is was a direct quote and an attribution back to my paper. And as others have pointed out, it's illegal.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: [As suggested in a comment, I am adding a note that the following response is based on standards in the United States as far as I understand them. My experience is as an academic who has had to understand these issues in the course of my work. Much of this may be common throughout the world, but please confirm for the relevant jurisdictions.]
The question asks if it is legal "to copy **the** text" (emphasis mine). By that, I assume the questioner wants to copy the full (or nearly full) text of the original article.
No, you can't do this, even if you cite the source. Unless the source explicitly puts the article into the public domain (most journals do not do so).
You can quote (if you cite) parts of the article under [Fair Use](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use), but you cannot quote it substantially. Journals usually make money by charging a subscription or per-article access fees. To preserve this revenue stream, they do not want their articles to be available on the internet. In fact, even the original authors are usually barred from publishing their own articles on their web sites (depending on the journal and practices of the particular branch of academia), though they can share those articles with individuals if requested.
In the questioner's case, the content is probably from a clinical or biological journal. It's not likely these articles would be in the public domain (Math and Physics are more lenient), and since this would be using the text for commercial gain, you are in a poor spot. Large publishers would likely be pretty aggressive in enforcing copyright in such cases.
I can understand how coming from outside academia it is tempting to think that science is a free-for-all of information to benefit the public domain. There are indeed efforts to move in this direction. But in reality, academia is a pretty big business, and journals are often (not always) commercial ventures. A notable counterexample to all of this is [PLOS](https://www.plos.org/terms-of-use). If your article happens to come from this journal, you might be in luck.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/20
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<issue_start>username_0: I had intentions of applying for higher education in Korea or Japan, but I was told many times that "Doing PhD in an Asian university is a career suicide".
Why is that?
My field is cognitive neuroscience, and to be more specific I'm interested in a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at the Seoul National University.<issue_comment>username_1: Maybe because they're less well known (in the US and perhaps Europe too)...?
In the US, for instance, everyone knows about Harvard, Yale, MIT, etc. They probably also know about Oxford and Cambridge. But then, few outside of academia will be able to recognize the quality of programs at the other European universities, such as ETH, EPFL, TU Munich, the University of Copenhagen, or, in the case of Asia: at the University of Tokyo, the National University of Singapore, the University of Hong Kong, the Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, etc. Less recognition means general distaste/disdain.
But then, if you ask people in the right niche, they will give much better evaluations. A physicist will know that the University of Tokyo has a very good (indeed, one of the best) physics department, their research leading to quite a few Nobel prizes. A mathematician would likely recognize the Kyoto University Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (again, a few of their faculty members have been honored with Fields medals). A computer scientist might know about the National University of Singapore's computing programs. A biomedical scientist would probably have good things to say about the University of Hong Kong, and so on. There's quite a lot of top cadre research going on in many Asian universities!
Moreover, it can even depend on the subfields concerned: for example, in general computer science, the *Institut national de recherche en informatique et en automatique* (INRIA; the French National Institute for Computer Science) might not pop up as a big name; in my subfield, though, it's a very renowned place. The best advice: ask someone who knows about your field very well!
(Of course, I know very little about SNU, and nothing about cognitive science. But someone has to know.)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to username_1's answer, which covers most bases pretty well:
It is pragmatically a good idea to do your PhD in the broad geographical area where you also see yourself staying for the longer term. The actual science is, or at least should be, pretty international. A good research method in Asia should also be a good research method in the US.
However, the whole surrounding framework (how are PhD students advised, and how are PhD schools organized? which grants are available and how does one apply for them? how does undergraduate education work? what does a typical career track look like? how is the university organized?) can vary tremendously between geographical areas. When you learn your ropes in Asia, you may find that a lot of how you think an academic career works will *not* transfer easily to Europe or the US. Further, if you do your PhD in Korea your professional network will presumably be in Asia, making it harder to find good references for applying for jobs in Europe or the US.
Of course, there are also significant advantages to doing your PhD abroad, most importantly that you will see this different perspectives first-hand and will gain a lot of experience that other academics may miss, but you should prepare yourself that you will ultimately pay for this with additional challenges when you want to move back.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I have recently spent two years in China where I worked as a postdoctoral fellow. I was in touch with many PhD students, almost all of them Chinese. A few international PhD students. Mainly from two well-known national institutions, the [Chinese Academy of Sciences](http://english.ioz.cas.cn) and [South China Agricultural University](http://english.scau.edu.cn). I can speak of my local impressions and of I have learnt from my colleagues (most are Asian) about other places.
Personally while (i) *I do **not** recommend pursuing a PhD in Asia for someone who is seriously interested in STEM research and Science* , (ii) I definitely **do not think** that would be "a career suicide". In fact nowadays a degree in Asia may prove a great CV implement and attract considerable employers' interest.
How do I mean?
(i) My impression is that a closed, rigid hierarchy-oriented culture which is refractory to axiom-challenging cannot foster high-quality philosophy and scientific thinking. My colleagues and references complain that a general feature in Asian societies is that open discussion and critique are in direct conflict with main pillars of formal education and social traditions. This pervades the Academia as a widespread notion that PhD supervisors are regarded as leaders instead of tutors, and the focus is results-oriented; classes are professed top-down as lectures and PhD candidates are still evaluated by school-fashion tests & grades based on memory and mechanistic performance. Thus being, I strongly recommend science-aspiring individuals to train as PhDs inside multicultural pockets where critical, independent thinking are encouraged, especially where there is a sedimented tradition of Scientific Method.
(ii) Most individuals pursuing a PhD are actually not primarily interested in STEM research and science, but keen on building a strong CV and connections towards a safe career path. History shows that Science and curiosity-driven research is not about securing a job, good connection, stable salary pay. Stats and facts show that Modern Academia and Industry are also not rewarding unbiased thinking and traditional scientific principles. There is a growing interest in official performance numbers, and many countries in Asia are leading the latest professional rankings in highest specialised fields of industry. The chances of getting hired as a PhD seem to be currently much greater in Asia (e.g. China, Thailand, Vietnam, India) than elsewhere. A PhD completed in Asia is guaranteed to pave the path to strong connections for a stabler career in Asia, as well as select those individuals capable of adapting to local cultural standards (and language). All Asian PhDs I have met seem quite sure of their short-term goals and seem great performers towards modern 'system' rewards. Thus being I do recommend career-driven performers (i.e. the majority of professionals) to consider taking a PhD (abroad) in Asia, which I believe is a strong asset to CVs nowadays.
As with everything else in life, the value and price of choices/opportunities depend on circumstances -- e.g. whether you are a (i) or a (ii) kind of person.
P.S. Anyone interested in this thread should also read <http://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/107964/is-obtaining-a-phd-from-an-asian-country-really-a-career-suicide>
Upvotes: 3
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2018/05/20
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<issue_start>username_0: I have a keen interest in some interdisciplinary fields such as neurophilosophy, neuroethics, and neuroaesthethics. In the end, I have chosen to study biology, but I am not entirely sure if it is the best possible choice, and maybe philosophy would have been a better choice.
What advice would you give to people in general who desire to be involved in interdisciplinary research? Do multiple bachelor's or master's degrees? Maybe even different PhD in the fields of interest?<issue_comment>username_1: If you're planning on doing advanced study in a truly interdisciplinary field such as the ones that you've listed, I'd recommend to look for what programs exist at the graduate level, and what their "home" departments are. If they're consistently in one department, I would then plan to do a major in the "home" area, and at least a minor in the other discipline (presuming there are only two fields overlapping). If you're planning to stop with master's degrees, you might consider two master's, but only if they were both funded. If you plan to do a PhD, there's probably no need for two separate PhD's—instead, try to look for a program where you can take coursework in both areas and do a project that combines them.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For a Bachelor's you can double-major and often go further with a dual degree (depending on how much of the required coursework you take in the second area).
The question about what to do with the Master's will be completely overshadowed by whether or not you want to do a PhD. You may not need to do one at all or it may be a stepping-stone within your PhD program.
For the PhD, interdisciplinary research is extremely common. You may find programs and certainly advisers that are specifically focused on your interest. If not you can get co-advisors from different departments. This makes your home department more comfortable that someone outside their expertise is there to evaluate and help you. As doctorates are research degrees, not specific skill training like a Master's, you can go pretty far and wide with you thesis topic. But it does need to bring significant novelty as far as your home department is concerned. Just applying methods and ideas from field A to new area B (perhaps no one has done this before) would potentially make a fine thesis in department B, but less so in A.
Note also that multiple doctorates are often not allowed without special permission. Being a "Renaissance person" goes over well as an undergrad, but risks looking unfocused later. Hence it's probably much better to do one interdisciplinary program, versus combine multiple degrees and have to explain how they are complementary, and you aren't just a degree collector or professional student.
Personally, I'd pick the department with the best career prospects to fall back on.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/05/20
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<issue_start>username_0: Should I submit my paper to a journal that accepts quickly?
One of my batch-mate got accepted in a [journal](http://www.mecs-press.org/ijigsp/) within 1 month. The journal was also listed on **predatory journal's list**.
Please advise.<issue_comment>username_1: Quick acceptance (a month) is pretty surprising for many disciplines, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in itself. But if the journal "guarantees quick acceptance", you should be very suspicious, since reputable journals do not bother with any rhetoric in that direction.
Being listed as a predatory journal is a very negative indicator... though, if we are scrupulous, we should note that those lists do not pretend to be infallible.
On the whole, I'd be suspicious. Better to go with well-known journals that do not promise such stuff.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Only you can answer this question, because only you know what you want out of the publication. Just remember: balancing the upside of quick review and likely acceptance are downsides such as 1) you are less likely to receive detailed reviewer comments, and 2) it might do less good to your career if others identify it's a predatory journal, and might even be harmful.
I suggest reading articles such as [this one](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/science/predatory-journals-academics.html) and coming to your own conclusions about the costs vs. benefits. Ultimately, it's your paper and your decision.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You have your name to protect. Try to ensure the most trustworthy journals and peers endorse your work for publication.
* The time before acceptance does not necessarily mean that the standard procedures for accepting a good paper are violated.
There are papers that have been accepted on initial review and they have been well received by the research community.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: NO! Absolutely not. If the journal is on a predatory list, and people realize this, it will be held against you in many circumstances, v.g. scholarship applications, job applications etc.
It’s one thing to avoid journal where the process is extremely long, but usually it does not pay to shortcut the process and trade time for poor reputation.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: The time between submission and publication is not a good metric of the quality of a journal. Some journals may be both reputable, and specifically designed for rapid communications. For example, in the field of Optics, there is a journal called [Optics Express](https://www.osapublishing.org/oe/journal/oe/about.cfm). This journal is well regarded, has a median turn around of 65 days (so approximately half of the papers are accepted in less than two months) and an impact factor above 3. There are many other reputable journals across many fields specifically designed to rapidly publish. This does not mean the review process is compromised.
A journal listed as being predatory is an entirely separate matter, and a far more important metric to consider when looking to publish. Personally, I would **never** consider publishing in such a journal because you cannot guarantee that your research has been correctly reviewed, which then casts a shadow over whether your research is worthy of publication. This may have negative consequences for your down the line when applying for jobs (depending on the career path you choose).
The best (safest) approach is to only submit to reputable journals, and to continue to work on your research until such time as it is suitable for such a journal. Given you have tagged your question with [student](/questions/tagged/student "show questions tagged 'student'"), you may also want to ask your lecturers and other faculty staff what an appropriate student focused journal would be.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: When it comes to publishing papers, quality is much much more important than quantity. I would rather have 1 paper in a top tier conference, rather than 100 in some easy workshops.
Having too many papers in junk venues is definitely career suicide. When people look at your publication record, and cannot recognize any conference/workshops that you have been published, nobody will ever care about what you do.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: Quick answer: absolutely not - look at their Editorial board.
Long answer: a key indicator of the quality of the journal is the level of people at the journal's Editorial board. If you check the Editorial board of this particular journal, <http://www.mecs-press.org/ijigsp/board.html>, you will see that the people there belong to some obscure universities. Austin Peay State University, West Pomeranian University of Technology, KLE Technological University, Al Azhar University and so on and so force. I didn't find anyone from a "normal" place.
It means that your article won't get a reasonable referee and most likely will not be noticed by the scientific community. I strongly recommend to select another, normal journal for publishing your research.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/21
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<issue_start>username_0: **Context:** Undergraduate computer engineering student in the US looking at attending graduate school in two years. I’m trying to figure out which research topics interest me—hopefully to find one to pursue in graduate school. I’ve only done one semester of research so far and I’m switching out of that lab because I didn’t enjoy it (unhelpful PI and graduate assistants).
**Question:** Is it seen as disrespectful to be in two different labs at once when trying to figure out a research topic to pursue? If not, should I be aware of any other conflicts when working for two labs?
I’m concerned primary about how this will be viewed by the professors, not the [ethics of being in two labs](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/47977/51985) (the research topics are pretty different).<issue_comment>username_1: This is a relatively common occurrence. Many people work in two different labs but in most situations the research is related to one another (i.e. computational and a medical research that uses the computations). Often times, even in these situations, people doing this end up choosing 1 lab or the other after a year or 2. Having 2 different labs doing different research will be a major strain on your time, so make sure you're willing to put in that kind of work. Most of these kinds of labs require 8+ hours a day when you are in graduate school, and while in undergrad between 3-5 hours a day. This is for each lab so expect 6-10 hour a day of work plus whatever classes you are taking. so having 2 might become overwhelming. I can see if you are taking easier classes you might be able to get away with it but most degrees get more difficult and time consuming as you progress so I assume that's unlikely.
To answer your question, the PIs will have the exact same worry I stated, they may believe you will not have time for both. Some won't even allow you to join if they believe they won't get everything they want out of you. You might be able to find 2 PIs willing to allow you to do this but you'll have to quickly show you are extremely capable or they might get frustrated with you.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: We had an undergraduate in our group quit abruptly at the end of the quarter, saying he liked the research better in the other lab he was working for. This is fine, everyone knows some people won't work out for whatever reason.
However, this was the first time my PI had heard he was "two-timing" us, and yes, she was pretty upset.
I do not think it's *per se* disrespectful to work in two labs at once, but it is certainly rude to hide that fact from one or both groups. That said, if you tell two PIs that you're working in two labs to figure out what you like better, they may be less inclined to help/mentor you because they know there's a big chance you'll drop *their* lab pretty quickly because you can fall back on the other lab you like more.
I don't recommend this course of action, but as long as you're transparent with both labs, I would not say it is wrong of you to attempt it.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2018/05/21
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<issue_start>username_0: I sent an email to a professor and asked him if there's any PhD position available in his group. I also told him that I want to apply for SINGA scholarship program if he agrees to supervise me.
The professor replied:
>
> My experience with the SINGA program is that it is very competitive. Almost all successful applications have already published papers prior to application. I do not believe your chances for getting accepted are too high.
>
>
>
I really want to give it a try. How should I reply to tell the professor politely to please support my application, and that I don't care if I get a rejection from SINGA scholarship program?
Also, I am writing a research article, and I am hopeful it will be complete within two weeks.<issue_comment>username_1: The professor is saying no. He is being polite about it, but he's saying he doesn't want you in his group. Arguing with him is not going to change that. (In fact it's more likely to solidify in his mind that you are a bad candidate, with poor social skills, who would be a poor fit in his program.)
Look for somewhere else to go.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I agree with [username_1](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/26671/username_1) that your professor appears to be giving you a polite and implicit "no", framed in a way that requires you to read-between-the-lines. However, he hasn't been explicit, and if you want to follow-up to get an explicit answer, you should feel free to do so.
If this is indeed a read-between-the-lines-no, then further inquiry into the matter will probably just get you a more explicit "no". However, you could reasonably make your inquiry tangentially, by asking this professor for some advice on what additional work you would need to do to *become* a competitive candidate, and get to a level where he would support your application. From his email, clearly one thing you can do is to publish some academic work; you could reasonably ask if there is anything else you ought to be doing to become competitive.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You reply: "Thank you".
It's rare that a professor will be so direct and tell someone outright not to try to apply for a given program/scholarship because they don't stand a chance. I don't know SINGA but scholarship applications usually require *a lot* of work on your end (and also from other people, like the ones writing recommendation letters). This professor is doing you a favor by telling you your time and efforts would be most likely better invested in something else. For example: becoming a stronger candidate, alternatively apply to a less-competitive scholarship.
Don't take it personally. There are many reasons that make some people eligible and most others not.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/21
| 301
| 1,102
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm making presentation slides, which will be on the work of my Ph.D. advisor (Dr. X, full professor), a postdoc. (Dr. Y, the job title is visiting assistant professor) and myself. I'm trying to find a way to most accurately/politely address them.
Should I address them using the same generic title, such as
>
> "Joint work with Professors X and Y"
>
>
> "Joint work with Dr. X and Dr. Y"
>
>
>
or should I use different titles?
Thanks<issue_comment>username_1: In my experience (math), I have never seen a title used on such an occasion. It's always "joint with Jane Doe and John Doe", i.e. the full name without any title. Even if it's a student jointly working with a professor.
Think about it: in a bibliography you never use any title. The goal of the mention "joint with" is the same as in a bibliography: give credit where credit is due, and let people look up who did the work. A title is unnecessary for that.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Just ask them - they will know exactly what is relevant for that presentation...
Upvotes: 3
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2018/05/21
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<issue_start>username_0: I was accepted to a master program in data science in the UK. However, I am also interested in specific program on machine learning at another institution also in the UK.
The thing is that my data science program has some overlap to the machine learning program, but not completely. The machine learning program has significantly more in-depth courses, and many other courses regarding deep learning's applications that are not available at my current program.
Is it fine if I apply for the machine learning program after the data science one? In the UK, are there rules that forbid this? Or would the admission committee just throw my application out since they deemed for some reason the two programs are too similar?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know of any generic rules which forbid this. Indeed taking a masters degree after another higher degree is an accepted, although uncommon, method to switch career paths fairly deep into one's education. On the other hand, as you note yourself, that's not really what you are suggesting here, and any application is going to have significant barriers to overcome, firstly as to how you'll be funding this (masters courses are expensive, after all) and secondly as to why you aren't following the more natural career path of moving on to a Ph.D. if you want to continue your studies. Which isn't to say that a sufficiently strong narrative wouldn't manage to get you an offer if numbers weren't limited and you could explain your funding.
(It's worth noting that while the University probably doesn't have a rule against this, many potential sources of funding do)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: My suggestion here would be to first decide on your ultimate goal and then decide on which *one* of these programs gets you closer to the goal effectively and efficiently. If your goal is a doctorate you don't need two masters degrees.
Also, you don't need to be in a degree program to learn about things you need or are interested in. If you think the program you are in has a few holes there are a lot of ways to address that other than another degree.
I don't know the UK rules so don't know if being accepted in one program makes you ineligible for application to another, but absent a prohibition, I would think you can do what you want. Just be sure you understand what it is that you want. I worry that your quandary is driven by indecision about that.
And even if you are equivocal about your future, it isn't the end of the world. You can pursue one of two things (for a degree) and then morph if you find a better option. The similarity helps you here as you are unlikely to spend time on things that don't advance you on some aspects.
But first, decide if at all possible. It probably has less consequence than you fear.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/05/21
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<issue_start>username_0: According to the [Times of Higher Education](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/democrats-far-outnumber-republicans-social-sciences#survey-answer), there are more liberals\* than conservatives in the social sciences. The ratio of Democrats to Republicans in economics is 5:1, in law it is 9:1, in psychology 17:1, in journalism 20:1, and in history a whopping 33:1.
From my experience, this trend extends outside the social sciences, i.e. to the humanities and the natural sciences, although it may be strongest in the former. I don't have data handy to back this up.
Is there any **serious empirical research** into why professionals in academia are more likely to vote democratic than the average of the population? If so, what are the main explanations? (Candidates could be self-selection, socialization, or confounding variables like income and education.)
>
> **Moderator’s notice:** As per [this meta discussion](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/q/4177/7734), all answers to this question must provide external references. Please avoid any discussion about politics (rule of thumb: it should not be possible to deduce your political opinion from your writing). Answers and comments not adhering to this will be deleted without warning.
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: I really do not think we are going to get to any causal relationship here. One thing you might want to consider is the link between IQ and politics.
People with higher IQ (generally) tend to be more liberal:
<https://theconversation.com/do-smart-people-tend-to-be-more-liberal-yes-but-it-doesnt-mean-all-conservatives-are-stupid-57713>
Childhood IQ in Britain, for a 1970s cohort, predicts voting for more liberal parties (Greens and Lib Dems):
<https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/files/8896159/childhood_intelligence_predicts_voter.pdf>
This answer is only meant as a starting point. You would need to consider all of the evidence from across the world (perhaps the reverse is true, in general, for example. And perhaps other variables come into play).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I also do not think we are going to get to any causal relationship here. One other factor that have crossed my mind to explain this link is attitude towards immigration. I am not from USA, but I got this impression that democrats were more for-immigration than republicans.
I found some backups for the impression tn the study "[Race, Religion, and Immigration in 2016](https://www.voterstudygroup.org/publications/2016-elections/race-religion-immigration-2016)" they showed that immigration was one of the strongest factors that motivated voters of 2012 republican candidate in the presidential election to vote again for 2016 republican candidate (Figure 2). In the Figure 3 they also show that immigration is considered as way more serious problem among republican supporters, in comparison to voters of democrats.
Then I wanted to figure what is the proportion of immigrants among academics. It's harder than I expected, but this [article](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/education/10presidents.html) from 2011 says that there were 115,000 "international scholars" working at colleges and universities in the United States. If the calculations from [this blogpost](http://www.richardprice.io/post/12855561694/the-number-of-academics-and-graduate-students-in) are correct, there are ~7.5% of immigrants among academics. The frequency of migration in academia is so high that leaves very little space to fight against it.
In conclusion, I think that academics will be always in favor of migration. Note that this factor does not require an assumption about intelligence of academics.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: One of the biggest predictors of political ideology in the US right now is a personality trait called "openness to experience" which is define roughly as "breadth, depth, originality and complexity of thought, coming up with novel ways to do things." This is very close to describing exactly what academics do. A 1 point increase in openness to experience (between -2 and 2) is associated with a 9 point increase in likeliness to vote for Clinton over Trump. See [this summary](http://evidencebase.usc.edu/the-association-between-personality-traits-and-voting-intentions-in-the-2016-presidential-election/) of the relevant research.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: <NAME> is the president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a nonpartisan group that monitors free speech on campus. In a 2005 interview with ABC News [1], French argued that "the universities have been so captured by the left point of view, that you're going to get more political and intellectual diversity at your average suburban mega-church than you are at an elite university." The cause, he believed, was the systematic suppression and censorship of conservatives.
That same year, Rothman, Nevitte and Lichter published a paper [2] using data based on a telephone survey in 1999 of approximately 4000 faculty, administrators, and students. The purpose of this study was to test if professional advancement is influenced by ideological orientation. What they found out, was that conservatives and Republicans taught at lower quality schools, compared with liberals and Democrats. This suggested, they argued, "that conservative complaints of the presence and effects
of liberal homogeneity in academia deserve to be taken seriously".
A 2014 study by Iyengar and Westwood [3] underscored how powerful political bias can be. In an experiment, Democrats and Republicans were asked to choose a scholarship winner from among fictitious finalists, with the experiment tweaked so that applicants sometimes included the president of the Democratic or Republican club. Four-fifths of Democrats and Republicans alike chose a student of their own party to win a scholarship, and discrimination against people of the other party was much greater than discrimination based on race.
For a 2016 study [4], Shields and Dunn surveyed 153 conservative professors. “As two conservative professors,” they wrote in The Washington Post, “we agree that right-wing faculty members and ideas are not always treated fairly on college campuses. But we also know that right-wing hand-wringing about higher education is overblown.” Nevertheless, about one-third of the professors professors admit to using "coping strategies that gays and lesbians have used in the military and other inhospitable work environments", ie they "closeted" themselves by passing as liberals. Some also said they were badly mistreated on account of their politics.
In a 2017 speech before the Stanford Board of Trustees [5], former Provost <NAME> argued that he "watched a growing intolerance", "a political one-sidedness, that is the antithesis of what universities should stand for". "It manifests itself", he argued "in the intellectual monocultures that have taken over certain disciplines; in the demands to disinvite speakers and outlaw groups whose views we find offensive; in constant calls for the university itself to take political stands".
In 2009, world–renowned political scientist <NAME> was denied tenure at DePaul University for his criticisms of Israel's human rights violations against the Palestinian people [6]. In 2014, co-discoverer or DNA <NAME> was forced to sell his Nobel prize after losing most of his income for stating that people of African descent are less intelligent than white people [7]. In 2017, graduate student <NAME> was hauled before a three-person panel at Wilfrid Laurier University, which interrogated her for more than 40 minutes for showing a first-year communications class a video snippet from TV Ontario of <NAME> debating another professor on the use of gender pronouns [8]. In 2018, University of Pennsylvania Law School professor <NAME> was removed from teaching mandatory first-year courses for saying in an interview that she didn't think she'd ever seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class [9].
These are some of many examples where academics / scholars have been reprimanded for making statements deemed too "politically incorrect" by their employers. While such cases are obviously but annectodal evidence at best, they do suggest Etchemendy may have had a point when he said he watched a growing intolerance "that is the antithesis of what universities should stand for". They do suggest it may indeed be safer for conservative professors to pass as liberals. They do suggest that French may have had a point when he argued there was systematic suppression and censorship of conservatives. And they do suggest that Rothman, Nevitte and Lichter may have been right to conclude that that conservative complaints of the presence and effects of liberal homogeneity in academia deserve to be taken seriously.
---
[1] <NAME> (2005) ["Conservatives Censored on College Campuses?"](https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=461497&page=1)
[2] <NAME>; <NAME>; <NAME> (2005). ["Politics and Professional Advancement Among College Faculty"](http://www.conservativecriminology.com/uploads/5/6/1/7/56173731/rothman_et_al.pdf)
[3]: <NAME>; Westwood, Sean (2014). ["Fear and Loathing across Party Lines: New Evidence on Group Polarization"](https://pcl.stanford.edu/research/2015/iyengar-ajps-group-polarization.pdf)
[4] <NAME>; <NAME>. (2016). ["Passing on the Right: Conservative Professors in the Progressive University"](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0199863059)
[5]: <NAME> (2017) ["The threat from within"](https://news.stanford.edu/2017/02/21/the-threat-from-within/)
[6]: <NAME> (2009) ["Why Is Norm<NAME> Not Allowed to Teach?"](http://www.worksanddays.net/2008-9/File14.Klein_011309_FINAL.pdf)
[7] <NAME> (2014) ["<NAME> selling Nobel prize 'because no-one wants to admit I exist"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/11261872/James-Watson-selling-Nobel-prize-because-no-one-wants-to-admit-I-exist.html)
[8]: <NAME> (2017) ["The problematic case of the Wilfrid Laurier TA who dared to air a debate on grammar"](https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2017/11/24/the-problematic-case-of-the-wilfrid-laurier-ta-who-dared-to-air-a-debate-on-grammar.html)
[9]: <NAME> (2018) ["Law prof ousted from first-year classes after saying black students never graduated top of their class"](https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/16/us/penn-removes-professor-for-racial-remarks-trnd/index.html)
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: In a study published in [Nature Neuroscience](https://www.nature.com/articles/nn1979), the authors are trying to test whether
>
> "conservatives show more structured and persistent cognitive styles, whereas liberals are more responsive to informational complexity, ambiguity and novelty."
>
>
>
They find that
>
> "greater liberalism was associated with stronger conflict-related anterior cingulate activity, suggesting greater neurocognitive sensitivity to cues for altering a habitual response pattern."
>
>
>
(Both quoted from the abstract.)
This suggests that a skill that is highly valued in academia is less prevalent among conservatives. It is unlikely (though not impossible) that identifying as conservative changes cognitive functioning and thus there is even a tentatively causal relationship.
There is also evidence published in [Science](https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.1153651) that individual differences in inequity aversion have correlates in the activity of different brain regions. Given the experimental setup (subjects engage in a moral dilemma during the measurement), causality between brain activity and behavior is unclear here.
Both studies are embedded in a large literature (do check out both cited papers and citing papers!) that to my understanding establishes a link between certain cognitive functions and political and moral beliefs. If these cognitive functions are useful in academia, this may explain the political attitudes of academics.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: The topic is discussed at length in [article [1]](https://journalofcontroversialideas.org/article/3/1/236), which was coauthored by 29 established scholars from Oxford, MIT, Technion, Brown, Columbia, Vanderbilt, etc., including two Nobel Prize winners. From that 26-page long treatise, I would single out three points.
(a) In the past, the hiring process of faculty at major American universities was based on merit. An applicant was supposed to provide (along with the CV & publication list) two documents: Research Statement and Teaching Statement. Over the past years, the situation changed, in that applicants now have to submit also a political document named *DEI Statement* which, on many occasions, outweighs the research and teaching statements. For academic jobs in the Life Sciences at UC Berkeley, for instance, each DEI statement is ranked on three criteria: knowledge of DEI, track record of DEI work, plans to implement DEI initiatives if hired). This is done using a point system (15 points total). If the statement doesn’t accrue enough points, the application is rejected and is not considered again. This is why in recent faculty searches in the life sciences at UC Berkeley, three quarters of the candidates were eliminated solely on the basis on their DEI statements. [[2]](https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2021/09/28/an-ad-for-a-biology-professor-in-which-commitment-to-diversity-far-outweighs-commitment-to-teaching-and-research/), [[3]](https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2019/12/31/life-science-jobs-at-berkeley-with-hiring-giving-precedence-to-diversity-and-inclusion-statements/), [[4]](https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2023/01/24/a-thread-about-universty-dei-statements/).
(b) DEI statements are often expected to embrace CSJ; statements that express support for the ideals of liberal social justice, such as Dr. <NAME>.’s dream of a colourblind society, are rejected. As UC Berkeley’s sample rubric for evaluating diversity statements states, candidates who intend to treat “all students the same regardless of their background” will be given the lowest score. [[5]](https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-diversity/rubric-assessing-candidate-contributions-diversity-equity)
(c) Some universities have begun to incorporate DEI statements in tenure and promotion. This policy is being introduced, for example, by the University of Indiana [[6]](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/05/14/iupui-creates-path-promotion-and-tenure-based-dei-work) and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. [[7]](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/04/01/u-illinois-require-diversity-statements-tenure)
For more details on this process and its possible consequences, see the afore-cited [paper [1]](https://journalofcontroversialideas.org/article/3/1/236).
[[1](https://journalofcontroversialideas.org/article/3/1/236)] <NAME> et al. [In Defense of Merit in Science](https://journalofcontroversialideas.org/article/3/1/236). *Journal of Controversial Ideas* 2023, 3(1), 1-26. doi: 10.35995/jci03010001
[[2](https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2021/09/28/an-ad-for-a-biology-professor-in-which-commitment-to-diversity-far-outweighs-commitment-to-teaching-and-research/)] <NAME>. [When Commitment to Diversity Outweighs Teaching and Research in a Biology Job](https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2021/09/28/an-ad-for-a-biology-professor-in-which-commitment-to-diversity-far-outweighs-commitment-to-teaching-and-research/). (2021)
[[3](https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2019/12/31/life-science-jobs-at-berkeley-with-hiring-giving-precedence-to-diversity-and-inclusion-statements/)] <NAME>. [Life Science Jobs at Berkeley Give Precedence to Candidates' Diversity and Inclusion Statements](https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2019/12/31/life-science-jobs-at-berkeley-with-hiring-giving-precedence-to-diversity-and-inclusion-statements/) (2019)
[[4](https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2023/01/24/a-thread-about-universty-dei-statements/)] <NAME>. [A Thread about University DEI Statements](https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2023/01/24/a-thread-about-universty-dei-statements/) (2023)
[[5](https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-diversity/rubric-assessing-candidate-contributions-diversity-equity)] [Rubric for Assessing Candidate Contributions to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, UC Berkeley.](https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-diversity/rubric-assessing-candidate-contributions-diversity-equity)
[[6](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/05/14/iupui-creates-path-promotion-and-tenure-based-dei-work)] <NAME>, [The DEI Pathway to Promotion.](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/05/14/iupui-creates-path-promotion-and-tenure-based-dei-work) *Inside Higher Education* (2021),
[[7](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/04/01/u-illinois-require-diversity-statements-tenure)] <NAME>, [Where DEI Work Is Faculty Work.](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/04/01/u-illinois-require-diversity-statements-tenure) *Inside Higher Education* (2022),
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I've often read that having more than one PhD is badly seen. Is there a good reason for this? Good obviously means with some kind of evidence to back it up beyond plain and simple "personal experience" and opinion.
I've seen many comments about this matter, but often rely on a kind of judgment that sounds highly personal and by no means endowed with the academic objectity that I would expect.<issue_comment>username_1: I think your assertion really is an overgeneralization, but there are some negative points to pursuing more than one PhD.
It's the same concern as it would be for pouring an inordinate amount of resources into the wrong pursuit. It might indicate something about the recipients decision-making abilities, or "perpetual student syndrome".
That said, if that's what one needs to do to pursue the career one wants, that's what one needs to do.
Let's look at two distinct situations. A college junior starts thinking about her career path, and thinks"
>
> I want a very specific, highly specialized pursuit. I believe that I
> will need two PhD's to establish my credibility and skill set for this
> path. I am setting out to get two PhD's, and have a good plan for
> doing so. I've already considered whether I can acquire the skills
> and knowledge by doing one PhD, and then endeavoring to cover the
> shortfall by some other means, and I don't think I can. I'm well
> aware that some of the skills I learn during one PhD will be redundant
> with what I learn in the second, but there's absolutely no way around
> it.
>
>
>
Contrast this with a senior, who doesn't manage to get a job, so enters graduate school -- gets one PhD, doesn't see the career prospects, then gets another PhD to fix things.
Clearly, the first situation is better (though, I'd argue, exceedingly rare, and often unnecessary). The second situation is much more problematic, likely more common than the first, and arguably, what some people tend to think the path was when told someone has two PhDs.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: There are a few possible reasons what HR/Hiring mangagers would not like to see this.
* If you follow a Phd and then a second Phd (before you obtain a permanent position, job or retire), it sounds a lot like you really want to go into research but something went wrong with your first Phd.
* At the same time when you finish your second Phd, other applicants already have a few years of Job experience, while a second Phd more often than not doesn't add a big environment change
* It may appear to some people that you lack focus.
* Your hiring manager may lack self-esteem
* You are supposed to be "too academic"
* People may think you look down on other people
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: First of all, it’s not clear what you mean by “badly seen” and whether (or to what extent) your premise is correct. But to the extent that it is badly seen, I would argue that it has to do with efficient use of resources. If you think of your intellect as a resource, the general recipe for making the best use of this resource is:
1. Spend a few years developing your intellect by getting an education. This doesn’t produce an immediate “output” but is an investment (quite a costly one in fact) in the future.
2. Spend the remaining 30-40 years of your career working. What you produce during that time is the productive output that benefits you and the rest of society.
Most people who get a bachelor’s degree spend 3-4 years on stage 1. People who get a PhD invest another 4-5 years, and this is seen as justified (mostly!) thanks to the very specialized skills a PhD helps them acquire. However, when someone gets a second PhD they extend the unproductive period of stage 1 to a total of something like 12-15 years, taking away valuable productive time from stage 2. The added benefit in terms of specialized interdisciplinary knowledge that they acquire would in most cases not be enough to justify such a large investment. 99.99% of people simply do not need two PhDs to fulfill their potential in life. Even from the purely intellectual point of view of a person who is very curious and passionate about learning two subjects in depth, the first PhD already teaches them to be an independent researcher, which would enable them to get the knowledge they would pick up in the second PhD in a fraction of the time and effort that a formal PhD program typically requires.
Getting two PhDs might make practical sense for someone who decided on a drastic career change after their first PhD and want to go into a different profession where a PhD is a requirement.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: I don't see the general problem with a second doctorate.
If you want to make a streamlined career into management or faculty, don't do it.
If you need (or want) to be settled in a permanent position by the age of 32 for financial reasons (family etc.), don't do it.
But if you have the means and guts, if you really still want the second one after you've defended the first, why not? You might lose points with a few brainless HR people who think the apt treatment for kinks in a CV is the same as for wrinkles in a shirt, ironing them out. But who cares? Such company is for the dogs anyway.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I think you misunderstand the purpose of a PhD.
A PhD does not establish you as an expert in a field. Rather, it is the minimum entry criteria for a career in research. The main focus of a PhD is actually preparing you for a career in research. The secondary focus is deepening your knowledge in a particular subject area.
While there are obvious exceptions to this, your research as a doctoral student is unlikely to have any lasting impact or even to be strongly related to the areas where you focus on after receiving your PhD.
In this context, there is very little to gain and much to lose from spending several years pursuing a second PhD. What you may gain is a deeper understanding of a second field. However, this will come at the expense of reverting to being a student and missing out on opportunities to build your career. You will also have to repeat a significant amount of effort that again is unlikely to be related to actual work once you move beyond being a student.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: I will shortly complete a second PhD in a related, but distinct, field.
In essence, the second study has been more akin to post doctoral work (but with an added degree) - I have had to undergo no training, my tutorials are virtually non-existent, and the resultant second thesis has already been accepted as a book. As with the first, I expect to complete with, at most, minor corrections. Both PhDs have been 100,000 words and both completed within 5 years (part-time) - thus 2.5FTE. Before the cynics comment - both have been/are being attained at universities ranked within the world top 100. I agree that there is a problem with people being non-productive for 10+ years - the answer is to work harder in the evenings and to ensure that PhDs are completed on time.
Though hardwork, it does enable me to now more readily apply for inter-disciplinary work and the fields of employment have doubled.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: I don't think it is **frowned upon** to have multiple PhDs.
However, it is definitely **rare** to meet a person who has multiple PhDs.
Anecdotally, I would estimate that fewer than 1% of people with a PhD
will have a second PhD.
I know of only [one person](https://scholars.cityu.edu.hk/en/persons/ye-lu(dad9809b-ab90-4de3-874e-7913bbcab8d5).html) from my social circle who has a second PhD:
>
> Dr. <NAME> received a PhD in operations research from MIT in 2009, a PhD in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame in 2006 and a Bachelor of Science degree in applied math from Tsinghua University in 2002.
>
>
>
In my opinion, it made sense for him to get a second PhD
because it allowed him to get a tenure-track academic job in Operations Research,
whereas it is much more difficult to get a tenure-track academic job in Mathematics.
In conclusion, it can make sense for you to get a second PhD,
but it depends very much on the particulars of your own circumstances.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: I think it is frowned on as excessive investment and limited return. There is a ratio that <NAME> talks about (horrors a business book writer!) with the amount of effort spent in learning versus production. In a way, a Ph.D. is already a bit of an indulgence. Doing two of them sounds like you just like being in school all the time, versus being a PI.
In most fields, about 75% of the Ph.D. is research, not learning. So if you just wanted to LEARN many fields, you should pick up multiple masters or even multiple bachelors. Of course, you ought to be independently wealthy to allow that.
Doing multiple Ph.D.s feels a bit as if you are just collecting tickets without thinking of the meaning of them. I mean once I had DONE a Ph.D., I really felt like I didn't need the sheepskin to contribute. Or at least part way through, it "clicked" and I got it and was an independent researcher. I was a little older so it was easier for me (to draw on practical experience). But even the "straight out of bachelors" clicked by the end of the Ph.D. They could write their own papers, determine their own experiments, negotiate with vendors to buy apparatus, etc. etc. Doing two would make no sense, since you've already got the "I can figure it out" gene turned on in your codex.
P.s. I agree with the comment that says you don't indicate having read the responses already on this site to this issue. This is not a good trait...
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: A PhD is about learning how to do research correct? In a field that you are confident right(you have completed BSc and MSc)? But if during your first PhD you are seeing that your topic is interdisciplinary ( for instance clinical Psychology and cognitive Neuroscience) you want to learn how conduct research in a cognitive neuroscience for instance - you have no experience; why not? You would spend 4 years not only going deeper on your topic; you would lean how do research and acquire brand new set of skills.
You can have masters and BSc sure; it depends on the main purpose. You could collaborate with other in adjacent field. If you want to independently learn how to you it yourself and you have time, funding and possibly why not?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_10: I agree with the comment @MarkMeckes -- the premise is not necessarily correct. *For example*, people can get a PhD in philosophy, and if they are a pastor or just interested in religion, get one in Theology. Such people may also get PhD's in original languages like Hebrew and Greek. None-the-less, there are certainly reasons not to get more than one PhD: Life is short, and a lot of dedication goes into getting even one Ph.D. For what it's worth: I have recurring dreams (maybe nightmares?) that I am trying to get my second PhD in EE. In the dream, what the motivation for obtaining the second PhD is itself unclear. I am revisiting campus, but my colleagues think it is a sign failure (in the dream). And I am always grateful when I wake up from that dream.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: In my field (economics), there are many co-authored papers. People are even writing some chapters of their PhD thesis with other colleagues.
I know that single-authored papers are more appreciated when you are a Ph.D. student and when you are in the job market.
Until now, I always prefered writing my papers alone. This is not because I did not want to interact with people but I did not really want to be dependant on other people during my Ph.D. (I know that some projects take so much time to be accomplished since everybody has its own research agenda.)
I wonder if writing papers (or chapters of a Ph.D. thesis) always alone is a bad sign on a CV? What are the advantages and disadvantages?<issue_comment>username_1: The advantage of writing with someone else, someone more experienced in particular, is that you may end up publishing quicker since you're not doing all of the work. It can also allow you to write papers that you may not be able to write on your own assuming the co-author(s) bring(s) something to the table that you can't offer. For graduate students, it is a good idea to write their first paper with someone more seasoned so that they also get advice on the logistics of publishing a paper (how to pick the right venue, how to write the cover letter when you submit, how to respond to reviewers - some of these an advisor can help with regardless of co-authorship, but a co-author will be more invested). In some fields, it may be frowned upon that you have no co-authored papers as it may signal a bad relationship with an advisor or that you are generally hard to work with. This part is completely field-dependent. The downside of having too many co-authored papers is that people may wonder whether you can work independently.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I actually do my papers alone. I do them because I have a problem working with others. I don't want them to be upset with me due to my work, so that's why I do it alone.
Part of the reason is so that I don't depend much on people and can develop the skills needed through struggling through it. I'm a bit stressed thinking I opted to do my papers alone, but hopefully, this decision will help me out in the long run.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I would judge it career-wise as a bigger advantage only if you apply for jobs in industry or permanent positions in academia and your publications are in renowned journals with a tough review. Otherwise it rather points to the inability/abhorrence to work in teams and comply with division of labour, which is of course becoming more and more pronounced the more high-tech industry and science evolves towards higher complexity.
So it can prove that you are someone who can plan, conduct and report/sell new interesting research, that you can solve problems totally alone, this is something seldom even among PhD graduates who mostly have their professor/advisor or collaborators as co-author. But if you have only one sole author paper every 3-5 years and not much more I think you would look rather lazy.
Concerning an academic career it's crucial to publish after your PhD without your advisor and also have important first-author publications. If there are several recurring co-authors, but you are often the first, it also highlights your excellence and that someone is not publishing within a citation cartel.
So the context and timeline within you have sole or first author papers is much more important than sole/co-authors from my point of view. If a field is very broad and deep sole author papers could also suggest then that you have an over average broad and deep knowledge in comparison to many specialists.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Many types of research simply cannot be done by a single person. Likewise, there are career advantages to being perceived as one who collaborates effectively. Let's set that aside, however, and just consider the sort of projects that might be done either alone or by a team.
My experience has been that writing papers alone is great when you want to focus down on some particular technical point that you kind of understand already and have all the tools in hand to develop and refine. I put one out along those lines on average about once every year or so. Such a paper can be a joy to work on for all the reasons you might guess, and there is never any question of relative contribution.
If you do only that, however, you will likely find yourself becoming intellectually isolated and unproductive. In science, as in every other endeavor, [Joy's Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy%27s_law_(management)) applies: *"no matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else."*
We humans think better when we work with good partners. Finding those good partners can be challenging, and most of us have lots of frustrating experiences while we figure out which collaborators are both sympatico and reliable. A good collaboration, however, will make you smarter, make your work better, and result in higher impact simply because you are bringing together more knowledge, more resources, more perspectives, and different strengths and weaknesses.
Finally, as you grow in your career, you will likely hit a point where you have more projects you want to pursue than time available for you to pursue them alone. Collaborators interested in helping you pursue those ideas thus become indispensable for their ability to increase the number of "getting things done" hours on your project---especially ones like students, postdocs, and staff who look to you for direction.
Bottom line: mix it up, weighting your single- vs. multi-author blend based on your personality and discipline, shifting to more multi-author papers as your career goes on.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I think this question poses the problem correctly as pros vs. cons. There is no "one size fits all" solution to this. I personally work mostly by myself, which is becoming rare these days, so I can write with some experience on this. I think most people are too biased towards group work.
Pros of writing papers alone:
* You can work on topics that you find interesting that others don't find interesting. There are essentially no people interested in some of the topics I'm interested in. I'm working on a research project right now and I honestly have only a vague idea who might make a good *reviewer*, much less a collaborator. I'd love to collaborate on that project but I don't think there's anyone interested.
* *Some* researchers will outright reduce the quality of your work. Collaborating with them is a bad idea. [I'm not the only one who thinks this](http://danluu.com/overwatch-gender/):
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> When I write a paper, I have to deal with co-authors who push for putting in false or misleading material that makes the paper look good and my ability to push back against this has been fairly limited. On my blog, I don't have to deal with that and I can write up results that are accurate (to the best of my ability) even if it makes the result look less interesting or less likely to win an award.
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* Papers with *many* authors can lack a unified vision due to "[design by committee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_by_committee)". Papers with one or two authors might typically be more focused and consistent.
* You're less likely to deal with unscrupulous people taking credit for your work.
Cons of writing papers alone:
* Many people *will* judge you for working alone. You don't have to look far to see this! Check out [username_3's answer to this very question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/154824/31143) which *speculates* that people who tend to work alone are antisocial (no evidence provided). I once received a referee report where the reviewer said that they were suspicious that the paper was written by a single author *as if single authorship alone was something to be suspicious about*. My guess was that they meant to imply that I'm not giving credit where it's due. But they never explicitly said that. In response I said that I am indeed the sole author and gave the contact information for my supervisor with a recommendation for the reviewer to ask the editor to verify. To my knowledge the reviewer never did. (I try to have a rather copious amount of acknowledgments now to help rebuff this perception.)
What depends on the situation or I don't think is true:
* [Others have pointed out that with more authors](https://mattsclancy.substack.com/p/are-ideas-getting-harder-to-find), you're more likely to be aware of more literature. That is true, all else equal. But I think a better strategy in most cases is to do in-depth literature surveys on your own. For me, it's quite rare to hear from someone else of a good paper in a subfield that I'm doing research in because I've done a quite in-depth literature survey. Most of the time, when people recommend papers to me, I've already heard of the paper. Of course, I can understand if the research is interdisciplinary and it's actually very difficult for any one person to know all relevant things. But if that criteria is not satisfied, consider simply doing better literature surveys rather than collaborating.
* [username_1 mentions that you might publish faster with co-authors because the work is divided up](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/110075/31143). That's not always true. In my experience the communication overhead and other bottlenecks often slow the process down more than if I worked alone. (You can make analogies with parallel programming.) I think we all have been waiting for someone to finish their part of a project where we could have done that part on our own. The more people involved in a project, the higher the probability of waiting. In the end, it depends strongly on the situation. Related: [Brooks's law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks%27s_law)
* [There is a negative correlation between the number of authors of a paper and a readability proxy](https://elifesciences.org/articles/27725). However, this effect seems to be caused by readability decreasing over time independent of the number of authors.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/05/21
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<issue_start>username_0: I finished this year with a cumulative GPA of 2.498 (pretty low, not gonna lie). The main concern that I have is that when rounding to 2 digits, it will be pushed to a 2.5, and I'm worried that in interviews when I say that I have a 2.5, and if the interviewer checks my transcript, he/she may think that I am bumping up to meet requirements, even through it's very close to the line.
I am already aware of past questions regarding gpa rounding, but those seem to deal with round from 2 digits to 1 digit, which doesn't fit my situtation. Am I wrong in thinking I shouldn't do this? I don't want to want anyone to think down on me.<issue_comment>username_1: There's no way to know how someone will react to a given situation but I would suggest to at least have a reason if you are challenged.
For instance, it might be reasonable to supply the same number of digits that they are asking for. If they ask for a 2.5 minimum GPA, then you report a 2.5, if they ask for a 2.50 then report a 2.50, but if they ask for a 2.500 then report a 2.498. If there is no reference number then I would assume the precision is up to you and report a 2.5.
That being said, I doubt anyone would think anything unethical happened over a .002 rounding that follows all the normal rounding rules.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It's a fairly common practice to do the following:
Often, you can say X.Y GPA (in major).
This signals to the interviewer that you took your major seriously, and though you may not have pinged the electives, that's probably alright.
In engineering especially, this is very common, because you have to take a lot of cruft that may not be relevant.
For me, I did not do well in my undergrad in the forced electives, nor did I do well in chemistry, but I'm not a chemical engineer, so I could and have argued that wasn't all that important.
In graduate school though, this is less common, especially because they will show you the door if you drop below a B+ average or so.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: You probably want to read about [significant figures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Significant_figures). The premise of significant figures is that only so many additional digits mean anything. Depending on how many digits others want to see your GPA at, yes it is ethical to round a 2.498 to a 2.5. It's well known that GPA isn't a precise predictor of any kind of future achievement, otherwise your interviewer might simply be taking the person with the highest GPA and not so much as interview.
Mentioning two digits of your GPA (2.5) is probably enough information for your interviewer. If they ask, your interviewer would probably be thinking much more about the first digits than about whether you are bumping up your GPA to meet some sort of line.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: I doubt an employer would perceive you rounding to 2.5 as unethical. However, you need to be aware of how they are using that information.
If you are interviewing for some government or academic appointment, 2.49999 is not "at least 2.5" and could disqualify you from a bureaucratic technical standpoint.
If that's the case, you could end up getting fired. This would be considered misrepresenting yourself and fraudulent.
My best advice is just don't volunteer your GPA. Unless there's some requirement, don't put it on your resume. If asked verbally, say "about 2.5". If filling out some form, put down the *exact* answer.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: Personally, I would report it as 2.49 for the very reason you allude to here - rounding it up may give the impression that you're exaggerating your accomplishments. Many interviewers would prob think it's OK, but I'd err on the side of caution. Let them say "oh, well that's 2.5 to me" rather than you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: Baloney.
2.498 rounds up to 2.5 (2 figures) or 2.50 (3 figures because 2.498 rounds to 2.50 even if you are simply rounding up the 9). Anyone who focuses solely on that to determine your future is not worth working for.
If this is the cutoff to get into a selective program, without a really strong achievement test score (GRE, MCAT, etc) and/or a load of other really positive things (or later in life, experience and a proven track record), 2.5 is too low & don't focus on that. You can always go to a community college and take other courses or retake courses to boost the GPA, if necessary.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: If you're worried about it, then report the full 4 digits. The most ethical thing to do is always the thing that leaves you certain you have not lied or misrepresented the truth. If *you* are worried about it, then you should report 2.498 because your conscience is telling you it's the most honest thing to do. Don't do something that makes you question whether you're being honest or not. Instead, flee as far from dishonesty as you can.
There is some chance that your interviewer cares, and there is some chance that they do not. There is also some chance that they might respect you more for being straightforward that you are just barely below the threshold, even though it could potentially cost you the position. Regardless of their reaction, your conscience and peace of mind are more valuable than getting a particular position.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: I feel like any person who graduated the 3rd grade understands the concept of rounding, thus rounding up to 2.5 is fine. I can only imagine folks who even care would be those in a science or math field where numerical precision is necessary. In that case its more about the culture of the company than the validity of your GPA. Of course, my school automatically rounded to the nearest decimal and that's what went out in my transcripts.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: If you don't want anyone to think down on you, then don't fudge. When writing, just mention 2.498. When talking, you can mention about 2.5, or even say 2.498. (People will recognize just how close that was.)
Is this your final year at the educational institution? If not, your GPA is certainly expected to change.
If so, congratulations on graduating. Can you still bump up that GPA? If you live nearby, maybe a night course. Even if you need to move away, is there an online course? Even if it is "Basic Mathematics: Addition". Yeah, rather cheesy. However, it then means that you'll actually be fully compliant, instead of "almost compliant so let's just pretend like I hit that mark that, technically, I actually missed by a slight amount". Just simplifying things may be worthwhile.
Then again, it might not be worth it. A lot of places look more closely at, just simply, "did this person get the degree?" In such cases, GPA might not be looked at, at all. As mentioned elsewhere, you might decide to just not even both mentioning it.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_10: 2.5 is 2.498. Don't floor it down and neglect your effort.
Though, in all honesty, I'd avoid bringing up the GPA at all, if you can. It doesn't really correlate to your workplace success, short of becoming a graduate student.
If you need a 3.0 as a cutoff for certain jobs (e.g. government positions), I'd recommend padding by getting a second degree in something easy. Alternatively, you could just work for a years, and it shouldn't matter with a decent work history - you earned your diploma.
Upvotes: 1
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