date
stringlengths 10
10
| nb_tokens
int64 60
629k
| text_size
int64 234
1.02M
| content
stringlengths 234
1.02M
|
|---|---|---|---|
2018/08/16
| 2,296
| 9,867
|
<issue_start>username_0: (Sorry for the long question in advance! If it's too long, you could skip the first two paragraphs.)
I'm currently enrolled in a PhD program in a relatively prestigious school, which is very well-known in my field and in the specific area I'm interested in. Despite the department being a very good match for my interest, for some very personal reasons, I really need to move to a different place. (I assure you that my reasons are absolutely convincing, but unfortunately are too personal and complicated to explain it here, so I'd appreciate it if you could suggest answers to the question I'm asking and not discuss whether I should change my mind about leaving my current program).
Before I explain where in the application I could get into trouble, I need to say, that I can't explain my reasons for leaving my current university to my professors. Although the reasons are not at all about the department (I'm actually pretty happy with the program itself), and are only related to the location, since understanding them requires some background on what my reasons are about and some familiarity with me at a personal level, I have very little hope that they could actually sound convincing to my professors. They're the sort of reasons that I could explain to a friend and I'm quite sure they'd find them absolutely convincing (as those I explained to did), but I can't explain it to a colleague or a professor unless I establish some level of friendship with them beforehand. So, I prefer to reserve that option as the last option.
Although I'm trying to go and continue/do my PhD somewhere else as soon as possible, I'd want to do that next year if my applications weren't successful this year (especially because next year I'll have more publications, could possibly get a little closer to my advisor here so I could get their help and explain my reasons to them, and will have a higher chance in general). That's why I don't want to jeopardize my current position at all, because I might end up staying here one year longer. I'd appreciate any suggestions to solve the problems explained below.
I would consider my problem to have two main parts:
**Part 1:**
Since I'm going to apply for PhD positions, mostly in Europe, but possibly a few in the US, I need to contact potential advisors (in most of the programs I'm considering, the department-level admission is almost just a formality and any PhD student has to be accepted by the advisor first). I'm afraid that the prospective advisor might know a professor from my department (especially because they work in the same field and my department is very well-known in the field), and they might contact that professor and ask about me, which could get me into trouble in my current program (possibly resulting in the school cancelling my scholarship). I do try to make sure that they haven't published a paper together recently, but sometimes it's hard to figure out for sure if they're collaborating on a project at the moment or not, or if they're going to meet at a conference soon.
**Part 2:**
It could be difficult to justify why I want to leave this department given my interests. The department is a great match for my interest and I'm assuming that whoever reads my statement letter is not going to ask "why won't you complete your Ph.D. with prof. X or prof. Y at your own department then?!". Any suggestions on how to minimize the amount of annoying personal explanations, while trying to explain why I want to go somewhere else?
I'd greatly appreciate any solutions you'd suggest. Also, do you think these stuff are actually something to be worried about or am I just overthinking it?!<issue_comment>username_1: I don’t have an answer to the first part, but the only possible answer to the second part is to say something along the lines of:
>
> Due to unreconcilable personal issues, I’m unable to complete my PhD at the University of Stack Exchange. I have the highest regard for the faculty there and Professor Advisor was an excellent supervisor, but I could not continue to pursue my studies there. These issues would not interfere with my ability to pursue a PhD at the University of Overflow.
>
>
>
You shouldn’t lie and pretend there was some kind of problem with the university. I think that making it clear that you have no issue with the university and your professor is probably the best thing you can do to avoid accidentally starting any rumors or make it seem like you’re besmirching the old university. I think it’s important to simultaneously stress the the issues are personal and that they won’t follow you to your new location.
I do think that being forthright and honest, but vague, is your best approach. I would seriously recommend putting this in your statement of purpose as well. At the end of the day it’s never not going to occur to the people reading your application to ask, and you’re usually better off heading off and explaining obvious worries than letting them sit there in their mind.
I know someone who was sexually assaulted by a community member at his university and found himself in a similar position. This is along the lines of what he did.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: This advice will add, I hope to that of [username_1](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/115363/75368) here. However, you will have to evaluate its wisdom in light of what you know of your own personal situation.
I actually changed universities in the middle of studies, but for a different reason. Switching can, as you suggest, raise issues with the places to which you apply.
If your situation is intolerable, it is probably more important that you protect your overall reputation than specifically worry too much about the word getting out locally that you wish to leave.
In my case it was made possible by another professor in the school I was leaving (not my advisor), with whom I had a good academic relationship. He believed in me and my abilities and his recommendation made it possible when it might not have been otherwise.
So, if possible, find a person (or a few) at the current institution whose support you can depend on and who will be trusted in the profession to help you with letters, assuring the recipients that your move is necessary and appropriate. It may not even be necessary to reveal all to such a person (people), though they likely need to know that it is a personal need of great importance.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I was almost in a similar situation a few years ago. I will describe what happened to me and that may inspire you in some way.
I started my PhD several years ago at some European university and a year later my wife had a terrible car accident while pregnant. The emotions were tense and we were under a huge urge to change countries. You know, we needed to clear up horrible memories ... etc. Due to the accident, I lagged behind in my PhD programme and catching up was not easy. So, as you see these are very personal reasons that not everyone would understand.
At that time, my supervisor was a very big shot, well-known in the field, who at some time was the editor-in-chief of one of the top journals. So, you can imagine how hard it was to convince anyone else to accept me. In any case, I had a stellar profile as a PhD applicant and started contacting other universities in Europe. Never received back for obvious reasons. I went to conferences and met in person a couple of the professors I already contacted. The first question they asked: "but why do you want to leave Prof. X?" I explained my personal reasons very professionally and one of them actually was happy to accept me subject to funding confirmation that unfortunately didn't happen.
The lessons learned at this stage:
* People do understand personal reasons are a valid motive for drastic
change.
* Talking to people openly and professionally can help.
* Given the reputation of your supervisor/school, you may not have the chance to even make your reasons known to prospective supervisors (They ignore your emails and assume whatever).
At this point, another year of my PhD has passed, and was so helpless.. but at the same time, I realized that my current supervisor's name is a big hurdle, and being in Europe where everyone pretty much knows everyone in the field was not of really much help. So, I decided to move afar... very far away, and that is how I ended up in Australia.
I started applying to professors here, and after three attempts I was accepted in a good PhD programme with a generous scholarship and a nice supervisor.
Telling my previous supervisor about my departure was not the most pleasant thing I did in my life, but he was fine and understanding. And to be honest, I don't think he cared much about it. Now in your case, you're worried that if your supervisor knows about your plans, it might jeopardize your current scholarship. Of course, I don't know him/her, but any decent and reasonable professor in his/her position will come to you and discuss why, or on the other hand, just won't care. You are just a PhD student to him, and his career or life don't depend on you. Moreover, I'm not aware of anywhere in the world where your intentions to leave a PhD program would result in cancelling your scholarship. Anyway, back to my story. When I told him by email about my resignation from the programme, he sent one of his seniors research fellow to talk to me, and when they realized I was determined to leave they accepted it and life went on. No hard feeling or anything. We even co-authored a paper together later.
I have just finished my PhD in Australia last year with a good standing and looking back, I couldn't be happier with my decision to leave.
PS: apologies if anything seems unclear. I wrote this while sick, lying in bed.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/16
| 1,598
| 6,619
|
<issue_start>username_0: My apologies if this is not the right place to be asking this question.
My pregnant wife is an osteopathic medical student in New Mexico, and she tells me that the school does not always give them a lunch break or bathroom breaks during the day. Today she tells me that they are expected to stay from 8 am to 5 pm without a proper lunch break, and that they are required to take bathroom breaks during lectures because they only get enough time to walk from one class to the next.
So my question is, does anyone know if this is legal? Should the students be allowed at least a proper bathroom break a few times in the day?
I know the academic environment is a little different from the workplace, and that medical school is extremely challenging, but this seems to violate a moral code. I have tried the typical google searches, but nothing of substance presents. Beyond that I don't know where to check without paying for a lawyer or directly asking the school, which could potentially damage her reputation.
If anyone is able to help me out, please provide a source that I can refer to as well (I know this is standard practice). Thank you!
**Edit:**
Thank you for the feedback. I forgot to mention that the school is private (but not religious), though next year students can start using federal loans. They haven't treated her any differently than other non-pregnant students from what she tells me, I suppose I mentioned her being pregnant to underline my concern with this problem though.
Really the concern comes down to how someone (or a group of people) can be expected to work/study for 8 hours or more without even 1 proper bathroom break or an opportunity to get a proper meal. They are allowed to snack in class and they have a coffee shop in the building that sells muffins and such, but again they have to use these facilities during lecture times and it's hardly a way to get something substantial.
I don't think this is the day to day routine, but it is still common enough that it concerns me. I have trouble understanding why someone would subject themselves to these conditions or worse for 7 years at least (including minimum residency time), but I do have great respect for the sacrifice and perseverance.<issue_comment>username_1: Students are not generally employees in the US so comparing the laws that govern a workplace (OSHA and labor laws) is not really relevant. That said, treating your students nicely, even if it is not legally required is still a good thing.
Scheduling students in back-to-back-to-back ... classes is stupid and serves no point but to abuse students. It is completely reasonable for a student to ask for accommodations to be made for bathroom and lunch breaks. Best is probably to email a few professors in advance and explain the situation that the schedule does not allow for any breaks. Then ask them if it would be least disruptive for you to arrive late, leave in the middle, or leave early. You may also want to follow up on if there are safety concerns regarding eating (or evening bringing) food into the classroom. Again, tell them you are going to eat, and want to do it in the least disruptive way possible.
If there is any resistance, then you escalate to the department chair, dean, etc. as needed.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Under Title IX, it's illegal for universities receiving federal funding to disadvantage students due to pregnancy. The Department of Education [specifically calls out](https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-know-rights-201306-title-ix.html) more frequent bathroom breaks as an adjustment that educators must provide to pregnant students.
>
> **your school MUST:**
>
>
> * Allow you to continue participating in classes and extracurricular activities even though you are pregnant. This means that you can still participate in advanced placement and honors classes, school clubs, sports, honor societies, student leadership opportunities, and other activities, like after-school programs operated at the school.
> * Allow you to choose whether you want to participate in special instructional programs or classes for pregnant students. You can participate if you want to, but your school cannot pressure you to do so. The alternative program must provide the same types of academic, extracurricular and enrichment opportunities as your school’s regular program.
> * Allow you to participate in classes and extracurricular activities even though you are pregnant and not require you to submit a doctor’s note unless your school requires a doctor’s note from all students who have a physical or emotional condition requiring treatment by a doctor. Your school also must not require a doctor’s note from you after you have been hospitalized for childbirth unless it requires a doctor’s note from all students who have been hospitalized for other conditions.
> * Provide you with reasonable adjustments, like a larger desk, elevator access, or allowing you to make frequent trips to the restroom, when necessary because of your pregnancy.
>
>
>
Your wife should first request more frequent breaks from her instructors. If this adjustment is not made, the Department of Education gives this list of steps to follow:
>
> **Helpful Tips for Pregnant and Parenting Students:**
>
>
> * Ask your school for help—meet with your school’s Title IX Coordinator or counselor regarding what your school can do to support you in continuing your education.
> * Keep notes about your pregnancy-related absences, any instances of harassment and your interactions with school officials about your pregnancy, and immediately report problems to your school’s Title IX Coordinator, counselor, or other staff.
> * If you feel your school is discriminating against you because you are pregnant or parenting you may file a complaint:
>
>
> + Using your school’s internal Title IX grievance procedures.
> + With the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), even if you have not filed a complaint with your school. If you file with OCR, make sure you do so within 180 days of when the discrimination took place.
> + In court, even if you have not filed a complaint with your school or with OCR.
> * Contact OCR if you have any questions. We are here to help make sure all students, including pregnant and parenting students, have equal educational opportunities!
>
>
>
<NAME> suggested that she ought to escalate within the departmental (eg, officials within the medical school) before escalating the Title IX coordinator.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]
|
2018/08/16
| 1,000
| 4,395
|
<issue_start>username_0: My understanding is that editing a special issue helps encouraging research in a particular area, and gives the special issue editor a higher reputation in the field.
But what makes this better than organizing a workshop in a conference, for example? is it just more reputable (i.e. similar to how reviewing for journals is more prestigious than reviewing for conferences)?
Are there any other benefits aside from that?
P.S. I come from a computer science background<issue_comment>username_1: It is promotional evidence of the kind senior leadership required for a distinguished professorship. Depending on your department standards (which are hopefully public), you may need both workshop organization and editorship to demonstrate senior leadership in your field.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It is a very good way of gaining practical experience with editing a journal and how the peer-review process ought to work. If you had only previously been an author, it is a very informative exercise. It is a lot of work to do properly. Understanding the peer review process and what editors do ought to help you to write better papers, which will in turn advance your career. It is an intrinsically useful activity (at least the first time), not all benefits are direct and immediate. Gaining skills is likely to be a good way of progressing your career.
Also a lot in academia relies on this sort of service on a quid-pro-quo basis. If we want to publish papers, somebody needs to review them and act as editor. So if you are looking for career progression, this is the sort of work you will be expected to take on as a consequence of your more senior position.
ETA: @AndreasBlass makes an excellent point (+1) in the comments. I would strongly advise against editing special issues for disreputable journals. This is essentially exploiting the quid-pro-quo service of academics for commercial gain. I have a paper with the word "cancer" in the title, but this is not my area of expertise. Nevertheless, I get endless requests of this sort from disreputable journals. The very fact they are asking *me* is evidence that they have no interest in quality control on the papers they publish - if the did they would have looked at my Google scholar profile (for instance) to find out whether I actually did work on the medical side of cancer. Wait until you get invited by someone you know or who you trust.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: A good special issue will provide a snapshot of the current state-of-the-art on a given topic. As such, the editor gains:
* An opportunity to influence how people think about the topic (by defining the scope of the special issue, and by soliciting contributions that align with the editor's goals; perhaps also by the opportunity to write an editorial/introduction to the issue).
* Exposure. The special issue gives the editor a reason to interact and engage with anyone they consider interesting/important.
* A long-lived association of the editor's name with the topic: people will continue to read (papers from) the special issue for years, whereas a workshop/conference is forgotten as soon as it ends.
* CV points - as covered in other answers.
Interestingly, some of these benefits are probably lessened now that journals are largely read online only. When special issues existed as printed books, interested researchers would get hold of a copy and at least skim-read most of the papers, and it would probably be given to new PhD students looking to get up-to-speed on the field. Nowadays it's just more pdfs on the journal website, and most readers probably won't even notice that a particular paper came from a special issue.
Finally, as noted by @AndreasBlass, none of these benefits are worth anything if the special issue is not in a well-regarded venue.
**Edited to add:** Many of the `classic' special issues I can think of exist in a wider context: often they arise out of a meeting or workshop. Usually the editors of the special issue also had a substantial role in organising this meeting, and the editorial task was probably a modest addition to their workload that ensured the highlights of the meeting were preserved for posterity. This is a rather different circumstance from the spammy 'We invite you to propose a special issue' emails we all get every day.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
|
2018/08/16
| 5,837
| 23,748
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm currently working as a Senior Engineer (Mechanical) for a large company. However, I am increasingly finding the work to be dull and lacking in challenge. I don't think I can bear to spend the next 20-30 years like this - I feel that I am not making use of my true abilities and I yearn to be doing something more novel and breaking new ground.
I live in the US (Boston area) and I have been looking around at what other opportunities are available; however, it seems that many of the more interesting-looking positions (which are more research-based) require a PhD. I majored in fluid dynamics and have some experience in CFD, so I am looking at positions that lean towards that area.
So, I am considering whether I should do a PhD, which seems to be a logical choice if I want to be doing more intellectually-challenging work. However, right now I am earning a good salary; I have a big mortgage to pay and a 3 year old kid to support. Doing a PhD seems like it would be a very difficult path to take, from a financial standpoint: not only would I have to give up my healthy salary, but I would also most likely have to pay a lot in tuition fees, in which case I would go from earning ++$ to -$, which would be very difficult to manage.
So, my question is: is it possible to do a PhD at my stage in life, whilst also paying the mortgage and supporting my family? What is the best way to balance this?
I should probably also mention that I have a Masters Degree in Aerospace Engineering from a top UK university (I moved to the US from the UK a few years ago).<issue_comment>username_1: How simply can you live for a few years? Doctoral students normally live a very simple life outside of their academic work. You know what your mortgage is, of course, and it could be a burden. You may also be facing school fees for your child pretty soon if not now. Can you make your car last for a few more years? Can you give up entertainment, hobbies, etc?
As the comments indicate in many fields the institution will grant you your tuition fees and probably pay you a small salary, not much above a poverty wage if that. It would be a small fraction of what you currently earn.
Have you got retirement savings? Are you willing to spend them now and maybe not make them up later?
People do this, of course. But you have to be very sure that your life goals require it. The academic life has many advantages, but money is seldom one of them. But "challenge" is one of the big positives.
But the short answer to the question is, no, it likely can't be done without a big financial hit.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I did my PhD in computer science in the Boston area. Through an RA and a bit of TA, I had my tuition, health insurance, and conference travel expenses covered, plus a stipend which has since risen to $36,800 before tax per year. (With a bit of googling you can look up what financial support various PhD programs offer, as well as health insurance costs for dependents -- for a large family, this might be $10,000.) That was enough for a modest but comfortable single person's lifestyle in expensive Boston, but I would struggle to support a child or mortgage with that. PhD stipends will vary by field (i.e., how much funding professors have) and by university (i.e., local cost of living).
You will know your financial situation and it's up to you to judge whether you can cut your expenses and/or dip into your savings to make that work. PhDs are getting longer, so keep in mind that you probably need to do this for about six years.
There are a few other options to make it better financially:
Ideally you can work something out with an employer where they will pay you while you do your PhD, probably in exchange for some part time work or a promise that you will continue working for them afterwards. Such an arrangement is more common for shorter programs like an MBA.
It's also possible to spend some time during the PhD working in a company that is somehow related to your studies. For example, a lot of computer science PhD students will do internships at companies like Google or Microsoft. A 10-week summer internship could give your annual income a >$10k boost.
If it all gets too much financially, you can take a year or two off your PhD to work and then come back to finish. That's not ideal, because it interrupts your work. However, it's better than needing to drop out entirely.
Overall, however, I think it's unavoidable that a PhD will entail a financial hit. A PhD is almost never a good financial decision, but if you are passionate about research it's definitely worth it.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: Here a few options you and/or your family could consider:
* A **research collaboration at your workplace**: If you could marry what your workplace does with academically-interesting research (interesting to some university professor, to be more concrete) - you might be able to engage in such research on company time. This may or may not be within the purview of a PhD program, but it would meet your underlying goal.
* A **part-time/extenal Ph.D. program**: If your workplace is willing to let you take down your salary somewhat, but all go down to part-time employment (whether it be 50%, 60% or 80%), and your industrial experience is interesting to a potential advisor, you could work on a PhD at a slower pace, and partially in your spare time (assuming you have any, with small child and probably a spouse). Of course, this would likely take quite a good number of years.
* **Relying on your spouse**: Your spouse may be willing (and able) to find more gainful employment, with yourself and perhaps other family helping with child care, while your salary drops significantly as a Ph.D. candidate. Of course - if you're not an employed/funded Ph.D. candidate, it's quite unlikely your spouse could increase her salary by that much.
You can potentially improve this option with some **real-estate-dorm switcheroo**: Assuming you get a funded Ph.D. position and couples/family dorm privileges, you could move there with your family - again, if your spouse is willing to put up with that - and rent out your existing apartment.
All this goes to show why it's important for junior researcher unions to thrive and struggle to bring the wages up, enough to make it a viable option for adults with families to be able to support their families and shoulder their expenses as Ph.D. candidates. Typical salaries must at least treble, if not quadruple, for the that to be the case. If you do end up as a Ph.D. full-timer, do invest some time in union organizing.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: **No.** You will take a financial hit. That's the short answer.
It is a good practice though to find out how big of a hit you would take. With such a life-changing decisions you ought to put some work into analysis first. You need to estimate your opportunity cost of doing a PhD. Essentially that will be a measure of your financial hit. How much money you will lose compared to not doing a PhD.
>
> ...right now I am earning a good salary; I have a big mortgage to pay
> and a 3 year old kid to support.
>
>
>
Just from this sentence I can guess that your opportunity costs will be high. Here are some things to take into account:
*Possible negatives:*
* reduction or loss of salary
* tuition costs
* time you will have to spend studying
* possibly longer commute
* resuming a career at the age of 40 possibly starting at a lower salary, despite having a PhD
* risk of failure at PhD program
* risk you will not enjoy a PhD as much as you expect to
* the last but definitely NOT least is graduating from PhD into an economic recession possibly making you unemployed for years into your 40s
*Possible positives:*
* More interesting work opportunities upon graduation
* Higher pay if you successfully resume your career with PhD
* Higher chance to remain employed doing the job you love into retirement age (a very good thing once you get older)
* Learn to understand the world better, makes you happier
A very important step before you sum it up is to discount all your future gains and losses and compare their [present value](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Present_value). For example, getting a better job in 4 years is less certain so it has less present value, maybe 60% compared to if you got this job today. Losing your job now to start a PhD, if certain, is valued as a loss of 100% of salary. Basically things that may or may not happen in the future are less important than the ones that are guaranteed to happen now. 10% discount rate per year is a good rate, but make it [compounded](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_interest).
Also account for [compound interest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_interest) that would accumulate on your immediate gains/losses. For example, the salary you receive now is way more valuable than the salary you will receive 10 years from now because you can immediately invest it, and not just in stocks or your retirement, but to pay off the mortgage sooner, to get quality early education for your kid, etc.
You don't have to be precise with any of this. Just doing a sketch and reading up on those financial concepts will make the picture much clearer.
Finally, if you decide it is not worth it, there are other options. You can start reading up on research topics that are interesting to you, see if any of that research can help your current employer save/make some money. If yes, perhaps you could even get your company to allocate some R&D budget for a small corporate lab. Perhaps even team up with some academic institution for a join applied science project with corporate funding. It will take you years of reading and studying, but so will a PhD program.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: I can barely believe I'm suggesting this, but....
Have you considered an online PhD? There are a variety of programs, some of which are affiliated with prestigious physical colleges (e.g., Columbia). These would work around your schedule, and wouldn't require you to quit your job. I'm not sure how much work this would entail...I would imagine significantly less than a 'real' grad school (i.e., not full time), though more than enough to keep you busy.
If the goal is to get a (legitimate) piece of paper to 'check the box' and allow your employer to promote you, this seems like a good option. If the goal is actually to learn how to do research, then I would of course suggest going to the best possible grad school and getting the best possible education...but in that case, as others have said, no real way to do so without uprooting your whole life.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Funny enough I'm opposite of you: got my PhD, did some teaching and now in industry. Ahh the irony! I'm going to be as honest as possible here, I don't think you should start a PhD; here are my reasons:
**Engineering is not research**: I'm in computing, to this day, I'm impressed by engineers everyday. However here is the truth: doesn't matter how efficient you might be in the engineering department, research has its own struggles. For example, if I create a programming language, it is not research on its own, but if I come up with a theory on a type system of a language that might be a research and publishable. To an engineering mind, it might be a battle, that overtime might force you to say: ahh I don't need this in my life I'm going to leave research.
**Loads of reading**: you will be reading 80% of time, other people's work to get an idea, where your contribution maybe; but there is no guarantee. For example, in my case, due to lack of good supervision, I was not certain what will be my contribution after a year of reading other people's work. However, and engineer might say: well, I'm calculating my input to this work, and this should be my output; but this is not true in research. You will be wondering "where the idea comes from"; and let me tell you it is a rabbit hole; you might get lucky and get an idea but reading a journal, or you might go through the last 20 years research and journals and get nothing.
**Finance and Research** You might say, well, I'm senior in my job and I'm bored. I want to do something different, but without getting hit financially. Doesn't matter how you cut it, you will get hit financially: you are changing the trajectory of your career; what do you expect.
**What is the end game here?**: Imagine this: hello sir, here is your PhD diploma; what will you be doing sir?. You might publish several papers during PhD, then what about after that? Becoming a lecturer? Let me tell you that is also very hard to get and they will pay you probably less than what you are making; research is not for financial gains and stability; you see what I'm trying to say here?
**When everything is boring**: I think you are bored because there are not so much diversity in your work place, and it is time to move on; but maybe because of family issues you can't. Have you considered outside work projects? Something that you need to push through? That might be the answer your problem.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: Where I am from, *"industrial" PhD students* are not unheard of. A private company (which you probably work for) pay part of your time for you to do a PhD on. For example 50% of your working time.
You may get less institutional duties like teaching MSc and undergraduates than ordinary PhD students paid by employment at university or stipend would.
I would guess you would make more money that way but have less "academic freedom" as your "boss" in this case will be the company paying for your degree.
---
I would think the chances to be allowed to do one of these increase the better network and the more of a name you have made for yourself being skilled at tackling technically difficult things at work (assuming you would do a PhD in some technical field).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: I started my PhD at Cornell when I was 39. I had a master in Coastal Engineering plus a BS in physics and the equivalent to a master in solid state electronics + computer Science (all from a public Spanish university). Before that, I was also developing CFD codes.
I got a scholarship so I didn't have to pay for tuition and got a small salary. I knew people in a similar situation that was able to support their families, but, as others have pointed out, you'll probably have to go back to a simpler, student's life.
As far as I know, tuition is rarely paid for PhD programs. People usually have some kind of scholarship.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I gave up a job as a senior engineer to start my PhD (at 30). I was very lucky in that (1) my wife at the time was well-paid (better than me in engineering), and (2) PhD stipends in the UK are quite decent -- it sounds like this may be a possibility for you Similarly to you my interesting job had become much less so as our customised systems became much more routine.
You'll have to budget carefully, but being based in Boston should give you a good chance of finding a PhD position without having to move or work away from home for long periods. It's not a purely financial decision by any means, or you probably wouldn't do it, but you need to be financially confident.
If you plan to continue in academia, TA work during your PhD is important experience, and can pay a reasonable hourly rate - but you don't want to do too much and risk your research. This depends heavily on country, institution, funding source etc. but should be taken into account.
Ultimately only you and your partner know how much you can trim from your current spending, and how that balances against what you want to do.
You don't sound like you're in a desperate situation, so you could try living a simpler lifestyle for a year or two, perhaps putting the savings against your mortgage to reduce costs when you do start, before looking in earnest for a suitable PhD. Do you expect childcare costs to go up or down? Here UK, pre-school is normally costly, while state primary schools are the norm, so childcare gets cheaper when they start school.
Finally an important non-financial point: only take up a PhD for a supervisor that values your industrial experience. You've got something uncommon to offer, and a good supervisor will understand that; they'll also respect your family life. A poor supervisor will expect you to remember an entire BSc and not to know anything else, while expecting you to work hours to suit them (e.g. expecting you to be available to meet up late in the day, when you're in by 0800 every day and have to pick your child up).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: Basics:
* You find your current position unchallenging
* You think R&D is where all the fortune and glory is and the path to R&D is a PhD, but...
* You don't think you want to take the financial hit because of payments
for a house you can't afford and having to support your child
To me, it sounds like you want someone else to handle all of your risk - you've even gone so far as to ask other people to do the thinking for you.
Try this: START YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
You've got untapped abilities? Prove it. That takes research. Think you've found an underserved market? Develop a solution for it, end-to-end.
You're going to take a financial hit either way. But, at least this way, your happiness is yours. Your mistakes are yours. If you find yourself bored, you won't have your employer to blame. You'll also relieve yourself of that terrible fat check you currently get. So, be an engineer: downsize, simplify *your life.*
If you fail, great! You've learned something: maybe you're not what you thought you were. And - added bonus - when you DO decide to go back to work for someone, you'll have a deeper appreciation of what it takes to get you that fat check you find so unattractive today.
If you succeed, you'll have accomplished more than most PhDs. Oh... and you won't have the PhD debt load, after. So, there's that.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_11: If you're going ahead into this venture with a view to *tick a box*, that's probably too thin a motivation and won't survive the test of both time and cost of opportunity. The latter will hit you hard when you find yourself stuck in a rut.
My advice to you, should you wish to embark on this risky journey, is to be absolutely clear about your goals and carefully ponder whether you want your thesis to be in engineering or in science. Fluid dynamics is broad spectrum with its ends reaching wide into both fields. I mention this because there's a chance you'd find yourself with the wrong audience if you came up with something absolutely brilliant from an engineering viewpoint but that would only carry marginal weight to more basic scientists. And vice-versa.
Of course I don't know you at all but the description of your current situation seems to suggest that you are currently in a comfortable albeit no longer challenging position. Perhaps this is actually an opportunity for you to flip this around and start exploring potential research projects while retaining your day job.
If the financials of it is your main concern, this may or may not be an option for you but consider doing a PhD in Switzerland or Norway. They have indecently competitive salaries and their research ecosystem is excellent plus you can easily get by speaking English alone. In Switzerland semester fees are so (ridiculously) low that student debts are virtually unheard of. I suspect the same can be said of Scandinavian countries.
Norway has many fluid-related research projects linked to their oil and gas platforms activities.
With respect to your seniority, the only flag I'd raise is not to underestimate finding yourself surrounded with younger fellows. If you've gotten accustomed (and perhaps rightly so) to certain life standards and have achieved the status and maturity levels that I suspect, do ask yourself if being back to school with ``kids'' is not going to take an unsuspected toll on your morale. That might sound arrogant and haughty but you'll know what I mean if you get there.
I think most views expressed here will be helpful. At the end of the day, everyone's different and a happy research experience rests on so many factors that no single opinion can possibly accurately summarize.
All the best, I wish you well.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_12: Others have mentioned a part-time PhD or ‘industrial’ PhD. A possible scenario there is:
* You identify a topic which is academically interesting *and* of at least some interest to your current employer (but which they're not doing because it's not vital to them, or too expensive, or ...)
* You drop to 50% at your current employer (and add a modest PhD stipend).
* You line up a supervisor at a local institute, who'll supervise the project.
Advantages to the supervisor/institution:
* You have a clear (ish) project and are starting with lots of professional background.
* You have experience of working independently (so you'll need less handholding).
* You have a commercial network and current commercial knowledge/nous, which the supervisor/institution may be interested in plugging in to (ie, an entirely selfish motivation).
Advantages to your current employer:
* They still have you around, possibly significantly more motivated.
* The research outcomes may be useful to them without them having to pay for it.
* They get to brag about their staff working intimately with Institution X, blah, blah.
* (Note: you're not asking your employer to significantly *fund* the PhD here – these are merely payoffs that might sweeten things for them).
Such arrangements are often seen as useful to the larger economy, so there may be support which either you or (more probably, I think) the prospective institution can apply for, to grease the wheels. If you said to a supervisor ‘you can apply for this money, and I can write the bid for you’, then you're talking their language.
In the UK, for example, a company can apply for a [CASE studentship](https://epsrc.ukri.org/skills/students/coll/icase/), in which the company defines a project jointly with an institution, and EPSRC provides support for the student, thus minimising the cost for the company and the institution. Now, these particular things are principally aimed at full-time recent graduates, you're interested in setting this up ‘backwards’, and of course that refers to the UK rather than the US; but this shows that such a setup does exist, and I'd be surprised if there wasn't something similar in the US (once you know to look for it), which might be bent to your specific case here.
There are a couple of circles to square there, but this might be a start.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_13: I am currently doing a masters in CS (not in US) currently at the age of 35 I started it and want to do a phd. I don't live in US but 5 years back I had applied in universities but I was rejected. Upto 2 years back I was rejected in admission process at many places I tried many other places for admissions in phd but some or the other thing did not worked.So I decided to first to a masters and then move to phd. I am lucky I don't have a family as you have. Financially I am hit in masters program itself. So if family liability are there on you money wise things won't be easy to manage but you may need to talk to your professor or guide or department people may help by involving you in some projects which can be paid projects. Though usually working in such projects side by side along with your degree is tough.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/16
| 1,013
| 4,076
|
<issue_start>username_0: *This is a follow-up to [this question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/115353/7734), which I ask due to debates arising in the comments. While I ask it in the first person to keep things simple, it is not based on a real experience of mine.*
One of the students in my course shares a last name with another person, I depend on (say a supervisor or teacher of my own courses). This name is not very common, so I suspect that they are related and I have a conflict of interest.
It is acceptable that I look up the student’s name on the Internet to find out whether they are actually related? I am not talking about an intensive search here, just what is publicly and directly available on social media and similar.
My current thought about this is:
* If I do not investigate or find out that they are related, [I would report a conflict of interest](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/115353/7734).
* If I find out that there is no connection, there is no conflict of interest and I save all the time of the above step.
* If I do nothing, I may be accused of knowing (or suspecting) the connection and having a conflict of interest afterwards. So this is not an option for me.
I am mainly interested in the ethics of the situation. Assume that there are no official rules covering the situation. Some commenters on the question linked above considered this stalking.<issue_comment>username_1: I'd report a conflict of interest based on my speculation about the unusual name, without doing any internet searching at all (which would be inconclusive, anyway). This avoids the risk of stalking, while accurately expressing (to your higher-up) your concern, and not leaving you vulnerable to later accusations of having acted on some conflict-of-interest motivation (since you reported your concern).
So, in brief, I'd think it is *unnecessary* to do any such internet search as you propose.
Given that lack of necessity, if one would nevertheless like to find out more about one's students, that *does* verge on stalking ... even though perhaps the object of one's interest never knows about it... and it could be argued that indulging in web searches regarding some of your students (how do you choose...?) prejudices your treatment of students.
So, best to not do it. Just report your concern, without snooping.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: First of all, let’s get something out of the way. You, and me, and everyone reading this, has on occasion googled the name of someone we know - a friend, colleague, student, professor or whatever - to see if we can find out more about them. Some of us do it more frequently than others, and some of us are fine doing it out of sheer curiosity while others feel a need to rationalize their behavior with arguments about trying to avoid conflicts of interest... but all of us do it. So, if it’s “stalking”, then everyone’s a stalker, and the word “stalking” ceases to have any meaning. Which would be a shame, since there are in fact genuine stalkers out there, and it’s sadly necessary to have a word to describe their behavior.
Now, getting to your specific question: you ask about ethics, but this simply isn’t an ethics issue. You can ethically google whomever you want whenever you want. It’s what you do with the information you obtain once you have it that may or may not be ethical. It may also be *inadvisable* to google your students, or generally to develop the habit of googling lots of people, for reasons unrelated to ethics. Personally I try to keep my people-googling to a minimum so that I don’t walk around feeling that I’m a nosy person who gets into other people’s business that doesn’t concern me. (I also worry that I might find something I would be better off not knowing, and then I’ll have to either pretend that I don’t know it, or admit to the person that I know it because I googled them - pretty awkward either way...). In any case, I don’t think it’s unethical, and if you feel like you have some good reason to do it, I think it’s perfectly fine.
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/08/16
| 1,100
| 4,836
|
<issue_start>username_0: An employer owes me wages and I have not been able to get them to comply without escalating matters. As a result, I have been preparing to take them to court, but I have an exam for my masters that I have not been able to focus on at all due to the substantial stress and uncertainty caused by dealing with this employer.
Does a UK university accept defering an exam due to legal matters as a vaild reason for deferrement especially when the missing payment comes at a time when it is really needed?<issue_comment>username_1: Your original title seemed to imply you are talking about an ordered court appearance, which could be scheduled in conflict with an exam, in which case you should reschedule one or the other. If the court would refuse to reschedule, you would have fairly good reason to request the exam be delayed (I cannot answer the legal question of whether a school would be required to do so for that reason).
However, the body of your question makes it clear that you are just stressed out over a long time period. People are stressed out about all sorts of things. Other people in your program may have sick children or other family members, may deal with chronic illness themselves, may have to balance an additional job with their schoolwork, may have relationship problems, etc. Sometimes these issues are disruptive enough that a school may agree to give some lenience, and in some cases of disability or illness they may be required to, but for the most part you are expected to simply deal with them as part of life.
I can't know your specific situation, but being owed wages does not sound like it rises to the level of interruption that would require deferring an exam. You could consider asking, but this would probably be a favor rather than something you have a right to, so ask carefully if you must.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Does a UK university accept defering an exam due to legal matters as a vaild reason for deferrement especially when the missing payment comes at a time when it is really needed?
>
>
>
**TL;DR:** You must read the policy of your university relevant to your case.
I can't speak for all UK universities, of course. However, in my current university (Russell Group member), you can't ask to defer an examination as these are set centrally by Registry. Rather, students who feel that they have a valid reason for missing a scheduled examination have to lodge a mitigating circumstance/s claim.
MitCerts fall into four categories, each with its own evidential requirements:
1. Illness
2. Bereavement
3. Serious illness affecting a close family member
4. Unforeseeable or unpreventable events.
If you were a student in our university, you would submit a MitCert citing unpreventable events. This type of MitCert is often required to be submitted *before* the examination. In addition, this type of MitCert is the broadest category and the evidential requirement is equally broad: "Independent documentary evidence must be provided." This means that you have to make the case for yourself that the hearing cannot be moved to a later date. This is because the policy states clearly that the following *will not* be regarded as mitigating circumstances: "...inadequate planning and time management, pressures from paid employment, any event that could reasonably have been expected or anticipated..."
I have represented my Department and Faculty on meetings of the Mitigating Circumstances Committee. In general, the Mitigating Circumstances Committee is biased for the student. The policy is clear: "The Mitigating Circumstances Committee... will always seek to act in the best interests of the student." We have considered applications citing attendance at hearings (as complainants, witnesses, or jury members) before and, while not common, are rather easy to decide because there is ample evidence from the court that the applicant's presence was required in some capacity or another.
In my university, the effect of a successful MitCert application depends on your student status, your year level, the credit weight of the examination, and the type of module (or subject) you are taking. In some cases, you will be allowed to take the resit examinations during the resit period as if the resit exam was your original attempt. In other cases, your marks will simply be carried forward. There are a few more consequences.
The effect of an *unsuccessful* MitCert application means that you will receive a zero mark for the examination with a special code indicating that you did not attend. Then, your final module mark will be calculated and the process proceeds as usual.
You must read the policy of your university. There is no substitute for this as policies and procedures differ from place to place.
Good luck.
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/08/16
| 1,146
| 4,973
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am curious why would some professor from another university come to my university (in Turkey) merely for my defense.
What benefit does this professor have in it?
Do universities pay professors for being an "external member" of any student's thesis defense?<issue_comment>username_1: Some external professors are in the same field and others are not. They serve different purposes. They might be paid a small stipend, but it is usually (as far as I know) just an honorarium. The receiving institution probably also pays for travel and lodging if the person is from away.
For the professor it is just a part of service to the profession. Their own institution may provide some recognition for it or not. Often annual evaluations are on research, teaching, and service.
However, the purpose of an in-field visitor is, at least partly, to give some external validation to the program that is visited. I've been asked if I think the entire program is up to the standards I would expect. This help prevent academic incest where a department only speaks among its own members and loses connection to the larger goals. "Would you give a doctorate to this candidate based on the thesis and overall program?" Here the visitor is from a different university for this to make sense. Sometimes from a different country.
The purpose of an external member of an examination committee, however, is quite different and may even come from the same university. In mathematics, the visitor might come from philosophy or a language department. They are normally not expected to read the dissertation and couldn't be expected to understand it. But they are expected to ask a question or two of the candidate and the quality of the answer can be heavily weighted in the evaluation of the student. Sometimes it is just a request to explain to the visitor some terminology used in the defense talk. A layperson's explanation is expected, and the candidate normally is expected to do a good job with the answer. Advanced students who can't intelligently discuss elementary things in their field are at a handicap. I've heard of situations in which the examination was failed for this reason alone.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In my department at least, external committee members are rarely there ***just*** for the defense. We usually take advantage of their presence to have them give a talk as a guest speaker. And as such, they're paid and given accommodations as guest speakers, even though their main purpose of travel would be to take part in the defense. In this sense, the professor gets the advantage of having been invited to speak at an external institution (great line on your CV) and potentially meet new and future colleagues in the field, and the institution gets the advantage of having this guest visit and disseminate their research. It's all a part of networking.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I don't know what the system is in Turkey, but I can comment on the system in the UK. Here the external examiner of a PhD thesis is the primary examiner (they ask the hardest questions, and it is their judgement that weighs most heavily in the evaluation of the work), and they are expected to be an expert in the field that is the subject of the thesis.
Why do they do this? As others have said, they might enjoy the visit to another university, or another country. They might like the opportunity to give a talk at another institution, although from what I've seen in the UK that only happens some of the time. Of course, they might just be interested in the research itself! Primarily, however, I think this is something that people do for two reasons (depending on how one looks at it, there might only be one reason, as they bleed into one another somewhat).
1. **Duty.** Being the external examiner for a PhD is like being a referee for a journal. It doesn't pay (or at least not well—they might just cover your costs), but it's an important part of maintaining academic standards in one's field.
2. **As part of a system of exchange.** If I were to act as an external examiner for a PhD thesis, then the supervisor of that student (or perhaps the internal examiner, or the department more broadly) owes me a favour, that I might call in at a later date by asking them to examine one of my students. Alternatively, I might do it in the expectation that *someone* (preferably someone who is both good and influential in the field) will act as the external examiner for one of my students in the future, or to "pay it forward" because someone has done it for me in the past. In other words: this is one of those duties for which one doesn't necessarily expect to be compensated immediately, or even by those who one is doing the favour for. Rather, it's one of the things that makes the academic world go round, just like refereeing papers, assessing grant applications, or writing tenure letters.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/17
| 1,097
| 3,959
|
<issue_start>username_0: Can someone finish a PhD, say, in 2 years in the USA or in 1.5 years in the UK?
Can someone take, say, 16 years in the USA or 12 years in the UK to finish a PhD?<issue_comment>username_1: There are no definitive rules. However, some general guidelines apply:
* Usually students must be in residence ("on campus") for at least one or two years.
* Students in the US must often complete coursework as part of the PhD that may require a year or more to finish.
* Some schools may have a time limit beyond which a student is no longer automatically considered "in good standing."
So it is unlikely to be at either of the extremes you mention, and particularly not on the short side.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: What limitations a given student will face presumably depends on the policy of the institution in question, and in some places possibly national regulation.
At US universities, the graduate program often has mandatory courses, making it hard to finish very fast unless some requirement are waived. On the other end of the spectrum, many institutions limit funding after a certain period to try to push stragglers over the line (of finishing or quitting...), or at least make the PhD candidate jump through some hoops (e.g. petitions). Certain institutions have a [limit on how long a student can be registered](https://gsas.columbia.edu/student-guide/policy-handbook/nine-year-policy-time-doctoral-degree), but it's not clear to me whether this would block someone from submitting a thesis after finishing it on their own.
However, let's try proof by example. Here are some very short PhD durations (I think it will be much harder to finish this quickly nowadays):
* [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Wolfram) of Mathematica fame earned his Ph.D. from Caltech in a year
* [<NAME>](https://mse.osu.edu/people/wagoner.2) got his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Ohio State University in 1974, 1975, and 1976, respectively.
I'm less willing to list regular people who took a long time getting their PhDs, but I personally know some in the 10+ years range. A couple of more extreme example are
* [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Streleski) who ended up murdering his advisor during his 19th year. I don't think he ever received a PhD, but he was still pursuing it at the time.
* [In<NAME>oport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingeborg_Rapoport) probably holds the record for the technically longest doctorate. She submitted her dissertation in 1938, but was stopped from defending it by the Nazi regime. Eventually, she was awarded her degree in *2015*.
Obviously most people aren't going to be like these examples, so let's turn to statistics. In the US, NSF publish reports on e.g. [time to degree of doctorate recipients](https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2018/nsf18304/report/what-influences-the-path-to-the-doctorate/time-to-degree.cfm). In education the *median is 11.7 years*. Presumably there will be some that took e.g. the 16 years you mention.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Speaking from experience at my UK university: there is no formal minimum time limit, but you would be very hard pressed to do the amount of work required for a thesis in 18 months.
In my university (and I believe the same is true in many others) you have to pass a review at the end of the first year, after which you are upgraded to full PhD candidate status. You can't sit this review any earlier than 1 year after starting, so this makes it basically impossible to finish in 1.5 years. Additionally, why rush? If you have funding for 3-4 years, you might as well use it.
As for an upper time limit, this is often determined by the funding. In my case, I am funded for 3.5 years with a possible 6 month extension, but additionally the University imposes a hard 4 year limit on PhD durations that you are not allowed to exceed.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/17
| 658
| 2,706
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am about to finish my first year of MS leading to Ph.D. Our team works on cable Robotics. At first, when I joined prof asked me to do a computer vision problem of tracking. I spent 5 months to do that job with my coursework as well, and then he asked me to do a human-robot interaction job. I did that as well within 2 months. I've written 2 conferences and 1 journal and about to start the 2nd journal. But my supervisor is not happy with me. He always complains to me about you are slow in learning and doing things. I've changed my major and working in a country where I have a language barrier as well. My prof is not helping me in my research work, he is working on a different field. I came here for the purpose of learning from the Prof. And he will assign me some material to learn as I've just an undergrad degree. What should I do? Should I ask him to split my degree into 2 parts, a Masters and a PhD? So that in a worst case scenario, I can leave with one degree.<issue_comment>username_1: Sometimes it's helpful to factorize this into two questions:
(1) Are you happy with the professor? You say he "is not helping" you in your research; yet, it sounds like you've made considerable progress in a short time. Assuming he never changes his ways, do you still want to work with him?
(2) Is your professor happy with you? You have said that he is critical of your slowness, but it's not clear [to me] whether he is definitely unhappy, or if maybe he is just awkward, or maybe there is some cultural/linguistic misunderstanding.
In either case, I think you should schedule a meeting with him -- actually send an e-mail and ask him to set aside 15-30 minutes to discuss your performance in the lab. Then you can ask him directly about his comments and ask whether he is still interested in having you do your PhD with him. You can also address your concerns about him (e.g., "I was hoping you'd be able to advise me more about X; do you think we'll be able to do that in the next few months?").
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Find out your University's policies and procedures for post-grad students complaints/ problems with Advisors. Now.
I am at the other end of a PhD with a very troublesome advisor who was always changing my projects partway through and always telling me how bad I was, how I didn't understand....and who even advised me wrongly in a few areas..... and under my Uni procedures I cannot now proceed with an appeal based on poor Advisory practice because I did not raise an early complaint at the local level at the earliest opportunity.
So check your University 's stipulated way of dealing with these problems and follow it!
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/17
| 1,199
| 5,393
|
<issue_start>username_0: Do professors truly get to work on whatever they want, in research?
I just read a job description for a post-doc position; the job sounds extremely specialized, with no room to do anything else outside of that job requirement.
And generally professors are funded by external agencies to do pretty specific research.
Is there really academic freedom for professors in the United States?<issue_comment>username_1: Typically, the prof wrote the project for which (s)he received the funding. This is how (s)he determines what to do research on. When a postdoc does not write her/his own funding proposal, then her/his freedom is severely limited.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I think one standard use of the phrase "academic freedom" is to mean that the administration of the institution is not telling its academic employees what to research. At teaching-oriented schools, I think academic freedom often refers to not having your teaching methods and techniques dictated to you by the administration.
In my experience, this kind of academic freedom certainly exists and is very common (the default) in U.S. institutions.
There are natural checks in academically free environments. If you need research funding, you have to convince a funding source that your work is important. If your teaching is not good or you don't conduct yourself appropriately in the classroom, the institution will here about it (through student cimplaints or evaluations probably). One could certainly discuss whether having to obtain funding reduces academic freedom, but this is not the venue for that.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: While it is certainly true that the bulk of university research depends on external funding, and thus requires approval of the external funder, there are a number of ways in which a professor in the United States (and many other nations) can pursue research with almost complete freedom:
* Most professors own salaries are supported (at least at a "9 month" level) on the basis of teaching, not from research grants. A research position, however, often teaches only 1-2 classes per semester, however, leaving significant time for the professor to spend on research, whether or not that research also has external support.
* Some undergraduates are willing and able to work on research for course credit or even on a volunteer basis.
* Graduate students and postdocs are sometimes supported on fellowships that put no constraint on the subject of their research.
* Some institutions also allow professors to "bank" a portion of the research funds that they bring in, which may then be used later as unrestricted funds.
* Early career professors often have startup funds and later career professors often have endowed chairs, both of which typically have no constraints on the research they can be used to conduct.
* In extremely rare cases, a professor may get a "genius grant" or similar sort of external award that is a significant amount of unrestricted money.
The amount of resources available through such unrestricted routes is typically much smaller than if one can convince an external funder that one's work is worthy, but one can get quite a long way on preliminary work, proofs of concept, and small-scale experiments with rather small amounts of resources.
Combine this with the fact that there is a wide diversity of funders out there with different agendas and preferences, and one can see that academic freedom in research is very real indeed.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Academic freedom isn't just about choosing what you work on (which was covered by the other answers). It also means that a researcher doesn't face consequences for what they research or for their conclusions, and the same for professors and what they teach (within the limits imposed by professional ethics, of course). In theory at least, if the conclusions of a study do not please whatever politician is effectively in charge (the minister for higher education or equivalent, or even above) or whatever private overseer, then the researcher/professor should not face consequences for this.
Think about for example an economics professor researching and teaching ideas that are not part of the orthodoxy, or an environmental scientist that reaches some conclusions regarding climate change that may displease an unfortunate fringe of politicians, or the same environmental scientist who finds that the actions of a powerful oil company (with friends in the government) are harmful, or a medical researcher who finds that some drug is inefficient / harmful, etc.
If lobbies had the power to influence politicians/private overseers who could fire professors and researchers at will, do you think there would be many studies who find that criticize the products/actions of big private companies? Of course, as you have noticed, funding for such research can be cut, which is a problem in itself.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: One additional thought: The funding agencies are usually consulting experts before they are setting up dedicated programms. Yes, you must be quite influential if you are asked about your opinion on futur research programms, but this adds additional freedom to the process (not for all, of course).
In th EU, there is even a process for how to define future research topics.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/17
| 693
| 2,979
|
<issue_start>username_0: I received a lot of help from an active Stack Overflow user in my undergrad summer research project, which was based on statistical physics. Now, I'm writing a paper on it under my professor's supervision. The professor knows about the help I received and asked me to mention it in the "acknowledgements" section (and the Stack Overflow user is OK with me mentioning them in the acknowledgements). But, I feel that the amount of programming help I received from the user deserves a little more gratitude from my side, and if possible I'd like to add the user as a co-author of the paper (obviously, after asking for consent). But, given this is my first research paper, I'm not sure what the process would entail.
Would I face any ethical problems in case I send the paper for publication (since the SO user was obviously not "physically" present with us while I was working on the paper)?
Also, do most journals ask for "email consent" from each and every co-author, before publication?<issue_comment>username_1: Physical presence is irrelevant. I'm a co-author of a four-author paper which [came out of a Stack Exchange Q/A thread](https://math.meta.stackexchange.com/a/8589/5676), none of whom have met in person.
What matters is intellectual contribution, and the question of whether contributing to code counts as sufficient intellectual contribution depends both on the specifics of the contribution and the field of research. I'm also a co-author of two or three psychology papers on the basis of having provided programming services, even though I would have expected an acknowledgement at most, because the culture of the lab (and probably the field more widely) where the lead author did her PhD was very generous with authorship.
The person best qualified to judge the contribution made by this SO user is you, followed by your professor. Your professor will also know the culture of your field. And if, as I presume, the professor is going to be a co-author, you would need them to agree to add another co-author. If you feel strongly about this, you should talk to your professor before you talk to the SO user about "upgrading" them. But since your professor has already given you guidance, and the third party is happy with that proposal, I suggest that you drop the issue unless you feel strongly about it.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Physical presence is not the important factor. If he's sitting at another university and you're collaborating (without Stack Overflow), you can publish together without him being present when you submit the paper.
The same is true, when you collaborated via Stack Overflow in a substantial amount which justifies coauthorship.
But beware of pseudonyms. Even some "real name" here could be a pseudonym and this may be unprofessional when publishing.
On the other hand, [On a paper, nobody knows you're a cat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._D._C._Willard).
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/08/17
| 1,194
| 4,533
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am now developing a database having information about universities. The database has a feature to prevent a duplicate name for the university title. I actually wonder of whether it is possible for 2 universities/colleges to have the same name in one country or different countries.
**EDIT:**
I am actually not asking to make this database field the unique identifier for my university entries, but rather for preventing potential duplicate of a university when the the data entry guys use the system. I know I can do a quick check on duplicates but I thought to use this Unique attribute if universities have unique names worldwide.<issue_comment>username_1: There are a number of Belgian universities which were one institution formerly, but have been split in two independent institutions during the language conflicts between the French and Dutch speaking citizens in the 1960ies. At the moment they in principle still carry the same name, but in the different languages. Examples are the Free Universities of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Université Libre de Bruxelles) or the Catholic Universities of Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Université catholique de Louvain).
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Yes, two universities can have the same name.
Many universities are named after the place they're located in.
Many places in North-America, Australia, and New Zealand are named after places in Europe, in particular after places in Great Britain and Ireland.
Although I haven't done a complete survey, the chances would seem pretty high that this leads to a collision somewhere.
As ChristianW, OBu, and user2768 have all correctly pointed out, you should design your database such that a key is designed to be unique, not the university name.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes, for example there is a [Heidelberg university](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg_University) in Heidelberg, Germany, and [one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg_University_(Ohio)) in Tiffin, Ohio, USA.
Note that non-English names are sometimes rendered inconsistently in English, *e.g.* Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg is sometimes called "University of Heidelberg", sometimes "Heidelberg University" (even on their own website).
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Yes, two university can have the same name. One example is the Indian Institute of Technology, which is located in several places in India.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: Yes. As another example, many Catholic (or historically Catholic) Universities are named after Saints. For example, there are several "St. Mary's Universities". On a related theme, many colleges have Christianity based names including Trinity College, Christ College, Wesley among others (Thanks to [Pedro](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/84391/pedro-tamaroff) and [Peter](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/3965/peter-k) for suggesting this).
Also, it seems "Queens" and "Kings" are popular college/university names.
Another thing to be careful about is the change of "Colleges" to "Universities". At least in the US, many "Colleges" changed their accreditation to "Universities". On a related note, you may also want to consider historic names versus present, depending upon the purpose of your database.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: As far as I can tell, the [University of St. Thomas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_St._Thomas_(Minnesota)#History) in St. Paul is entirely unrelated to the [University of St. Thomas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_St._Thomas_(Texas)#History) in Houston and they share a name.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Example: There are three unrelated instances of Westminster College, all in the United States.
Missouri (founded 1851):
<https://www.westminster-mo.edu/>
Pennsylvania (founded 1852):
<http://www.westminster.edu/index.cfm>
Utah (founded 1875):
<https://www.westminstercollege.edu/>
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_8: There is a Metropolitan State University in Denver CO and another one in Saint Paul MN. They are completely separate. So, yes, two universities can have the same name. As others have recommended, you should use a surrogate primary key in your database design. That is usually a good idea anyway since you don’t know when something that is unique today might become non-unique tomorrow. Plus integer surrogate keys are more efficient in joins than text fields.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/17
| 333
| 1,505
|
<issue_start>username_0: There's a problem 'A' and there are already algorithms to solve it but I came up with a totally new algorithm. My doubts are:
1. Should I find time complexity?
2. Where can I publish my algorithm without time complexity?
3. Should I publish an algorithm in a math or computer science engineering journal?<issue_comment>username_1: An algorithm that solves a problem in a new way is interesting, regardless of whether you beat the state-of-the-art, because that new way might start a new line of research that beats the state-of-the-art. But, as it stands, you seem unaware of where your algorithm ranks and establishing that is highly desirable (perhaps even necessary) prior to publication. Thus, although it might be possible to publish now, it seems better to delay publication to establish your algorithm's ranking.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you submit your paper to a journal it will face review. If it passes review, the editors will consider it for publication. However, I strongly suspect that the reviewers will question the lack of the analysis in their report and ask for it to be included. That isn't necessarily the case, but the paper/algorithm otherwise needs to be interesting enough for them to want to see it in print even without the analysis. I doubt that will happen, however.
You are free to submit, but there are a couple of gates you must pass through on the way to publication. Better to make the passage as easy as possible.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/17
| 849
| 3,792
|
<issue_start>username_0: Consider a situation in which a professor starts a position at one institution on the 1st of a month, and finishes their position at their previous institution of the 30th of that month.
What are the potential legal, conflict of interest, and professional issues? Would these be mitigated if the month is spent on leave? Are there other considerations?<issue_comment>username_1: I suspect there will be legal issues, but it ultimately depends on the two employment contracts. Conflicts of interest might include the old institute not getting the recognition it deserves. Neither is truly mitigated by a month spent on leave.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: * From the standpoint of the law it should be fine. Most (close to all?) countries allow you to hold several appointments in the same month. If not, some part-time workers (think waiters, bartenders, etc.) would have a hard time making ends meet.
* The other legal factor is the employment contracts. These could require you to seek authorization from the current employer before starting outside employment.
* It absolutely is a conflict of interest, but one that should be possible to solve by disclosing the situation to both employers. The actual solution might be the one-month leave you mention, quitting the first position earlier, getting a thumbs up from the current employer, or doing a 50/50 time split the first month. Either way, the current institution deserves to know if you begin to work for, and earn money from, a new institution - whether you intend to leave your current job or not.
* Note that the possible conflicts of interest don't just concern the pay - if you use resources from the first institution to benefit the second it can also be bad. This isn't really solved by a leave, but by disclosure and then handling the resources responsibly.
* I don't really see any professional issues, assuming you handle the conflict of interest issues professionally (i.e. disclose them). After all, it is rather common in academia to have more than one affiliation. Of course, one also needs to be professional in choosing which affiliation to put on papers.
* Another consideration, especially in the US, would be benefits and medical insurance. The easiest way to handle this is probably to waive those benefits for a month at the new job. And if the two institutions are in different jurisdictions you might have a fun time figuring out how to do your taxes correctly...
Another benefit of disclosing the situation properly is that you can then ask HR (at both institutions!) if there are other relevant issues in the specific case. Ultimately, it's their job to know how to handle these things, not yours.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: This is purely a contractual issue in the US. In Germany it can be statutory but in the US it is in the detail of the contract. Usually an employment contract will specify the outside appointments one may enter into, if any, and the means for getting approval. Some institutions are liberal and others far less so. I know a Duke Univ professor running his own hedge fund, and a UCL professor running a computer-assisted fashion design company out of his office (literally, as in his business partner sits in an extra seat in his office). But many institutions have a problem with this.
It is best to check the detail of your contract and if there is any conflict to be up front about it. It is a very small amount of money involved compared to the legal and potentially reputational burden which may ensue. If you have questions it is possible to consult employment lawyers who specialise in these matters. Unlike regular contract, there are many terms which are not viable or not enforceable depending on the jurisdiction.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/17
| 1,700
| 7,109
|
<issue_start>username_0: It's well-known that unethical acts can render research virtually unpublishable, but the cases we hear about tend to involve situations in which the *methodology* is tainted - for example, fabrication of data or unethical experimentation on humans.
Do unethical or unlawful acts that are *tangential* to actual research methodology likewise taint research?
For example:
* A researcher is unlawfully present in the country in which they do the research, or lacks the legal status to do it there (e.g. overstaying visas, attending a university on a tourist visa, dodging a border checkpoint, etc.).
* A researcher falsifies their academic credentials in order to get access to lab space, equipment, or grant money (e.g. the research itself is sound, but the researcher would not have been allowed unsupervised access to the university's microscopes had they known that he didn't actually have a PhD).
* A researcher conducts research using stolen equipment or supplies.
* A researcher commits a crime in order to hinder, delay, or incapacitate a rival researcher (e.g. sabotaging someone else's lab, murdering them, stealing their lab notes in order to deny them access to them, fabricating allegations to get them thrown in jail, deported from a country, expelled or fired from a university, etc.).
* A researcher unlawfully uses performance-enhancing drugs without a prescription to maintain concentration on their work.
* A researcher carries an unlawful weapon (e.g. concealed handgun without a permit, rifle unlawfully modified for full auto, etc.) for personal protection when gathering field data (e.g. where the researcher would have otherwise not gone there out of fear of violence).
Are there best practices or general principles on when such unethical acts taint research? Obviously, I'm not asking whether or not someone can, or should, get away with committing these acts, only whether or not they *also* would prevent publication. E.g. could someone say, "Yes, I blew up Dr. Smith's telescope and hit him with an axe so he couldn't beat me to publication, and I accept my 20-year prison sentence for that, but I was, in fact, the first to complete a spectrographic analysis of that planet and write it up so I should still be allowed to publish."?
This is not a request for personal advice! I'm just curious as to what actually happens or is supposed to happen in these cases.
My "guts" say that this would depend on the *degree* of non-academic misconduct - for example, that murdering a rival *would* prevent publication while parking unlawfully in a no-parking zone in order to make it to a meeting on time would not, but is this actually the case? Is every case evaluated independently, or is there a bright-line rule?<issue_comment>username_1: First, I think there is an important distinction to be made between *unethical* and *illegal*.
While most things that are illegal are also unethical (e.g., murder, theft), there are many cases where the laws themselves are either clearly unethical (e.g., slavery) or may be considered unethical by a reasonable person (e.g., prohibitions on stem cell research).
Let us thus consider only unethical acts unrelated to research, whether illegal or not. Here, I think there are at least two good motivations for considering unethical acts that do not directly call the methodology into question:
* **Concern about honesty:** If you find out that somebody has been gratuitously lying in other aspects of their life, it's entirely reasonable to wonder whether they would feel comfortable lying in their research as well. Motivation matters here: a person lying to protect themselves or to cover a sexual infidelity is not particularly relevant, while a person lying with the intention of advancing themselves or hurting others is of much more concern. In this case, there is no "smoking gun" indicating results should be withdrawn, but it would be entirely reasonable to do a careful process re-review of their work for validity in the light of the new knowledge.
* **Punishment:** If a person does terrible things that damage the scientific community or the larger community, one may wish to exile them *and their research* as part of the punishment, in order to make it clear one should not expect to profit from such behavior. This is clearest in the case of unethical acts directly related to research, such as sabotaging a rival or non-consensual medical experiments, even when they don't invalidate the methodology and conclusions. It's less clear what one should do about the scientific legacy of say, an abusive rapist who happens to also be a highly successful mathematician.
There is still no clear consensus on what to do in such cases, even in the case of [Nazi medical research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_human_experimentation#Modern_ethical_issues). Personally, I favor the approach suggested by some of using only when no other citation is possible, and then without a formal citation and with inclusion of an explanation of why this research is problematic. Should this be extended to lesser criminals like rapists and abusers? Unclear, though I think it's certainly worth considering for those who poison a scientific community with their behavior.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't think there are "best practices" for that. For those to develop, this would first need to be a somewhat widespread issue (nowadays), which I am not aware to be the case. In principle, non of the examples would prevent *publication* of the research, although your second example (faked credentials) would certainly lead to high scrutiny of the manuscript. If a researcher were known to have pretended to have a PhD in the first place, I assume a reviewer or editor would not take his data and reported results in quite the same good faith as we usually do with other researchers.
It should also be noted that how the community would *react* to a paper is a different question - in your murder example, maybe a manuscript could still be *accepted* in principle after this, but it is difficult to imagine that the community would give the axe-wielding author much recognition for being first to publish their analysis.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I doubt that there is any way in which unethical personal behavior will taint the research itself. It may cause the person who does the research to be shunned and condemned, but the research stands on it own.
There are, for example, a couple of examples, one from mathematics and the other from computing (EE, specifically), in which the practitioners were terrible, virulent, racists and spoke out about their hateful beliefs. But no one questions their contributions to research, and in the EE case, the operation of your computer depends fundamentally on it. But people speak out against the views of these folks and name them as perpetrators of evil.
For a young academic to behave unethically, even outside the academic world, you might find yourself unemployable, publicly condemned, and shunned. Not a pleasant thing.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/17
| 851
| 3,706
|
<issue_start>username_0: I just moved to a new state (California) for a temporary job and am planning to apply to graduate school (physics PhD programs) at state schools here. If I want, I can establish residency here; this would be somewhat expensive and a take a bit of time, so I have not been particularly motivated to do so. I had assumed that since my tuition would be covered anyways in a PhD program, there was no advantage to being in-state. However, my supervisor raised the possibility that it might be to my benefit when applying to California grad schools to be a California resident; is this true? Does residency have an effect on PhD program admissions at state schools?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I had assumed that since my tuition would be covered anyways in a PhD program, there was no advantage to being in-state.
>
>
>
There's no financial advantage to *you*. There might be one to the department.
I believe that one common arrangement is that the department's budget is charged for the normal amount of your tuition, whether in-state or out-of-state. Although it's just money moving between internal university accounts, it makes a difference to the department.
I went to grad school at a University of California campus, and there was a rule that if you had come from another state, you had to establish California residency within your first year, so that the department only had to pay the out-of-state rate for one year. So if you plan to attend a California university, you'll likely have to go through that bureaucratic hassle eventually anyway; might as well get started now.
Being in-state also means that the department gets to pay the lower rate from the beginning, so you'd be a bit cheaper to support than an out-of-state student. I don't know whether departments actually make this an explicit factor in admissions, and I would guess that they don't, but it could make a very slight difference at the margin.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I won't repeat the points raised in username_1's excellent answer, but I will point out a couple of other considerations. First, in general, I very much doubt that there is much of an academic advantage; that is, I doubt that you would be more likely to be accepted based on your residency status. Departments would normally make offers based on the quality of your application, not on how much you would have to pay.
Second, although username_1 said, "there's no financial advantage to *you*", that might not always be accurate. Some institutions might offer only in-state financial assistance; out-of-state students might have to make up the difference themselves. I have no idea how frequent that might be the case, but in my personal case as an international student in Louisiana, USA, my graduate assistantship did not waive the international student tuition supplement; I had to pay that out of my own pocket (although the assistantship did provide sufficient funds to cover that, it reduced my net receipts by thousands of dollars). Yes, I realize that my personal situation concerned international fees while yours concerns domestic but out-of-state fees, but I nevertheless recommend that you verify the specific situation in any school that you want to apply to; do not assume that they would always fully cover out-of-state tuition charges.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: When I was in graduate school in Texas, my graduate program was flagged during a review for having too many non-Texan students and too many international students. After the review, the program tried to recruit more Texan students (and was successful).
However, I suspect that this experience is an outlier.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/17
| 1,017
| 4,420
|
<issue_start>username_0: In many of my classes (mainly with undergraduate students), I begin every class session with a reading quiz, that is, a short, simple multiple-choice quiz on their assigned reading, to make sure that the students have read before class so that I can spend class time on more challenging and interesting topics than merely regurgitating the textbook for them. **This counts for around 5% of the course grade.** This technique has transformed my teaching, so I want to retain it in principle. However, there are many logistic challenges to administering these quizzes when I occasionally teach large lecture classes of over 100 students (especially Internet connection problems). So, I want to try to move these quizzes to the course learning management system (LMS), due the night before the class session.
My challenge is that I am afraid that many students might cheat and answer questions by looking up the reading material or sharing answers. When I do reading quizzes in class, I invigilate to restrict cheating, but I would not be present during the online quiz. I have researched and plan to implement multiple techniques to limit cheating in online quizzes (e.g. limited answer time; rotating questions for different students; etc.), cheating cannot be completely eliminated. My main concern with cheating (other than students hurting their conscience) is that if they don't read the assignment, then their learning during class next day would be severly limited.
With that background, my specific question here is: **what is an appropriate amount of course weight to assign online quizzes that are given before every course session, considering the risk that student cheating might be quite high?** For me, giving no course weight at all for these quizzes is not an option--a reading quiz that carries no weight is virtually useless.<issue_comment>username_1: I do quizzes, worth a significant grade and they are controlled...
Any quiz that you give the students which is not controlled should be worth zero IMHO, but as you have done 5% up to now, then 5% maximum as it is not controlled - definitely no more as, as you point out, they can cheat all too easily.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There is value in giving a small amount of credit to such things. It is nothing more than an inducement to get them to engage with the course material. Assume that students look up answers rather than think them up. That doesn't matter if there is only a bit of credit for them. Even if they work together to come up with the answers, it isn't lost time for them, so don't worry about that either.
An alternative (that probably won't work for you) is to make the students hand you a physical paper (or electronic token) as a ticket to attend the lecture. If you don't have a ticket you don't get to watch the show. Then you don't need to give them credit at all.
The goal is that the students that are going to do well anyway and score at the top of the class don't really need to do this so there is no need to worry about them or penalize them for wanting to learn in a different way (small amount of credit). But the students who aren't going to be your superstars need the nudge (positive amount of credit). A bit of credit is the bait that lures them in to the trap.
But the real alternative is to flip the classroom, so that all reading and "content delivery" is outside the face to face sessions and the only things that you do when facing them are things you can't do otherwise. Small group work, discussions, projects, etc. (
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: My favorite way of incorporating out-of-class online quizzes is rather unconventional.
Rather than worrying about cheating, we encouraged students to work together and even to keep redoing the quiz until they got everything right. Then we incorporated their scores into their overall class grade as a *multiplier*.
In other words, the grade for the class was: grade = weighted\_tests \* *f*(online\_quizzes)
We played some fancy curving games with that *f* function to mean that students wouldn't get hurt by being a little off, but that they'd suffer badly if they didn't take the online quizzes seriously. The net effect was to use the online quizzes as self-grading practice work, with a grading "stick" to enforce that the students were actually expected to do them.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/18
| 730
| 3,048
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm a Graduate Teaching Assistant in a Mathematics at a large state university. In the fall semester, I will be expected to be a TA for Calculus I, which will be taken by first year students. The course coordinator has set aside 5% as the 'recitation grade.' The coordinator has allowed the teaching assistants to use these 5% points at their own discretion.
What are some effective ways teaching assistants can use to implement the 5% grading policy in the recitations.<issue_comment>username_1: I do quizzes, worth a significant grade and they are controlled...
Any quiz that you give the students which is not controlled should be worth zero IMHO, but as you have done 5% up to now, then 5% maximum as it is not controlled - definitely no more as, as you point out, they can cheat all too easily.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There is value in giving a small amount of credit to such things. It is nothing more than an inducement to get them to engage with the course material. Assume that students look up answers rather than think them up. That doesn't matter if there is only a bit of credit for them. Even if they work together to come up with the answers, it isn't lost time for them, so don't worry about that either.
An alternative (that probably won't work for you) is to make the students hand you a physical paper (or electronic token) as a ticket to attend the lecture. If you don't have a ticket you don't get to watch the show. Then you don't need to give them credit at all.
The goal is that the students that are going to do well anyway and score at the top of the class don't really need to do this so there is no need to worry about them or penalize them for wanting to learn in a different way (small amount of credit). But the students who aren't going to be your superstars need the nudge (positive amount of credit). A bit of credit is the bait that lures them in to the trap.
But the real alternative is to flip the classroom, so that all reading and "content delivery" is outside the face to face sessions and the only things that you do when facing them are things you can't do otherwise. Small group work, discussions, projects, etc. (
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: My favorite way of incorporating out-of-class online quizzes is rather unconventional.
Rather than worrying about cheating, we encouraged students to work together and even to keep redoing the quiz until they got everything right. Then we incorporated their scores into their overall class grade as a *multiplier*.
In other words, the grade for the class was: grade = weighted\_tests \* *f*(online\_quizzes)
We played some fancy curving games with that *f* function to mean that students wouldn't get hurt by being a little off, but that they'd suffer badly if they didn't take the online quizzes seriously. The net effect was to use the online quizzes as self-grading practice work, with a grading "stick" to enforce that the students were actually expected to do them.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/18
| 574
| 2,328
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am applying for graduate physics and I was wondering to work with a well-known professor in Caltech. He is a pioneer in the field that I am interested in. I have a kinda outstanding background, however, I am not sure if the professor is looking for *exotic* genius students who have completed their master at 18 or something! In this sense, I am very ordinary. How should I send an email to the professor and finally understand if I have any chance to do my PhD under his supervision or not?
P.S. I just want to know how one should contact a professor to make themselves sure that whether the professor is willing to accept them as a graduate student. I do not ask *please decide on behalf of me*.<issue_comment>username_1: The only way to get this done is just to do it. If you don't do it, nothing will happen. While your chances may be small it is probably worth your effort if for no other reason than it will get you to think about yourself and your goals.
The professor will want to know a few things about you before he will consider you. First, what can you offer as a student? Part of this is your enthusiasm for the task, but it also involves some things about your preparation and background.
But you need to convey to the professor why *you* are an interesting candidate for this. He will have a lot of applications for any position. Many of them will be highly qualified. But there is ordinary highly qualified and there is *interesting* highly qualified. Have you done something in this field? Have you any ideas for research problems yet unsolved. Have you any ideas about recent work that might be extended?
But, don't assume success in this. It may or may not happen. Have a backup plan in place in case it doesn't.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Your email may run something like this (names and subject areas can be changed, of course):
>
> Dear Professor Carroll,
>
>
> Are you accepting PhD students at the moment? I am planning to apply to CalTech this year for a PhD in physics and I am really interested in cosmology and in particular, your work on the arrow of time. I am currently a 3rd year undergraduate at University of Somewhere and have taken courses in differential geometry and astrophysics.
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
>
> mathvc\_
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/18
| 792
| 3,278
|
<issue_start>username_0: My wife is looking for a faculty position. It seems its not so easy to get a position in biology though she is doing postdoc at top 5 genetics programs in USA. I am wondering if I can offer a school funding equivalent to her pay for 5 years plus some more for research? I am wondering if good schools will be interested in it? Why I want to do is because at least my wife will cool down and will live a normal life!<issue_comment>username_1: I have to admit that I'm just guessing a bit here but it would seem to be unusual, at least, to offer a grant to fund a specific person. There might be rules prohibiting it.
However, a possible alternative for you might be to create a foundation for research along with your wife and have the foundation seek an association with a research university to carry out the goals of the foundation. Your wife would be a natural participant in that case. The cost would probably be greater, however, as you would need to bear some, at least, of the other costs of the research itself.
Creating a foundation is a legal process and it interfaces with tax law, so you need an attorney to give you advice. But if you have the funds to do what you suggest, it may not be a reach to do more and create something that continues. Depending on the results of the foundation work, it may be that your spouse could, over time, move to a traditional position or stay with the foundation.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If I may paraphrase your question, it sounds like you would like to use money to tilt the playing field of a faculty search in your wife’s favor. You would like to know if your plan can work.
Sadly for you, but happily for our society and the health of our academic institutions, this has zero chance of working. Faculty positions at respected universities are offered based on merit - that is exactly why those places are respected in the first place. If your wife has what it takes to get a job offer, she will get it without the need for any subsidies. If she doesn’t, she won’t get it with or without your subsidy offer. At all US universities where people I know and respect work, the only conceivable reactions to your offer would be bafflement at your cluelessness, if not outright derision and anger at your presumption to be able to influence their hiring process by offering money. Conversely, any institution that would seriously entertain your offer (and I suppose there may exist some third-rate, cash-strapped universities that might) is one where I would not advise your wife to take a job.
To be clear, even respectable institutions may put a price tag on their reputations. If you were to offer, say, a donation of 50 million dollars conditioned on your wife being offered a faculty job (you’d better ask for her to get it with tenure in that case), and your wife was reasonably well-qualified, I don’t know for sure but I’m guessing that there are departments that might find such an offer tempting. A university can do a lot of good things with such a large sum of money, probably enough to offset the risk of any reputational harm they might suffer. But five years’ salary and change? That’s a complete non-starter.
Anyway, good luck to your wife in her job search.
Upvotes: 3
|
2018/08/19
| 788
| 3,327
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm currently trying to decide what to major in undergrad and I'm between math and CS. I've taken multivar/linear alg/intro to abstract math so far and would really like to continue with math as my major rather than CS. The problem, though, is that I want to go into software engineering (couldn't really see myself in many math related careers like actuary, analyst, etc). So, does anyone know what the odds are that I'd be able to get a SE job with just a pure math degree in today's market? Should I just go for the CS major to have a better shot at landing a job? Unfortunately, I cannot double major due to schedule constraints. I could minor in CS if majoring in math, but would this help me very much in securing SE jobs?
In future years (say, the next 30 or 40), what would you guess will be the more valuable degree in the long run?
Thanks for the help.<issue_comment>username_1: This question might very well be closed as not being about academic careers, or as an opinion question, but I'll give an answer anyway...
I studied math and computer science as an undergraduate in the early 1980's and ultimately ended up with a BS in Computer Science because it was a better degree for getting a job. After a few years as a software engineer at Motorola, I went back to graduate school in mathematics and then entered into an academic career as a math professor.
Although some of the more theoretical aspects of computer science that I studied in the 1980's are still relevant, the programming languages, operating systems, and computer hardware that I worked with are long out of date. To paraphrase a quote from <NAME>, having a degree in Computer Science from 1984 is somewhat like having an Aeronautical Engineering degree from the 1920's.
On the other hand, most of the mathematics that I studied in the 1980's is still relevant and hasn't changed very much. For example, I've recently taught an Intro to Ordinary Differential Equations course using a later edition of the same textbook that I used as an undergraduate in the early 1980's.
The two points that I'm trying to make with this story are that
1. Computer Science and Software Engineering are very rapidly changing fields. You'll have to keep updating your education as the technology changes if you want to stay in it.
2. You might very well change careers one or more times over the next 30 to 40 years. It's unwise to plan for a career as if you'll be doing the same thing for the rest of your working life.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If you want a career in software engineering, the CS degree will be far more helpful to you. It's not even close.
Hiring managers in software engineering will expect you to have the knowledge and skills taught in a computer science curriculum. Interviews invariably consist of putting you in front of a whiteboard and asking you to code something. No one will ask you to derive anything using calculus.
Hiring managers in software engineering want people who can code and possess basic knowledge and skills with algorithms, data structures, operating systems, databases, machine learning, robotics, security and so on, because that's what the job is. This is what you will learn in a CS program. This is not what you'll learn pursuing a math degree.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/19
| 1,260
| 5,562
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have submitted a mathematical investment article to a new journal (maybe two years old), based on the suggestion of the editor-in-chief, whom I had sent it to earlier, and who claimed he liked our article very much. A version of the article had been sent to a number of individuals, one or two senior mathematicians who are very capable, and a number of these people had good suggestions and helped us find appropriate extensions. Basically, it has been read a good many times and many people seem to think it important and well-substantiated.
So, we formally submitted the article to this new journal, partly because we cited an article that appeared in the journal last year, and partly because we thought it appropriate given that our article was at the junction between mathematics (probability), theoretical statistics, and algorithmic investment.
The referee report came back and it was clear that he understood the importance of our goal, but it is also clear he had no idea about the underlying mathematics. It was accepted (rejected?) conditionally. Conditionally on redoing the entire paper (i.e., even the report recommendation was wishy-washy).
Basically, he said that the basic premise of the paper was incorrect, and if we revised it, he would accept it. It was also clear, the referee was not capable of understanding the math in the paper or hadn't bothered to do so. The error in his review was so basic, that any grad student in math should know it--the sum of two (or any finite number of) Guassian random variables is a Gaussian random variable.
I have two basic solutions:
1. Write a nice letter to the referee, spelling out exactly why we have already addressed his concerns in the paper and that perhaps we could spell this out more explicitly, showing him how.
2. Submit to another journal, and write to this first journal's editor-in-chief, questioning the quality of his referees (who may be capable in terms of 'investments' but no in terms of 'mathematics'). Perhaps it was not a mathematical enough journal, anyway and is not the most appropriate for our submission. Then again, it could be that this new journal has growing pains.
My tendency is not just option 2, but to be somewhat more ballistic.
Edited question:
I am asking, given the combined experiences of academics in this forum, there must be creative means of dealing with this problem which are deemed to be more successful. I'm sure going balistic feels immediately rewarding but doesn't help one bit in achieving our goal of getting published quickly.
Is there a way to both educate without belittling someone who seems really lacking in basics in the topics we cover in our paper? Is there a subtle way to suggest that the referee may be ok for non-mathematical papers but not appropriate for any paper with more serious math?<issue_comment>username_1: I understand how you feel, but what you propose in solution 2 does not sound productive. I try to see (after the initial phase of being dissapointed and annoyed) the reviewer as a potential reader of that journal who is gracious enough to spent more time on your article than most readers will. Apparently, my article wasn't clear enough at a point, and that is something that needs to be fixed. It is easy to think something is too basic it needs no explaining, but there are a great many such basic facts; many more than anyone can remember... I suggest you take the same approach.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I fully understand your situation. Personally, I start to believe referees are more often than not incompetent and it is becoming a threat to the peer-review system on which science is built.
An editor once told me: it is the authors’ right and duty(!) to reveal bad arguments of reviewers. This however, was an experienced editor.
You can’t revise good arguments/mathematical modelling into bad arguments/mathematical modelling, as the reviewer requests, just to get your work accepted. That would violate scientific integrity.
The success of your options depends on the capabilities of reflective learning of the reviewer, editor and editor in chief.
If you write a nice rebuttal, you will need a reviewer capable of stepping over his/her own shadow or an editor who dares to take responsibility and doesn’t hide behind reviewers.
If you submit to another journal, there is a probability that you will meet that same reviewer again.
I think it is great that you express your intention to write to the editor in chief of the first journal. Unlike other organisations, journals do not have a proper feedback system in place. The journal may even learn something from it.
I have tried all your options. Sometimes with success, sometimes without success. Getting papers published is a lottery, at least in my field. It undermines my credibility in science.
Reviewers are treated like gods, I as author felt too often treated as scum. Journals forget that current authors are also future authors and future reviewers. If a journal cannot protect good authors against bad reviewers, then a journal will end up with having bad authors and bad reviewers because the good ones withdraw their support. It is a downward spiral
You could also review this journal as scirev.org
Finally, try not to become such a reviewer when you progress in your scientific career. It is the easiest way and probably the reason why we have so many bad reviewers. It pays forward.
I wish you good luck. It is not you, it is the system.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/19
| 811
| 3,441
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am starting a Master's conversion course (in Computing and IT Management) but I am still very unsure about all of the details about doing a PhD such as where and what I want to do it in. Some programs require that you have you Master's certificate to hand when applying too, and I haven't even started my MSc yet.
I was thinking of taking a gap year after the MSc to continue my entrepreneurial activities and goals, to find some temp/contractual work and to give myself more time to apply to PhD applications.
Would this be beneficial or detrimental to my applications and academic prospects?<issue_comment>username_1: It seems odd to me that you are interested in a PhD at all. I even wonder whether you understand the effect it would have relative to what seem to be your goals. You seem to be very interested in the management side and in entrepreneurship but a PhD is an entirely different sort of thing.
In doctoral studies in Computer Science you will study very deeply in some very narrow part of computing with an eye to doing research in that and related sub-fields. That is nothing about running a business.
Looking at it from another aspect, your current and proposed studies don't seem to be laying a base for doctoral studies, though they would be good for what may be your real goals. The same is true about a gap year.
Entrepreneurs need to be broadly educated, not narrowly. They need to bring teams together to create something, not just research it. Doctoral students need to be totally committed to their narrow field, at least until they finish a dissertation.
Are you sure that seeking a doctorate won't get you further from your real goals? Think about what you really want and then focus on that. It might even be that advanced study is right for you, but in a field different from CS. <NAME>, for example, doesn't hold a doctorate, but he can hire a lot of them as required.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If you're using the gap year to get real-life work experience, it will improve your potential to do a PhD. The reason is simply that you'll have a clearer idea of why you're going to grad school.
I've seen many students who weren't ready to be adults even at the end of their undergraduate degree. They were heavily sheltered by their parents, and never had to worry about things like money. When money isn't an issue, university becomes something to be attempted because it's there. The post-undergraduate job search becomes heavily intimidating, and going to grad school the easy way out. So they end up in grad school with no real idea why they're there.
Real-life work experience goes a very long way to broadening one's world view. You'll learn what's needed to succeed, what's needed to be able to afford a house/car/spouse/children. You'll learn that you only have so much time to spare and that grad school might not be worth it. And if you do choose to go to grad school after all, you'll have a much clearer idea what exactly you want out of it. Since motivation is a key factor in any endeavor, this improves your ability to complete the PhD.
Only drawback is, it's my impression that grad schools like to admit starry-eyed students who're doing PhDs because they want to become professors. Having different career goals isn't fatal to your application, but you might have to modify your statement of purpose somewhat.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2018/08/19
| 399
| 1,633
|
<issue_start>username_0: I sent a research paper to one of the reputed journals through email to the editor.
I used the salutation *Dear editor* and didn't specify anything about my academic position either in email or in my research paper.
In response to my email, the editor replied to me as *Dear professor*. I am thinking whether to reply to the email again saying that I am not a professor or not to reply. Is it considerable? Since I am a beginner to this publication stuff, I can't figure out the etiquette of email.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't think you need to send a correction immediately. The editor is most used to dealing with professors, it seems. However, in a future correspondence, you can add a note that you are not yet a professor or that you are studying for a degree, or something similar.
It isn't really a big concern, but you can easily make it a bit more explicit in the future.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It's very common for editors and such people to address unknown researchers as "Professor" or "Dr" without checking that they actually hold such a position.
It doesn't mean anything; just ignore it. There is no point in replying.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: The editor has uptitled you to avoid the possibility of offence. There's absolutely no need to reply nor to ever correct the editor, that just causes the editor additional work.
Personally, I would never write *Dear editor*. I'd look-up the editor's name. If I knew them, then I'd just use their first name, otherwise, I'd look-up their title and use their title and family name.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/19
| 223
| 932
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have a master's degree and I would like to study for a doctorate in Austrian universities and among the questions that are in the application is "Where do you want to carry out your project ? (library, archive, institute)".
How can I answer this question?<issue_comment>username_1: I guess I'm as puzzled about the question as you are. In some fields it might make sense, but doesn't seem to for yours. Perhaps it is just a general question asked of everyone.
I think you need to get guidance on the question from the individual university. Pharmacology research would seem to be most likely carried out in an institute, but perhaps they have a specific meaning.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Maybe they just mean: "At which institute (or lab, if applicable) do you plan to implement the project?" And the answer could be "Institute of ... at the University of Vienna" or whatever?
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/19
| 1,371
| 6,078
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm writing this because I'm in a real trouble and I need to hear from experienced people.
I'm new here so please excuse me if I get anything wrong.
I'm doing my masters in Deep Learning and I'm having toughest time ever.
I have a research paper very similar to what I wish to make, with the codes in Python which is working fine and is giving results. The problem is I can't understand that code it's beyond my knowledge.
I read books looking at codes but couldn't achieve that level of being able to understand the code or the paper.
The paper is about Recurrent Nueral Networks and motion prediction.
Unfortunately I'm not good at Python or Deep Learning and feel like I'm really stuck.
My supervisor didn't know much about Deep Learning but he approved my proposal. Now I don't know what to do.
Should I stick to the topic and take courses in Deep Learning like the one in Coursera even if It means to take extensions beyond the deadline?
Or should I change the topic completely?
I asked my supervisor and he was against changing the topic he suggested to simplify the topic and choose something simpler than Deep Learning like interpolation. He said that submitting a proposal will take time and it's not guaranteed that your new topic will be easier than your current topic.
I tried to find some codes about interpolation motion data to begin with but can't find anything related to my topic.
I'm not lazy at all, I love researching and I have hundreds of codes in my machine but still can't understand the code I have about RNNs.
I contacted the authors of that paper but they weren't cooperative.
I feel like I ran out of energy and very confused.
If you were in the same situation what would you do?<issue_comment>username_1: It's a bit hard to bring this all together to give good advice but let me make a few suggestions.
With regard to the Python code you are looking at, it is possible that it is just terrible code that no one could understand easily. That may not be the case also, but it happens. On the other hand, if it is a sensible program, then it is probably based on some underlying model that doesn't itself depend on the code. If that is the case, you could find that model and understand it first, then attack the code. The paper you have found probably has some bibliographic references that may help you understand everything.
Furthermore, you could try to find someone locally who is a Python guru and have them look at the code and give you advice about it - perhaps with the model in hand.
But your advisor seems to be giving good advice. He or she is the one who will need to approve your result in the end, so it is good to take the advice offered. If doing a bit less is acceptable to them, then it is acceptable, and probably easier. Doing a simpler project should also give you more experience and better enable you to take on harder work later. As a Master's level student it may be a mistake to go beyond the understanding of your professor. Doctoral students normally need to do that, but they have a lot more experience by then.
Running out of energy (burn out) is a serious academic issue. One way to avoid it is to make a plan, in conjunction with your advisor, that you can execute properly. Once you have a plan it won't feel like you are just thrashing around, as long as you follow the plan.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Your advisor suggestion is wise. simplify the technical basis for your thesis while you try to improve your python programming skills.
you could be able to get some support from other python programmers in your university and online. people would be able to hep more if you have specific programming question related to one problem at a time. so try to break your project into smaller chunks of problem and then solve it one by one.
Also There is many websites that run python courses like data camp.com and, as you mentioned, coursera.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Remember that compilers aren't smart. If they can understand the code, you can too.
What to do now:
* Relax. Code written by someone else is not easily understood. The last time I tried, it took weeks before the code started making sense, and even longer before I was able to use it confidently.
* Get a high-level understanding of the code. You can do this off the Coursera course for instance. Knowing roughly what each part of the code is trying to do helps a lot with understanding it.
* Test the code with different parts changed. For example, if you find a piece of code that doesn't seem to do anything, try commenting it out and rerunning the code.
* If you still can't understand it, phrase your questions in a way someone else can understand and ask at Stack Overflow.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: I should say that mistakes seem to have been made, and not (only) by you: putting a student with (as you say) limited programming skills and no experience in deep learning on a topic as notoriously hard to get into as deep learning when the advisor also has little understanding of the topic seems to me like a recipe for desaster. That said, it happens to all of us occassionally.
Your advisor's proposal to move forward with a simpler algorithm seems smart - this is also what I generally do if the original plan turns out not to be feasible. That said, your general approach to "find codes" that implement your algorithm for your use case would worry me, to be honest. Extrapolation is a fairly simple principle - simple enough that if I told a student to try extrapolation for a given problem, I would expect that they can come up with a solution themselves in fairly finite time (that is not to say that you shouldn't use an existing solution if one is already out there, but in the absence of an existing library just writing it yourself should totally be doable).
If that is outside your reach, actually changing topics may really be the most sensible thing to do for you, but I suggest having this conversation with your advisor.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/19
| 508
| 1,761
|
<issue_start>username_0: In Europe there is <https://www.euraxess.de> or in the Netherlands there is <https://www.academictransfer.com/en/> to find postdoc positions.
Are there any similar website to find postdoc positions in Canada?
I only could find <https://jobs.sciencecareers.org>. I am wondering if there are any more websites.<issue_comment>username_1: One Canada specific possibility is: [University Affairs](https://www.universityaffairs.ca/search-job/) although this is far from universal. Canadian positions are also often found on international databases.
Ultimately if you are looking for a funded position you will probably need to hunt down/contact individual PIs.
You may be eligible for Post-Doctoral fellowships through [NSERC](http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PD-NP/index_eng.asp) for Sciences/Engineering or [SSHRC](http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/index-eng.aspx) for Social Sciences and Humanities.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I am one of the editors of <https://www.thePostdoctoral.com> - We had keywords "mathematical modelling biology" - last time May 2018 (<https://promiseagep.com/2018/04/30/post-doctoral-research-associate-mathematical-biology/>). There were 3 more in April and January.
Up to 250 new postdoc positions every day. We search the web AND social media and cover almost all webpages. Once they post or announce it's in our data base, before being shown in search engines.
If you want to have access to our data base simply sign up. Our power function is an archive keyword search (up 365 days, makes sense for 30 days or so).
Hope this helps.
Good luck and all the best,
Anthony from thePostdoctoral.com (and <https://nextPhD.com> and <https://PhDvibe.com>)
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/19
| 1,303
| 5,583
|
<issue_start>username_0: I completed my PhD about a year ago and I'm currently one year into my post-doc. I had a first author in a mid-level journal and have only one citation to date. I also published a chapter in a textbook but I don't know how much weight that holds. While there are prospects of getting some data published at the end of my post-doc, it is probable that these would still be in press at the time or may not even get published at all. I'm pretty worried about the low citation index of my paper. I know I'm not ready to apply for a fellowship yet but what are my chances of nailing another post-doc.<issue_comment>username_1: To be frank, in molecular/cell biology your chances are rather slim. The 'standard' is almost 3-5 papers from your PhD which can be expected to be out by the end of your first postdoc plus some output from your postdoc. Of course, it is stupid to judge people only by their paper metrics, but this is what very many people in academia do. If you are lucky, you find a person who is not that quick with her judgement and searches for the hidden gold, carefully reading your letter and CV and the reference letters or is giving you a chance and invites you for interview. That can happen (happened to me once), but is rather rare.
Chances are even lower if the hiring process involves a committee panel or external reviews (as for grants or scholarships). Competition is often high, so you will usually only have a chance when you get very good/top marks from all reviewers. Because if there are three candidates who get 3 A+'s and then there is you, and even if just one of the three reviewers was only looking at publication output (chances for that will be veery high) and gave you a B or C, then you are already out and the decision will only be between the top-rated candidates.
On the other hand, a combination of a convincing letter AND the luck of being at the right time ready for the right job AND a bit of luck of hitting a person who is not overemphazising your publication output might put you into your 2nd postoc. Your chances are low but not zero.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: @username_1 said your chances are "rather slim". I think that's a little pessimistic, but I do agree that one publication at this point in your career is a moderate mark against you in that you will almost certainly be competing with candidates who have three or more first-author publications at the same point in their careers. If you're applying for a medium- to high-ranked research institution, those extra publications are considered evidence of research potential, and therefore suggest that the candidate can bring in grant funding. (I'm not saying this is fair or even reasonable, I'm saying this is how search committees tend to work.)
You say the publication is "in a mid-level journal", which is relevant because a single high-profile publication is worth several mid-level ones. "High profile" usually means one of the so-called high-impact journals, but it could also mean a publication in a mid-tier journal that has obvious impact, based on buzz or citations or whatever. It doesn't seem that helps here, though, since the publication has "only one citation to date".
That said, having one publication is a lot better than having none, and you could be a strong candidate in enough other ways to overcome that. Academic careers that emphasize teaching also tend to de-emphasize publication counts, so that also may help focus your search. Your research could be a particularly good fit for a particular department based on their needs or strengths or weaknesses. A strong and personalized recommendation from a mentor, that specifically addresses the lack of publications and explains why it doesn't reflect on research ability, can help enormously.
(For example, I know of a candidate with a relatively modest publication count, whose interests fit departmental needs; a member of the search committee phoned a friend who knew the candidate, who said something like "Oh, they don't have a lot of publications because they're so busy helping everyone else. They're the unofficial troubleshooter of the whole department, they solve everyone else's problems first.")
The strongest candidate for a research university position will have multiple high-profile papers plus strong recommendations, a good departmental match, and a personality that fits with the hiring group. The fewer boxes you can check in the list, the harder the chances become, but there are definitely boxes other than publication count.
**Edit** to address two other points in the question:
>
> it is probable that these would still be in press at the time or may not even get published at all.
>
>
>
"In press" is perfectly fine. In-press manuscripts count exactly as much as published manuscripts do as far as search committees are concerned -- if not more, since they are evidence of active, ongoing work.
"In preparation" is better than nothing, since it suggests that you consider your work complete and that it has a chance of being published and impressing granting committees, but it's not great.
>
> what are my chances of nailing another post-doc.
>
>
>
I think odds of getting a second post-doc are pretty high, just based on the little we know here. You'd need a decent reference, but you'd be primarily competing against new PhDs and the expectations for publications are much lower (since post-docs don't have as much need to get their own grants, their portfolios don't need to be as strong coming in).
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/19
| 606
| 2,744
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have completed a MSc thesis in image processing. But, I can't submit it yet as I don't have the money needed to finish my study. I still have 2 semesters left before graduation.
I implemented a research article so that I can verify its proposed theory and previously found result.
What can I do to make the best use of my thesis?<issue_comment>username_1: If the research is of sufficient quality, you can write papers and submit them for publication in peer-reviewed journals / conferences.
Check to see if your institution has specific rules about publishing material from a thesis. Also, if your advisor or any other person made significant intellectual contributions to the work in the thesis, they may be entitled to co-authorship and you'll need their approval before submitting any papers. (It is probably a good idea to consult with them anyway about whether the work is of appropriate quality, and what revisions should be made before publishing.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Try to summarize your thesis into a poster. Then use the poster in communication with a professor in the same field. This could turn into an invitation to work on their research projects or a presentation of your poster in a conference.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: If your thesis did what I think it did, then you haven't actually broken new ground. You've only implemented what someone else did and verified that you got the previously found result. Since you didn't break new ground, I don't think it's publishable.
Accordingly, I think the best thing to do with your thesis is "nothing".
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: As others stated, since you only implemented an existing result, it doesn't really warrant publication. However, if the original paper didn't provide detailed documentation, or if you implemented their idea in a language other than the one they used, you can definitely publish your code on GitHub. Or, if the original authors already have a GitHub repository, you can contribute documentation or examples. That way, someone else interested in implementing the original result can benefit (and cite) your work.
You can even use Zenodo to make a DOI of your repository, so that it is easier to cite.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: You could publish the current state of the work on [arXiv](https://arxiv.org/), a repository where people normally publish work in progress for related subjects. It would count as a "working paper", which is not a peer-reviewed article, but since it is highly visible and well-indexed by Google Scholar, interested researchers might easily find it and even cite it if they consider it valuable to their own work.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2018/08/20
| 1,421
| 6,029
|
<issue_start>username_0: I managed to successfully publish my old bachelor thesis in a good quality national journal in my country. However, I am thinking of retracting the article due to certain circumstances. First, I felt really embarrassed by the low quality research methodology used in my bachelor thesis. I only used simple correlation in my research. After it was published, I realized that the journal editor team forgot to include a reference in that article because they were rushing me throughout the editing process. I informed them about their mistake and it seems that they have done nothing to fix the problem. I became a bit annoyed because the editor team has never made this problem in the past.
I felt that it would be better for me to simply ask for retraction to solve this issue, but I am a bit afraid of negative consequences in the future. Is it okay to do this? I am really interested of entering the academic world in the future.<issue_comment>username_1: The way to "retract" old work is to publish better work that references the old work and its errors. There should be nothing embarrassing about having found earlier errors and correcting them.
You have grown in the interim. Every active academic will likely have such an experience at least once in their career. The earliest work was done when you were, relative to now, somewhat inexperienced.
It is unlikely that they will retract the article for the reasons you give, but it is also possible that someone else will publish a better work based on your article. Your best course, I believe, is to publish it yourself.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: I agree with @buffy that, from your description, you should not attempt to retract your articles. However, the question you're asking is, "Would it have any negative effects on my academic career?" and the answer is almost certainly "Yes". Although not all retractions are evidence of fraud, incompetence, or dishonesty, one of those would still be the starting assumption of people considering your CV in the future. A retracted paper would turn up in your background, and you would have to explain and justify it. Other candidates for the same position, who don't have retractions in their background, wouldn't have the same problem.
So your papers don't seem to meet the standard for retraction, and if you do retract them it will probably have at least some negative effects on your future academic career.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> I am interested in retracting my old journal articles. Would it have any negative effects on my academic career?
>
>
>
**Yes, it would have severe negative effects. Don't do this.**
Retraction is intended for two main types of situations:
1. The paper contains serious errors that completely invalidate its conclusions and can't be fixed just by publishing a correction.
2. The author is guilty of serious unethical behavior: plagiarism, fake data, mistreatment of animal subjects, studies on humans without their consent, etc.
As I understand it, 1 isn't applicable here: your results aren't false, they just don't go as far as they could. And the missing reference, especially if you didn't omit it intentionally, should be fixed by a correction or addendum. And 2 certainly isn't applicable.
However, if the paper is retracted, people will assume that it was retracted for one of the above reasons, either of which would be a serious black mark for a researcher. (You might like to browse <http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/> to see what kind of company you'd be keeping.) As such, it very well might completely destroy your chances of further academic study or employment.
Moreover, a retracted paper doesn't just drop out of sight. The publisher won't take it down from their website - they'll leave it there with a big RETRACTED stamped across it. It'll continue to be found in searches, and people who find it will assume that you're guilty of 1 or 2 above. Also, there's an argument to be made that [ethically, you'd have to continue listing it on your CV, marked as "retracted"](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/49167/should-retracted-articles-also-be-listed-on-the-academic-cv).
(As others have mentioned, you don't have the right to retract a paper unilaterally. The journal has to make that call, and they should only do it if there's convincing evidence of 1 or 2 above. So the whole thing is probably moot. But even so, if you *ask* them to retract the paper, they're likely to think that you're confessing to 1 or 2, and you don't want to give that impression, even if it's cleared up before anything happens.)
The solution for having used low quality methods in the paper is just to do better work in the future. You could, if you want and as username_1 suggests, go back and study the same question with better methods. But I don't feel you're obligated to do that - if you are interested in other topics now, feel free to do that. People don't generally judge researchers harshly just because their early papers were less than outstanding. Indeed, the fact that a paper from a bachelors thesis got published at all will be a plus. In the long run, the focus will be: how good is your best recent work?
The solution for the missing reference is, as mentioned, to keep pushing the journal to print a correction or addendum. (If their editors were responsible for dropping the reference, they should admit that in the correction.) If they won't, you can post one on your own website.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: I think people are not addressing the fact that, if you only have a limited number of publications, the quality of them will haunt your job prospects... However retraction may not be a feasible solution as it might also negatively affect your relationship with the journal.
In many cases, it might even suffice to expand upon the work in another journal, or on a blog post or something. Don't worry overmuch, the publication was when you were younger.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/20
| 280
| 1,316
|
<issue_start>username_0: I submitted a paper for a conference and I was just wondering since it's a paper submission is it sure that it will be an oral presentation or they can still ask for a poster presentation?<issue_comment>username_1: The official conference scientific committee, frequently supported by a selected team of peer reviewers -- ...and a spoonful of politics... -- will ultimately decide on whether a submission should feature as oral presentation or a poster. Or not to feature at all (yes: conference submissions can be rejected).
Generally, oral presentations are regarded as "of higher status" than posters, thus fitting in as oral presentation might be more competitive.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: That would depend on the conference itself. You need to read the fine print or ask the program committee. Some will either just accept or reject a paper (as corrected, of course). Some have separate poster sessions with separate committees and a different criteria for acceptance. There is too much variability to make a clear answer.
However, you should not depend on that happening at any conference. It is possible that if your paper is rejected, one of the reviewers might suggest submitting it as a poster. That of course would depend on due dates.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
|
2018/08/20
| 391
| 1,743
|
<issue_start>username_0: I submitted a paper to an applied mathematics journal. I have since found a way to generalize one of the results.
**Is it acceptable to update the paper during the first review step even if I have not been requested to improve on this particular aspect?**
I understand that this would create extra work for the reviewers since they would have to check that part again. However, writing a brand new paper with the additional result would probably cause even more extra work for the review community. I also understand that a dissemination strategy that incorporates some salami slicing might be better for my career, but somehow I am opposed to doing that kind of thing.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, yes it is. Just make it clear when you do so the reviewers can review the new additions.
That said, if you think the result merit a new paper, make a new paper, and reference the one under review.
However, while I am an early stage researcher my suggestion is: have a high ethos when publishing. It is way better to have 1 very good paper than 3 weak-related ones. Your objective is to show the world new research, do not fall in the paper-mill trap. Your worth is in the quality, not in the quantity.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In this case you should inform the editor that you have improved results, indicate briefly what they are and ask for his/her advice. It might depend on the state of your original paper's review, of course.
You could also express your desire that it get updated so that it is more complete. Give your reasons as you express them here.
But if you try that and fail it won't reflect badly on you if you publish the updated results separately.
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/08/20
| 795
| 3,548
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a graduate student pursuing my masters in physics, with the intention of eventually getting my PhD (just not from my current institution). This past summer, I taught a physics course, and several of my students asked me to write letters of recommendation for them, and I offered to write letters for others, too. The students who asked did very well in the course, and I am happy to write letters for them. Most of these letters are for employers or graduate/medical schools. Would it be in their best interest for me to write them, since I am not an established/tenured faculty, and, in fact, have not even received my masters? I don't want to write them letters which will be disregarded by their employers/institutions because I am not a faculty, but was just the instructor of record.
Cheers<issue_comment>username_1: There shouldn't be any issue about this as long as you clearly state who you are and what your position is. If your institution trusts you to teach students the receiver of such a recommendation should also trust it, though weigh it against your experience in these things. But if your position is Lecturer or Instructor, or some such, it should be clear enough.
I would, however, also advise the students for whom you write these letters that they should also seek other letters from professors with a more established reputation. But it may also be true that you know them better than the professors if you are in a place where they have mostly big classes with the big names.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: This depends a lot on what the student is applying to. Being an instructor means you're qualified to assess the students' ability to do well in your class (and some related things like study skills and desire to learn), but not a lot else. For e.g. Ph.D. admissions, they really want someone to speak to the student's potential to do research, which you probably won't be seen as qualified to do. Thus is for two reasons - first, being somewhat early in your career yourself, you haven't established a ton of credibility by your own research career; second, you only know the student from class, not a research-related activity. Whether fair or not, I think in reality a well-known professor's recommendation will be taken much more seriously than yours, even if you know the student better. If you were a postdoc or other junior/non-permanent faculty the balances would tip a bit, but not having a graduate degree yourself is likely to make the reader be skeptical of your recommendation.
On the other hand, if the student is applying to a summer program or a job that isn't directly related to physics research, writing that they're a strong student who did well in your class and asked good questions and came to office hours or whatever is perfectly good. I have no idea how professional schools (med school etc) work but my guess is you'd be taken more seriously - it seems to me that their admissions process puts more emphasis on grades/class performance, which of course you're qualified to speak to!
I'm a PhD student and have been asked to write recommendations once or twice for students I've been the TA for (at my university, TA's are typically the only people interacting directly with the students in the larger classes). I have warned the students that I'm likely not the best person to ask and asked if they have even a tenuous connection to someone more senior, and helped them out if they can convince me I'm actually the best person for them.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/20
| 2,104
| 8,447
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm an undergraduate and I've taken part in a summer internship. Part of the internship was writing a paper based on a model we developed, which we're hoping to submit.
The paper is "finished" now, and so we're ready to send it off for peer review. I'm really nervous about this as while I've checked over the code time and time again there's always the chance I'll have made a mistake somewhere which might not get picked up on.
How do people cope with this? If there is a mistake that I haven't identified, and isn't picked up in peer review, how damaging will it be if someone else identifies it later on? I'm kind of nervous given what I've heard about retractions and breaches of ethics.
To the best of my knowledge the model is working, and to my knowledge the results it is generating are correct.<issue_comment>username_1: First, congratulation on your first manuscript! The peer review process assesses several aspects of submitted manuscripts. It's hard for a paper to be denied on the basis of a few minor mistakes. Usually, you get comments from peer reviewers asking for minor modifications, corrections and explanations.
Even the best manuscripts go through multiple steps of submitting and resubmitting after editing as per peer reviewers annotations.
Minor mistaks in code, if they exist, shouldn't be cause to refuse a manuscript.
Good luck again!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: "What if there's a big mistake?" Well, it's detected, everyone becomes a little wiser and more knowledgeable, and life goes on.
If you've never seen it before, check out the case of [BICEP2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BICEP_and_Keck_Array#BICEP2). On 17 March 2014, this large international collaboration claimed to have found something very important. Press conferences were called, people were excited, the popular media such as the *[New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/18/science/space/detection-of-waves-in-space-buttresses-landmark-theory-of-big-bang.html)* got involved. And then they found out [the signal was contaminated](https://www.nature.com/news/gravitational-waves-discovery-now-officially-dead-1.16830). Oops. Life goes on.
So don't worry about it. There're a lot of wrong papers out there. If your paper turns out to be wrong - and it's not certain at all it will - there's likely to be no permanent damage to your career. After all, you'd be in good company.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: (Upon @<NAME>'s kind suggestion:)
Your issue is not even about "retractions", much less "breach of ethics", if you (and all your co-authors, and advisors/mentors) are acting in good faith. "Making a mistake even with due diligence" cannot be a punishable offense, or no one at all risk-averse would ever do any new work/research/etc. In other words, it's not like a school course where there is some "ultimate judgement" and "absolute standards". In this regard, many school systems from kindergarten through high school (the U.S. name) through undergrad school (the U.S. name) cultivate terrible reflexes, yes.
That is, even if you did make some sort of serious mistake, it's not like it "goes on your permanent record, and a letter is sent home to your parents, and you'll be 'grounded' for two months". The paper just gets rejected (if the referee detects your supposed error!), and hardly anyone in the world knows about your gaffe... whether or not it is upsetting to you personally. People have to "go out on a limb" (English idiom) to make serious progress, and this oughtn't be punished.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: There is an issue that arises with many academics, especially young ones starting out. It is called *Authenticity Bias* and is the feeling that I'm not really smart enough to be part of this community. Everyone else is smarter than me and I can't believe that they are really accepting me here.
You are exhibiting some of the symptoms of that now. I've done everything I can, but how can it possibly be enough? Know that this is pretty common. I don't know that there is a simple way to overcome it other than perseverance. As you gain more experience, you find that you are, indeed, just as fit as other people to practice your art.
The other issue here is that this is an early experience in a complex undertaking. Mistakes can be made. Experts make mistakes and are sometimes misled by a variety of factors. Mistakes aren't normally career ending unless they are serious moral errors.
Another thing you will learn is that as you do more work in your field and write more papers, etc. your older work will look a bit naive. But that is just a result of learning and growth. If in ten years you are a lot better than you are now and your ten year old papers don't seem up to your then current standard... well consider the alternative. If they do all still seem great you haven't learned much.
I suspect that, as you have taken proper care, your current work is fine and that others will also find it fine, even if they recognize that you still have more to learn. And just as authors can, and do, make errors, so can reviewers. Evaluate everything you hear from peer review, accept what is valid and question what seems invalid. In the normal course of things you get a chance to revise a work before it goes for publication. Every academic experiences this.
Even poets often revise their work with the help of peer review. Some of the best, in fact, have published final works that seem to bear little resemblance to the original poem. Feedback helps.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: This question raises an interesting question in science. If you write a piece of code long enough the probability that there is at least one mistake is one. I have found such errors in the code of others and in my one code. And sometimes the errors appear in the text of the article (misplaced decimal points, mislabelled series in a graph, etc.). These errors can happen and do happen. But the importance of the errors vary: some may affect substantially your results, others may have a minor effect.
The idea to keep in mind is that science is incremental. When you write your article you are only asked to do your best. Substantial errors should be caught at the review stage (not always true), you are told about it and you have the opportunity to correct your error. Otherwise, the error may be picked up later, especially if the code is made public (this is why open science is important). What happens then? There is a new, revised, version of the code you maybe can publish.
The history of science is full of errors. And by constant work we correct them as we notice them. That's how it works.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: >
> I've checked over the code time and time again there's always the chance I'll have made a mistake somewhere which might not get picked up on.
>
>
> How do people cope with this?
>
>
>
By acknowledging that nothing is perfect but that, by the time you, your co-authors and the peer-reviewers have done your job, there probably aren't any *significant* mistakes left.
>
> If there is a mistake that I haven't identified, and isn't picked up in peer review, how damaging will it be if someone else identifies it later on?
>
>
>
Hardly at all, and what little blame there is is shared equally among all the authors. Everybody who's published more than a few papers has published mistakes. They're almost always minor and they're not a big deal.
>
> I'm kind of nervous given what I've heard about retractions and breaches of ethics.
>
>
>
I don't see any ethical problem in what you're describing. You've done your best to make sure that your work is correct. You haven't deliberately or knowingly included anything incorrect, manipulated, faked or anything else.
Retractions are a big deal but they're only needed in cases where there have been serious ethical breaches (which you don't have) or your work contains a mistake so critical that it destroys the conclusions of the paper. Even in the case of a serious mistake, it's usually more appropriate to publish a correction than a retraction.
Worrying about having to retract is like worrying about getting hit by a bus. Sure, it's a big deal but any reasonable person is already doing everything they need to avoid it – be honest, check your work, look before you cross the street.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/21
| 788
| 3,155
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have perhaps a common doubt, a common conundrum. I'm an MS graduate, and my goal is to become a researcher in a very specific area in biotechnology, which is a branch of neurotechnology.
I'm currently looking for a PhD degree, and by searching through programs at different institutions, I have found that the field that I want to work in is in fact quite new, so not many institutions are currently doing research in it. This leaves me with only very well known institutions like Caltech, Yale, and Johns Hopkins that are working in my field of interest.
I do not consider myself especially above average but I'm a very self-driven person. Even so, I know it will be hard get a scholarship to study in one of these very well known institutions.
So my question is, what is most advisable?
* To spend one or two years studying in order to get the scholarship (and I might not get it), and focus my research into this one narrow specialism early on;
* or, to enter a less demanding program, less expensive, still focussed on biotechnology, but not at all that narrow, perhaps in the Netherlands or Switzerland, and specialise later in my career.<issue_comment>username_1: ly impossible for us to give a good answer to this question - we can not predict the future and your situation is dependent on too many factors.
Therefore, my advice would be: Follow your gut feeling. Or take a dice. If the number is odd, go for the specific programm, if it's even, go for the broader one. If you feel bad after your rolled the dice, roll it again!!!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm not entirely sure what you mean by spending 1-2 years studying for a scholarship, but you must formally stay in academia. Your MS was your 1-2 years of prep for a Ph.D.
My suggestions would be as follows:
1) Apply to your ideal top-tier universities (Cal-tech, Yale, etc...). Spend a considerable amount of time on your application. Especially your statement of purpose since you do indeed have a clear goal to go there. Do well on your GRE. If not you will get filtered out before they really evaluate the rest of your application. I know they changed it since I took it but when I did it was a completely beatable test (at least the quantitative section). Practice. Practice. Practice.
2) Apply to the universities/labs that actively or recently collaborated with the labs you ultimately want to work with. Probably more than half the post docs in our lab came from collaborators (or competitors) labs.
3) Apply to your "fall-back" universities. You'll want to at least stay active in the field.
4) Do you best to attend conferences that your top-tiers will be at. Make contacts, friends, collaborations, etc...with members of the group you want to be with. As a Ph.D. student we ended up evaluating many of the Post-docs that applied to our lab. Know that what you mention to these members in passing will often come up during your evaluation. Be aware and make this an advantage.
Realize that you are probably a poor judge of your own talent (good or bad). Don't let the reason you didn't make it be that you didn't try.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/21
| 644
| 2,529
|
<issue_start>username_0: At what age does breaking into academia as a professor, e.g. recent PhD / recent post-doc, in the United States become effectively impossible?
Is it at the age of 30 or 40?
I keep hearing about this from people who are at the very elite institutions, e.g. Harvard and Princeton.
I'm asking the question specifically for STEM subfields and for universities in the United States.
I am not only interested in what typically happens at the very top schools - I'm also interested in hiring at the less prestigious schools.<issue_comment>username_1: ly impossible for us to give a good answer to this question - we can not predict the future and your situation is dependent on too many factors.
Therefore, my advice would be: Follow your gut feeling. Or take a dice. If the number is odd, go for the specific programm, if it's even, go for the broader one. If you feel bad after your rolled the dice, roll it again!!!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm not entirely sure what you mean by spending 1-2 years studying for a scholarship, but you must formally stay in academia. Your MS was your 1-2 years of prep for a Ph.D.
My suggestions would be as follows:
1) Apply to your ideal top-tier universities (Cal-tech, Yale, etc...). Spend a considerable amount of time on your application. Especially your statement of purpose since you do indeed have a clear goal to go there. Do well on your GRE. If not you will get filtered out before they really evaluate the rest of your application. I know they changed it since I took it but when I did it was a completely beatable test (at least the quantitative section). Practice. Practice. Practice.
2) Apply to the universities/labs that actively or recently collaborated with the labs you ultimately want to work with. Probably more than half the post docs in our lab came from collaborators (or competitors) labs.
3) Apply to your "fall-back" universities. You'll want to at least stay active in the field.
4) Do you best to attend conferences that your top-tiers will be at. Make contacts, friends, collaborations, etc...with members of the group you want to be with. As a Ph.D. student we ended up evaluating many of the Post-docs that applied to our lab. Know that what you mention to these members in passing will often come up during your evaluation. Be aware and make this an advantage.
Realize that you are probably a poor judge of your own talent (good or bad). Don't let the reason you didn't make it be that you didn't try.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/21
| 945
| 3,950
|
<issue_start>username_0: In small classes (with <50 students) I have mostly had positive experience for assigning homework. The homework allows the students to better learn the concepts and to better prepare for the exams. Usually, the score of my homework has been 10% of the total grade. Usually the homework are graded by a teaching assistant.
What are the pros and cons of assigning the homework for large classes?
What are the effective methods for assigning homework for such classes?
(If the subject matters, I means a calculus class of about 200 students).<issue_comment>username_1: Given that your job is *teaching*, not just lecturing and grading, I don't see any cons. If the students don't practice, they won't learn. People learn through practice and repetition, not from hearing lectures and taking exams, cramming from notes and a book.
*Learning* something involves physically rewiring the brain. The neurons get new connections (synapses) that need to be reinforced. See *The Art of Changing the Brain* by <NAME> for the science behind this.
Sadly enough, students don't really know how to learn in too many cases, nor do they have the time or discipline to do what is not required of them. So you need to give them meaningful practice as well as a goad to get them to do it. I think, actually, you would be more effective if the percentage of the grade for homework was *much* higher than 10%.
If you have adequate support (TAs) then there should be little reason not to have such graded homework with comments not just numbers on them.
If students get a lot of practice they will actually remember things and be able to put it to work later. Otherwise it is as fleeting as the end of the course.
Even if it is impossible to grade all the work you give them, give them the assignments anyway. While it doesn't solve the *goad* problem, it at least gives guidance those with a bit of discipline. Even if you permit them to work together on homework or to grade each other's work, it is better than expecting them to learn without practice, practice, practice.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: There are multiple cons to graded assignments.
Firstly, you impose a particular study schedule upon your students. Many of these students will have their own personalized learning routines, which your graded assignments mess with, since the students now constantly have to meet whatever deadlines you set. Some students may learn better in different ways, and may have to reprioritize their methods just to meet your demands.
Secondly, for large classes, it becomes more difficult to spot cheaters. If you have a class of 20 people, it's often easy to see if one student has been copying off of another student. But if you get 200 papers, that becomes much harder.
Thirdly, it's a lot of work for your TAs and yourself. Grading 200 papers every week for, say, 14 weeks? That's a lot of work, and for what? 10 % of their grade? What's the point?
I still think assignments are a good idea in general, but one should not assume they are perfect.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: For numerically-based assignments like the ones in the classes I teach, I tend to use automatically-marked assignments in things like Blackboard or Webwork. That still gives the students feedback on what they did right and wrong, but means I just have to spend a little up-front time, not time marking lots of assignments.
I believe that personal, individualized feedback is better done during in-class tutorial sessions, during "office hours", and written as feedback to midterms or project work.
I tend to agree with both username_1 and username_2: Giving students a structure and pace from which to learn is important, BUT students learn differently, so a variety of learning mechanisms should be used.
**Pro:** Giving students structure and pacing for their learning.
**Con:** Inefficient use of tutors' time.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/21
| 1,080
| 4,709
|
<issue_start>username_0: My paper is accepted in an A-rank conference in computer science as a short paper. I need to reduce it to 6-pages instead of 10-pages.
All the reviewers said the paper has all the required elements to be a decent paper, but the presentation and problem introduction should have been better.
Also if i have to cut 4 pages, I need to reduce the references and the propositions and the proofs, and some of the related works!
So I'm not sure if it is better to withdraw it from this conference and submit the revised full version to another one? Or i should take the opportunity of having my paper in this top conference and try to submit the extended version to a journal paper?
BTW, i'm almost at the end of my PhD study and have not yet published any paper in a top-tier conference, and this work is one of the main results of my work (however there might be one another work to be submitted to another A-rank conference).<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know where you are in the profession. I'll assume you are relatively new. I might answer differently to a full professor. But what any presence in a good conference gives you is visibility and the opportunity to meet and interact with others who can help you along the way.
Granted that reducing a paper by 40% is quite difficult, but if you can do it, tightening up arguments, for example, then it may actually turn out to be better. Perhaps you have other advice from the referees as well. Perhaps it is possible to leave some parts out for a later, longer, paper.
But if you withdraw a relatively certain presence for a possible future one, you may actually be harming your career.
If you were limited to one paper in your whole career it would be a different situation. But if this is early work, I don't think there is any downside to this other than the time it takes. The work that goes in to it may even give you fresh ideas for the future.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> I'm wondering how valuable is to have a short paper in a top conference?!
>
>
>
That depends a bit on what you define as "valuable". As username_1 says, having a presentation and presence at a top conference is certainly very valuable in terms of visibility in the community and opportunity to make connections (never underestimate the importance of those!).
However, in my experience, as a line in your CV, everything that's not a full paper counts for very little, even if it's a short paper at a top conference. In other words, if that is intended to be the main paper of your PhD and you intend to go onto the job market with this work, you *need* to get it accepted as a full paper. If it's just a side project, or just one in a longer string of papers that together form your PhD, leaving it as a short paper and taking the opportunity to attend the conference and get your name out there may be worth it.
I should also say that, assuming your reviewers are right and all it needs for this work to become excellent is some presentation-level cleanup, it feels like a pity to not do this small additional work and try again at the next deadline for a top venue, rather than downgrading it to a short paper.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I'm not in computer science, but this is what the situation sounds like to an outsider: from this,
>
> I need to reduce it to 6-pages instead of 10-pages. All the reviewers said the paper has all the required elements to be a decent paper, but the presentation and problem introduction should have been better.
>
>
>
it sounds like the reviewers are pretty confident that with the results in your current manuscript you should be able to write a single paper that is equally good and equally complete within those six pages, and without needing to farm out any substantial parts of your proofs to external (appendices / arXiv / journal paper / weaker conference paper) documents.
This will obviously sound like it's somewhere between undoably hard and truly impossible to you, but you should give due consideration to the possibility that your abilities to write concisely and compactly still need to improve and that this is what the reviewers are asking you to do.
(This assumes, of course, that the *only* difference in what the reviewers are asking for is the length. If they are indeed proposing to drop you from 'full paper' to some other category, in CS-specific ways which are not evident in the question text and which would impact your CV beyond just the number of pages, then the situation obviously changes.)
And, all of that said: why are you having this conversation with strangers in the internet instead of with your PhD supervisor?
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/21
| 460
| 2,121
|
<issue_start>username_0: I received reviewers' feedback after the first round of major revision. One reviewer recommended acceptance, but the other is still not satisfied. The unsatisfied reviewer discounted what I have revised and pointed out specific questions that were not asked in the 1st round.
I feel his/her comments are quite biased and subjective. Unfortunately, the editor agrees with him/her and invited a major revision. However, the editor clearly stated that the chance of getting accepted after a 2nd revision is very low. I am not sure whether I should proceed with a revision or a just withdraw. I personally think my work might have been misjudged.<issue_comment>username_1: I understood from the question that you are asking whether to do the second major revision or not since the chance of acceptance is low.
I think it's better to go through with the second major revision and see what will happen. If you think the other referee's notes (aside from the one you think is biased) are valid, and doing those revisions will enrich your paper, then do it.
Your relationship with the editor do not end with publishing this paper or refusing to publish it. You may probably deal with the editor later in your professional life, and you might submit another paper to the same journal despite how this paper will end. So you wanna maintain a relationship with the journal editor. Stopping the communication about this paper without providing a valid reason is not good idea.
Good Luck!
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The editor's doing something weird. If the odds of acceptance are very low, then he could have rejected the paper. So the fact that the decision was 'major revision' is sort of saying that there's still a chance of acceptance.
I think it comes down to whether you still want to publish in the journal. If not, then you might as well withdraw now and save everyone's time. If yes, then make the revisions and try again. Worst case scenario, your paper gets rejected, but the revisions should still be helpful if you submit it to another journal.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/21
| 819
| 3,540
|
<issue_start>username_0: In my (mathematics) PhD program, the administration has started to crack down on students who are not making their way through the program in a timely manner. This has only started in the last year, and is being aimed mostly at the lower years students who have not passed their qualification exams yet.
The problem is, there is a third year student who has not passed all of their qualifying exams, but is doing good research, and has a published paper, has an advisor, and so on.
They might pass their quals now (we offer them at the beginning and the end of the year), but if they does not, the executive officer of our has made it clear that they will be kicked out (they are one of the six, out of twelve, third years under such threat). This seems ridiculous to several of us, since they are working much harder and making more progress than many of the older students.
Several of us have decided that this outcome is not acceptable, given the circumstances. How should we proceed, if they do not pass the two quals they need to? At this point we are planning to draft a joint email. Should their advisor cosign this, or would a separate approach be better? There are several other faculty who would cosign as well, if that is relevant. Are there other actions we could take?<issue_comment>username_1: Many institutions put requirements for progress for doctoral students. This has been going on forever and isn't special to your institution. It is only unfair if the people have inadequate notice after a rule change.
The problem, for the institution, is that such students use resources that might be better applied elsewhere. It is a judgement call. Some places have very strict rules and if you don't meet them, you must move on.
State sponsored universities, in particular have this problem as many of the funds are from public sources. A private university (by the US definition) can have a bit more freedom.
There is probably little pressure you can apply as a student, unless you can convince a large part of the faculty to oppose such a rule. You are making a judgement, of course. It may be valid or not, but others have their own judgements to make as well.
Sad to say, if a person isn't making progress it may be that they should do something else, instead. My preference is to let them see the issue and make their own decision rather than having it imposed on them, but the people who need to balance budgets may have a different view.
I once had to make a difficult academic decision and wound up moving to a different institution that turned out to be better for me in every way. It isn't the end of the world.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I have never seen a department where these type of progression rules are not flexible. If the faculty want a student to continue, they tend to find loop holes. If they want a student gone, qualifying exams is one of the easiest ways to get rid of them. If half of the third year students are under threat of not progressing, something is odd. Presumably, the department wants people to take (and pass) their quals. Regardless, I doubt that you, and your fellow students, can influence the outcome.
This is all a precursor to making you (or me) feel better about my advice that putting your head down and STFU is in your best interest. If the student is at risk, speaking up will make you both friends and enemies. Part of being an academic is learning which fights are worth fighting. This one does not seem to be one.
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/08/21
| 896
| 3,824
|
<issue_start>username_0: A scientific paper to be published contains an image of someone famous. An image is just picked from the Internet.
My questions:
1. Is it a violation to publish such image without permission?
2. From whom a researcher needs to seek the right to this image: the famous individual or photographer?
3. Suppose the image is eventually published in the paper without permission while the journal did not ask for permissions. When the paper is published the author grants the journal rights to publish this work. To best of my understanding, legally the author is not the owner of his paper anymore. The paper is published under Creative Commons license. In such a case, who is legally responsible for the violation: the author or the journal? Who can be potentially sued?
Thanks!
**Two follow-ups:**
1) How can I know which image I can use without a permission? For example, an image in Wikipedia can be used? I know that I can buy from stock images, but there is only limited number of images there.
2) For obtaining the permission, how I can know from whom to ask? For example, an image appear in some news article. But they could also obtain a permission to it.<issue_comment>username_1: 1. Assuming the photograph is still under copyright, yes.
2. The copyright owner of the photograph. This will usually be the photographer.
3. You are probably liable, but they would probably complain directly to the journal who would then shout at you. Under a Creative Commons license, you are still the author and "owner", even if you have given permission to people to use it under the license.
(I say "probably" - it does occasionally happen that you transfer rights to the publisher, who then release it under a CC license with themselves as the owner, but this is pretty rare.)
Short answer: yes, you do need to get permission, and you can't just say "I found it on the internet and it's the journal's problem for not checking".
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You can't "license" something that you don't already have rights to. If it is under copyright you need to ask. Most likely you will get permission for an academic paper, but not for a commercial work (a book). If a book, the publisher will have a fund to pay royalties to the copyright holder if necessary. They may even have a source for a royalty free image of the same person. Ask.
On the other hand, even if you are liable under the law, the publisher has deeper pockets and so would most likely be the primary target of any lawsuit, but you would also be named.
However, you might also be able to find a different image of the person in question for which you can get rights more easily. Tread carefully here. Some rights owners are very adamant about their rights and in most places the law is on their side. If a photographer makes a living off of their images they will likely have an issue that must be resolved.
There are some exceptions (fair use). But the journal publisher will know about that if you raise the issue with them.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: This may not apply to your situation, but if the 'famous' person is a scientist there may be ways to get *a* picture, although perhaps not *the* picture. (This probably should have been figured out earlier - next time!).
The American Institute of Physics has the Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, where they offer some 30,000 photos. [Licensing fees](https://photos.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/photos/fees) for publication seem quite reasonable for journal usage ($35 or less), if they hold the copyright (otherwise you have to contact the entity holding the copyright directly).
Other societies may have similar archives, so check with them.
For now, you need to find the copyright holder and negotiate with them.
Upvotes: -1
|
2018/08/22
| 1,064
| 4,255
|
<issue_start>username_0: As a bachelors student in mathematics, I took various courses in Algebra, Analysis, Number Theory, Geometry and Topology. I am pretty much interested in every field and I don't want to specialize in a single field--I like the research part.
Since my bachelors duration is 3 years, I'll have to do a masters.
I want to learn different fields in mathematics throughout my life and I want to earn a living by doing that and not working in Industry. But why would anyone pay me just so I can learn?
Also I discussed the possibility of M.Phil with one of my professors but he said M.Phil is not worth it and time will teach me the focus required to research.
Is there anything else I can do which matches with what I want?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I don't want to specialize
> why would anyone pay me just so I can learn?
>
>
>
They will not. In Academia, you need to specialise. However, if you successfully specialise and obtain a rare tenured position with few teaching duties, then you can spend a portion of your time learning whatever you want. You could despecialise. But you can expect your colleagues to look down on your choices.
It's easier to earn a lot of money outside academia, retire early, and then do what ever you want.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> I want to learn different fields in mathematics throughout my life and I want to earn by doing that and not working in Industry. But definitely why would anyone pay me just so I can learn?
>
>
>
**Nobody is paying you to just learn anything. This is not how either industry or academia works.** Even in the purest/most abstract of fields, academia is about *doing new things with what you've learned* (also called research).
What is true is that you can both specialize and still keep learning new fields. Actually, that's what most people do: digging deep into one topic, but picking up knowledge from different fields on their way to tackle the harder problems.
I propose that you should give research a try. It is very different from studying and maybe you'll like it - and maybe you'll like it even more than studying!
It can be very exciting when you learn something that nobody had learned before, but on the other hand it can be very frustrating when you try to find something out and nothing is working… (it's a little bit like working on problem sets that you posed yourself and nobody knows the answer to…).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: A three-year undergraduate degree allows you to learn the basics. Try delving deeper; read every chapter of some recommended texts. You might find you have a passion for deeper knowledge. Try to hone that passion during a master's degree: Conduct coursework in a field that you're particularly passionate about. Perhaps you'll find a specialism and perhaps you'll pursue that specialisation during a PhD...
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: I'd like to focus on the "specialisation" issue, as the "being payed for learning stuff" seems to be answered by others.
* If you want a career in academia, you **need** a PhD. (The only alternative is being a genius of the niveau of Ramanujan, but most such people also get their PhD the one or other way.)
* PhD is supposed to be the most "focused" part of your research. People are belied to get more "broad" in the later career.
* As someone (I forgot who) said: the most harm done to mathematics was to separate it into pure and applied parts. So, whatever you do, you'd be able to relate and build bridged to the other parts of the science. It's hard, admittedly, but even more resultful because of that.
* Everybody is different, but for me the actual fun and "depth" just began three years into a university mathematics course. Undergraduate studies typically more skim over the surface.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: If you are eligible for a United States Pell Grant (based on your question I guess you are not), then you can be paid by the US government to study. However, this is a bad idea. You have to enroll in a very cheap school, and the money left over will not pay enough to survive. The eligibility rules are very limiting. There is no obligation to specialize or to work in industry.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/22
| 952
| 3,698
|
<issue_start>username_0: Assume the hiring committee (Computer science) are reviewing the CVs of two Ph.D. graduate's with almost equal skills/expertise.
Regarding their **best publications**, one has 1-2 short papers (e.g. 6 pages) in A\* conferences (top-tier) whereas the other one has 1-2 full papers in B\* conferences (second-tier) in comparison, and both of them have an equal amount of other publications in lower ranked venues and journals.
Then which one can have better chances in getting hired as a post-doc researcher?
Consider<issue_comment>username_1: A short paper at an A+ conference is better on your CV than a full paper at a B+ conference, because readers will pay attention to venues and will most likely ignore paper lengths (even if you include them -- which you probably won't, because they take up room).
But, it seems like you're trying to decide upon a venue on the basis of only the immediate impact on your CV, you should take a broader, longer-term perspective.
---
Backstory: The OP's paper was originally ten pages and [it has been accepted at the A+ conference on the condition that it is reduced to six pages](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/115617/how-valuable-is-being-in-an-a-rank-cs-conference-with-a-short-paper?noredirect=1#comment303955_115617).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: As I wrote in an answer to your previous question, I think a short paper is fairly useless in terms of CV building, so a B+ conference would presumably be more valuable. I don't know your concrete examples, so it's hard for me to tell how these "B+" conferences would appeal to a grading or hiring committee.
>
> Also, is it necessary to emphasize in the CV whether the papers were accepted as a full or short version?
>
>
>
In my opinion it is, if you like being taken seriously. I am currently in a hiring committee, and I see *many* candidates passively or actively hiding the fact that some of their papers have been in side or short paper tracks rather than at the main conference. This never works, because I will (for all good candidates) actively seek out their best papers to look at them (not necessarily to check if they are full papers, more because I want to see what kind of research the candidate does). If I then find that what I thought was their strongest paper is actually some short paper, my opinion of the candidate deteriorates quickly.
In my experience having your lesser works blend in with your most important papers actually works against you - you presumably have a limited number of papers that you actually want people to check to get an impression of you as a researcher, and having your weak work mingle with your best work is detrimental to this goal. Nowadays I actively highly the <10 best works in my CV, to make sure an evaluator understands which papers I consider to be the best representation of the work I want to do.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I agree with @username_1, short paper in A+ conference is better than full paper in B+ conference in general.
* While it is true that if you compare two papers, the long version in B+ conference may look better. In a CV, a lot of A+ papers will **collectively** give a much better impression.
* It shows that you aim high.
* You should include the number of pages in your CV, but nobody will have time to look at a list, then do the calculation, oh page 113 - 118, oh that's a 6-page paper. DBLP doesn't show number of page.
* You can re-submit the full paper to a journal. Many top journals in CS are very short, e.g. [TSE](https://www.computer.org/web/tse) only allows 12 pages including references (and $200 for each additional page)
Upvotes: 3
|
2018/08/22
| 1,856
| 8,468
|
<issue_start>username_0: I've recently been trying to get one of my papers published, and have come across the following issue. I started by submitting it to a fairly high-impact journal. It got three reviews, two of which were positive. The third reviewer seemed to find it personally offensive for some reason and hated it. I felt I could respond to all the comments (the negative ones seemed to me to be based on a misunderstanding of the basic premise of the study), but unfortunately the paper was rejected outright without the opportunity to respond.
So, I edited the paper based on the previous reviews (attempting to address all the comments I received, major and minor), re-formatted it and submitted it to a middle-ranking journal in my field (ecology).
This time, the paper received two reviews, both of which were largely positive - mostly minor suggestions for improvement and comments praising the paper. However, the editor said that following comments from an "informal review", he has concerns about the methodology. When describing this he uses the exact wording used by the negative reviewer from my initial submission. Once again, the paper is rejected without opportunity to respond to the reviewers.
I find this very frustrating - both the actual reviews were positive, but the rejection seems to be based on an "informal review" that I'm unable to see, or respond to.
To me, this isn't how the peer review process is supposed to work. Do you think it is worth emailing the editor to appeal his decision? Or is it a waste of time, and I should submit it to another journal?
Thanks
EDIT:
As an update, I emailed the editor and surprisingly they changed their mind, agreeing that I could respond to the comments and re-submit. I did this and the paper was accepted. A good outcome I suppose, though I will probably avoid submitting to the same journal in the future.<issue_comment>username_1: I'm going to guess that personalities are involved here and that you aren't going to win any fight you start. However, I think it would be appropriate for you to write to the editor asking for an explanation of "informal" review and how it is considered appropriate. You could mention that your paper seems to have been rejected not using "normal order" and ask, also, if that is appropriate.
I doubt you will get much satisfaction, but it is just possible that they will re-think their process. This might help someone in future, even if it doesn't help you.
But if it were me writing the letter, I would be polite and just ask for information and a judgment of appropriateness.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: The sad reality is that the answer to *"should I appeal about a journal decision"* is always *"no"*. Cut your losses and move on. In your case, this means submitting again to a different journal. Given that the reviews were fairly positive I would not downgrade the venue, I would just try a similarly-competitive journal again. Any issues that the reasonable reviewers brought up should of course be fixed. If possible, I would see if the paper could also fit a slightly different community, to lose the weird academic stalker that your paper seems to have picked up.
Also, if you can afford it, never submit to this journal again, because this certainly does not seem like something an ethical academic journal would pull. An editor in a strong journal certainly does not hide behind "informal feedback" and fuzzy, undisclosed methodological problems. Note that this does not mean that a good journal never rejects papers despite positive reviews, but if they do that the editor should take responsibility and clarify why the paper is rejected (even if the reason is just "the paper is good, but I think not high-impact enough for our grand journal").
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: I'm tempted to say yes, respond to the editor and ask for clarification of the informal review, you could frame this as being in the interests of improving the manuscript.
However, the realist in me recognises this will be a fools errand as either the editor will likely not respond favourably (or even respond at all as you already have your peer review), or they respond with some brief information written only from the editors personal recall, as after all, this was informally reviewed and presumably not officially recorded.
The situation you are in is simply the result of poor/lazy editorial work. Ultimately the decision should come down to the editor/sub-editor as to whether or not you progress with your paper (guided by review - not decided). The editor being so heavily influenced by the views of an individual that was not formally included in the initial peer review suggests that the editor is not independently decisive in my opinion.
I recently published a paper that spent over a year in review, being almost completely rewritten four times before it made it through the process. This was because a single reviewer in the first round decided that they fundamentally objected to the methodology, although it was clear from their comments that they had seriously misunderstood the process. All other reviewers had comments to make of course, but the paper was generally well received despite the revisions. Eventually, the editor removed the reviewer and put the paper out to new reviewers, who in several places wanted to undo the comments of reviewer one, and the paper ended up something close to the original! A frustrating process yes, however, the point is the editor maintained their own views, was not heavily influenced by a single reviewer, and allowed me the leeway to improve the paper within the framework that the review process gave me.
Unfortunately, in your situation all these options have been removed, due to poor editorial leadership. So I feel its time to cut your losses and move on to another journal. Best of luck with it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I want to point out something that the other answers sort of assumed: it's by no means certain that the journal is not acting ethically. I once handled a paper for which *all* the reviews were positive and was still outright rejected. Why? Because one reviewer gave confidential information that doomed the paper (this was of the form "I have firsthand knowledge that this author is attempting to publish without the consent of his co-authors"). Remember that you're only seeing the non-confidential part of the reviews, and it's entirely possible there were more reviewers whose reviews were not shared with you. It could even be that there was a reviewer who declined to review, but gave a reason which influenced the editor's decision.
What to do now: write to the editor asking for more details from the informal review. I can't tell if he gave you enough information to see why the reviewer disagreed with your methodology, but if he didn't, you can ask for those details. Then, based on how receptive he is to changing his mind, you can decide whether or not to appeal.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Have you ever wonder why soccer players complain to the referee (almost) all the time for the decisions of his that go against their team, even though he is (indeed) the "absolute master" of the game, and even when it appears there is no doubt surrounding a specific decision?
The answer is simple, known to everyone involved in the game, but still impossible to nullify its (statistical) effectiveness: they try to influence his *future* decisions (on the same game), or more accurately, to influence the degree to which the referee will be careful and thoughtful in his future decisions.
And if they do it in a diplomatically correct way, they do have a chance of achieving that goal, which is to the benefit of everybody.
I would suggest you do the same: it is not so much about fighting the rejection with the goal of reversing it, but of letting the editor know, in the appropriate diplomatically correct way, that you have some issues with the way that the rejection of your paper was effectuated and was communicated to you.
The "game" here, is you wanting to submit again to this journal, without being the person who will accept any opaque explanation as regards the possible rejection of their paper.
Then, move on to another journal (except of course in the highly unlikely case that the editor will in response communicate a willingness to re-examine the rejection decision).
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/22
| 7,491
| 30,886
|
<issue_start>username_0: Background
==========
Due to a change in schedule, I recently had to swap one course section (with a supposedly outstanding instructor) for another (with a different instructor).
Problem
=======
Based on a number of reliable sources, I have come to learn that my new professor is an extremely unreasonable, unapproachable, and severe human being. Numerous people who have had the pleasure to attend his class all commonly reflect on the fact that he is 1) a poor teacher who makes his expectations unclear (and refuses to explain students' mistakes to them) and 2) insists that only 25% of the class will pass. It might be of benefit to mention that this is a required course.
If there is one thing that bothers me in a classroom setting, it is when teachers are vague about what they want from students whilst grading them harshly for things that they never explicitly stated. This is especially worrisome in this circumstance, where the quality of a piece of work is, to some extent, subjective. In addition, I am NOT one who merely seeks to pass classes. I work hard, and I expect my grades to reflect such. Admittedly, I am a very persistent, determined, and bold and I tend to become riled up when I feel like an injustice has been done.
**Class starts on Monday, and I would like to know if there is anything that I can do to minimize my heartache. I have heard too many stories about student-professor drama and I wish to avoid it entirely.**
Obviously, I can't do anything right now. But would it be okay to approach the prof after the first day of class? If yes, what should I say? If not, do I just bite my tongue and risk my GPA to suffer due to nothing save a teacher's poor attitude?
For those who will tell me to wait until class starts before thinking about any of this, I see no purpose as this instructor has a very long track record and I wish to strategize.<issue_comment>username_1: As a former college instructor myself, the number one thing that made me willing to work with students was a willingness on their part to form a mutual relationship of trust.
I was always much more willing and desirous to help a student out when they treated me respectfully and did not treat me like I was out to ruin their life.
Let me also add that it is always of benefit for the instructor to know who you are. This is especially true in a class that potentially could have 50+ students in it (like introductory English). Try to find a way to introduce yourself to the instructor by asking a meaningful and intelligent question after the first class. Even just introducing yourself can sometimes be of benefit.
In closing, may I also be generally blunt? College is an entirely different beast than high school. The standards are often much higher. The negative reviews of this teacher could be negative in part because he is handed a sloppy bunch of kids who just want an easy A. Not always is this the case, but it is sometimes the case.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: Let me suggest that you wait just a bit and form an opinion about the instructor based on your actual relationship rather than rumor. You might form the same opinion as that which you heard, but, on the other hand, he or she might be just the person you need for this.
Going in with preconceptions isn't doing anyone any good.
FWIW, I had a reputation as a very demanding teacher. However, almost all my students (any who wanted to actually work at it) did very well and I was both liked and respected by students. The few times I was attacked for my methods, other students actually came in to the conversation and talked the complainer down. I never had to do that myself.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: If your professor legitimately gets to the end of the semester and gives 75% of the students a failing grade, this answer may not apply. However, that figure strikes me (as clarified below) as a freshman tall tale or at worst a scare tactic.
I would encourage you to, first of all, do your homework (figuratively) and *do* know what the professor is known for. Tough grader? Lots of homework? Easy A's? Doesn't cover the textbook in class? These things are good to know.
However, take that information with a grain of salt. Every professor I've ever come across is pleased by a hard-working, honest, respectful student. As username_1 noted, some professors will get bad reviews per se from students fresh out of High School that didn't read the syllabus and want the least amount of work for an easy A. Although it's becoming more and more necessary for many professions to have a college degree, the real point of college is to come and learn, which is different from the "come and *graduate*" perspective of many High School students.
Harsh words/expectations
------------------------
Sometimes a professor will say things like "only 25% of you will pass," to scare a group of students into working hard, when they don't actually mean it. Sometimes they'll be speaking from experience, in a harder class where many people drop out (my Calc 1 teacher did, and he was an awesome guy). Although I will say that, from my experience, 25% passing would have to include the people who drop out after realizing the class isn't for them. 25% at the end of the semester is very low.
Since your teacher seems to be known for unclear expectations, be especially careful in reading the syllabus at the beginning of the semester. A lot of high school students neglect to do this, and then complain about unclear expectations. In addition, if you have any questions, ask your professor. Try to be specific, and make it easy to respond: instead of saying, "what's the best way to insert quotations?" ask, "would it be better for me to say 'blablahbla (Author),' or 'as Author says, 'blablahbla.'"
Lack of (useful) feedback
-------------------------
My hope would be that you would at least get some feedback on your homework when graded -- whether that be marking categories (`style: 2.7, length:6.3`), or written critiques on the paper. It is possible that you'll have a professor that has one writing style that they like, and you'll need to cater to that for the class. If that's the case, it's possible you won't know until your first paper comes back marked down. In that situation, you'd use the critiques to understand what the professor *does* want from your papers, and improve on following ones. It's rare that a single paper will hurt your grade too much. Once you get that paper back, it doesn't hurt to go to the professor's office hours (nice to do anyway), and discuss how you could've made the paper better. This particular talk wouldn't be a time to come in and ask them to change your grade; instead, it shows them that you want to do high quality work, and it's a chance for you to learn what they want. Be respectful, as always, and come with specific questions (e.g., "Would [this] have been better?").
"Unreasonable, unapproachable, and severe."
-------------------------------------------
Your professor seems to also have a reputation for being "unreasonable, unapproachable, and severe." Now I don't suggest that you ignore this reputation, but don't let it mar any potential interactions you may have. I don't know anyone that specifically *wants* to be any of these qualities, and I suspect that your professor does not either. (That doesn't mean of course that I don't know people who come across as these things, but it's not because they're Scrooge or Mr Grinch inside.)
In other words, don't treat them as if they're being unreasonable, unapproachable, or severe right off the bat, because that will give them a bad impression of you. Sometimes there will be professors that are tired of students coming up with questions that they already covered in class, and it will rub off into their interactions with other people as well. For my introductory chemistry teacher, that was the case. Her philosophy (as I could tell) was to be strict, and even make fun of people who asked questions in class if she'd already covered it, in hopes of people paying attention and not having to ask those questions. Now, I'm not saying that's the best strategy, but from her perspective it seemed to work: she got fewer "dumb" questions. (Side note: if you don't understand something, please just ask. Respectfully, of course, but don't be intimidated by someone like this. She didn't actually mind the questions (although I was scared to ask for the first month), and I actually liked her by the end of the semester :).)
Again, often the "unapproachable" reviews are from people who didn't try hard enough. Yes, it reflects badly on the professor; they should try to foster useful discussion and questions. However, often the "unapproachable" professor will be approachable with tact. As I've said multiple times, be respectful, and do your homework. In your standard Community College, those two things alone will already put you above the rest.
TL;DR:
------
(Since you can't change classes,) Give the professor the benefit of the doubt, do good work, ask questions, and *be respectful*.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: As most of the answers are handling the case of the poor misunderstood professor assuming good faith I will take the case that the professor **is in fact the [bad apple](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SadistTeacher).**
Yes, they do exist and yes, they do exist in university, they are not just a school problem.
In this case it will be an uphill battle. Normally professors have a certain amount of trust and everything you charge against them will be first met with disbelief, *even if they have a verifiable trace of serious teaching problems*.
**So the first action you must do is making a decision: Are you really ready to risk such a battle? Could you live with holding your tongue and holding out which is unfortunately often successful?**
If you risk it, you need to have as much evidence as possible. Kindly ask if you can record the lesson on audio (I do not know how the situation in your country is, but in mine many hearing-impaired people used this for preparation at home). Find out the grading distribution of the former tests...it is a difference if someone says "Normally approximately 25% of the people pass the course" (and you see sth. like 32%, 19%, 10%, 42% and different distributions for other grades which is unsuspicious) or **that the guy has exactly the same distributions for every year (!) which is a sure sign of academic misconduct**.
If you failed the course you should at least try to contact the Dean afterwards to talk about it (and get evidence that you did it). I do not know the system works where are you educated, but it is important that you really try to exhaust the "normal" possibilities until you get serious.
ADDITION: <NAME> provided a [link](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/06/23/college-students-placed-remedial-algebra-have-better-outcomes-college-stats-classes) that more challenging courses (e.g. math) in community colleges (That the OP visits a community college was redacted in the question) have in fact a very low success rate which borders at the 20% level. So low pass-rates may be in fact not speaking against the professor.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: I would talk to the other professors.
During my masters, I was warned about a particular professor by *other professors*. I did not heed their warning, and it was a terrible experience (e.g., I watched him insult and humiliate other students in the class). When I later spoke to the problem professor's own colleagues in his own department, they also had very negative things to say about him. I couldn't believe their candour with me: a student, unknown to them.
There are some professors who should not be teaching. For whatever reason, they hang around unwanted by everyone. I suggest you find out from professors what kind of situation you're walking into. If they have positive things to say about him, then try to get the most you can out of the class. If this probably a bad situation, you should just avoid it. You will have very little power to fix things if they go wrong.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: 1. Listen very carefully to instructions.
2. If something is unclear, ask politely and concisely after the class.
3. Find out what you need to get into that top 25%. Top 1%? From the professor, not from peers. They might play a competitive game on you.
4. Be very polite and humble. Acknowledge the professor's absolute authority and don't threaten him in any way.
Obviously something is wrong there (with the professor, with students, or with university?), but unless you are feeling absolutely heroic, tread lightly until you figure it out.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: I always worry when I read such posts. It implies the instructor is malicious, which is very very very rare. Most of the times the outcome of the course is as described, but the students have an incorrect opinion of the instructor.
I have taught classes where the success rate is very low, and I know of colleagues who have taught classes where the success rate is extremely low. Such classes are rare and this kind of situation usually happens because students are poorly prepared (most often through no fault of their own) for the material presented, poorly organized (i.e. they overload on courses, commit to too much off-campus work etc), simply expect the instructor to provide them with detailed instructions on how to memorize every solution rather than reason out from first principles or - to be frank - delusion on the part of students as to what constitutes hard work.
In the latter case, this is often due to a difference in academic culture: chemistry students taking a required physics course, or physics students required to take a chemistry course, or engineering students taking a math course, or math students taking a more applied topic. The difference becomes evident when comparing performances between students of the home unit and students from a different unit. In my experience instructors are well aware of such differences, and I have yet to met someone who sets out to be rude and unhelpful to students.
I would suggest you reach out to the instructor as soon as you are in trouble, as for specific complementary textbooks or resources, and be careful about time management.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_8: Assuming this professor is in fact a bad apple taking this section of this course is gambling with your tuition and your GPA. I'd consider the following points for the goal of minimizing your chance for heartache.
1. Attempt to transfer to another section of the class - depending on the specific academic calendar for your school this may still be possible
2. Drop this class and pick up another required course - depending on your program flexibility and prerequisites this may be trivial or quite difficult
3. Drop this class and take a less than full load - depending on your current progress in your program this may mess up your long run graduation plans or may be trivial
4. Give them a try but be aware of cut off dates for dropping classes with respect to finances and grades
Nothing out there says you have to gamble your GPA and tuition on this professor. If they legitimately take pride in failing students it's a bad move to become one of their students.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_9: First of all, hello from another student who had a similar experience.
The currently most upvoted answers tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the teacher. As someone said in comments, Academia.SE is mostly made of teachers - and I shall add - **good teachers**. I don't know any of them, obviously, but I have absolutely no doubt that **every teacher participating in Academia.SE is immensely above average and most certainly minimally decent teachers**.
Indeed, evil teachers are almost inexistent, I believe. But everyone is overlooking that **incompetent teachers** are all over the place. Including teachers that think they are excellent but oversee their own absurdity. Also, it should be noted that there are many countries in the world, with many cultures and many problems. Not everyone studies in the best universities, with the best teachers.
Now, to the answer. I will make very pessimistic assumptions, so if in your case it's not that bad, great!
What you can do about the teacher
=================================
It's a good thing to fight for a fair an better class/environment. For this, I suggest @username_11's answer, which has detailed steps on what to attempt that I agree with.
What you can do about yourself
==============================
**Assuming the unfortunate situation in which the above didn't work**, I will provide some suggestions on what you can do about yourself, the main goal being to make your semester less painful to you (preventing you from going crazy) while still keeping in mind that you must pass.
Be ready for lower grades than usual
------------------------------------
Accept that your grades will take a hit. If you're like me, and don't like to just get 60 and pass (instead, you want to learn everything which usually automatically leads to 90+), convince yourself that this is simply not doable when the evaluation system used by the teacher is **unpredictable**, **random**, **illogical** and **unknown**. You will **still learn as much as you can**, as always, but since grading is absurd, you won't be graded accordingly.
Obtain as much information as possible
--------------------------------------
Make super specific questions about his grading system in order to gain as much information as possible, in a way that makes it almost impossible for him to deny it later. Ask things like:
* Professor, that report you mentioned, at what date exactly is it to be delivered? How many points is it worth? Is there a model to be followed? Must it be handwritten? Do you expect an specific formatting? Approximately what size do you expect?
Once I delivered a single-page text about a certain topic and got a bad grade. After asking why, he said that "it should have been separated in topics instead of paragraphs".
Pay attention
-------------
If he is bad at transmitting information, i.e., teaching, try your best to pay attention anyway so that you can at least **figure out what is the topic of each lecture** so that you can study by yourself later.
Show interest
-------------
Let him notice that you're interested in learning. There is a good chance that this will happen naturally since you're interested in learning since the beginning. In the end of a class, if you have a question, ask it, even if you don't expect to learn anything from his answer. As I said, chances are that he is simply incompetent, and not evil. This way, being friendly won't hurt and will probably be beneficial.
Don't show anger/impatience
---------------------------
Feel free to express confusion and show that you're looking for help, but do not show anger or impatience. Try at your best to consider that he is not doing what he is doing because he is evil.
Do it his way
-------------
If you manage to find out what he wants, do the things the way he wants. Even if it's a bad way. For example, if you find out that he likes reports divided in 4 chapters with certain specific titles, do that even if objectively there is a much better way to do it. Recall that since his grading is absurd, unfortunately you shouldn't do the best, but instead you should do what he believes to be the best (of course all of this is only doable if you figure out what's best for him in the first place).
Keep in mind that the teacher is a part of the challenge
--------------------------------------------------------
Usually, if you're like me, the challenge is to "learn something", and the high grades simply come as a consequence. This time, there are two challenges. The first is to learn something, as usual. I'm sure you will do well on that. The second is to get good grades. Accept that, this time, they won't be correlated as usual. You'll have to make specific efforts for this second challenge. Keeping this in mind since the beginning will help you.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: (I came here in the course of searching for something to help me learn the Python computer language so I can set some "interesting" assignment to my class .. but thanks!)
There are some assumptions here:
1) The "reputation" of the instructor. From where? Fraternities? Alums of schools that graduated people regardless of accomplishment? I am yet to find a good source for "Teacher's Reputation" that actually makes sense. If your gasoline pump operator used that to measure how much gas you bought, you would have them arrested. So why are universities so bad at this fundamental metric? Their alums' record of success in being happy 20 years down the line would be good, but how can one get that?
2) The Teacher is a boss who sets out Expectations for grades rather than a Teacher of what one comes there to learn.
I know of a teacher whose grading was almost "bi-modal". A or F. Well, not quite, but he would indeed fail most of the class if they did not solve the problems on the test. Yes, that sometimes hit 75% or more. But never 100%, but only because a few WOULD get it right. Which is a very scary thought because of the nature of the field. Would you like to have your appendix taken out by a doctor who, well.. could get that right 53% of the time? 23.55% of the time?
3) "Communicate Expectations". That term is the real Red Flag about #rainier's initial post. Teachers are not supposed to be programming robots, we are supposed to be educating the minds of intelligent, thoughtful, enthusiastic humans. When you are given a set of notes to learn, (and yes, you are Expected to go find some old tests, let me tell you that), what part of that Expectation is unclear? Why should you expect reward for incomplete/sloppy work (not that many teachesr won't give you that)? Yes, I see that rainier says the subject is "subjective", and that does make it harder. Experience is the way out, dear rainier and the best way I know to get experience is to work hard at it. (As a Senior in grad school told me: Ya gotta sit in this chair until yore backside has the shape of the chair!) Would you understand the Expectations until you had learned enough to understand the questions? How can you understand the question if you haven't thought enough about the subject? Isn't that the real problem here?
As a teacher, my "Expectation" is that you solve 90 percent of the problem(s) set to you to get an A, 80% to get a B etc, and at least 55% to get a D. That should be evident to any student from the syllabus, which I do communicate, but if you are in college and don't yet know that, there is something a bit wrong with your college and high school and middle school. If the scheme is far different from that (like, Only One A or None At All Will Be Given, a system under which I have studied..), OK, you need to be informed. Usually the "Communicate Expectations" term means: "Did not write on the board the questions and the answers for the upcoming test so that I could copy them down, memorize them, get them on my "cheat sheet" and copy them down onto the test because that's all I had to do in my high school where the teachers were terrified of my parents".
How many bosses in any interesting profession "convey expectations" beyond a very general level, I wonder? If they have to tell their employees how to draw every line or type every key, then why hire them, over my graduates who will know how to do their own thinking, and figure out what is the best way to do what makes sense? Why pay for college grads at all? The best compliments I have heard are (from the employer): "We are thinking of retiring because your alum has taken over everything we do!" NOT "your alum needs to be told EXACTLY what to do every day, every hour".
Oh, and by the way, if you haven't figured it out yet. I am a Very Bad Teacher. Most of the 5% to 10% of my class who, despite my very best efforts to wake them up, don't even drop the course, and manage to fail, would agree with that - and they do very loudly and shrilly on the Internet. I am "disorganized" though I put out a clear Syllabus before the semester begins, and do everything mostly better than any other teacher. The 50% (or so, it varies) who **EARN** their As in my classes are too busy to be sitting on the Internet commenting on the teacher, but in the past (xx >>10) years I have encountered many after they became productive alumni, and at least, they still grin at me. What they are thinking then is a different question :) (my own evil grin). What I DO know is how ANGRY they are when they graduate, seeing how in many classes, their own very hard work gets exactly the same degree certificate as the poor, sloppy and clueless work of others who hardly did any work, because the Instructor emphasized his/her own popularity at their expense of integrity.
They thank me for doing my job honestly.
Come to think of it, that is the \*ONLY\*\* Expectation that MY bosses have ever conveyed to me in all these decades (yeah, there have been a few slimy attempts to get me to change Fs to Ws, but always couched in weasel words best ignored):
**"Ya gotta be OBJECTIVE! If you ever lose that, you have NOTHING!"** Still rings in my ear. It was the lunchtime answer (the Boss nearly knocked his tray over as he snapped that) to my question as a rookie not-even-academic-faculty teacher: *"The Major is not doing his homework, and wants me to give him a C and not bother him. He is heading for an F. Should I do anything about it?"* The Boss then marched off, summoned The Major to his office .... and The Major did get a C, because he shaped up and did all his homework, including catching up on the ones he had skipped. Because I was Objective but also sympathetic. I was too terrified to be anything else. I still am.
I will die happy, though maybe poor, that I have given them all my best and excellent education that they paid and trusted me to give them, however little of that the administration may have passed on to me.
But no, I am not going to Convey My Expectations this semester beyond what I already did. I have other uses for the time, and I promised myself many years ago that I will not allow the flunkies to dominate my life, I would spend my time helping the interested, smart students who are 90% of those I am privileged to teach, as long as my health and Bosses will allow me.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_11: ### 1. Verify (or dispel) the rumors
Some other answers have suggested this, but more vaguely. I'll be concrete:
1.1. Talk to the student union / council, and your faculty representatives in particular. Read concrete complaints or correspondence regarding this Professor.
1.2 Determine the fail/pass rate when this Professor gives an exam (in general or just for this course). Is it really 25%, or below 50%, who pass?
1.3 Skim your university's and departments' regulations / bylaws - to understand what a Professor can and cannot do with respect to setting pass/fail rates and with respect to responding to student queries in and out of class.
1.4 Wait until your first session with him, at least. At the session, write down (or record as audio and transcribe) statements which you believe contradict the Professors official obligations, and cases in which he outright refused a legitimate request to clarify a point he was making.
If the rumors have been too harsh then ignore the rest of this answer (perhaps not the next section though.) Otherwise, read on.
### 2. Schedule an appointment with him
In almost (?) all universities, students taking a class are able to arrange to visit the instructor in his/her office, to ask for advice, clarifications, repeated explanation of a point made in class etc. In many universities, there is even an official weekly reception hour which the instructor is required to keep free of other engagements and at which s/he must be present in their office.
2.1 Visit the Professor's office hours, or schedule an appointment in his office, the first time you feel he was being unclear in his requirements or in his actual teaching.
2.2 At the appointment, focus on individual, specific, points of inclarity first of all. Also, tell him that you want to make an effort to succeed in this class (perhaps butter him up with an explanation of how you recognize the academic importance of this subject).
2.3 If the appointment hasn't otherwise gone poorly, and if he has made a statement regarding the 25%, tell him that the statement has made you very concerned, since you've understood it to mean that even if you apply yourself, pay attention, do the homework, etc. you will still probably fail. See how he reacts, or how he explains this policy.
If even the specific points you've brought up cannot be clarified or addressed, or if he doubles-down on how most students deserve to fail his class, then you're in real trouble. If he has assuaged your concerns, however, consider doing the following as well
2.3 Carefully suggest that from speaking to your friends, you believe that several other students may have failed to understand what you have come to try to clarify. Don't suggest any concrete action - let him suggest something, if at all.
### 3. If things turn sour, consult others before escalating
If the Professor actually is unclear, refuses to explain things, makes inspecific/unclear requirements, is unresponsive at reception hours, seems to plan to fail most students, etc. - **you should do something about it; but - not alone.**
3.1 Talk to fellow students taking the course about this and try to act together in anything else you do.
3.2 Talk to the student union about this issue, providing them with concrete evidence of wrongdoing / failures. Try to have them act together with you (but don't let them just drop the ball).
3.3 Talk to the teaching assistants and/or to other Professors - again at reception hour or in an appointment, explaining you find the Professor difficult to approach and you are worried you will have trouble completing the course despite making an effort. You would be asking their advice, ostensibly, but the subtext is that there's a problem with the Professor and you need their help in getting him to realize it. If the TAs not too defensive of him, "escalate" the subtext and actually try to get to the point of saying that. On the other hand - this is a bit risky; if you can do this in a group of people.
3.4 Talk to us again - You can very well ask a followup question here on Academia.SX
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/22
| 887
| 3,770
|
<issue_start>username_0: As a professor in a North American university, I receive a number of what I consider to be form letter graduate school application emails from outside the country. These emails generally feature some statement about being familiar with my research or offering generic praise for my research, followed by a description of the applicant's background and skills that have absolutely nothing to do with my research (but fall into the broader field of my department).
I tend to quickly delete these emails, but I'm concerned that not responding may be ambiguous and may further contribute to the practice of these students sending out mass form letter emails. I'm considering drafting a form letter response acknowledging that I received the email and specifying the background/skills I am currently looking for, with an invitation to send another email if the student can demonstrate how their experience aligns with my interests.
Does this seem productive? Are there better ways to respond to such emails?<issue_comment>username_1: I use a form letter to reply to some\* of these emails:
>
> [Given Name of Person],
>
>
> Thank you for your interest in my research. Please submit an
> application to our graduate program via [my university]'s graduate
> studies website: [link to application]. You will have opportunity in
> the application process to attach examples of any work related to [my
> field and specialty] and can state your research aims there if you
> wish. Our graduate coordinator ([email to grad coordinator]) can
> answer further questions about the application process.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> [My Name]
>
>
>
I do this just in case I might have stumbled upon a [Ramanujan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan)-like person whose work is brilliant, but perhaps not yet formalised. This form letter has produced I believe two applicants (that I am aware of), one of whom was accepted to the university and did work with me. Almost always, the person realises that their GRE/TOEFL/IELTS scores are not nearly good enough and they do not even apply. I feel that sending this form letter avoids the unfortunate process of emailing back and forth with a potential student only to find that they have next to no experience in my field and cannot pass the entrance exams.
If they email me further wanting me to look at their work and they have not submitted an application for graduate school, I usually ignore those emails. Making them apply through the graduate studies department screens 95% of them right off the bat.
\*I say "some" emails because there are some emails that are clear phishing scams.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I find them easy to just delete. I have a fairly public persona IRL and so before I retired I got a lot of them. But obviously, all they really knew about me was my email address. They want to join my (non existent) lab, having skills that are completely unrelated to anything I've ever done or shown on my website. I'm sure Hydraulic Engineering is a fine field, but I can't think how I'd integrate them into a Computer Science program, when they don't even indicate that CS is their goal.
I can't think of any constructive reply. Certainly none that would slow the flood. If the student hasn't at least looked at what I do, I don't think I owe them much. Continuing the conversation seems entirely unproductive for either myself or the student. I suspect that they send out hundreds of these looking for a fraction of a percent of replies.
I've often wondered if professors in some parts of the world make it a requirement that their students send out a certain minimum number of CVs. A certain *large* number, I suspect.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/23
| 540
| 2,007
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am planning to request an override via e-mail for a class which is taught by two professors; one of them holds a PhD, while the other hold a master's; I have never met either of them. Usually my first line would be something along the lines of:
"Hello Dr. X, Dr. Y"
However, I feel like if I say
"Hello Dr. X, Mr. Y"
it would seem a little weird. I don't want to be over the top formal, but I still want to be polite. I've thought of using "Pro. X, Prof Y" but I'm not sure. How should I address them?
My location is the U.S.<issue_comment>username_1: In the US, it's perfectly fine to say "**Hello (or dear) Professor X and Professor Y**", or something like **Dear Professors**. Another widely-applicable option is to avoid names altogether -- my favorite is simply "**Greetings**."
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Given that they're professors, you can just use "Prof."
Having said that, don't worry too much about salutation. I'm sure lots of people have received emails calling them "Dr." when they don't have PhDs, or "Prof" when they aren't professors. Heck, I've even seen emails calling someone "Mr." when they're actually female, or vice versa. We learn to ignore the honorific and concentrate on the email text.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: If it is an option to send them separate emails, I would do that and address both as "Professor." As someone who holds a Ph.D. and worked in academia with colleagues who have a Ph.D. and others who don't, I would say that no one would be discomforted by being addressed as "Professor" even when they don't have a doctoral degree. Since they are teaching college level, it is appropriate to address them as such regardless of their degree.
PS: I am assuming this is for US colleges. Although I think the academic etiquette practiced in some other parts of the world might be similar, I can't speak for it informedly. And you get an "A" from me for caring to ask this question :)
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/23
| 1,177
| 5,173
|
<issue_start>username_0: **Background**
I recently was enrolled in a science course where I believed that the lecturer had a really poor understanding of the material at hand. I have had some bad lecturers before but this lecturer is one of the most difficult academics I have ever dealt with.
I was warned by all the postgraduates/PHD students to not take this person's course as it was poorly taught and it was incredibly frustrating raising fundamental errors made in lectures. Eg
*Me:The projector says s < t*
*Lecturer: No it doesn't (doesn't look at projector)*
*It clearly did... I wasn't the only one that noticed it*
The reason why I decided to take this course is because it happened to be related to my thesis area and I had studied it and taken similar subjects before. Ultimately I just wanted an easier semester.
Anyway there came a point in the semester where I questioned a mistake made in the lecture and I said another result should have been used. The lecturer got out the result they quoted and the result I quoted in response on the projector. It was quite obvious that what they said wasn't correct but just said in response that I wasn't correct even when I quoted a reference. This prompted me to try and drop the course and use another course for credit.
**Initial Complaint**
Unfortunately when I tried to drop the course I was too far into the semester so my other option was to make a complaint to the department. I really needed to graduate at the end of semester so I decided to take the course in the mean time but put in minimal effort to pass as I was so frustrated with everything in the course. I made this very clear to the department.
I approached the head of the department and made a complaint about the course.
I waited well over a month to hear back from the department and the department decided to not do anything because there was insufficient evidence. I certainly understand that it is difficult for them to make a conclusion.
However they also said that my grade was probably a reflection of the educational background that I had (what they meant was because I was already familiar with the area that due to differences in ways in how it may be taught it contributed to my poor grade).
This really frustrated me. Ultimately I really regret letting my pride get in the way by not putting in any effort in the final. But at the same time I don't understand how the examples that I gave (which were the ones given above plus more) leads to that conclusion. I feel that they pretty much came up with their own conclusion as to what happened. I made a request that they should talk to the students (past and present) and see their experiences but it seems that they didn't bother at all.
**What I want to achieve**
I just want to remove that subject from my transcript and replace it with the other subject I have. It seems that the option that I have is to escalate this to the university and have it resolved centrally. This seems like quite a lot of effort and stress. A part of me feels like I am obligated to do this because so many of the postgraduates have had similar experiences to me. They choose not to complain to avoid awkward situations.
Another reason why I am quite reluctant is because if I was to make a complaint of this nature centrally to the university this would probably put the lecturer in quite a predicament.
I have seen similar questions posted here but ultimately what I am asking is what are some potential consequences for the lecturer assuming that my complaint is successful?<issue_comment>username_1: Finish the course, and let it go. It sounds as though you are being properly taught a lesson in taking a course you knew you shouldn't take. This is actually a lesson worth experiencing. Real life will require you to face unwanted tasks, in unpleasant situations, while being judged by a person that you know is not qualified to judge your performance. So i suggest you simply get the best grade you can, and move on with your academic career.
Good luck.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If the lecturer has a permanent employment contract, it is very likely any complaints you make will have no results. The principle of academic freedom protects controversial teaching. Since there is no known method of distinguishing controversial teaching and poor teaching, poor teaching is also protected.
If the lecturer has a temporary employment contract, your complaint might make it harder for them to get further employment. Or it may have no effect. It depends on the individual circumstances.
Students' views about the quality of teaching are very valuable for people who want to improve their teaching methods. But they should not be used when making hiring decisions or when judging the performance of individuals. The reason is that on average, student's views are biased based on factors like the race and gender of the lecturer and the difficulty of the course.
You will not be able to remove any course from your transcript. Removing courses from transcripts would be academic dishonesty. Any university which did this would ruin its reputation.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/23
| 2,174
| 9,452
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm doing a PhD with a professor with serious funding problems. He invited me to prepare a presentation for a conference, making it clear that he wouldn't pay for my travel expenses. I, in turn, replied that I didn't have the money to travel to that conference. He offered that another student go present my research because that student, unlike me, is ready to pay for the travel expenses.
My professor claims it to be common practice, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that a student who didn't contribute the slightest bit to my research will be presenting my results. Is it really common practice? What do you think about that offer?<issue_comment>username_1: I do recall some papers presented on proxy during conferences I attended during undergrad. There were also some other presentations that were presented by the researchers themselves on Skype. If someone is presenting your research paper on your behalf, it is no harm in asking for the session to be videoed real time for you with due credits to your name in the introduction and the conclusion.
These could be two options you could explore. You could also proactively come up with arrangements for answering questions if there is a question and answer round after.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: **I would be very concerned about maintaining authorship of the work**, especially in fields like computer science where conferences are taken really seriously. There may be some work-around -- for example, letting the other student present it "on your behalf" with you as first author. In your case, though, it sounds like this other student doesn't even deserve to be listed as an author.
Note, this may vary a bit by field. I did my PhD in particle physics, where our whole experiment shared data, and our (large) group shared code, results, etc. In such cases, all our names went on all the reports, even ones we weren't personally involved in. Results from many different studies would frequently be amalgamated into one talk with one speaker. Having one student present another's work would be unusual, but not unthinkable -- in this field, it was the *group's* work, not the individual. I believe this is unusual, however.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: In my experience, it is very common for one person to present someone else's conference talk. I know this happens because at about 5% of talks speaker announces they are doing it at the beginning of the talk. The reason for this occurring is not usually given. I would guess the most common reason is that the original speaker changed jobs or graduated, and is no longer able to attend. I suspect that some speakers wish to give more talks (usually there is a limit of one or two per speaker), so they ask their students who are not able to attend to submit talks for them, and then change the speaker at the last minute.
Personally, I have given talks for colleagues twice. The first time, the colleague was having a baby (it's mysterious why he didn't know this until a month before the conference) and I gave his talk. In the second case, the colleague quit science altogether well before the conference. We asked the conference to remove his abstract and put a new one, with a new author list, in its place. I made the talk from scratch, with limited content about his work.
I think your professor's proposal is reasonable, but that it would also be reasonable to refuse or to specify how you would like to be credited. But in my field, conference talks have near zero prestige. Computer scientists see things differently.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: It depends on the field as to whether this is common practice. I have been to a number of conferences where a presentation/paper has been delivered on behalf of another person.
On each occasion, the slides were done the same as if it were the author delivering the presentation. On most of the occasions, the proxy presenter was also presenting their own paper in addition to that of the colleague who, for whatever reason, were unable to attend and present their work themself. I have only occasionally seen a conference attendee present a paper on behalf of someone else when they were not also presenting their own work. But in all cases the conference guide/abstracts booklet showed `Title, Author` with sometimes a `presented by ...` note.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: That is a common practice, and actually a very bad practice in many ways.
First, the replacement will generally know less than you do for your work, and also will be reluctant to present it others.
Second, you will miss the opportunity to get to know more people related to your research interests, it is actually all about conferences, otherwise, in my eyes, meaningless. If your replacement is related to your research, s/he will unintentionally steal your prospective milieu with your work. That is a bitter reality.
Third, it is actually a wonderful experience to present your work to a foreign but relevant crowd. You will miss that too.
Well authorship is actually not important in similar circumstances, I had a poster presentation with my and other Ph.D. student's authorship, another irrelevant one "presented" it and only said that " no one was interested in topic" and everyone admitted that "oh it is normal, poster presentations are like that". If you are unable to sell it, of course it would be so.
It will still fill your resume if you put authorship, but it would be better to postpone it and search for travel grants.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: >
> "What do you think about that offer?"
>
>
>
I would **accept** the offer.
TDLR; I would see it is a good way to **maximize the impact** of my work.
Indeed, the more people talk about your work the better it is. In the end of the day, it is *the paper* which is cited and not the talk. In particular, if this is *your work*, you'll probably be (first) author. Furthermore, I'd be happy to know that there will be one more person who knows how to the use tools I'm creating. Also, if the person presenting the work gets nice contacts/collaborations thanks to the talk, you may get involved you as well. In any case, it is better than nothing.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_7: I admit to little experience with this, having not missed an opportunity to present or presented on someone else's behalf. In my field (which is not a scientific area of academia,) this would not be a big deal. But it is fairly uncommon, just because remote appearance is now so easy. It is routine for a presenter to appear via video uplink (generally with at least one other person in the room to take over the presentation if technical glitches make that necessary).
I do not know if it is common practice in your area. As to what I think of the offer - it seems legit, provided you can submit your own paper (with pride of authorship) to the proceedings, and direct the presentation. It might be appropriate for you to actually construct any visual aids or presentation materials (and put your name all over them, if you are concerned about attribution). Put an acknowledgement somewhere public, if you like ("I am grateful to <NAME> for presenting my paper and findings at the 2018 Schmoochuckers Conference, which I regrettably was unable to attend.") On your own or the project website, put in some detail about it ("<NAME>, who is not normally a member of the project team, will present my paper and findings at the 2018 Schmoochuckers Conference. Please attend if you are able, and if not or if you would like to learn more about our work, please connect with the principal author, Starmare.") If your findings are significant, and it appears your advisor believes them to be, that is very good news! Congratulations, and take the opportunity to get the word out.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: Since you are doing a PhD it is likely that you are considering a potential future as TT faculty or researcher? A job in which your expertise on a particular field is your Intellectual Property and recognition of which is part of the basis for gaining funding for grants and facilitating authorship in peer-reviewed journals that lead to your ability to gain tenure and access to better jobs? Then consider carefully the importance of protecting your own hard work and IP and do not sacrifice it to another PhD student (effectively your competition, whether you are friends or not). Of course they are willing to present on someone else's work and gain that recognition -- they would put it on their CV, right? -- without putting in the effort that goes behind it! You should be able to politely and respectfully decline this request. And if the faculty you are working with pressures or threatens you despite misgivings you might have, that is sketch. They are looking out for their own interests, not yours, and if it continues to be a problem consider take it to a higher power (your university ombudsperson might be able to offer suggestions) or finding someone else to work with if you are early in your PhD program. Now, it does not appear to apply in this case, but if you both are working on the same project and the other student is presenting on content that they have worked on and covering some topics that you are working on as well (with proper attribution), that is a different matter altogether.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/23
| 813
| 3,498
|
<issue_start>username_0: Hello I am doing my masters and I got relatively bad grade from a professor. I am going to do another project with him in this semester. I think I deserve a better grade but the problem is that only way to re-evaluate my report is to make a complaint to study committee or to dean. My professor is a very nice person and he is one of the best in the area may be the best,and our communication is good he even wrote "look forward to seeing you". He was very satisfied with my lab. work but I messed up writing report, because he said that I should not write lots of theory but now one of the evaluation report says I should have write more theory(He is not the only evaluator, there are 2 more sensors who I dont know). It's so sad that I got a bad result, but I also don't want to lose healthy connection with the professor. I am doing my masters one of the best universities in Europe and I want to do Phd after my masters so grade is important for me and also recommendation is important for me. I dont know what to do, do you have any suggestions?<issue_comment>username_1: Look for others ways to improve your reporting and at the end show that you have improved this skill from then on. Of course, your professor will also mention this in the recommendation letter, so even if your grade was lower from that course, it will be compensated, I guess.
However, you should be more careful about reporting, really. If you do extremely good work but poor at reporting it well, no one will comprehend the significance of your work and your reputation will not be even half worth of your actual value.
Good planning -> good conduct -> good report.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: It is true that a good grade is worthy (every student wants a nice grade). However, it is not uncommon to score somehow “poorly” while you expect the best result. So, if your results are contrary to your expectations and if you have reason to believe that what you earned is not what you deserve (in the sense of your achievements in exams, presentations, written reports, etc), you may need to take some course of action as per your university’s rules and regulations.
I think, a useful first step would be to ask your professor to show you how you have been graded and what you did right and what you did wrong. That would also be a good opportunity to learn from your mistakes (if any). You may also have the opportunity to discover if there were any mistakes on the side of your professor in evaluating (correcting) your report. After talking to your professor, if you are convinced that the grade you got is what you deserve, then you have to accept that and learn from the things you didn’t do well. If, with your discussion with the professor, you find out things necessitating revision of your marks (re-grading), that would be accomplished as per your university’s rule. If you still cannot resolve the issue after discussing with your professor, you may follow your university’s formal appealing procedures. But when you do so, have a convincing reason for why you are questioning your grade. How much time you have devoted on the work or the fact that you need a good grade to pursue a PhD, I think, are not reasons strong enough to justify appealing. What is it that you correctly did but for which did not earn the deserved mark? Such things should be at hand. (I feel many things vary from university to university, but this is what I think you could consider).
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/23
| 929
| 3,934
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm a government researcher in R&D and have spent my career doing and publishing my own work. Some time ago I was asked to take over some research from another scientist that was being transferred. She barely started the work and all I ended up receiving were some rough notes for background info - no actual analysis. I told her that since it was her project at the start, I would add her name to the publication as a co-author.
I have since spent several months doing the research and analysis and am ready to submit the publication. Since I did promise her to add her name, I did so fully expecting her to tell me to remove it since all the work was really mine - I didn't even use her notes. All she did was thank me for adding it.
I guess I'm disappointed in her decision to keep her name on the publication. Is that unethical on her part?<issue_comment>username_1: No, it is certainly not unethical. You made an agreement at the beginning and you fulfilled it. She thanked you for your courtesy. All is well. The one, perhaps, contribution that she did make was to get you attached to the project idea, from which you will benefit. You are the primary author, in this case, of course.
There are many reasons for including someone on a paper and not all are benign, but I think this one is. I assume the other person is quite grateful, and maybe even a bit embarrassed. She may even not want to insult you by asking to be removed, since you had the earlier agreement.
But judging her ethics will get you nothing but trouble.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Someone must have had the original idea which became her background notes, it may have even been her idea, so it would be appropriate to still list her as a co-author.
It's not clear where the research idea came from, but also since you took over the research from her and told her that you would add her name to the publication it "costs" you little but gains you more to include her in the author list.
She may not take any action if you were to not include her, and the thankyou could be an expression of appreciation that you included her even though you carried the research through from idea to publication. Again, the long-term goodwill is worth it.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: In medicine, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) has defined the [roles of authors](http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html), and who should be acknowledged.
I know you are in a different field, but I can imagine one still wants to follow these guidelines. In that case, she would not qualify for an authorship.
You have a different question: who is at fault, ethically? I would say both of you; I wouldn't have offered an authorship to people of whom it is clear they do not fulfil the criteria for authorship. If I were her, I would not have accepted the offer.
Maybe you could offer to acknowledge her instead?
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: It's a bit cyclical, but because she's an author on the paper, you should (must?) have her read the paper before you submit it.
I assume since she was once involved on the project, she would have an interest in editing the paper beyond rubber-stamping it. Therefore, you can have a meaningful editing round with her, which would increase how much of a contribution she had to the paper, which might make you feel better.
To address your question specifically, you said you didn't use her notes. While I'm somewhat skeptical you didn't look at them and therefore learned nothing at all from them, *she* doesn't know that (unless you sent her an odd email about how much you didn't use her notes), and so probably assumes she made an intellectual contribution and still deserves authorship. So no, I don't think she is behaving unethically.
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/08/23
| 777
| 3,476
|
<issue_start>username_0: I remember reading somewhere about someone who started publishing referee reports they had written online, along with sending them to the journal (or after). Unfortunately I do not remember where I saw this and can't seem to find it now.
I see strong arguments for this practice.
1. A lot of time and effort is spent on report writing, so why not list them.
2. Transparency for its own sake.
3. Transparency for the sake of increasing quality.
Obviously there are issues:
1. Copy right or other legal issues with journals prohibiting the publication of reports [has to be taken up with the editor]
2. If the paper itself is not published, publishing the report might be harmful to the authors [one could wait until the final version of the paper is published]
**My question**: Is this already common practice somewhere and do repositories exist where one can upload reports? Are there other strong counterarguments I am missing?<issue_comment>username_1: Take care with this. Since you write them, the words are yours unless the journal has required that you yield all rights to them or otherwise restricts your actions.
However, you should consider whether it is ethical to break the blind or double blind nature of review. There are reasons for that, though some are a bit esoteric.
If you need to say negative things about someone's paper and they take it personally, then you could find yourself in the middle of an academic war and those other people with an interest in an author's work might join the fray.
You also need to be sure that whatever you need to quote in a review is properly cited as in any other work. This makes publishing a double-blind review impossible, of course.
Some things might need to be confidential for various reasons, including patentable work. Some things need to be reserved until the paper is published, I think.
However, maybe the biggest issue is as follows. Often enough, by the time a paper is edited and re-edited, it no longer bears a lot of similarity to the version that you reviewed. In some fields this is a bigger problem than others, of course, but don't discount it. This will, potentially, reflect badly on yourself if you say things about a paper that aren't true about the published version.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Rather than publishing private reviews, wait until the submitted manuscript is published and then publish a critique. You can base your critique on your private review (albeit, this may compromise your anonymity), but you must update it to consider the published version, rather than the submitted manuscript.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes, there are repositories. You could consider registering with Publons (see <https://publons.com/home/>). You simply forward the 'thank you for your review' email and upload the review and Publons keeps track of what journals you have reviewed for etc. Many of the major publishers are now automatically linking to Publons so you can simply press a button when you complete the review and you don't even need to do the upload.
In theory, Publons keeps track of whether the journal allows the review to be made public, but I have found that to be unreliable for one of the journals I regularly provide reviews to so you should take care. But Publons does other useful things like track whether a paper is eventually published, provide a summary of your review activity etc.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
|
2018/08/23
| 681
| 2,929
|
<issue_start>username_0: I’m a first year grad student beginning this year. My professor was diagnosed with cancer and won’t be in, probably all year, maybe even the entire time I’m in class.
He’s a great man, and also a nice man, which are two things that don’t always go together, so I’ve spent a while just being sad, but now I think it’s time to try to figure out what I’m going to do. I don’t want to make it to obvious who I’m talking about because I don’t know if he’s announced it publicly yet, but I am studying an ancient language… So he is the only professor in my program who knows how to read it. My question is do I change my topic of study to match a different professor at the school, or do I continue to focus on what I had hoped to focus on without the guidance of my advisor?
Thanks so much for any thoughts you can give me on this topic.<issue_comment>username_1: Your best option, in my opinion, is to discuss it with him. You may need to wait a bit until he feels well enough to think about it, but you really need his advice about how to proceed. He may be able to help you in your current studies, or not. Depending on the illness he may also never return to work. But, if you need to change professors and projects, he can probably help you get started with someone else, and is probably the best person to do that.
If you stay with the current project you will need to prepare for the eventuality that you will have to finish on your own. If that is the outcome, you will need to find resources to make that possible. It might be possible for you to continue yourself or not, depending on many things. But the professor will likely have advice on all of that.
I would advise against just making a decision without such advice. It may be that other professors in your department can give you the best advice about how and when to contact him. Good luck to you both.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: As mentioned in the above answers as well, I would start with the Professor himself, asking him how he would advice you to proceed during his absence. I assume he would also take the necessary precautions for your research if he decides that he will not be able to continue being your advisor. I would communicate what he tells you to the department chair so that in case something unintended/ unexpected happens you have a backup plan already in place for your graduation requirements and completion of your work, which might include change of topic/ finding advisory committee member(s) outside your institution etc. I would like to add that it might be very difficult to complete the research and study on the language you work without the guidance of an expert on it. You will need to decide for yourself if you will have access to the necessary resources/guidance without your advisor in case that might end up being what you have to do. Hope he gets better and good luck to you!
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/23
| 931
| 3,995
|
<issue_start>username_0: To keep it brief, I am thinking heavily about leaving my current PhD program with a MSc after 4 years to embark on a PhD in a field I am more interested in, as I have grown to dislike my current field. There are a series of problems within my group, from a completely unaware and ambivalent supervisor, to internal issues, to a general lack of quality of life due to many factors. All of that bundled with my desire to pursue my passions has left me wanting to move on to a different school.
I am, however, worried about my supervisors reaction if I ask him to do so. I know from past experience he has been pretty hostile to students who have wanted to do this, and furthermore, if he gives me a reference letter, I don't know how good it will be. I know I am a good student with good technical and research skills, but he is so absent from the group here (as he directs another group overseas, where he spends 95% of his time) that I feel that he doesn't even know what I have been doing/am proficient in.
I am wondering what your advice is in dealing with this sort of situation; do I suffer through, and leave with a PhD in a field and topic I resent? Or do I go on to do what I love, at the risk of being extradited by my supervisor, potentially leaving me unable to do so? It really is a classical dilemma, and I am genuinely worried either way.
Thank you.<issue_comment>username_1: Considering your current situation, I would suggest to leave your current program and start the new Ph.D. Think of your future in the long term. You seem to have considerably valid reasons for your decision to leave, "dislike of your current field." You would not want to have to do a job that you do not like for the rest of your life.
You might try to highlight your desire to specialize in a different field to the supervisor, detaching anything related to your discontent from his general absence or the other problems you are experiencing with the group you work with. By doing so, he would (hopefully) not take it personal and understand your reasons for wanting to leave. Additionally, if you ask for a reference from him and if he agrees to write you one, he should not be including anything that would decrease your chances of getting accepted to the new school (assuming you do not have an acceptance yet). From an academic standpoint, professors usually do not accept to write a letter if they don't have anything nice to say about the person. Additionally, since you mentioned that you have a good record of academic background, that would, in my opinion, have a heavier influence on your acceptance/scholarship chances within the new field you are planning to get into. Good luck!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: This is all opinion, so it is only worth what you pay for it, of course. But I would first consider how long it will take you to finish your current degree. It is pretty miserable being miserable for three more years, but if it can be done in a year then it might be best to just tough it out.
There is no reason, in principle, why you can't change fields later, either gradually, from a paid position, or abruptly. If the fields are different enough you may need credentials there, of course.
If you do complete the doctorate, then your old advisor's opinion about switching won't be of concern, only his/her opinion about the quality of your work.
However, another alternative, if you have picked out a different university, is to *quietly* explore with them the possibility of switching. If you can find a compatible potential supervisor there, the current situation may not be a detriment to switching. Personal contact is probably best here as it enables you to make judgements about how much to reveal about the current dilemma.
But if completion is a long way off, then quality of life would seem important enough to make a break, even if not all of the consequences are positive. But only you can balance the forces.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/23
| 483
| 2,186
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm majoring in math and am considering graduate school in either pure math, applied math, or stats. The problem is that, due to schedule constraints, I can only take either Complex Variables or Topology. How necessary is Topology for pure math admissions? Is complex Vars. more necessary? Does either matter for stats and applied? Thanks.<issue_comment>username_1: I doubt that it matters. It is good, however to have a well rounded undergraduate education. If you already have a lot of Analysis, maybe Topology would be marginally better. But the difference between Real and Complex Analysis is quite profound - especially at the insight level. Likely you will find graduate courses available in whichever one you don't take now.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Complex variables is useful in both pure and applied mathematics, to a roughly equal extent. With a few significant exceptions (e.g. [persistent homology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistent_homology)) topology is used very little in applied mathematics.
For instance, in the graduate program in mathematics at the University of Georgia, most students concentrating in pure mathematics take a qualifying exam in topology, and most students concentrating in applied mathematics take numerical analysis or probability instead. All students are currently required to take a qualifying exam in complex analysis.
I have much less experience with statistics, but I am almost certain that complex analysis is *more* useful there than topology. (What I don't know is much complex analysis is actually used!)
In my experience (I am the chair of graduate admissions of the mathematics department at UGA) complex analysis and topology look equally good on transcripts. (Both would look better, of course -- it sounds like you knew that already.)
So if it's really a tossup, taking complex analysis holds more doors open for you. However, both of these are courses that beginning graduate students (at least in the US) quite often take, so it's not exactly a life-changing decision. In fact, I would advise you to take **whichever one sounds more interesting to you**. Good luck.
Upvotes: 3
|
2018/08/24
| 1,476
| 6,217
|
<issue_start>username_0: **Has anyone tried this technique and how has it worked out for you?**
Essentially, there are several problems with doing teaching assistant work (TA),
1. You might not even be from the institution where you are doing the TA, you are unfamiliar with the course structure and the textbook, but you have learned some equivalent courses before.
2. Courses can have several lecturers, each going at a slightly different pace. You don't know what your students know and get blank stares from them during tutorial hours.
3. You want to enhance your teaching material by identifying spots where students might be more easily confused, where in the lecture might question for exams be drawn from, the emphasis of the lecture versus textbook, and so on.
I think an easy way to overcome these problems is by sitting in the lectures with the students. I have never done this because it sounds too time-consuming, also it might look "strange" to the professor AND to the students.
Has anyone tried doing this and how has it worked out for you?
For lecturers/professors: do you think it is a good idea for your TA to sit in your lectures?<issue_comment>username_1: I have seen TAs do this, but generally don't ask my own TAs to do it. As you say, it's a (very) time-consuming way to solve the coordination problem. I personally prefer to just sit with the TAs for a few minutes (< 30 minutes) every so often to coordinate, which in my experience has been completely adequate. Of course this means that I have to invest a little of *my own* time, but I find it completely appropriate to invest a few minutes of my own time every so often to save my TAs quite a lot of time - but of course your milage may vary with other professors. I certainly wouldn't find it strange if a TA sat in the lecture, I just don't find it necessary.
However, I *do* strongly suggest that the TAs take some time to go over the teaching material, so that they get a sense for what I am covering in the lecture, and how far I have gotten by the time their tutorial or supervision session rolls around.
Finally, we have also used a joint Slack channel where TAs can ask questions and expect a fairly immediate response. This has been useful for me to communicate if I, for instance, needed to skip a section due to time reasons, or if I felt through in-class exercises (or blank stares) that a certain topic needs deeper exploration in the supervision sessions.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: It is *good* but not usually *essential* that you attend lectures, but it can depend on the field. If your only task is grading the course, it probably isn't very useful, but if your task is to actually interact with students it can be worthwhile if you have the time for it. You may not need to pay the same attention while there that the students do, of course, if you are already familiar with the material.
One reason that it is good if you intend a career in academia is that you get to see some other professors and how they work with the material and the students. This can help form your own teaching style.
However, outside mathematics and the sciences it may be more important to attend lectures, at least occasionally. In a Literature course, for example, you may need some way to know what the professor is saying about a book or genre for you to be able to be effective.
But there is, IMO, never a reason *not* to attend, if you have the time. You might even learn something or deepen your knowledge of things learned long ago. That opportunity to "think back" on things can be valuable even if you have already formed an understanding of them.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I have been a TA myself, and I can highly recommend doing that. I had been facing the same problem as you (In my case, I attended the same course before joining it as a TA, but it was restructured in the meantime) and it really helped me to understand the lecturer’s concept and the connections between single course elements.
While this may vary from discipline to discipline and country to country, at my university in Germany it is good practice to attend the course you assist with and not regarded as strange, neither by the professor nor by the students. In my department, it is just common to see the teaching assistant(s) among the students in the lecture hall and viewed as totally normal, from both the professor’s and student’s view. If you’re unsure however whether this applies to your department as well, I guess it is totally fine to ask the lecturer.
In addition, I can relate do username_2, there is never a reason not to attend. It helped me to gain a deeper understanding of the course content and besides, I learned quite a lot from the professor.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: One consideration: At some institutions the TAs are unionized, and the union will be very concerned that TAs are paid for the number of hours they work (or equivalently work only the number of hours they're paid). Spending this kind of (highly visible) time outside of what you're paid to do may draw their attention. This could lead to you being told to spend only paid hours on TA-related tasks, or to the union taking it as an example of how TAs aren't given enough hours to do their jobs.
Likewise, if your academic supervisor ever decides your project work isn't proceeding as fast as it should, these hours you spend in class "needlessly" may become an issue.
I think one variable is the relative level of the material in question. If you're a PhD student TA'ing first year mechanics, you probably shouldn't need to audit the class. If you're TA'ing a 300- or 400-level class being taught by your own academic supervisor, things may be different.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: If the professor wants you to attend lectures, she should explain her reasoning. Otherwise, you could be spending that time working on your research.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: It is perfectly fine to sit at lectures, if it suits you, as long as you are having fun. If you're not, you might as well go do something that stimulates your curiosity. Either way, don't stop learning.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/24
| 573
| 2,406
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have recently applied for a postdoc in the USA, and because I am on a different continent any interview that I may be offered will almost certainly be by videoconference. I assume that at postdoc level, nobody is going to offer to pay for an intercontinental visit for a second interview (am I right?).
There is some good advice [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1137/advice-guidance-when-interviewing-for-a-faculty-or-postdoc-job-via-skype-or-phon) on interviewing over Skype, and indeed this is something that I have my own past experience of. Something I've noticed before is that while the formal interview itself can work almost the same way in person or by VC, one misses out on the surrounding interactions - chatter before and after, perhaps walking around the building, and so forth - which helps one to form an impression of the people, the place, and whether one wants to work there.
Are there any ways to get a feel for these intangible aspects of culture and personalities without a visit?<issue_comment>username_1: Email people who used to be in the group and ask them for advice.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Agree with the other posters to contact other lab members and ask about their experience of climate. I particularly suggest asking graduate students, who may be less concerned with politics and therefore more direct with answers, as well as more knowledgeable about how professors treat non-professors.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I would ask if it is possible for you to talk to other team members via skype, directly after the interview, without the PI present. You might want to ask if this is part of the process ahead of time and whether it can be arranged if it isn't. I arrange for interviewees to spend a few minutes with other team members without me present, even if the interview is via skype.
Some people might think this is a weird thing to ask. But to be honest, if you are interested in team culture, and they count this against you, then you probably didn't want to work there in the first place.
I good thing to ask is about people's hobbies - do people in the group manage to spend time on interesting things outside work. One place I interviews some one joked "I play drums in a band, but I would never let the boss know that". There was no chance I was going to take that position.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/24
| 636
| 2,853
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm reviewing a conference manuscript (computer science) and i found 2 other recent methods related to the same problem which were published on arXiv.
So, i think it is highly recommended to compare their method to those ones. The arXiv papers also claimed to beat the state-of-the-art, but on different datasets, so one cannot compare them based on the reported numerical results.
So, should/could i say that it is a weak point that the authors have not included/used those recent relevant works in their introduction or evaluation basis?
Or they do not have such an obligation as those papers have not been yet published in any proceedings?<issue_comment>username_1: I think this question is ultimately about standards within particular fields and societies. In math, where arxiv has been central for decades, it would be odd to overlook highly related examples, and using your language it's reasonable to assume authors would be obligated to check. In psychology, where I work, preprint repositories are still fairly unusual, and authors are not expected to review these sources.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: If you know about these results, then you should definitely mention them in your review. Since you are the sub-reviewer you can simply notify the PC members about this, and they will (or should) know how to treat ArXiV publications.
Usually, I think they will not consider it a detraction of the result. Also, they will need to assess whether the results have been obtained independently of the ArXiV papers or not.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Ultimately, scientific papers are supposed to further the "state of the art" in a field. For that, they need to *compare* with the state of the art, which includes any publication a paper's authors or readers can find -- whether it's in a peer reviewed journal or on a preprint server such as arXiv does not immediately matter.
So yes: you should definitely mention this!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: On one hand, I do consider it the job of reviewers to verify that authors are aware of relevant literature and to help them become aware of relevant work that they might have missed. So, I think you should definitely mention the arXiv articles that you found.
On the other hand, I think the authors should be given the right to decide whether they want to consider non-peer-reviewed work in their study, even if they are made aware of it. After all, they have submitted their work for your peer-review because they value the peer-review system; they should not be required to consider work as relevant that has not been formally evaluated by independent, qualified scholars.
So, in short, I think you should bring these works to their attention, but leave it to their discretion whether or not to incorporate their findings.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/24
| 468
| 2,119
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am currently writting my first manuscript and there is no specifications about tables format in the author guidelines of the journal. If I follow the text format (double spaced, Times New Roman 12 pts) some of my tables which are very extensive will look awfull.
Should I modify their structure so they look better (but only in the manuscript) or should I keep my own format?<issue_comment>username_1: First, make sure that you have read the author guideline between the lines in order not to miss any table preparation guidance that might have been stated somewhere in the middle of the author guideline. If nothing is said of table preparation, you could ask a colleague who has experience of publishing in the journal to which you are planning to submit your manuscript. If no colleague to consult, in some journals, it is possible to address queries to the editor or editorial assistant of the journal about manuscript preparation via the "contact us" address of the journal. If none of the preceding options seems to work, I think, you can apply (as you said) the formatting of the text to your tables as well (though the tables may seem a bit "awful", the tables, as well as the entire manuscript, undergo formatting during the production process and the published version of the tables would be compact).
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If you can't wait for a reply from the editor which is probably the best solution, then check out some of the articles that journal has already published and see how the tables were formatted.
You will recognise single spaced, double spaced etc...
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: If there is truly no guideline, lay out the table as you want, and the copy editor will make it match the journal style sheet before publication, and you will see it in the galley.
In fact, this is exactly how it would happen if you formatted the table exactly to their specification.
You are best off formatting the table for legibility instead of style, so the copy editor can accurately read it during the above process.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/24
| 563
| 2,373
|
<issue_start>username_0: I wanted to ask if you have any specific paper calendars or planners which cover an academic year (October - September) and which you can recommend for PhD students? Thanks a lot!<issue_comment>username_1: Welcome to Academia @Stack Exchange!
From your question it is unclear, whether you are having any specific (academia-related) requirements in addition to the shifted year cycle.
If this is your only issue, you can use any planner which allows you to remove and exchange the calendar sheets. Since the new ones are coming out quite early, it's easy to build the calendar you need...
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: This may not seem relevant, but it is something I've found very useful/indispensible over the years, both for studying and for teaching. I actually required some of my students to use them.
It is called a *Hipster PDA*, which is nothing more than a few index cards and a spring clip to hold them together. I discussed it in answer to another question at CSEducators [here](https://cseducators.stackexchange.com/a/1168/1293). See that link for a fuller description and a further link to pictures, etc.
The reason it is so valuable is that it is both simple and flexible. It is easy to carry everywhere and can be rearranged as needed. Cards can be added and discarded. Valuable cards can be saved in a card box. You can use it for class notes as well as planning. You can use it to take quick notes in meetings or to jot down email or phone numbers, etc.
One advantage of it as a note taking device is that it forces you to condense what you hear in lecture rather than to try to capture everything. This makes your brain work harder, which aids learning.
At the end of a class, for example, you can make a card listing the two or three most important ideas from that class. Review that card at the beginning of the next.
Another advantage is that you are writing the notes, not typing them. This sounds backwards until you realize that writing by hand engages the brain in a different way (and more deeply) than typing.
You can develop your own "header" system for labeling the cards (dates, classes, ...). You can use different colors of cards for different things. You can carry the most currently relevant cards with you. You can spend a few minutes of otherwise "dead" time reviewing notes.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/24
| 466
| 1,900
|
<issue_start>username_0: I took a course with my supervisor this semester. the class is finished.
I really enjoyed every moment in class. I could ask all of my questions very easily and he always was available to answer them. it was an interactive class.
The final exam is not taken yet.
I wanted to write a thank you letter to my professor and thanking him for the course.
I was wondering if you could tell me when is the appropriate time to send him an email. and what should I say to him in my email?<issue_comment>username_1: The text you are writing here is perfect! It is personal, highlights the relevant aspects, and it is not overly enthusiastic.
I personally would send it after the exam was taken and graded.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The timing depends on the relationship you already have. In most cases it would be best to wait until after the course is completed and graded. You don't want to be perceived incorrectly as trying to influence the grades. But if the relationship is longstanding, then the timing matters less. I've had professors that I could thank at any time without misunderstanding, and others, somewhat more formal, for whom it would be better to wait.
But writing is a good thing to do. So is coming back to the university ten years later and thanking some of your professors who especially helped you and bring them up to date on your professional progress.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I agree with [OBu's answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/115793/9553) (and gave it +1) that what you've written is perfect, exactly the kind of note any instructor would love to receive from a student. But hold off until you have your final grade. You'll make his day. If you'd really like to hit a home run with your instructor, consider also posting it to [RateMyProfessors.com](https://www.ratemyprofessors.com).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2018/08/24
| 1,390
| 5,363
|
<issue_start>username_0: I've found questions answering [where or when](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/58756/pseudocode-in-scientific-article) to write pseudocode in scientific papers, but I haven't found any addressing any sort of convention for pseudocode, such as syntax, what type of symbols or notation to use and what they mean precisely, or any sort of 'formal' definition of pseudocode. I suppose that's the nature of pseudocode, it should be understandable and general no matter how you write it, but I wish there was some sort of guidance for how to structure and convey meanings across in a formal manner. Does this exist? For now I am purely imitating the [CLRS](https://github.com/esneider/latex-pseudocode) pseudocode style.<issue_comment>username_1: As you are already stating: There is no norm / convention for pseudocode.
Personally, I prefer a python-like notation, but this is because I like python ;-). CLRS is fine for many purposes.
If your software is written in a specific language, it might be beneficial to use a code convention which allows you to express the specifics of your programming language - this reduces the risk of introducing errors.
Even more important then the code convention is, that you should ensure your pseudocode allows someone else to re-implement your code without room for interpretations. Sometimes, "real" code can be more appropriate (but yes, it can be lengthy).
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: <NAME> used a notation in most of his papers that was also adopted by <NAME> in *The Science of Programming*. If you are happy enough with a procedural approach and don't require functional or object-oriented notations then it is a pretty good choice with a long history.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Let me add some more thoughts on this. Yes there is no guide and I think a convention could make things only more complicated than easier.
For example it could depend on how deep you want to go into details.
Showing an implementation of some algorithm is done more programming-like, closer to programming languages.
If you talk about a particular language in your paper, you can focus on this language more, use language specific elements and so on, than if it's a general text. Hold a general text really independant of languages.
In contrast if you only explain the principle of an algorithm, this can happen textual without any code or code-like part and it will be shorter and more comprehensive than something using code elements. You can write for example
First of all find the largest and smallest number in your list.
Then calculate A, B and C from your numbers.
Next test if numbers X and Y match some criteria.
some more steps what to do ...
Now if something matches, do step Z and you have found your solution.
The textual form gives an overview of what has do be done. The reader can understand what happens and why this happens, instead of deriving the algorithm from lots of for and if. But I would call this text pseudo code too, because it describes all steps in a very abstract but still algorithm-like language.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: You're over-thinking this. Pseudocode is not a formal language with formal syntax. Just write whatever most clearly expresses what you need to express. Something like CLRS is a good starting point.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: A de-facto sort-of-convention is using one of the [LaTeX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX) algorithm listing packages, e.g. [algorithm2e](http://ctan.org/pkg/algorithm2e/), [algorithms](https://www.ctan.org/pkg/algorithms) or [algorithmicx](https://www.ctan.org/pkg/algorithmicx).
Each of the packages have a documentation PDF which includes several examples you can follow, and have multiple in-built commands for things like conditions, repetition, clauses, etc. Alternatively, you can have a look at the [Algorithms section of the LaTeX WikiBook](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Algorithms), which is shorter and simpler and mentions all three. Pick one and use it.
Here's a brief example:
```
\usepackage[]{algorithm2e}
% ... etc. etc. ...
\begin{document}
% ... etc. etc. ...
\begin{algorithm}[H]
\KwData{this text}
\KwResult{how to write algorithm with \LaTeX2e }
initialization\;
\While{not at end of this document}{
read current\;
\eIf{understand}{
go to next section\;
current section becomes this one\;
}{
go back to the beginning of current section\;
}
}
\caption{How to write algorithms}
\end{algorithm}
% ... etc. etc. ...
\end{document}
```
and this produces:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/o1VmM.png)
Now, even if you *don't* write your documentd with LaTeX, you could write just your pseudocode that way and use the resulting PDF, or just copy the resulting text into whatever editor you are using.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: While there is no standard, there are some style guidelines for pseudo code as appendix from publications like [this](https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/bbm%3A978-1-4471-5173-9%2F1.pdf) or [that](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/0470029757.app1), or from [courses](http://www.cs.cornell.edu/courses/cs482/2003su/handouts/pseudocode.pdf).
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/24
| 925
| 4,073
|
<issue_start>username_0: I burned out while pursing a PhD in mathematics but have a masters, and am currently pursuing a masters in philosophy with the hope that it may show continued interest in academia before I re-apply to competitive PhD programs in either mathematics or philosophy (of math or logic etc.) I'm currently teaching calculus 3 and a basic math course as an adjunct, and it looks like this will be my schedule next semester as well. Where I am currently teaching (a private four year university) it looks like I may be teaching a basic philosophy course next semester as well.
[Side note: I've taken my time away from the math phd to get a high GRE and math subject GRE score; what I'm most afraid of is my "burn out" in the math program and distancing myself from that. This is, in part, why I pursued the philosophy program.]
I certainly don't think it can hurt, but what do graduate committees think of teaching experience? Is it advisable to get a letter of recommendation from the chair of the department you teach at when applying to a PhD program (in addition to my other letters from people I was a student of)?
This question is targeted to anyone, but especially those in mathematics, philosophy, and of course philosophy of science and philosophy mathematics folks.<issue_comment>username_1: It depends significantly on the particular PhD program you are applying to.
Where I am, teaching experience would be considered a significant positive. It's not our main reason for having a graduate program, but one reason we have a graduate program (and perhaps the only reason we are allowed by the university to have a graduate program) is to have cheap labor for teaching some of our lower division courses. We certainly appreciate having better teachers rather than worse ones, and experience helps. Also, such experience indicates that you are not delusional about the outcomes from our PhD program and are aware that most academics jobs (if you are so lucky to get one) require teaching, frequently lots of teaching, of at least acceptable quality.
On the other hand, at a top ranked program with high-powered research, it probably won't help so much, and some professors may even consider it a slight negative because it indicates you might be interested in devoting time to something that is not research (and there is probably corporate work that is more research-like than teaching as an adjunct.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Actually, your question is a bit moot since you already have that experience. The more important question is how you present yourself and your existing background to any admissions committee or professor.
Of course, you should also consider what sort of academic career you want to have. Do you see yourself doing state of the art research primarily, or would you be more comfortable as a teacher with research a smaller part of your overall program. For a research directed career and the sort of graduate program you need to achieve it, the teaching would be a relatively small consideration, so I wouldn't stress it as much as if you want a teaching career, in which case it becomes an important element of your overall goals.
The fact that you burned out may be an issue or not. Many people suffer a bit of it along the way to success so it isn't foreign to them. The fact that you stayed connected to the profession after leaving is a plus.
Since you seem to be on the cusp of math and philosophy the ideal program for you may be relatively small, in which case the personal element becomes more important. Even in a large place, however, the number of faculty with similar interests may be a small subset of the whole department(s) so you can still work at a smaller/lower level, rather than an institutional, level to gain acceptance. Say by contacting the department or a single professor, rather than just applying through the normal channels.
But the most important thing, is how you present yourself, both your background and your goals. Everything can contribute to it.
Upvotes: 3
|
2018/08/25
| 786
| 3,483
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am applying for math graduate school. I have two people that I did research with: A professor and a postdoc. I have a strong connection with the professor, but the postdoc I do not. He was very passive aggressive with me and our relationship does not seem to be a good one. I do not want to ask him for a letter. However, I am wondering if this will look suspicious or hurt me in any sort of way. If I say in my application that I did do research with a postdoc but I did not receive a letter from that postdoc, will that affect me or the admission committee's decision? Will the admissions committee likely email this postdoc to hear about me from him?
Thank you very much.<issue_comment>username_1: Admissions committees expect letters to be signed by professors. It is perfectly normal to get a letter from the professor who supervised the postdoc. The only case where I would expect the postdoc to even be mentioned in your application would be if you published a paper with the postdoc which did not include a contribution from a professor.
Keep in mind that professors often ask postdocs to help them write letters of recommendation.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: For every US graduate program in mathematics I know of, the application process includes three letters. So evidently you won't be getting letters from most of the faculty you've worked with.
If I were advising a student who had done two *successful* research projects with two different faculty members, I would advise against getting letters from both of these faculty members unless each one can also discuss your coursework and progress through the major. In my experience, when it comes to letters for math grad school describing undergraduate research, the writers almost universally paint a happy picture of the work, which most often leads to an "all happy families are alike" situation. Namely, they (most often) say nice things about the student, their work and that potential, but not sufficiently incisive nice things to really help out the admissions committee. Which makes a lot of sense: if you gave a student a project to, say, determine whether each continuous map of surfaces such that the induced homomorphism of fundamental groups has a nontrivial kernel must then have a nontrivial element of the kernel represented by a *simple* loop and the student eventually got some partial negative results\*...how do you compare that to other students -- no other student has worked on that problem.
Moreover, getting letters from more senior academics is (other things being equal) better than getting letters from more junior academics, because the more senior academics have more experience watching and guiding students through the various stages of their academic careers. I would think that a typical postdoc in mathematics is still more heavily informed by *their own* undergradaute and graduate experience than those of students they have been involved with.
Anyway, long story short: even if the postdoc had great things to say about you, you wouldn't necessarily want their letter unless they had *the best things* of anyone who could plausibly write for you. As this is not the case: don't get the letter from that postdoc, and don't worry about it at all.
\*: This is in fact a description of my own undergraduate research. I did not get a letter from the faculty member about it, though I'm sure he would have had nice things to say.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/25
| 721
| 2,656
|
<issue_start>username_0: In one of <NAME>'s papers, on the first page there's a footnote where he says,
>
> ∗St.Petersburg branch of Steklov Mathematical Institute, Fontanka 27,
> St.Petersburg 191011, Russia. Email: <EMAIL> or
> <EMAIL> ; I was partially supported by personal
> savings accumulated during my visits to the Courant Institute in the
> Fall of 1992, to the SUNY at Stony Brook in the Spring of 1993, and to
> the UC at Berkeley as a Miller Fellow in 1993-95. I’d like to thank
> everyone who worked to make those opportunities available to me.
>
>
>
Is this footnote from his famous paper meant to be a joke, or is it actually necessary to list one's source of funding, even if it is just one's personal savings?<issue_comment>username_1: No, it isn't required to list your own personal resources.
But whether it is a joke or not you should decide for yourself. Perelman has *interesting* views. [He has declined a Fields Medal, for example.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigori_Perelman)
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Indeed, funding agencies require authors to acknowledge their funding, but it's not mandatory to acknowledge personal resources.
To me, however, that footnote doesn't sound like a joke at all, but a sincere acknowledgement of those who have supported him during previous years allowing him to have savings (and during those visits he might have worked on different topics).
That said, there are certainly a lot of [joking acknowledgments](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/best-academic-acknowledgements-ever) around.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_3: I find the dichotomy of your title question a bit strange.
No, one is not required to acknowledge personal funding sources, but in academic papers one often acknowledges / otherwise thanks people and things in the absence of any requirement to do so.
Though I do not know Perelman personally, I know him by reputation: he is a person of great integrity. It is not a joke to thank people and places that supported you, especially if you have (by choice or otherwise) modest financial means.
I suggest that this footnote of Perelman's be taken at face value, as an expression of gratitude, which (like most expressions of gratitude!) was not required to be made.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: I think it's worth remembering that Perelman left mathematics apparently with quite a disdain for the way academia/mathematics functions. Given that, the acknowledgements may be intended to highlight an aspect of academia that is not usually written about.
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/08/25
| 452
| 1,822
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am an undergraduate student graduating next month. I wrote a research paper done by myself, but it's been rejected by two journals sofar so I haven't been able to publish it.
I am applying for scholarships and having a published paper would improve my chances.
If i upload my paper in arxiv, is it considered as published paper? can i write it in my cv as published paper and what is the most suitable way to write it \*in my cv?
Thank you!<issue_comment>username_1: No, it's not considered a published paper in the usual sense of *peer-reviewed publications*. ArXiv is meant as a preprint server where you upload preprint versions (essentially polished draft versions) to quickly disseminate your research, before submitting it to a scholarly journal where the paper undergoes peer review. Only after the paper has been peer-reviewed and published by the journal do you have a "real" publication. (Depending on your agreement with the journal, it's then possible to update the arXiv listing to reflect revisions made to the manuscript during the publication process.)
It's still appropriate to list such preprints on your CV - especially early on in a career, when you might have few peer-reviewed publications. [This](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/11195/can-something-published-on-arxiv-or-optimization-online-org-be-mentioned-in-my-c) is fine as long as it's made clear that these are preprints, or manuscripts under review or similar.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I would say it **does** count as a publication if you need to reference it in your own work/papers. So if you publish a result you can reference this ArXiV paper.
However, it does **not** count as a peer-review publication in the sense that it does not "add" points/credit to your cv.
Upvotes: 3
|
2018/08/26
| 801
| 3,466
|
<issue_start>username_0: I would like to make a variation of one question already answered [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/109486/is-it-ethical-legal-to-publish-master-thesis-manuscript-as-a-journal-paper?rq=1).
I have also submitted my Master thesis manuscript to the university library and I have verified that there is no conflict of interest if I publish a summarized version in a journal (in fact, the university urge me to do so to gain visibility). The thesis was based on a previous paper I have published along with my supervisor and one colleague. For that paper I didn't participate in the creation of the algorithm because my role was testing and finishing paper's drafting. How ever, during the thesis, I added original algorithms to cover some existent deficiencies and the supervisor merely limited himself to check typographical errors and confirm the quality of the results.
One of the thesis evaluation committee's member suggested me to improve the quality of the evaluation parameters by using a state-of-the-art method I didn't consider before, so I am thinking to add the new method (and the obtained results) to the submission of the next paper.
Since I finished the Master program (some months ago) I haven't mentioned to my supervisor that I am considering to make a new submission, in fact, he is involved with new master candidates and projects, and I am working full-time in industry. Should I still mention him the idea of submiting a new paper or adding him as a contributor?
**Note:** the first paper was published while I was working as a lab assistant in university A, and I completed the thesis in university B. University A's legal office was fine to let me continue with my thesis as long as I were using a different implementation on a different language (which I did), so I don't see any problem on that aspect. My thesis supervisor is still a professor in both universities.<issue_comment>username_1: If he hasn't participated in the new work he isn't really a co-author. Of course you cite the older work as usual and can also acknowledge his help in getting you started.
However, if you want to continue the work with his participation before publishing then he would naturally be a co-author.
Just working with you previously doesn't give him, or anyone, authorship on new work.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Knowing the field would help a lot here. Medical (and I believe some other) journals recommend the ICMJE criteria for authorship. The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following 4 criteria:
* Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
* Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
* Final approval of the version to be published; AND
* Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
If you're publishing in a journal following these criteria then the criteria answers your question regardless of any other relationships past present or future. If not, the journal might follow some other criteria, worth checking.
see more: <http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html#two>
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/26
| 734
| 3,028
|
<issue_start>username_0: My advisor is trying to patent an idea without me. I got to know that he is registering the patent through the IP officer at our University. When I asked him about it, he did not give me a straight answer and has not responded to any of my emails inquiring about this. The idea he is trying to patent is literally the entire paper that a colleague and I wrote as co-first authors. I have defended my PhD and I am about to begin my job in industry.
Any advice on how to go about this situation ?
If I go against him,I have 2 fears at the moment i.e.
1. He might make my colleague's PhD miserable because the two of us would be on the patent, which he does not like (he tried to remove one of the inventors on a previous patent but I convinced him otherwise). I was lucky enough to graduate on time.
2. He would not provide me any more recommendation letters for green card, etc.
And advice is appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: The proper place to handle this, now, is the IP office at the university. Raise the issue in your own name so that your colleague doesn't suffer any consequences, but if negotiations follow, make sure everyone appropriate is included.
But you may also want to consult an IP lawyer. The university may be able to help you with this also.
It is hard to avoid all negative consequences in a situation like this, of course. Especially if the professor is a bad actor with power.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I have had similar issues in the past. My advice is that you first consider how important is this patent for your career (and why), and try to deal with the delicate situation in the best possible terms.
In both cases where I had this exact same problem, these were ex-supervisors who seriously treated the joint ideas as their own. So you have to be careful in approaching the topic, as they may be genuinely surprised (in their heads) by any accusations. I believe I dealt with the situations in the best possible way, mainly by securing publications and not fighting them. I was ultimately **not** included in any of the two patents. One of the patents was apparently never approved exactly because I published the exact idea online as soon as possible, first in my personal blog and then as a "perspective" in a single-authored review paper.
I remain in good terms with them to this day. I understand they were egoistic and self-centred in completely ignoring my merit but I have heard of several similar cases. I believe anyone can be pushed that way amidst department pressures, by the sheer power to just do it. Usually all they want/need is a CV line, and have no monetary interests in the patent idea itself.
Perhaps you could likewise? If you really need this specific patent, and your advisor is clearly unwilling to face the problem, understand you'll enter a major conflict. I don't think it will be worth the trouble, in most cases, unless you're confident this patent will make you rich or unbeatable in the job market.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/26
| 2,276
| 9,401
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a theoretical computer science student working on algorithms. I am doubting myself a bit, as I have spent the last 6-7 months working on one problem. Although I am not able to solve the desired problem, I have been able to solve some specific cases. I am currently writing a paper as my research supervisor advised, but when I look at the work of other researchers in my field, my own research works seems insignificant. To me it appears that my (one- or two-page-long) algorithm may seem trivial to an established researcher.
**Question:** Is it okay if the work of PhD student seems insignificant as compared to other researchers in the field?<issue_comment>username_1: It is entirely normal that beginning students would achieve incremental results that compare poorly to the best papers from the best researchers in the field. Sometimes researchers need time to mature, and sometimes research directions just don't pan out even for the best of us. Not every worthwhile paper is revolutionary.
That said, it's impossible for us to tell whether you should be concerned or not. It's possible you did everything exactly right and this is where the science led you; it's also possible that you did not. The person best suited to judge this is your advisor. Since your advisor wants you to publish, it would seem that they are not too concerned. Still, asking them for feedback is likely a good idea.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I wouldn't be concerned at all. In fact, I ask "seems insignificant to who?" As you say, you doubt yourself, but your advisor (and others) may have no doubts at all.
In CS, as in mathematics, some problems are just harder (much harder) than others, so small results may actually be significant in search of a larger goal. I've worked on problems (in math) for which no progress could be made at all.
It is almost always good advice to follow your advisors direction in such things.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It is actually very difficult to judge how significant your work is before you publish it and others try to use it or build something upon it. There are many examples of great scientists misjudging their work.
My favorite is [<NAME>'s paper on equilibrium in games](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.36.1.48). Nash thought it wasn't a big deal so he allegedly didn't even bother wasting time to publish it. The story goes his adviser published it on his behalf. Now it is considered the most important paper in economics, if not all social sciences. He got a Nobel prize for it. [Nobel committee usually features him on top of their economics website](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economics/). 11 or now 12 more Nobel prizes were given for work directly based on this paper.
Just publish it and see how it works out.
In response to comments, this is just a story about Nash's initial attitude towards his discovery of equilibrium that I heard many times. Even if it is exaggerated, it is clear Nash couldn't have know the greatness of his discovery until much later. [This documentary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-MpynSYDqo) has some pieces of this story.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Researchers *always* need some time to mature. In a few exceptional cases, that maturation may happen before officially starting the PhD. Don't compare yourself against those exceptions. From my experience, the typical researcher only starts producing good papers in the second half of their PhD, or only after becoming a postdoc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: For many people, your own research will often seem insignificant compared to others for the simple reason that you've thought enough about the topic for things to feel obvious. This is especially the case in math and computer science. If you really do have such doubts, talk to your advisor. They should have more of an idea of how good your work is.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: **Yes, it is not only OK but is also the expected**.
A PhD student is (ideally) someone seeking to learn how to do independent, quality research. This means that the academic focus therein should be on methods, standards, showing a professional capacity to do research.
Not all research is groundbreaking *per se*. Furthermore, the most influential ideas in History did not look so powerful at first. Research conclusions must withstand the test of time. In fact I am very suspicious of *self-appointed* hot research.
Relax, focus on the details, do your best, and forget about what others think or how to "look impressive".
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: To suggest an answer, based on personal experience and experience of my friends: I propose an illustration on how the 3 key variables in student's cognition, usually evolve during PhD studies (including completion of the thesis and peer-reviewed article publication), below. On the graph we have *t* axis for time period, orthogonal axis for relative value of the variables over time and: the psychological milestone of the PhD research.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/P7W1H.png)
So, in your cognition there are variables:
* *Cr* - confidence in your research, i.e. that you'll successfully complete the research, defend the thesis and get the PhD. diploma
* *Rs* - your impression on significance of your research in the relevant field and relative to the significance of the related works.
* *|Rw|* - aggregated knowledge about fundamental and recent research approaches / works / proposals, i.e. number of related works you reviewed and really understood, in all relevant aspects
The interpretation of the graph:
* After you formulate the research directions and initial draft, there is typical illusion that your work would have huge impact in the field i.e. that your contribution will become regular reference in future review articles in the field. Of course, such high value of *Cr* is just product of enthusiasmic-peak & ignorance on relevant works.
+ As you review and practically re-evaluate more and more of related research, *Rs* will continue to drop, however, you'll get better understating what is **big** and what **tiny** contribution in the field. i.e. the precision of your impression on *Rs* will rise.
The ultimate outcome of the whole game is function of criterion:
* Would you reach the psychological milestone of your PhD research, before *Cr* breaks you down, causing you to leave the studies?
So, if you are still worried if your research is / will be / significant enough - you are on the left part of the *t* axis. Therefore, what you have to do: continue to dig and study related research -- as it would, beside discussed above, provide you with ideas how to adjust and/or re-frame your research to fit what seems to be **ok** significance.
---
Or, to provide simple answer: yes, it is ok (compared to research articles, published in journals with IF > 1.0).
But, if the law on postgraduate studies / the statute of your university / PhD. studies / is anything similar to my case (or in general to European standards) - you should think on how to produce a research article (focused on a chapter from PhD. thesis), that should be "in the league" with related research article -- maybe not in the top, but in the same general cluster.
Hope this helps :)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: >
> Question: Is it okay if the work of PhD student seems insignificant as
> compared to other researchers in the field?
>
>
>
It is clear that the answer to your question is a unanimous **yes**, based on all the answers.
You are experiencing a (mild, hopefully) form of the [impostor syndrome](https://academia.stackexchange.com/search?q=impostor%20syndrome), a well known disease in academia which is especially virulent among PhD students.
As a scientist, you are probably aware that you can't objectively evaluate your own work (by definition). In academia, the evaluation of a researcher' work is done by anonymous reviewers when you submit a paper. So don't worry, your work will be duly evaluated, and the reviewers will give you some more objective feedback about your work (as objective as peer review can be, there is always a fair amount of chance in the process). Reviewers are unlikely to hold their punches so it might be unpleasant, but at least you will have a clearer idea of where your current work stands with respect to the expectations in your field. Whether the reviews turn out positive or not, they should give you indications about what is good and what should be improved in your approach.
In the meantime, try to avoid evaluating your own work, but more importantly avoid judging your own value based on a few months of early work. For many people, the PhD is a time of self doubt because for the first time one faces their own limitations in a very concrete way. In my opinion, the way to move forward is to consider it as an opportunity to not only explore one's own limitations, but also their skills and especially the unique ones: try to find out what you are particularly good at (it's generally the same as what motivates you), and direct your work in this direction as much as possible. But in case this kind of thoughts causes you too much anxiety, don't hesitate to seek psychological advice, there is nothing wrong with that.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/26
| 851
| 3,686
|
<issue_start>username_0: Given that computer scientists publish in conferences, which typically require that presenters be present, how do computer scientists who are disabled, have broken legs due to a car accident, or have any similar travel restrictions, publish?<issue_comment>username_1: Equality of access for disabled people is a legal requirement for public services such as transport and buildings in many jurisdictions, particularly in the EU and North America. There are many disabled academics and researchers who teach, research and publish.
One only has to look at examples like the late [Stephen Hawking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking) to see how it is possible.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: I'd tackle a tangent issue, but one to which I was a witness personally.
Remember [Eyjafjallajökull](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_travel_disruption_after_the_2010_Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull_eruption)?
===============================================================================================================================
I personally know someone, who was going to present their work at a conference, but could not travel because of air travel shutdown.
They made a video presentation, basically their slides with their conference talk voice-over. It was shown at the event.
I would guess, that other inabilities to visit the conference (that do *not* result in paper being pulled), such as inability to obtain a visa or disability, would be handled in a similar manner.
Notice that it is typically required that *one* of the authors presents the paper, so if you have many authors, e.g. your advisor is on the paper and you break a leg, the advisor could present it even without triggering the exception rule.
Of course, if you are a sole author, or the inability to travel applies to all authors, or if you insist to present the paper yourself, but cannot travel, above issues arise.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: In many cases, maybe all, it should be possible to work with the program committee to find a solution. If they have sufficient prior notice something can usually be worked out. Possibilities include those named in other answers here (video, ...), but also having a third party present the work.
In a last minute situation it may be hard to do anything but have an announcement at the conference that the author(s) couldn't attend because of ... The paper would still be part of the conference proceedings and so is still an official "publication". The only thing not included would be the actual presentation of it.
For those with long standing issues (Hawking) who publish regularly, the committees will know how to make something work.
But, contact the committee in all such cases.
I should note that it isn't the *talk* at the conference that makes it a publication (invited talks excepted). It is the paper. There are many disabilities that make it impossible to actually give a talk, including the inability to speak at all.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Publishing and attending conferences are related, yet independent things. A conference paper with multiple authors is generally presented by a single person. So even if I was the lead author of a paper, and a co-author of mine held the talk, I can consider the paper being published.
I guess, not presenting your own papers at a conference is nothing unusual. A colleague of mine fell ill during the conference, so our boss had to present her paper, as she wasn't fit to present it herself.
On other occasions, only a select few of our group attended a conference and presented the contributions of our group.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/26
| 1,068
| 4,627
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm an academic researcher with a very good publication track record in computer science.
I'm considering the possibility of applying for a research position at a well known telecommunications company with a large research department. But I still would like to have the possibility of publishing theoretical work.
1) Are researchers in private companies usually allowed to publish theoretical work produced in cooperation with researchers outside the company?
2) Are researchers in private companies usually allowed to publish theoretical work produced inside the company?<issue_comment>username_1: In general terms, if the publication is, in any way, related to the company's business it will probably be contractually forbidden unless specific permission is given for the paper.
Signing on with a company that depends on IP usually means that anything you produce is theirs, not yours. Read the contract to be sure. Some contracts try to bind you forever, even when you leave the company. The legality of these can be challenged and they may be illegal in some places.
However, if your other work is completely unrelated, then it is probably ok, but it needs to be "released" by whoever is responsible for IP control at the company.
On rare occasions (THE WOZ at HP, for example), a company will give permission to do something that would otherwise be prohibited, but normally because they lack sufficient insight to see the consequences. If they are happy enough to make an exception, make sure you have it in writing - signed and maybe notarized.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: Speaking as a researcher at a private for-profit company, who also publishes frequently, it all depends on the nature of the business model and the position.
Most people at companies do not publish, either because the company has no interest in publishing or because their particular job doesn't involve much of scientific interest. For companies that are involved in cutting edge work, however, scientific publishing can gain credibility and visibility for the organization just like it does for people at universities. This is the case for the company I work for, particularly given that many of our projects are federally funded research where the government is paying us in part to disseminate knowledge.
Nor is there any necessary conflict between protecting intellectual property and publishing. The three main strategies for protecting IP are copyright, patent, and trade secret. Of those, only trade secret is incompatible with publishing, and it is generally the most fragile and least used in any case.
The biggest obstacle to publishing in private industry is simply priority and time. Writing a manuscript is a lot of work, and if management doesn't see much benefit, they will likely want you to use those hours for things more directly connected to the bottom line. You might be able to publish out of hours, but that can be a more complex negotiation.
Bottom line: it really depends on the particular circumstances. The best way to know if you will be able to publish is to look at whether others in the group you are joining publish. If so, you probably can. If not, there are likely major obstacles, whether formal or merely pragmatic.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: It is not possible to answer your question unless you specify the company name. Many companies are very active in research, and many companies are not. As you are not an employee yet, you cannot ask the HR, but you can search.
For example, if you [search for "deep learning" in ACM](https://dl.acm.org/results.cfm?within=owners.owner%3DHOSTED&srt=_score&query=deep%20learning&Go.x=23&Go.y=5), and click on `institutions` on the left menu, you can see there is Microsoft, IBM and Google there. ACM also keeps company profiles, so you know what topic they are interested in, for example this is [profile of Google](https://dl.acm.org/inst_page.cfm?id=60006191).
Someone (from Amazon) just told me that Amazon had nearly turned [FLoC](https://www.floc2018.org/) into a private Amazon event. The conferences at FloC are highly theoretical, and among the most prestigious in logic.
But actually, you don't need to ask this question, as in the companies that are active in research, the directors/principal engineers etc are often former professors, and we followers immediately know where big shots move :-)
---
Update: thanks @Anyon for pointing out that the company name was editted out. Yes, that company does publish, see [its profile](https://dl.acm.org/inst_page.cfm?id=60004661) in ACM.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/26
| 887
| 3,539
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a junior faculty in one of the top-tier research US institutions. I just joined the department and hired two GRAs meanwhile. In addition, I would like to appoint one more individual in my research group who could be appointed as a research engineer/technician. His/her role would be to support my research program and assist my GRAs on their PhD work. I am wondering whether there are any legal issues/conflict of interests if he/she is one of my family members. How will the department see this recruitment?<issue_comment>username_1: The rules differ from country to country, university to university, and department to department.
On a practical note, I would not want to be in a supervisory role towards a family member. In that role I need to be able to make unpleasant decisions, like tell someone if (s)he did a bad job, handle complaints, or even discontinue employment. That is hard enough as is, but if it involves a family member...
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Many, if not most, universities have policies that would forbid this, or require extra scrutiny.
Search your university's hiring, HR, and conflict-of-interest policies to see if they address this (it could be under "nepotism"). Even if you don't find anything forbidding it, don't go ahead yet - check with your department chair and/or HR administrators. Make sure you can make a clear case as to why your family member is qualified, and why the direct hire would be better than an open application process. Don't go ahead with the hire until you have explicit informed approval from someone who has the authority to approve it.
If the money for this position comes from an external grant, you should repeat the above steps with "university" replaced by "funding agency".
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: While I think the advice [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/115877/75368) and [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/115880/75368) is sound, let me make another observation. If the reason you want to hire this person is *because* they are a family member rather than *in spite of it* then it is probably a bad idea in any case, even if legal. Otherwise, it is a bit more ambiguous.
One way to avoid some, but not all, of the conflicts, if you think they are indeed the best person for the job is to see if you can defer the decision to hire to one of your superiors, say the head of the department. If your superior agrees that they should be hired, not just that they *can* be hired then go ahead. This won't solve the day-to-day supervision issues, nor the issue of what would occur if they had to be fired, of course.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: All the existing answers point in the same correct direction, but are in my opinion *too mild*.
**This is an horrendous idea. Don't do it.**
It's irrelevant whether your chair / department / university / funding source formally allows it. It does not matter if your family member is the most qualified candidate. You *will* run into suspicions of nepotism, which are virtually impossible to ever fully get rid of. People will talk. You don't want any of that at a place that you quite likely will spend the rest of your working career at, and you *most definitely* don't want any of that so early in your career and prior to getting tenure.
If your family member is qualified and in need for a job like this, strongly recommend them the next time of your colleagues is hiring for a similar role. Don't take them on yourself.
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/08/26
| 536
| 2,306
|
<issue_start>username_0: Suppose a researcher comes up with a mathematical theorem, which can be obtained trivially from discovered theorems, but with an approach, that was never used before to describe or prove the theorem.
Then do the journals accept the paper because of the new approach or reject the paper because of no novelty?<issue_comment>username_1: There is more to mathematics than theorems. Sometimes the *best* part is the methodology of the proof, especially if it can be used to also solve important problems in the field. If everybody has been thinking in a certain way about a class of problems for a hundred years and you give them a new way to think about it, you have made an important contribution.
So yes, a journal would publish that. But your paper needs to be clear about the novelty and importance of your approach.
My own dissertation had interesting theorems, but was noted for the proof of one of them that was something entirely new and unexpected.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: <NAME> not only published a paper of this kind (entitled 'A New Proof of the Positive Energy Theorem'), but the paper strongly contributed to getting him a Fields Medal, the highest award in mathematics. Both proofs in the paper had already been proved by Schoen and Yau using different methods: the key is that he was using new methods to carry out the proof.
Edit: I should also add that general mathematics journals often like to take interesting or easier new proofs of old theorems.
Later: I have thought about this a bit more and the truth is not as quite as glib as I suggested. Unfortunately these things are never black and white. The proof by Witten of that theorem was new but also interesting and surprising. Producing yet another proof of some workhorse theorem which people use on a daily basis might be a bit hard to publish (and I'm speaking from experience as well).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: In my area, proving Schur positivity is a big thing.
One can do that using RSK, bijections, involutions, crystals, dual equivalence, or representation theory.
Some proofs give more insight than others, so there are several different proofs of the same statement, as the different techniques have different pros and cons.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/26
| 1,215
| 4,998
|
<issue_start>username_0: This community is introduced by a friend of mine about a week ago and I hope I can write my questions clearly (English is not my first language and I normally have poor communication skills...)
My story: I started my BSc in mathematics about 22 years ago (when I was age 9) and I decided (had to) quit after one painful semester that I still remember it. I studied on my own and a few years later I decided to solve the notorious impenetrable problem the Hodge conjecture. I have not achieved that goal yet but (I think) I have more than enough that people get a fields medal for that. And with my past experiences I believe that I am most probably not wrong in the technicalities (peer review need to be done though)... Nonetheless I can't continue working hard on the problem as I used to because of spending a lot more time on making money (from teaching to laboring jobs) so better to publish whatever I have to possibly get a research job than living a fading life and every-day-increasing severe-depression. But there are many obstacles I believe:
1- Can I publish an article without having an academic position and even without a university degree, at all?
2- I *never* care about fame and I absolutely don't care if solving some unsolved problem is attached to a particular name (=person) but handing over 18 years of my research to someone who have authority to easily publish it has a high risk of his/her plagiarism temptation thus ruining a possible would-be good life of mine. How can I trust someone?
3- Evaluation of my results is a necessity before I have any claim of that but if it turns out to be valuable enough can I get an academic position without having a physical degree and not going through all many years of official undergraduate and graduate programs in mathematics?
By the way, I hold an Iranian passport which means that I cannot travel Europe/US/Canada/... to present my research with just an invitation for a conference. (Visa-on-arrival is available for Iranian citizens in Mozambique or Samoa airports but I don't think that be helpful; no offense).
PS Please feel free to edit my post if my English is not clear. Thank you all in advance. :)<issue_comment>username_1: Anyone can write a mathematics paper and anyone, degree or not, can submit it to a publisher. Some unscrupulous publishers will take your money and publish your work without thought, but that won't advance you in any way.
If you submit a paper to a reputable publisher and the editor thinks it has merit he or she will send it to a few reviewers for comment. The comments may be good or bad. Since you have been a bit isolated from the larger mathematical community is is even possible that what you have done isn't new, and you will be told that.
But if the reviewers find merit then you work can be published, possibly after some revision as suggested by the reviewers.
I suggest, however, that you also try to find a few people to help you. One, an independent mind, to look over the mathematics in your work to give you some external assurance that it is sound. The reviewers will certainly do that, but it might benefit you to have your own prior review. The other person you might want is someone more familiar with the language in which you want to publish, English or whatever it is.
For the other question about obtaining a position based on one paper, that is less likely. Ramanujan, of course, became a celebrity in the mathematical world with no advanced degrees and did some of the finest work in the previous century. But that is very rare. A Fields medal based on one piece of work would also be very rare.
For those who cannot travel to a conference venue, especially for political reasons, accommodations can be made to have a paper heard, even when the author cannot be present. The conference committee should be contacted in such cases, but the paper needs review before that can be considered.
---
Let me add a note about Ramanujan. He was a brilliant mathematician who was blessed with the gift of thinking differently. But he would likely have labored in obscurity throughout his too-short life if he hadn't started his association with Hardy. It was that association that helped the world discover him.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Variants of this question have been asked many times.
1. No, [you do not need to have an academic position or be enrolled in a university to publish in journals](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/113795/publishing-a-paper-not-enrolled-in-university/).
2. You can prevent plagiarism (or at least make it easily detectable) by [posting a preprint of your paper on arXiv](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13216/discreet-way-to-establish-priority). This establishes that you are the first person to come up with the idea.
3. [It's doable, but rare](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8428/professorship-without-phd-in-the-united-states).
Upvotes: 3
|
2018/08/27
| 1,884
| 7,617
|
<issue_start>username_0: I was wondering if I was rude to a professor.
I am a Japanese student at a Japanese university and I'm planning to apply for a British graduate school. Then, I contacted a professor at the graduate school and asked some questions about the school. The professor replied to me very politely. Due to my bad English skills, I misunderstood what the professor told me and wrote something inappropriate. Realizing my mistake 10 minutes after sending my original reply, I sent him a message again, apologizing for my mistake with a correction. I think I did things in a very polite way, but I still worry if I made a bad impression at the same time.
Do you think the professor would see me as a rude student? Please let me know your ideas.
\*I mean I made just a simple English mistake. I should've written "my" instead of "your". I did not write anything like insulting him.<issue_comment>username_1: Different cultures have different standards of politeness. Educated people tend to understand that. By UK standards you were more polite than you needed to be, but by Japanese standards, perhaps, just right.
Don't think of it as a mistake. There should be no issue at all. In fact, I'll guess you've made a good impression.
The opposite problem, in which a person isn't polite enough in the local culture is a bit more of a problem, of course. I hope that if I were to meet you in Japan, you would forgive me for my seeming lack of politeness in some situations imagining (correctly, I hope) that it isn't intended.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to the answer by @username_1, if you were already having correspondence with the professor and if you replied to a message which the professor sent to you, I think, the professor will recognize the sender very well. Especially, if you are using your name as your username, the professor will be able to recognize you easily. But generally, when you have correspondence with your professors or anybody else, it is a good habit to read and re-read and edit the message you composed before sending it out.
I found this post on [how to e-mail your professor, employer and professional peers](https://chrisblattman.com/2010/11/08/students-how-to-email-to-your-professor-employer-and-professional-peers/) very useful.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: No, it's not rude. In fact it happens all the time, e.g. "Our meeting is at 3pm today" and then a few minutes later "Correction: our meeting is at 3:15pm today".
Having said that, I think you don't need to send such a correction email in the future because today's email services collect the entire conversation. The professor will not only be able to see who the person sending the email is, he'll also be able to see which conversation the email is referring to.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: As far I know, Japanese culture has a strong super-polite flavor. I see a strong chance that your message wasn't even inappropriate, or it was much lesser inappropriate in the eyes of the Prof.
I think the best correction email is if you only state positive things. For example, once I accidentally addressed a very important person as *"Dead Mr. X"* instead *"Dear Mr. X"*.
The important thing is, that don't reply the mistake even by negating it. Thus, *"No, I did not want to write that you are dead"*, it had been another mistake. What I wrote: *"I am really sorry, I wanted to write "Dear Mr. X"*.
Another important thing is, that the Prof has an idea what is in your mind, just as you have an idea, what is in the mind of the Prof. And he is probably rational and mainly cooperative. By understanding that your intention was absolutely not inappropriate, then rationality dictates that essentially nothing happened.
Profs get typically a lot of mail, every day, since years or decades, and answering them is not the most loved part of their job. Furthermore, they are communicating with stundents with a lot of different languages, English level and cultures. Thus
* Most likely they will easily adapt.
* Most likely they find similar uncommon events very often,
* And they forget them on the spot after they've solved it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Extremely rude, telling the Professor that you didn't check your work enough times to make a mistake, it tells them that you didn't take the time or didn't care to fix it.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_6: Generally, that is culturally appropriate for British and American.
Politeness aside, the mistakes matter as well. If it's more serious, like you meant Department of History but wrote Department of Anthropology, or misspelled the reciepient's name, or got the meeting date wrong, those are definitely justified.
But if it's something akin to "Oh, no, by time difference it should be evening there, I should not have written 'Good morning,' let me send a correction." Then it could be trivial, but definitely not impolite.
Moving forward, an advice I often give to students may be useful for you: when you write an e-mail, proofread it. And to avoid clicking the Send button too fast or by accident, fill in the contents of the e-mail first, then fill in the recipient's e-mail addresses at the "To:" slot **the last**.
Overall, don't be too nervous about this. Take effort to talk more with the native speakers, use English all the time, and your fluency will skyrocket.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: This is the point of view of an American who taught part-time at a local university for about 8 years (future advice).
Things you need to consider:
1. Culture. In some cultures it could be consider disrespectful to do this. I don't know enough about British culture to give you a straight answer. Perhaps it might be good to ask a classmate that was born and raised in the U.K.
2. Ego. Some people's ego are simply way too big and might take offense to this. I used to tell my students on our first meeting that I acknowledge I am human and as such I can make mistakes. So, I challenged my students to correct me if they think I give them erroneous information. Of course, I emphasized that you must do so in a respectful manner. As a student, I had to deal with professors that were too closed-minded to admit they were ever wrong so I know this is a difficult thing to do.
3. Email could be too impersonal of a medium to communicate something this important. Also, he or she might not get to your email in time. Or worse, his or her email might be read/filtered by an assistant.
My advice to you is: DON'T USE EMAIL. Instead set up an appointment to see him or her and frame your issue in the form of a question. For example: "I thought 'xyz' was true, but in your lecture ***I thought*** you said otherwise. **Can you help me clarify this**?" There are two things in place here. The first one is that you are asking for a clarification instead of flat out coming out and "accusing" the professor of putting out incorrect information. Second, and most importantly, you are putting this on you by saying you probably misunderstood (*I thought*) what he or she said.
I am certain that, if you do this, your professor might be more open to the indirect criticism and might even thank you for bringing this to his or her attention.
Going back to your question: Will the professor see you as a rude student? Who knows. A true professional should be able to accept your apology and move on. It also helps when these sort of incident doesn't repeat again. You need to assume your professor is a true professional and won't hold this single incident against you.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/27
| 592
| 2,678
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a researcher in the computer science / interactions field. One year ago, I published a demonstration paper at a conference presenting and using quite briefly an algorithm A.
This year, I'm submitting a journal paper to the same conference and my work uses this algorithm. I wonder whether the demo is considered as a real publication and if I should just cite this demo paper or should I re-explain in detail the algorithm (I would then go more into details).
Research demonstrations at a conference is something very specific to my field I guess.<issue_comment>username_1: You should always cite your own previous work on a subject just the same as if it were written by someone else. Failure to do so is [Self Plagiarism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism#Self-plagiarism), which is a real thing, oddly enough.
However, you can also, as you suggest go in to more detail on the algorithm if it will help support the new work.
The general rule is that when something has been published, using it should have a citation.
The reason for the rule is that the original paper may include context that a reader in the future may want to see but can't find without the citation.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: These are two questions that should be addressed separately.
**Should I cite the demo paper?**
Yes, not only to avoid self plagiarism, but since it improves the overall appearance of your work that you have already demonstrated your system before. In this particular situation it is even more important since it is quite possible that the TPC members know your demo from last year and if they were impressed by it this will boost your paper.
**Should I re-explain things that are covered in the demo abstract?**
Yes, too, assuming the algorithm is central to your new paper and not only a nice add-on. Thus, your paper extends your demo abstract in a sense as a journal paper might extend a conference paper. In such a case where you significantly extend the paper, it should be self-contained. This is not only allowed in nearly all cases, but encouraged. Otherwise, the algorithm is not counted as contribution of the new paper, but only the evaluation remains, potentially making the contribution too low for a new paper.
Furthermore, it is cumbersome for readers. They would have to read both the demo abstract and the paper to understand everything, potentially leading to confusion. Second, it might be difficult to access your demo abstract at all since is often not part of the published proceeding and even if it is, a reader potentially has to pay twice to access the demo abstract and the paper.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/27
| 1,059
| 4,381
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a researcher at a company C and I'm going to submit a paper as main author in the next few days for a conference next spring. The thing is, I applied to a University U for a PHD and still waiting for an answer. So in spring, I might not be in the company anymore and they will have no reason to pay me the trip and the conference. So if the paper is accepted, I can guess 5 scenarios:
* C still pays me the conference (very unlikely I guess)
* U pays me the conference (However this team never published to this conference so it is unlikely)
* I pay for it (I don't think I would, it is really too expensive (other side of the planet))
* C pays for the second author to go and present the paper at my place
* My submission is cancelled
What do you think is the more probable scenario. **How does Universities and Companies usually handle this?** C doesn't know yet that I am looking for another position. **Should I renounce publishing this paper?** I have been working on that for more than a year and this is a good journal.<issue_comment>username_1: The only thing that can be said for sure is that the conference is unlikely to cancel the submission. I don't know of any conferences that would do such a thing.
But whether anyone wants to pay for attendance is another question altogether. It can be explored with the company and with the university. In many cases either would be happy to help you attend as it increases their own visibility. In other cases they would not. In some situations the institution (company or university) won't pay anyway depending on the paper and the cost.
The safest thing for you is to assume that if you want to attend then you will have to pay yourself and to hope that, upon asking, either the company or the university will pay instead. It isn't then end of the world if a co-author presents in your stead. You still have the publication on your record.
Withdrawing your name from authorship seems to me to be the worst option as you have done the work but won't get credit.
It is also possible that you can submit something in addition to the conference and have the university pay on the basis of that, instead.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: username_1's answer is a good one. I also wouldn't withdraw the submission, or even attendance until you know for sure that there's no funding. It's certainly worth asking the company and the new research group (if you get the position), but success is obviously not guaranteed.
However, there's one more option worth pursuing: try to apply for an external travel grant. Sometimes one might be available from the conference itself, from a professional organization, or as a stipend. The new professor or department likely has some ideas on available options for your field. Maybe you can cover all of the cost that way, or at least part of it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Been there, done that, but with University 1 and University 2.
Normally, you would put up the affiliation with U2 in the final version, mention in the acknowledgements that the work was done at U1, *e basta*. Typically, U2 is expected to pay for the conference.
Unfortunately, in my case the timing was screwed up and the final version went out when I did not have a contract with U2 yet. So, U1 was on the affiliation. U1 refused to pay for the now-foreign person (they were not nice), U2 did not pay, because it's not credited (fair, I guess). I ended paying for the travel and conference myself.
(It was nice and fun, but going to Japan from Europe for work on my own money (and being not able to extend the stay, because I was a poor postdoc) was not my definition of a good vacation, which the travel essentially replaced that year.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> U pays me the conference (However this team never published to this
> conference so it is unlikely)
>
>
>
Why unlikely? IMHO, this is the most likely situation. Once the paper is accepted, i.e. several months from now, you can change your affiliation in the paper, and U will sponsor you presenting it.
>
> C pays for the second author to go and present the paper at my place
>
>
>
This is also very likely if you cannot go. Come on, you have a new wonderful job, why caring about presenting 1 paper? You will have more papers to present.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/28
| 1,586
| 6,790
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have scoured the internet and everyone seems to be saying different things. These range from
* "You will have no problem getting a job in quant/finance etc", to
* "You are in a hopeless situation and are completely unemployable"
Consider the following situation:
* I am at a PhD student at a mid-20s US institution studying pure math
* I have very limited programming skills
* I am an Australian national and want to live in Australia long term.
I am not overly optimistic about my future career prospects. Since I am near the beginning I thought I better think about this now rather than 5-6 years down the track.
**Question:** Is it likely that I'll be able to find a reasonably well-paid, stable job after graduation (even outside of academia)? Are there things I can do now to improve my chances (beyond "trying hard")? Would I be better off doing another masters in computer science or machine learning back in Australia instead of this PhD in pure math?<issue_comment>username_1: It sounds like you have no idea what the career options for a Math PhD in Australia are like, which is understandable but not a good place to be. It's important to educate yourself about what the market is like, preferably as soon as possible. Since you're in the US, you won't be able to rely on your university's career center, so the burden of research is on you.
Go to an Australian jobs portal such as [SEEK](https://www.seek.com.au/). Search for jobs requiring a PhD in math. If you know where you will settle in Australia already, then narrow only to jobs in that city. You'll get results like [this one](https://www.seek.com.au/job/37066750?type=standard).
>
> Our client is a leading provider of form and data software solutions for the global racing industry. They are an established and stable organisation who are perfect for those sick of the corporate life.
>
>
> Working with some of the best mathematics and stats minds in the city in a small and focused team environment, you will work on challenging and rewarding modelling projects.
>
>
> To be considered for this role you will have the following:
>
>
> * A strong background in mathematical and statistical modelling
> * Previous experience working as a Quant Analyst, Data Analyst, Data Scientist or Big Data Analyst - desirable
> * Masters or PhD in maths / statistics / machine learning / econometrics essential.
> * Experience using C++ or Python is highly regarded, although Matlab & R experience will also be considered.
> * Strong algorithmic coding skill and solid knowledge of data structures
> * Application clustering / Big Data experience using Apache Spark
> Experience with statistical forecasting essential.
> * Understanding of machine / statistical learning techniques such as non-linear regression, kernel regression, support vector machines (SVM), neural networks, classification trees and similar techniques very beneficial.
> * Experience working within the horse racing / wagering industry highly desirable
>
>
>
It's up to you to decide if you find this job attractive. If the answer is no, then search for another job until you find something attractive. Once you have an attractive job, do your best to pick up the necessary skills. For example to be competitive for this job, you really want C++ or Python proficiency, and preferably Matlab and R as well. You want modeling experience, you want to understand neural networks, classification trees, etc.
Your PhD is an opportunity to pick up these skills. As you say, right now you have very little programming experience which immediately rules you out of this job. If you still want to do it, then should you get the chance to direct the trajectory of your PhD - e.g. if your supervisor asks you "what do you want to do next" - this is your chance to learn those skills.
As for whether it's better to do a second Masters degree, well, you can apply the same methodology. Search SEEK for jobs requiring a Masters in computer science or machine learning, and see if you find those jobs attractive (relative to the ones that need a PhD in math). If the answer is yes, then it's probably better to do a second Masters.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Since a doctorate is geared toward research, the obvious place for you is somewhere that does a lot of research. Academia qualifies, of course, but most governments have/sponsor labs for research, especially econometric research for which a maths PhD is probably a good start. Insurance companies also hire a lot of mathematicians as actuaries and financial analysts.
There are other companies that, in pursuit of a business model, so a lot of model building of various things - populations, finances, products, etc. Mathematics is a good foundation in any model building scenario, though some domain specific knowledge is usually also needed. But most important is the ability to abstract away from the details, which is one of the most essential mathematical skills.
As to learning CS for use with mathematics, you don't really need to spend the time getting a MS for that. One can learn programming and data structures from books (and practice) quite well. That was my path, in fact. For the more esoteric studies of CS, a guide would be good, such as a degree program, but if you want to work as a mathematician, much of that wouldn't be essential, at least initially.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Given the current market for academic math researchers, I'd encourage everyone in math to make serious plans for an alternative career that you'd be happy with. Even for most people who end up with tenured positions, it's not clear until well after graduation whether that path is likely to work out, so even the strongest students should be considering other options. In math the main alternative tracks are data or coding focused industry jobs in finance or tech, or teaching-focused academic positions. In both cases, these job markets are competitive and they're not looking for people whose main qualification is that they didn't get a research position. If your alternative option is getting a job in industry, you should already be learning to code and trying to get relevant experience, while if your alternative option is getting a teaching-focused job, you should already be looking for teaching opportunities that will make you stand out as an attractive candidate at teaching-focused institutions. (In the US those are often small liberal arts colleges, but in Australia I'm not sure how many teaching-focused jobs exist.)
The good news is that there's lots of good jobs for math PhDs out there (much better than many fields), but you won't just stumble into them you need to develop relevant skills and experience.
Upvotes: 4
|
2018/08/28
| 929
| 4,155
|
<issue_start>username_0: While writing my paper, I was unaware of the existence of a sequence and I named the sequence (say X). Later I found that the same sequence is already known with some other name (say Y). Currently if my paper is under review, then can I change to Y according to the literature and resend? Or is it okay to continue with the name X I sent?
Note that the novelty of the paper does not completely rely on the sequence used.<issue_comment>username_1: Generally speaking the version submitted to a journal or conference is not the version published as it will go through review. However, the nature of the change can affect things. In the worst case, the paper has a predecessor that makes its publication moot, or even invalidates the conclusion. But in the usual case you can make such changes. However, the extent of the changes may make it necessary to have it reviewed again. That is easier for a journal to do than a conference, which has harder deadlines.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: From what you have written regarding the sequence name, it sounds like this it only a question of nomenclature and doesn't substantively affect either your results or the novelty of these results.
If this is indeed the case, then it can easily be amended at revision. Pretty much every meaningful peer review process on a significant article will end up requesting at least minor revisions, since reviewers will generally contribute useful perspective and few manuscripts are without at least some typos.
If there *is* a major impact (presumably on novelty), it is a whole different story. Depending on how large the impact, you might either still want to wait until revision (e.g., if it's going to replace a couple of paragraphs with a citation) or you might even want to withdraw and resubmit a new version of the manuscript (e.g., if it results in dropping an entire section). Even if you need to do something so extreme, however, I would not worry overmuch about consequences: any good editor will respect (and likely appreciate) such a decision.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I agree with the other two answers (by username_1 and username_2), but I would also add another possibility that I've seen people make use of. First, note that I don't understand how important this change is, so I'm not necessarily saying you *should* use this approach — just that it's a possibility.
You can contact the editors even while the paper is out for review to mention that you'll need to make this change. From what you say, it sounds like they'll probably just tell you to wait until you get the paper back to do revisions. It's also possible that they'll forward that information to the reviewer, which may preempt an issue the reviewer planned to raise.
Again, I can't judge whether or not this is the right approach for you, but it has happened to me that the editors of a journal contacted me while I was reviewing a paper to pass along important information from the authors, and it helped with the process. In any case, you really should correct this at some point before publication, for the sake of academic integrity.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: The way to handle this is to add a note - either as a footnote or in the body of the text - indicating that the sequence has a different name elsewhere, and include appropriate reference in an updated bibliography. Of course this assumes the referee will not herself/himself point out that fact in the report.
At the time of resubmission (if some changes are required) or when you next contact the editorial office, indicate clearly for the benefit of the editor (and possibly also the referee) that you have added bibliographic entries and why, and that you have added some text (and indicate where) to clarify the issue.
A well written note explaining how this doesn't affect the novelty of your work should do it but, if the referee is unaware of the said reference and the paper is accepted without further review, the editor can always go back to the referee if she/he feels this compromises the integrity of the manuscript.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/28
| 368
| 1,688
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am doing my Phd study. My supervisor attended a new conference and after that, she asked me to update my literature review based on new works mentioned in this conference. I looked at all the presented works which are relative to my work, however, I just found the abstracts of these works. I contacted the authors and they told me that they did not publish their works and hence cannot share them with me. I tried to do what my supervisor asked me to do but I really cannot read the entire works and hence cannot understand what the authors did. So, what I have to do in this case? Do I need to just mention the abstract (which is really not enough to understand the methodology of the work)? Any help please?<issue_comment>username_1: Unless your completion is immanent, you shouldn't have a problem. Include the new work in the lit review for now, but monitor the situation. Hopefully the conference proceedings will appear and contain the papers and you can make adjustments as needed.
If the timing is not as I suggest here, then just explore this with your advisor and follow whatever advice you get. For the purposes of your dissertation, all should be well. If you later publish the work you may need to adjust some references, of course, but you might need to do that in any case if you learn more in the interim.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Tell your supervisor and ask if she'll email the authors (ideally addressing emails to someone she met at the conference or already knows). She might be more successful than you, because she is more senior and because she was there (and because she knows them already).
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/28
| 825
| 3,318
|
<issue_start>username_0: Good morning. I recently posted a question on Math Stack Exchange [here](https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/2887978/binomial-coefficients-involving-prime-powers-minus-1/2896848#2896848) and got a fantastic solution. The problem in question is one that I've had for some time, and both myself and research professor have been searching for proof of the claim both through papers and using mathematical techniques.
It would appear that a particular solution to the problem has been found, though I must go through the proof with my professor to verify its truth. If it is true, what is the protocol for citing the proof and giving the author credit? Do stack exchange contributors post solutions knowing that their work may not be credited? I would never want to plagarize, but the information is useful for the greater problems that we have been trying to solve.<issue_comment>username_1: Perhaps the person who posted it actually found it elsewhere and can provide a reference to you. Alternately, if you are willing to be publicly known here, you can find a way to exchange emails and hence give proper credit to the individual(s).
In the past, I've exchanged emails with members on this site using a mod as a go-between, but that implies that you can reach the mod via email *and* that the mod actually knows the other person's email. I note that the mods themselves aren't able to get people's email addresses from the site and it requires someone with higher authority. But if it is possible, the correct way is to ask a mod or administrator to give your email address to the other person, rather than to ask for theirs.
However, the rules are the same. If you use someone else's work, you need to cite them and an anonymous citation may not be enough unless they tell you on the site that you may do that. In that case, keep a record (pdf) of the exchange. The chatroom rather than the comment stream may be a better place to explore such things. (<https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/2496/the-ivory-tower>, or something similar at the math site: <https://chat.stackexchange.com/?tab=site&host=math.stackexchange.com>.)
But see the answers for the questions that this duplicates, also. I would, myself, worry about a citation that used an alias as author, rather than a true-name.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There are actually [two](https://meta.mathoverflow.net/questions/1631/formatting-a-citation-to-a-mathoverflow-answer) [questions](https://meta.mathoverflow.net/questions/402/in-writing-a-research-paper-how-can-i-refer-to-peoples-answers-given-to-a-ques) on MathOverflow that ask how to cite answers found on MathOverflow. I would recommend following their advice.
One of them is a fairly old question, whose answer is somewhat outdated. Summarizing:
1. Even though you may not be legally obligated to show where you got your answer (for example, when MO points you to a theorem already in the literature), it is a good idea — it never hurts to be generous and honest. (And if you're copying part of an answer, not citing it would be plagiarism.)
2. There is a little button for each answer that says *"cite"* and will give you a citation. You might have to reformat this to make it fit in your journal's bibliography style.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
|
2018/08/28
| 2,897
| 12,593
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm a PhD student and one of my research assistants (undergraduate student) applied for a non-research volunteer position on campus. He asked (via email) for me to be one of his references **on the day of the application deadline**. I didn't see the email until the day after. In my reply email, I apologized for not catching the email in time, said it would have been better if they gave me more than a few hours warning, and that hopefully he was able to find another letter writer in time.
He replied and said that he had put my name down as a reference anyway because of the deadline. I'm not sure if this was due to them misunderstanding how references work (first job?), or cultural differences (international student?), or procrastination with the application and simply assumed I would be OK with it. In his followup emails he seems to be aware that this was an inappropriate thing to do, but had no choice due to the deadline.
The problem is that even if he had asked me earlier I would have declined to be a reference anyway, primarily because I don't know the student well enough to write a positive letter (he had only been working in the lab for a couple of months at that point).
Today, I received the request for my reference letter, asking me to rate the student on various qualities and some open ended questions. I have enough time to write the letter, but I'm not sure of the correct course of action.
On the one hand I wouldn't have written an overly positive letter in the first place and putting me down as a reference without my permission worsens my impression of the student. But on the other hand I feel that as a supervisor (of his lab work anyway) I should suck it up and help them get the job regardless of how I feel about this situation, as he has been a fairly good student (kind and friendly) in the lab for the little time that I've known him. Additionally, I'll still be supervising the student in the lab regardless of whether he gets the job, and writing a bad letter may sour the relationship and create unwanted tension in the lab.
I'm not sure how to handle this situation. Should the employer be made aware of what happened? Can/should I decline to write the letter? Would there be any negative repercussions for me if I decline to write the letter after being put down as a reference?
I see that there is already a question on here about declining to write a reference ([Should I decline to fill out a recommendation form after saying that I will do it?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/77704/should-i-decline-to-fill-out-a-recommendation-form-after-saying-that-i-will-do-i)), but in this case I never agreed to write the letter in the first place and this was all done without my permission (or awareness, until after the fact).<issue_comment>username_1: I think the best advice is to be honest. You don't need to praise the student unless he deserves it for any given attribute. On the other hand you don't need to make it negative just because of the history.
I suspect that your letter will, if honest, say some positive and some negative things, or just that you don't have the experience with him to comment more than a bit.
You can describe what he has done in the lab in a non-judgmental way, of course. The potential employer wants an honest assessment. Do your best to provide one. It can be neutral and descriptive.
Be sure that whatever you say you would be willing to share with the candidate. They might learn of it from the employer even if you don't share it yourself.
Since you are a student yourself, you can say that, and say that you have little experience with letters of recommendation. This will help the employer make a proper decision.
Your unhappiness with the behavior of the student should be largely kept between you, unless he also has a history of taking advantage of people and situations.
---
The same advice should apply to any recommendation, even one more politely arranged. But in that situation, you would have the opportunity to warn the candidate that you might have little positive to say.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't think there is an established best practice for this situation. Ethically, you're not obliged to do anything, since you never agreed that you would do anything. So it comes down to how you feel. What I would probably do is fill out the form honestly, without putting in as much optimization effort as I usually do, but not writing a bad recommendation. I'd also make it clear to the student that I won't do any more such favors without X weeks of prior notice. But if instead, you opted to ignore the form and let the employer decide what to do, I wouldn't view that as out of line.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: As the student’s supervisor, it is your duty not to “help him get the job” but rather to act in a supervisory role, and that includes giving your honest opinion about the student to anyone he requests you to. When I get requests from students I hardly know to write them letters, I tell them honestly there isn’t much I can say other than what class they took with me and what grade they got, and that a letter from me would not be worth very much, but I always say I am willing to write the letter if they insist that I do.
My suggestion is that you simply answer the reference request from the employer as honestly as you can. If there isn’t much you can say, say so, but include whatever details you *can* speak about that may be of interest to an employer. If you really think you can’t say *anything* of value, say so. That would probably hurt the student’s chances, but that’s not your problem.
Finally, I wouldn’t mention to the employer the story about the student putting your name down without your approval. It may be annoying, but I would attribute it to the student’s inexperience and just let it go, although perhaps I would privately mention to the student that such behavior is counterproductive and also somewhat rude.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: My take is that you should write the recommendation letter, but highlight that you really haven't known them very long. This will let you give a cursory recommendation, since you haven't had any real issues other than this event. Plus, by focusing on this aspect, your letter won't have as much weight as someone else who has known the student for longer.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Use this as a teachable moment.
As you made clear, the student either was entirely unaware of or completely disregarded the etiquette around requesting references. Not everyone is born knowing these things, nor do they necessarily understand their importance. Now is a super good time to teach him how to approach this process in the future; this isn't a mistake he can continue to make.
Once you've had that conversation, I'd explain what kind of reference you're comfortable giving, which is the discussion you could have had if he gave you proper notice. Then, give him two options:
* You'll write the letter as stated, and he'll agree to learn from the experience and not pull a stunt like this in the future. Be clear you will not penalize him in his letter for the lack of notice.
* You'll respond to the request saying that there was a misunderstanding, and the student would like a recommendation from such-and-such instead. Whether that's acceptable to the people evaluating his application or hurts the student's chances is his problem.
If he thinks he'll have a better shot with someone else, he can take it, or he can go ahead with your letter now that he knows what will be in it, which he would have known if he asked you properly in the first place. This ensures he is not blindsided by the letter you intend to write, and allows him to make an informed decision.
All that said, I think there's an important context here. He's an undergraduate student who has worked in your lab for a couple months, applying for a volunteer position on campus. Even though you don't know the student that well, he very well may not have sufficient relationships with others on campus who could write a better letter. And since you've supervised his work in the lab, he may have concluded that you're best suited for the task as compared to, say, professors he doesn't particularly know.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't give anything more than your honest opinion, but the bar is only so high with undergraduate recommendation letters, and simply being a positive contributor as a research assistant over a period of months is, itself, not an insignificantly positive thing for you to attest to. It's worth considering whether you, perhaps in collaboration with others in your lab who have worked more closely with him, are honestly able to be sufficiently (while not overly) positive in your letter.
If you don't have much experience writing letters of recommendation, you might also discuss this with your supervisor, who likely has more experience with the kinds of knowledge of a student necessary to write varying types of letters.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: What follows is my opinion. This is not at all specific to academia, because this is far from an academic issue.
I would mark it as unwise to give people as references that you haven't discussed this with, but as far as I know, it is not "not done" as your question seems to imply.
I also don't see any mention of you having to do anything. A request made by the hiring party to fill out the form you are free to decline for whatever reason you see fit. Your failure to respond reflects badly on the person who gave you as reference, and that's completely his fault.
If you feel this needs to be communicated to the employer, go ahead. Everyone will have valuable lessons learnt. But if you don't want to take the time, equally fine.
I never would give someone as a reference if I didn't trust them to be honest and at least slightly positive about me. But as the person in question was not so careful, he should live with the consequences of his rash actions.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: If I'm getting it right, up to this point, your name in the form has *not* implied that you give a recommendation or a positive review on him.
So what is wrong with that? Why would he need a permission from you? Isn't it part of your "job" as a PhD student to rate students? He is an undergraduate, what kind of references and connections can he have at this point, other than researchers he has cooperated with?
I've done lots of chores for my supervisor without being asked first (paper reviews, presentations, lectures, rate exam papers etc) and I'm guessing the same applies for you. I simply did not deny (even if I would like to) because he was my supervisor and "that's how academia works."
Let him know that his move was not very appropriate (because "academia status"), fill in the ratings honestly and that's all.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: This is a rather late response, but I think the reaction here is a bit overboard. It's an undergraduate student and things are often done at the last minute. Even the most organised person in the world might see an advert for a job just before the deadline and want to put a submission in. Sometimes adverts request up to three references, which can be quite a challenge for a normal student (or even an academic staff member) to conjure up at short notice. They're left in a position where they either avoid submitting the application altogether or they take a chance that the people they've asked will be happy to provide one.
If they didn't ask your permission at all then that's clearly bad etiquette. What they did here is ask your permission at a late stage on the assumption it would be ok. That isn't unusual - it's happened to me on numerous occasions and I didn't have a problem with it because I understood the circumstances.
You're under no obligation to provide a good reference, but I really don't understand why so many people in this thread view this as some kind of appalling lack of manners. It's pretty normal in my experience of undergrads and as much as you might think you don't know them very well, if they asked you for a reference it's because they don't have any better candidates. Someone you've supervised for two months is a pretty natural candidate for a reference in my opinion, particularly if they had to provide multiple references. Undergrads typically don't have long lists of academics who know them well.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/28
| 2,352
| 10,291
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am about to defend my MS thesis in Physics. How much detail of the methods should I add in the presentation? In my thesis, I have compared the results of my method to an other method's results. Should I give a brief introduction of that method too?
One of the members of the defense committee is from the other field of research. Should I make my presentation very detailed so that he can understand it? But it will make the presentation very long. Probably, more than 40 minutes long.<issue_comment>username_1: I think the best advice is to be honest. You don't need to praise the student unless he deserves it for any given attribute. On the other hand you don't need to make it negative just because of the history.
I suspect that your letter will, if honest, say some positive and some negative things, or just that you don't have the experience with him to comment more than a bit.
You can describe what he has done in the lab in a non-judgmental way, of course. The potential employer wants an honest assessment. Do your best to provide one. It can be neutral and descriptive.
Be sure that whatever you say you would be willing to share with the candidate. They might learn of it from the employer even if you don't share it yourself.
Since you are a student yourself, you can say that, and say that you have little experience with letters of recommendation. This will help the employer make a proper decision.
Your unhappiness with the behavior of the student should be largely kept between you, unless he also has a history of taking advantage of people and situations.
---
The same advice should apply to any recommendation, even one more politely arranged. But in that situation, you would have the opportunity to warn the candidate that you might have little positive to say.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't think there is an established best practice for this situation. Ethically, you're not obliged to do anything, since you never agreed that you would do anything. So it comes down to how you feel. What I would probably do is fill out the form honestly, without putting in as much optimization effort as I usually do, but not writing a bad recommendation. I'd also make it clear to the student that I won't do any more such favors without X weeks of prior notice. But if instead, you opted to ignore the form and let the employer decide what to do, I wouldn't view that as out of line.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: As the student’s supervisor, it is your duty not to “help him get the job” but rather to act in a supervisory role, and that includes giving your honest opinion about the student to anyone he requests you to. When I get requests from students I hardly know to write them letters, I tell them honestly there isn’t much I can say other than what class they took with me and what grade they got, and that a letter from me would not be worth very much, but I always say I am willing to write the letter if they insist that I do.
My suggestion is that you simply answer the reference request from the employer as honestly as you can. If there isn’t much you can say, say so, but include whatever details you *can* speak about that may be of interest to an employer. If you really think you can’t say *anything* of value, say so. That would probably hurt the student’s chances, but that’s not your problem.
Finally, I wouldn’t mention to the employer the story about the student putting your name down without your approval. It may be annoying, but I would attribute it to the student’s inexperience and just let it go, although perhaps I would privately mention to the student that such behavior is counterproductive and also somewhat rude.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: My take is that you should write the recommendation letter, but highlight that you really haven't known them very long. This will let you give a cursory recommendation, since you haven't had any real issues other than this event. Plus, by focusing on this aspect, your letter won't have as much weight as someone else who has known the student for longer.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Use this as a teachable moment.
As you made clear, the student either was entirely unaware of or completely disregarded the etiquette around requesting references. Not everyone is born knowing these things, nor do they necessarily understand their importance. Now is a super good time to teach him how to approach this process in the future; this isn't a mistake he can continue to make.
Once you've had that conversation, I'd explain what kind of reference you're comfortable giving, which is the discussion you could have had if he gave you proper notice. Then, give him two options:
* You'll write the letter as stated, and he'll agree to learn from the experience and not pull a stunt like this in the future. Be clear you will not penalize him in his letter for the lack of notice.
* You'll respond to the request saying that there was a misunderstanding, and the student would like a recommendation from such-and-such instead. Whether that's acceptable to the people evaluating his application or hurts the student's chances is his problem.
If he thinks he'll have a better shot with someone else, he can take it, or he can go ahead with your letter now that he knows what will be in it, which he would have known if he asked you properly in the first place. This ensures he is not blindsided by the letter you intend to write, and allows him to make an informed decision.
All that said, I think there's an important context here. He's an undergraduate student who has worked in your lab for a couple months, applying for a volunteer position on campus. Even though you don't know the student that well, he very well may not have sufficient relationships with others on campus who could write a better letter. And since you've supervised his work in the lab, he may have concluded that you're best suited for the task as compared to, say, professors he doesn't particularly know.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't give anything more than your honest opinion, but the bar is only so high with undergraduate recommendation letters, and simply being a positive contributor as a research assistant over a period of months is, itself, not an insignificantly positive thing for you to attest to. It's worth considering whether you, perhaps in collaboration with others in your lab who have worked more closely with him, are honestly able to be sufficiently (while not overly) positive in your letter.
If you don't have much experience writing letters of recommendation, you might also discuss this with your supervisor, who likely has more experience with the kinds of knowledge of a student necessary to write varying types of letters.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: What follows is my opinion. This is not at all specific to academia, because this is far from an academic issue.
I would mark it as unwise to give people as references that you haven't discussed this with, but as far as I know, it is not "not done" as your question seems to imply.
I also don't see any mention of you having to do anything. A request made by the hiring party to fill out the form you are free to decline for whatever reason you see fit. Your failure to respond reflects badly on the person who gave you as reference, and that's completely his fault.
If you feel this needs to be communicated to the employer, go ahead. Everyone will have valuable lessons learnt. But if you don't want to take the time, equally fine.
I never would give someone as a reference if I didn't trust them to be honest and at least slightly positive about me. But as the person in question was not so careful, he should live with the consequences of his rash actions.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: If I'm getting it right, up to this point, your name in the form has *not* implied that you give a recommendation or a positive review on him.
So what is wrong with that? Why would he need a permission from you? Isn't it part of your "job" as a PhD student to rate students? He is an undergraduate, what kind of references and connections can he have at this point, other than researchers he has cooperated with?
I've done lots of chores for my supervisor without being asked first (paper reviews, presentations, lectures, rate exam papers etc) and I'm guessing the same applies for you. I simply did not deny (even if I would like to) because he was my supervisor and "that's how academia works."
Let him know that his move was not very appropriate (because "academia status"), fill in the ratings honestly and that's all.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: This is a rather late response, but I think the reaction here is a bit overboard. It's an undergraduate student and things are often done at the last minute. Even the most organised person in the world might see an advert for a job just before the deadline and want to put a submission in. Sometimes adverts request up to three references, which can be quite a challenge for a normal student (or even an academic staff member) to conjure up at short notice. They're left in a position where they either avoid submitting the application altogether or they take a chance that the people they've asked will be happy to provide one.
If they didn't ask your permission at all then that's clearly bad etiquette. What they did here is ask your permission at a late stage on the assumption it would be ok. That isn't unusual - it's happened to me on numerous occasions and I didn't have a problem with it because I understood the circumstances.
You're under no obligation to provide a good reference, but I really don't understand why so many people in this thread view this as some kind of appalling lack of manners. It's pretty normal in my experience of undergrads and as much as you might think you don't know them very well, if they asked you for a reference it's because they don't have any better candidates. Someone you've supervised for two months is a pretty natural candidate for a reference in my opinion, particularly if they had to provide multiple references. Undergrads typically don't have long lists of academics who know them well.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/28
| 2,223
| 9,448
|
<issue_start>username_0: When I was a PhD student, I wrote a collection of papers that comprised a large portion of my dissertation. These papers were written using grant money from one of my advisors. (I had two advisors. The "second" advisor funded me for two semesters).
After I had graduated, this professor expressed a desire to collaborate with me on publishing the papers I had written as part of my dissertation. However, he wants me to entirely re-write each paper in "new" language in order to make the publication truly double blind. He fears that if someone were to Google phrases from my paper, that my dissertation would appear and that the authorship would be known (thus destroying the double-blind process). Because this professor is only topically familiar with my research (enough to be on my committee, not enough to actually write the papers), I am extremely hesitant to even suggest that he do any re-writes himself. (In fact, he attempted to re-write a new draft of the paper and it contained numerous errors in terminology and theory).
I am currently employed in a private research setting (i.e. non-academia) where publication is still important, but I am not free to devote significant amounts of time to my own research. (I have specific, employer directed, research I need to perform). As such, I am not able to allocate numerous hours to re-writing a paper that I already wrote and that I feel is currently in "submission-ready" form.
The ultimate reality is that Google is a powerful tool that could locate my research no matter how hard I tried to obscure it. I cannot take down my LinkedIn, arXiv, and ResearchGate accounts (plus a website) just in case someone wants to devote hours tracing research back to me. Besides, the whole point is to connect myself to my research and make it **easier** for people to find my research.
**Several of the potential journals I am looking at submitting to require double-blindness.**
*I have two main questions:*
>
> Is it usual practice for journals/referees to Google sentences from papers and attempt to determine authorship?
>
>
> Should I feel inclined to re-write each paper in "new" language in order to avoid anyone from being able to trace my work back to my dissertation?
>
>
>
*Added*: There have been some questions about authorship on this paper. I am the first author on this paper. The professor in question here contributed what I would consider the bare minimum to be granted recognition as an author. I have already gone through a protracted dispute with my former university over the matter of authorship and they decided that since it was my professor's word against mine as to exactly how much he contributed, they would rule in favor of the professor. (It's much easier to tell a student no than a professor). *I was instructed to include this professor as an author on the paper by university administration.* I am not directly concerned here with who should be named author on the paper. At this point, dropping the professor from the paper is not an option.<issue_comment>username_1: I would think that this would be an unusual practice, at least in the field of mathematics. Almost all journals would allow for publication of results previously presented by an author in his/her dissertation. There may need to be appropriate attributions made, and you likely could not place the published version of the paper in your dissertation, but if your dissertation is already completed it would seem this would not be an issue.
I published two papers based on my dissertation in abstract algebra and character theory. The topic was such that someone could Google the titles of the papers and usually find my dissertation as well. The two texts are not identical, but they are certainly similar enough that an alert human could quickly determine the authorship of the papers given my dissertation, even without definitively knowing I wrote both papers.
Some questions I have:
If the co-collaborator does not know enough to re-write the paper in "new language," why is he even being given authorship?
Is the topic specific enough that the paper could not be somewhat feasibly re-written in places in order to make it slightly different?
Based on the fact that this paper is in your dissertation, I assume you are the principal/first author?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Check out double-blind peer review policies from the venue you'll be publishing in. Here's [an example from Elsevier](https://www.journals.elsevier.com/social-science-and-medicine/policies/double-blind-peer-review-guidelines). In a nutshell, you want to prevent any reader from immediately connecting the paper to your identity by e.g. not listing your affiliation, anonymizing self-references, removing funding sources, and so on; but you're not aiming to "beat Google".
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: A low-quality answer, but: in mathematics, my field, spending time to obscure the authorship of a paper is misguided and un-necessary: established people have a viewpoint and style that would be unmistake-able, for example.
More generally, the goal of work/research is *not* anonymity, but progress in our collective understanding. Notably, this involves *people*, not anonymous entities. Referees can barely be anonymous, and it's even harder for authors to be anonymous. This cannot possibly be a high priority...
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: It sounds like you're having a relationship with your co-author that's not very far from the border of turning into adversarial, and I don't think you'll gain much from shying away from that aspect. You have enough high cards on your hand that I think you can get things to a situation where your co-author has little choice but do what you say. And, ultimately, it's your dissertation, and he's frankly pushing things with the amount of undue work that he's demanding of you.
One of the high cards that you have is that at least one of the journals you're considering has an explicit set of criteria of what it considers necessary in a double-blinded manuscript (specifically, [this policy](http://amstat.tfjournals.com/asa-style-guide/) for JASA). As such, I would propose as a course of action:
* double-blinding to the explicit standards set by the journal
* emailing your coauthor to tell them that the manuscript's current form satisfies the explicit journal standards, and that it is therefore ready to be submitted
* opening the door to their suggesting edits and re-wordings, but in doing so
+ making it clear that you would have to give full approval to the text
+ making it clear that you would consider suggestions that included technical inaccuracies along the lines of their previous draft to be a waste of everyone's time, and
+ making it clear that you have a pressing need for this paper to be submitted
and then making that last point explicit by directly setting a short deadline (two weeks? three weeks? read: short enough to be infeasible from him) for that re-write. This course of action puts the ball on your co-author's court, and it puts it on them to rise up to the bar that they're setting, so that if they are unable to do that, then it's because they set the bar too high. And if the coauthor decides to raise a stink with your university administration, then you can simply say that he's being intentionally difficult, making requests that fall outside of what the journal requires, and failing to live up to the expectations that he sets.
And also: the 'negative outcome' from your coauthor's perspective is that a paper is submitted in a form that is less perfect than it could be. This is simply something that happens, all the time, when life intervenes into research. It is not a reason to stop a publication from being submitted.
---
As an alternative to the above, you should also consider taking JASA up on their word:
>
> For answers to specific problems not addressed in these guidelines, please contact the ASA Journals Department, <EMAIL>.
>
>
>
Explain the paper's situation to them (specifically, where and how your dissertation has been published, and what the relationship is between your paper and your dissertation), and ask them to make a determination of how much blinding is required. (You could even send them a preliminary manuscript, or a sample of it, and ask whether they feel the text is too close.) If they say that your text is fine, then you have extremely strong textual evidence to force your co-author to do what you say, or to convince your university that he's acting unreasonably.
If they say that the text requires re-writing, then it may be that that journal is not for you (i.e. that their policies are such that they don't in fact support dissertation-based papers, or that you should have set a publication embargo on your thesis when you submitted it). In that case, either own up to the re-writing, or move to another journal that considers your non-re-written blinding to be sufficient, or which allows for single-blinded reviews.
And in that process, of course, you have the high card that your co-author's say on where and how that paper gets submitted is frankly very limited. You seem to be forced by circumstance to include them, but if you say "we're submitting to X journal in Y weeks at the maximum", what's the worst thing that your coauthor can do?
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/28
| 2,928
| 12,887
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm reviewing a paper in pure mathematics. A lot of results in the paper depend heavily on computer computations, and the authors have provided in the article a link to the Magma code they used for most of these computations. However, this code is almost impossible to understand due to the messy way it is written. For example, it does not use any indentation, and all variables are given names like 'aaa' or 'X' that do not give any information about their purpose in the program.
On the one hand, the mathematics underlying these computations is explained sufficiently well that it is possible to reproduce the results without using the authors' code (this is what I ended up doing). Also, the paper contains only a link to the code and not the actual code itself, so I'm not sure if the code is really in scope for the review. Moreover, hard-to-read code seems to not be uncommon in academia, and most people don't seem to mind. On the other hand, I think a small amount of work from the authors (who presumably do understand the code) would make this code a lot more usable for others, just by replacing some of the variable names with names that actually convey some meaning.
My question is, is it reasonable for me to tell the authors that their code is needlessly difficult to understand and should be improved?<issue_comment>username_1: If the authors have provided a link to their code as a reference, then it is appropriate to offer commentary, particularly if the article is based on the code.
However, I would recommend making the critique constructive: offer concrete suggestions for how to improve it rather than just saying it’s “messy” or “sloppy” and needs to be “cleaned up.”
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: The code is within the scope of the review, and it is appropriate to review this and offer constructive suggestions in relation to its deficiencies. Now, bear in mind that the onus is on the author to satisfy reviewers of their argument, and if the argument depends on computer code that is so messy as to be unreadable, it is not incumbent on you to fix this for them. In this case, constructive advice might be limited to explaining why it is presently too hard to read (i.e., lack of indentation, unclear variable names, etc.), and this could reasonably lead to a recommendation to revise and resubmit. Try to be clear and comprehensive in describing why the code is presently difficult to read, so subsequent re-submissions can be expected to be up to scratch.
The best thing to do in these cases is to treat the computer code just like the prose in the paper. Just as with prose, the computer code needs to be clear and intelligible, relative to the standards for coding. If it is messy and unintelligible then it needs to be revised until it is clear. Reviewers do not shy away from rejecting papers when the prose is unintelligible, so it is perfectly reasonable to request that computer code be made intelligible.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes, you should comment and possibly more.
------------------------------------------
You've said it yourself:
>
> A lot of results in the paper depend heavily on computer computations.
>
>
>
Well, the program code for computations is therefore part of the work you are reviewing. If the text of the paper was difficult to read, would you not consider that a weakness? Logically, therefore, the same is true for the code (even if it's to a slightly lesser extent).
Also, if the code is unreadable to you - maybe there are errors in it, despite the sound math underneath. And finally, if you can tell what the results should be without the code, then why even have the code?
So, if you feel the messiness does not preclude "parsing" the paper, then comment on it (and perhaps, if relevant, downgrade it from Strong Accept to Weak Accept, although perhaps that's too harsh - depends on the specifics.)
If you need to read the code to very the results, and you simply cannot, then that's a more serious problem. But before saying something like "Requires revision", consult with the journal editor / the program committee chair / etc.
Note: I'm a Computer Scientist, so my answer might be somewhat biased. On the other hand, I have written pure-theory paper with no code.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: The authors provide a link *in the article*, so the code is either consider considered a reference or part of the research.
Whatever the situation, this raises questions:
1. Is the code archived? Practical ways to archive code include [Zenodo](https://zenodo.org/) or [figshare](https://figshare.com/). Code on a homepage is as good as no code at all.
2. Is there a license to the code? If not, its status is not at all evident.
As a reviewer, it is up to you to decide what to do. Possible actions include:
1. Do not comment on the code.
2. Comment on the code with what I would call the minimum: require for the code to be archived and licensed properly.
3. Depending on the importance of the computer program in the research, require a minimal amount of readability and that the author provides some tests on the program (i.e. that the program provides known analytical answers if some parameter sets allow it, etc).
Regarding archival, you can refer to the editorial information of the [Journal of Open Research Software](https://openresearchsoftware.metajnl.com/about/#repo).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Let me touch briefly on an aspect that hasn't appeared on the existing answers.
>
> My question is, is it reasonable for me to tell the authors that their code is needlessly difficult to understand and should be improved?
>
>
>
**Yes**, you should comment on the code, but not only that: **convince the authors that it is in their self-interest to fix those issues.**
Readable code is code that is easy to reuse. Reusable code is code that makes it easy to explore the mathematics presented in the paper. Explorable mathematics are more likely to have readers that find interesting extensions. Interesting extensions get published, and those publications cite the original code - and, moreover, provide some of the most valuable citations around.
Making your code readable and reusable does not guarantee that this will happen, but if you publish unreadable code you're putting up an artificial barrier in front of a reader who might or might not go on to do further research based on your work, and if there are enough such barriers, that reader will just turn elsewhere. Making the code readable is a modest investment of time that results in a large improvement in the extensibility of the work.
This putting-up-of-barriers, of course, isn't unique to code: unclear figures, tangled structure, messy grammar, missing lemmas, and all sorts of other issues can put in similar barriers, and your job as a reviewer includes pointing those out and helping the authors get rid of them. Code is no different - help them improve it!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: Messy code affects reproducibility
==================================
You tried to reproduce their results with the linked code, and were unable to do it. While you imply that you were ultimately able to develop your own code and replicate the results, I argue that badly written code affects reproducibility. In computer programming, this can be even more important, as programming languages don't necessarily have very long lives. Who knows if Magma or any other language will be common knowledge in 50 years.
In the long view, reproducibility is the most important part of the scientific endeavour. Proof that doing `a` results in `b`, a fact that can be re-proven by anyone who cares to try, is an axiomatic building block upon which further scientific results can stand.
If reproducibility is important, then there is nothing wrong with telling them to clean up their code. Frankly, if their code is as bad as you describe, it sounds like the authors will have trouble understanding their own work going back to it in a few years. In that case, by forcing them to learn a bit about writing nice code, you'd be doing them a favor.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: I'm not in academia or a reviewer of articles/papers at this level (adjunct at tech school), but I do grade a lot of programming homework and the odd technical document sample, and I do software development to actually pay the bills.
If the paper depended on output the code generated, then the code must be readable and understandable - otherwise, the code may not do what the author thinks it is doing and it is impossible for others to confirm w/o their own re-implementation. If such re-implementation is relatively trivial then it seems that the actual code isn't important, and so I would question why broken code for something that is easy to implement based on spec would be included or referenced in a scholarly paper.
Given that you were able to verify using your own code implementation of his algorithm(s) I don't think that is the case, but it should be taken into consideration. Any decent IDE or even advanced text editor should be able to auto-format code and do project wide search/replace (refactoring). Kinda points to sheer laziness....
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: My understanding is the authors do not submit the code for publication, so the code does not seem to be subject to your review. The authors just give a link to their code. This begs a question: if they just had provided a reference to their work published elsewhere, would you have considered telling them that **that** work should be improved? One may argue that validity of their results hinges on the correctness of their code, but they could choose not to provide access to the code at all, as "the mathematics underlying these computations is explained sufficiently well that it is possible to reproduce the results without using the authors' code". You, as a reviewer, took the trouble to verify the results of their computation, thus going beyond and above your duty, but that means that their results are indeed reproducible.
So I would think that you may mention that their code is lousy (while apparently correct), but that should not affect your recommendation on publishing / not publishing the paper.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: I'm a software engineer and I want to answer the question from that perspective. Most code is not readable in itself. You need to have comment to document data structures and specifications for subroutine calls. Academics are not software engineers, and I don't expect them to do a professional job in this respect. Still, it is certainly in order to comment on the quality of the software. Without looking at the actual code, I'm not sure I would comment that it is unreadable, because the article (that is according to testimony, sufficient to reproduce the code) is to be considered part of the program documentation. If the program uses short names, that are the same then in the paper, that is no problem. Missing indentation is not an indication of low quality, but many *levels* of indentation is.
I would suggest that you express your feeling that you find it hard to read, but that you are no code expert either, and maybe have some software engineer look at it. It is a different skill set you know. That should take the edge off the comment.
To top it off: I've done a good job in cleaning up code, that I didn't understand at the purpose level. You'll be surprised what an expert in a different field is capable of.
Bottom line, the code is not of the essence, the quality of the code is incidental and it shouldn't affect your decision either way.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: I am not aware of any scientific journals that base their decisions on the code. Whether it is messy or not is not a concern relating the journal. That it should be reproducible should be a concern but I am not aware of any journals that make this a criteria, except for some initiative for some communities, e.g. NIPS, CVPR. In my opinion, it is already a bonus that they chose to release it (and in some cases people are not even allowed to release them due to their organization's rules). If you have any claims that the code is not correct or does not do what it is said to do, it might be a different story but you need to justify this. If you only want to make a comment on the sloppiness of the code, I think you should clarify your commentary and emphasize that it doesn't affect the overall review, I agree with a comment made earlier " convince the authors that it is in their self-interest to fix those issues." Just make it known that your commentary about the code is not related to the review of the paper. Also, please don't discourage people who release their code even if it is "messy".
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/29
| 803
| 3,669
|
<issue_start>username_0: For my Masters degree I am studying at an Armenian university. There is only one professor at the department who speaks English, who I do my Masters by research under. None of the other professors speak English and I have not learned Armenian.
If I want to continue my studies in Canada/US I need two or three recommendation letters to get admission for a PhD program. How can I acquire 3 recommendation letters when only my advisor knows me well enough to write a letter?<issue_comment>username_1: I hate to say it, but it seems that you have squeezed yourself into such a tight situation that a solution is almost impossible. But it seems that you are the one doing the squeezing, though you don't describe outside pressure (other than financial) that might exist. It is hard for an outsider to give advice without knowing you.
However, It seems to me that failing to learn Armenian may be the biggest block here. Maybe you just need to do that so that you can communicate with others effectively in your studies. If those others know you and can write letters, even in Armenian, you can have them translated easily enough. But the language will make other things easier as well.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: References should be from people who know you professionally. This includes not only people from your current University. Consider asking a reference from the following groups of people:
* Your collaborators or coauthors in English-speaking world.
* Your professors' colleagues who know your work. Even if they don't speak English, but know what your are doing, you can get their reference and translate it to English using a recognised translation service.
* The referees for your PhD work are ideal candidates to write your references. They will have to know your work and they may know English well or good enough to compose a letter, perhaps with some help from you or a translator.
* People you met in conferences and discussed some aspects of your work in relation to theirs, even when it did not result in joint publications, can write you a recommendation. This is a bit unusual, but still better than nothing. I used this option once when I had no better ones.
I also think, that it is very likely that the situation is not as dire as you describe: there may be professors or lecturers with good command of English near to you and there is still enough time to make them aware of your work. The problem is mostly with the lack of networking, but this is possible to fix. Join the local English-speaking club. Check if your University has a seminar series you can present at. Check if other Universities in your area or nearby run seminars where you can go and present. Check if there is a local conference or scientific event where you can go and talk.
When you are on such events, join conference dinners, lunches and similar social events. Don't hesitate to ask people for help or start conversation in English. Many people in post-Soviet countries study some English in school and they are usually happy when an opportunity comes to finally use it. They may not speak perfect English, but all you need is to introduce yourself, share one interesting topic of discussion, and get their name, which leads you to their email address. Do not hesitate to drop an email: even of their spoken English is not excellent, people usually do much better reading an email, particularly with help of online dictionaries or automatic translation services. Stay positive, keep trying, use simple and straightforward language and you will hopefully find that communication barrier is not that high.
Good luck.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/29
| 1,713
| 7,774
|
<issue_start>username_0: I'm a student researcher in high school. Over the summer, I did some research on a rather obscure math topic, so there was not much research done on it. I found some decent results on the topic, and through all my searching for articles or other sources, I did not find similar results, so I decided to write a paper on it so I could eventually submit it to some research competition.
About an hour ago, after googling my topic under some unthinkable term, I discovered that someone, in a forum post, found all my results years ago, and the work done never received much attention. Our derivations/methods differ slightly, but overall, they are really similar.
This is really frustrating. I thought I finally came up with something new, and yet on some obscure part of the internet, someone did it already. I was convinced I was exhaustive in my literature review, since that forum post just never seemed to come up. I don't think there's any time left to extend my research.
Should I submit my paper anyway? Is it ok to submit original work that isn't original?<issue_comment>username_1: First of all, congratulations on continuing to look for related work. Good job finding the right search terms.
If you were going to publish or submit for a competition you would have to edit your paper to describe the prior work and reference the forum post. I suggest editing it accordingly. Now evaluate your paper to see if it meets the requirements for the target venue.
If not, do not attempt to publish. You still learned from doing the research, so don't think of it as a waste of time.
If you do decide it meets the requirements for some venue, you can submit it with a clear conscience provided you discuss and reference the prior work.
In the long term, Internet searches will only be one way you will have to find related work. When, as a graduate student, you are required to publish original research, you will have an academic advisor who has contacts and experience to help you. You will take courses, read journals, and go to conferences, during which you will learn about alternate approaches to your specialization. It is not 100% - there are plenty of cases of results being discovered and published more than once - but you will have more resources.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This happens even to people who know how to search the literature and have some experience. Often it happens because when one starts thinking about something new, one understands little, and only once one has understood some things is it possible to realize that others have also already studied and understood them. Talking to other researchers, attending conferences, reading widely, etc. are all activities that help avoid rediscovery, but obviously they are all hard for a high school student.
Generally, one should not publish results that are already available in the literature, particularly if one's methods are in the fundamental aspects the same as those used previously (moreover, it will usually be quite difficult to publish results that are already known). There are exceptions, as sometimes one has a new take on an old result, or a better way of obtaining it, or sometimes one can adapt one's work into an expository account of the already known results that could be published (this will work only if those results have generated a fair amount of interest). If one succeeds in publishing already known results, it could generate in others' minds doubts about one's honesty, although it certainly happens that people innocently rediscover and publish known results (I know several examples). Often this occurs when they rediscover them in a context different from that of the original discovery (e.g. a graph theorist discovers some algebraic fact, and publishes it in a graph theory journal, although some experts in the relevant algebra would recognize it as a special case of something they already know).
However, there is a positive side to such rediscovery, and this is the most important aspect for a high school student.
The positive aspect of rediscovery is the following. First, that one has rediscovered published results should confirm one's sense (that one ought to have already) that one is doing something interesting (this is important for one's confidence). Second, any interesting results admits extensions, variations, further developments, etc. so such rediscovery provides a base for further work. Third, as a practical matter, that someone else has already worked on something means the audience for extensions of those results is at least one (besides oneself) and it is always positive to reach others with one's work. So the productive/constructive response to discovering that one has rediscovered something is to push it farther. This really works in practice. My most recently accepted paper started this way - I worked out something, it seemed so natural that I thought this surely is in the literature already, and, sure enough, there it was, published 5 or 10 years earlier. It was a disappointment, but I kept thinking along the same lines, and it was possible to build on it to obtain something new. Also it brought me into contact with the authors of the previous work, which for me was also positive.
Finally, I would recommend that you get in touch with the mathematics department at the nearest research university. Usually someone is happy to help out an enthusiastic and talented student.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Mostly agreeing with username_2, so only going to comment on top of his answer.
In short, my advice would be: don't try to push the paper out too hard. Do publish it, but on your website or arXiv. Be sure to emphasize that it is a rediscovery and be generous with credit to the first paper. Here are the reasons why i think this:
* If you've rediscovered something, chances are that somebody will again, especially if the first paper is indeed hard to discover. You publishing this anywhere visible, perhaps using more current terminology in the title/keywords, might save the needless work to this somebody.
* Being such a young researcher, you have very little pressure to produce journal publications for now. A few years down the line when you perhaps decide to pursue an academic career, it's hard to imagine one ranked paper will make the difference in a hiring process.
* Going fully transparent and not trying to 'milk' the work as much as possible might actually give you credit for being honest. Yet it still increases the visibility of the work, which (assuming it's useful as such) benefits both you personally and the community.
One more comment, this time more general. I believe that young researchers today focus too much on 'producing results'. And understandably so, given how overly competitive science has become. I see this trend especially among fresh PhD students, and sadly, their advisors often fuel this as it obviously benefits them too.
I'm not saying this is your case, but regardless, try to resist being pulled into the vortex too fast. Early stages of a scientist's career should mainly be about discovering new things, studying as much as possible, and developing complementary skills. Publishing top papers might often conflict with that, because it requires undivided and long-term focus.
Becoming a scientist is a noble goal, but one that shouldn't come ahead of becoming a well rounded person with developed world view, ethics and such old-fashined things. And if it seems i'm preaching too much, well perhaps so, but i'm simply saddened how many young and talented people succumb to the fashion of rushing into scientific limelight while on the inside their egos are stunted and suffer.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/29
| 1,532
| 6,516
|
<issue_start>username_0: As any other late-stage PhD student, I am applying for jobs. But I noticed that my supervisor's behaviour changed a bit after she heard that I want to go to industry, although she has been a great admirer of my work and encouraging me to pursue my academic work. I was wondering if I should be concerned about this or just let it go?
The story: I applied for a few academic positions and my applications were not successful. So, I decided to apply for some non-academic jobs in the industry. Fortunately, my applications received good attention in the industry and I was invited to a few interviews. Particularly, one of the companies responded very quickly. They have even called my references immediately after interviews. I felt that my supervisor's behaviour has changed ever since I told her about this. She saw me on the campus and coldly told me: "I just answered a phone call for you.".
Meanwhile, I received two interview invitations in academic positions, and the interviews went quite well. But the areas are not much relevant to my previous research, so, I am a bit hesitant about them (although they are really excellent positions). Besides, the industry offer is much more generous from the financial aspect.
I was wondering if I should be concerned about my supervisor's behaviour or it is a normal thing? Have I done something wrong?<issue_comment>username_1: Most people would not consider you to have done anything wrong in applying to industry - but your supervisor might, because some academics consider non-academic careers to be "second-best".
However, are you sure that the change in attitude is because of this? Could it simply be that you put your supervisor down as a referee without telling them about it? That might be considered rude, leading to surprise at getting a phone call about you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You supervisor should understand that you have a responsibilty to put a roof over your head and food on the plate.
I have a friend who was on a temporary teaching contract with a promise of a full-time contract. The Dean procrastinated for 9 months about sorting it out. Finally my friend gave the Dean notice that there was 14 days to make a decision else my friend would make one.
On the 15th day, my friend accepted the job at a large company with good benefits. The Dean was surprised my friend had not waited -“but we need you...” etc etc How long are you expected to wait while they drift in academic limbo???
So, moral is DO what is best for you...
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The simple answer might be, as username_1 said, that she didn't expect the call. Mind you, a part of your supervisor's job description is to provide reference (granted that it's deserved), so she shouldn't be too baffled. Still, it's a good practice to ask upfront about such things, not only out of politeness, but also to describe the company/position so that the reference can be tailored to that.
Academia, however, is a very nuanced environment. There could be a number of things you might have omitted in your explanation that would basically turn the situation upside down. For instance, how much your advisor assisted you with the application process. Because of this, communication with stakeholders is key: you should openly talk to your advisor and ask what the matter is. Always better to err on the side of caution, unless you want to burn bridges.
Also: industry will always pay better. If that's not your main criterion, then you should always aim to go where your skills will be appreciated the most and you feel fulfilled. Only you can decide that, and i'm quite sure that your advisor will understand if you talk to her openly.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: You did nothing wrong in looking about for suitable employment wherever it might be found. However, if, as [username_1](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/115992/75368) guesses you gave out your advisor's name without permission, then you have some apologizing to do and should get to work on that.
However, the larger question is your relationship with your advisor and you need to take steps to repair that. If necessary, tell her that you are sorry and that your inexperience in these thengs led you to poor actions. Whether her unhappiness is justified or not, you should work to find ways to reduce that. But staying away from her is almost certainly not the answer. A face to face apology is always best if needed.
Of course, you should keep her more informed about your plans and ask her for advice on building a career. She will be your most important advocate for a while.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: It seems you consider yourself to be the one in fault, and consequently induced most answerers to think similarly. I do not share that view. The most likely explanation is that this outcome (you getting offers from industry) goes against her expectations and is conflicting with her interests.
Reasons why her interests might conflict with your interest in industry jobs:
* your supervisor value in academia depends (also) on the academic
success of the people she mentors. If you leave academia, it might be
the greatest thing for you, but still be perceived as insuccess by
her, or her own evaluators.
* As a researcher, she might need you for completing existing
projects, and might have been counting on your collaboration
on future projects once you settled in your next academic
position. Those papers and collaborations just vanished.
* She might even have started to explore funding sources to keep you working
with her for a bit longer. She might have perceived that you did not value her effort by chasing other opportunities - although you knew nothing about her effort.
As you can see, none of those explanations imply you have done something wrong. What is most likely happening is that your best-interest (securing a job offer where you feel your skills are properly valued) conflicts with her best-interest (of increasing her penetration and reach in the field through new disciples and collaborators).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_6: An academic may not have realized that in industry it's normal to *call* references instead of *email* them (which is the norm in academia). Relatedly she might be bemusedly annoyed with the people who called (rolling your eyes at business-y behavior is common in academia, and vice-versa), rather than actually unhappy with you.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/29
| 336
| 1,505
|
<issue_start>username_0: What does "awaiting reviewer reply" mean? Is it same as "under review" and "awaiting reviewer scores"?"<issue_comment>username_1: It means reviewers have been invited but have not responded to the invitation.
It's not necessarily the same as 'under review' and 'awaiting reviewer scores'. The latter is a clear term that means reviewers have agreed to review the article, but have not provided a report yet. The former is a vague term that could mean anything: reviewer has been invited, reviewer has agreed to review, maybe even reviewer has submitted a review but there're other reviewers who have not yet completed their reviews.
In any case, there's nothing to do except wait.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For your purposes as an author, I would recommend regarding it as effectively the same. There are a lot of different journal reviewing systems out there, and they use varying (and sometimes unclear) language. I thus recommend against trying to parse the language too carefully. What's clear here is that the peer review process is in progress and you can't really do anything but wait, whatever nuance the system might be telling you about the ongoing interactions between handling editor and reviewers.
You may also find [this description of a typical journal workflow](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/55665/what-does-the-typical-workflow-of-a-journal-look-like) useful in helping to understand the major stages and decision points.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/08/29
| 1,124
| 5,055
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am a research assistant. I've helped a PhD student from another department throughout her studies by providing and maintaining human cells for her project. She's now about to published, and I'm not sure she would acknowledge my contribution in her papers. Is it acceptable to remind her to acknowledge me?
Including my name would be good for my future graduate school applications and interviews.<issue_comment>username_1: My suggestion is that you could let her know that you would appreciate an explicit ack and that it would help your future, just as you have done here. Don't state it as a duty (which it probably *is*) but as a professional curtesy and "boost", which it also is.
You could even write a suggestion of the form of the ack you would like if you would like it to include anything specific rather than just a general statement of thanks. (... who maintained the human cells...).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but one possibility would be to approach this indirectly by having a meeting with her supervisor, explaining your position and seeing if the supervisor has briefed her on authorship conventions yet. A PhD student won't necessarily be cognisant of the importance of acknowledgements to lab technicians, so this is something her supervisor should be broaching with her anyway. If I were supervising this student I would be happy to intervene subtly in a case like this by suggesting to the student that she give an appropriate acknowledgement to the research assistant on the project. I would also explain to her the hazards that can occur if you submit papers without full acknowledgement of contributors. This is a useful conversation in and of itself.
Of course, it could also backfire if the supervisor takes it the wrong way or thinks you are making a complaint about the student. It would be important to make it clear that you are not complaining, but just trying to be seek an acknowledgement in a tactful manner. Explain that you are uncomfortable asking her directly for an acknowledgement, and you thought it might be helpful for her supervisor to be able to give her advice on when to include another person in authorship or acknowledgement.
Usually in interpersonal issues like this I would suggest talking directly to the person rather than going about things indirectly, but this might be one of those cases where the use of a third-party is helpful, particularly since the supervisor is generally the one to teach a PhD student about issues like this. Anyway, I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I'm going to put it out there, and hopefully the up- and down-votes on the answer will give some peer feedback.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Acknowledgment on a paper usually brings very little academic gravitas to the acknowledgee. It is not something that can usually be placed on a CV, at least directly. (I.e. no one includes a "I was acknowledged in these papers" section of their CV).
As far as graduate school applications go, listing *your work* on your CV (e.g. "I worked in Dr. <NAME>'s biochemistry lab. We researched mRNA.....") would be wholly appropriate. When I review grad school applications, this would be what I would be looking for. A letter of recommendation from your lab lead (or something equivalent, whoever oversees your work) would verify any contributions for which you could be given an acknowledgement.
In all, while it seems the acknowledgement is certainly deserved, not receiving it will not negatively affect your career or education.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: It seems to me that the claims, in the existing answers and comments, that a mention in the acknowledgements never matters, are coming from the perspective of academics who rarely, if ever, cross paths with the hiring of laboratory technicians. I have not done so either, but I would put a hold on that claim until someone with that direct experience does.
In the meantime, though I would advance the claim that a CV entry of the form
>
> Worked in the X laboratory doing Y, which contributed by doing Z to the research reported in the paper W
>
>
>
is a perfectly reasonable way to describe the activity - it's not authorship, but it still accurately describes the work without claiming it - and that if the paper contains an explicit mention in the acknowledgements then that will definitely shore up the claim.
I don't know how this would actually play in a postgraduate admissions panel in a field where research-assistant experience would be considered as a valuable asset, but I wouldn't discount its value without hearing from someone with knowledge of that situation.
(Apologies for the tangential answer, but it seemed preferable to multiple identical replies. As to how you get the acknowledgement to happen, I would recommend a light-touch personal interaction to let them know that you feel that it does impact your future career, and then see how that goes.)
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/29
| 563
| 2,324
|
<issue_start>username_0: Say that I have achieved a Masters degree in Physics, then a Masters degree in Mathematics. Then for a couple of years, I focused on different fields. I have had placements related to agriculture and botany, as well as taken online courses in Machine Learning. After careful consideration I decided want to pursue a PhD in Physics and so I am preparing for applications.
Normally CV's are written in (reverse) chronological order, most recent experiences first. However, my path is not straightforward, and so I am confronted with a choice.
On the one hand, since I have been told that a CV could be glanced at in less than 10s, I would want to put the most relevant (and prestigious) elements first. On the other hand, I am *required* to have those degrees to simply be eligible in those courses, and to provide the relevant certificates. This makes me want to keep the CV in reverse chronological order, for the sake of clarity and simplicity.
In the motivation letter / note of research interests I can also briefly explain my path, highlight my relevant experience and thus perhaps reduce the need of highlighting it in the CV.<issue_comment>username_1: I would stick to the standard listing. As you say, the reader wants to spend only 10 seconds, so don't write it in a way that might confuse them. If you list a lower ranked degree before a higher ranked one, they may stop reading at what they imagine the end.
In general it probably isn't good to get too clever in lists of things. Be clever in your letter and interviews.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I did an undergraduate degree in a different field after my PhD, and was somewhat multidisciplinary even before that. My CV has the PhD listed first, then the rest in reverse chronological order rather than prestige. It looks a bit like this:
* PhD
* BA
* GradDip
* Masters
* BSc
This way I have the PhD first, which is what everyone expects but I reduce the cognitive load of reading the rest of them. I have no evidence to back this as being 'good practice' but it works for me.
Note that I don't include online courses and other certificates in my CV at all, but I mention any relevant ones in the cover letter instead. If there's too much stuff in the education bit of your CV, it's hard to read any of it.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/29
| 911
| 3,231
|
<issue_start>username_0: How I can cite a submitted manuscript **which I am not supposed to publicly archive (e.g. on arXiv)** because the review process is double-blind (i.e. the manuscript is anonymized and should not be archived in a way that reveals authors' identities) and/or the journal has a restrictive archival policy?
This manuscript may therefore not be assigned a permanent link (like it would have been with biorXiv, arXiv, OSF, some institutional repos, etc.). I am aware of platforms such as [Zenodo](https://zenodo.org) allowing anonymous archival but these do not necessarily imply a citation format to be used. However, I'd like to share the manuscript among colleagues who might want to refer to it. So, I want to suggest to them a citation format while it's under review.
I found [this](https://penandthepad.com/cite-manuscript-apa-2171.html), suggesting me to do that:
>
> <NAME>., & <NAME>. (2012). A study on the difficulty of getting manuscripts published. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Sociology, The Top University, New York.
>
>
>
where *manuscript* can be substituted by something like *working paper* or *preprint*. See also [that SE comment](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/15188/94523). However, I am not sure whether this is the best way to do it. Any better suggestions?
Thank you.<issue_comment>username_1: I'm not sure this is a *better* solution, but you can be cited by name (and possibly place), with the paper described as "private communication.". Include a date (29 Aug. 2018) but not the name of the manuscript.
>
> <NAME>., & <NAME>.. *Private communication*, (29 Aug. 2018). Department of Sociology, The Top University, New York.
>
>
>
Once the publication becomes *official* contact your circle with the information and an updated reference. They may be able to update their own work in some cases, depending on timing, etc.
I'll note that it isn't impossible that the title of your work will change after review, making a more specific title obsolete.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Check the style guide that you are writing against, these often have guidelines on how to cite unpublished works. For example, the CA Style Guide (from Chicago Manual of Style) states:
>
> **Unpublished Work**
>
>
> * Forthcoming works (works that have been accepted for publication and are in the publication process) are listed in the References Cited and are cited as references, with "forthcoming."
> * Manuscripts that are not in the formal publication process (e.g., that have been submitted but not yet accepted for publication) and other unpublished work are cited parenthetically in the text or explained in a footnote.
> * Unpublished work should be identified as a manuscript, a letter, an e-mail, a personal conversation, or "unpublished data." The citation must include the full name of the person and a date or a year, if possible, as well as the brief description.
>
>
> (<NAME>, personal conversation, May 2009)
>
> (<NAME>, <NAME>, and <NAME>, unpublished data)
>
> (<NAME>, unpublished manuscript, 2008)
>
> (<NAME>, e-mail, January 13, 2008)
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
|
2018/08/29
| 908
| 3,557
|
<issue_start>username_0: According to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_scholarship):
>
> Athletic scholarships are common in the United States, but in many countries they are rare or non-existent.
>
>
>
But are there areas (e.g., countries or cities) where there are some universities that offer sports scholarships while other universities in the same area don't? If so, why would any athlete attend a university without a sports scholarship when there are nearby universities that do offer such scholarships?
I have this relative (sibling) who recently got accepted into a first world university for an undergraduate degree in engineering and was accepted as a sports scholar...sort of. But none of their tuition is waived. The only thing my relative gets is that their fee to be on the team (!) is reduced. They also get lower grade requirements in admissions or retention, but they do not need this.
I found out that several universities in this area apparently do offer substantial sports scholarships ranging from 50-100% off tuition. Some of these other universities are actually ranked lower than my relative's university. So: I do not understand, why would anyone play sports for a university but not get paid or get tuition waived?
Some guesses:
1. Lower admission grade requirement
2. Lower retention grade requirement
3. Admission or retention for dormitory requirement
4. Possibility of future scholarships
5. Prospects of a sports-related careers after graduation
But none of these really explain why athletes without scholarships wouldn't just transfer to schools where they could get a scholarship.
**Update**: My relative did get a dormitory scholarship at the beginning of their second year.<issue_comment>username_1: In the United States, many (perhaps even most) institutions do *not* give sports scholarships.
For example, I went to MIT, which gives only need-based funding (0% sports scholarships), but has a quite high NCAA varsity participation rate because, well, sports originally exist because people enjoy playing them, especially in the company of others. That's certainly why I was a student athlete (even captain of my team).
What institutions without sports scholarships tend to lack is not athletes but *audiences*. At MIT, for example, the varsity football games were infamously said to be better attended by the band (who loved chances to play) than by anybody else, though I can't verify this because I never bothered to go myself.
By contrast, the institutions that do give sports scholarships tend to have big crowds and be the high-visibility teams that you see on TV, thus exaggerating their apparent frequency.
Given the wide mix of public and private institutions with varying philosophies and missions, I expect you'd likely find this contrast in every major US city.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: *This Community Wiki answer was created from answers-in-the-comments.*
>
> Are there areas where only some universities fund their sports scholars?
>
>
>
Take the Philadelphia area. The University of Pennsylvania, an NCAA Division 1 Ivy League school, does not offer athletic scholarships since it is against Ivy League policy. Temple University does offer athletic scholarships, as do Drexel, Villanova, and other Division 1 schools. Bryn Mawr college, a Division 3 school, does not per Division 3 rules. So, basically anywhere in the US with multiple college/universities likely has a mix of scholarship and non-scholarship situations.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/29
| 3,658
| 14,924
|
<issue_start>username_0: One of my engineering friends told me how e once had to take a make-up calculus I exam due to being hospitalised and so self-studied a lot of the missed topics. For the make-up exam, e used L'Hôpital's rule, although we weren't taught that until 1 or 2 exams later. My friend told me that the professor wrote
>
> 'You are not yet allowed to use L'Hôpital's rule.'
>
>
>
So, I like to say that L'Hôpital's rule was [***inadmissible***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admissible_evidence) in that exam.
Now, it absolutely makes sense that if you're **the student** that you're not allowed to use propositions, theorems, etc from future topics, all the more for future classes and especially for something as basic as calculus I. It also makes sense to adjust for majors: Certainly maths majors shouldn't be allowed to use topics in discrete mathematics or linear algebra to have an edge over their business, environmental science or engineering (who take linear algebra later than maths majors in my university) classmates in calculus I or II.
But after bachelor's and master's and maths PhD coursework, you're **the** [**researcher** and not merely the student (this is supposed to link to a star wars video)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZD1f9RTEJU): Say, you're doing your maths PhD dissertation or even after you've finished the PhD.
**Does maths research have anything *inadmissible*?**
I can't imagine you have something to prove and then you find some paper that helps you prove something and then you go to your advisor who would then tell you, 'You are not yet allowed to use [Poincaré theorem](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poincar%C3%A9_theorem&redirect=no)' or for something proven true more than 12 years ago: 'You are not yet allowed to use [Cauchy's differentiation formula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauchy%27s_integral_formula#Theorem)'.
**Actually what about outside maths, say, physics or computer science?**<issue_comment>username_1: To answer your main question, *no*. Nothing is disallowed. Any advisor would (or at least should) allow any valid mathematics. There is nothing in mathematics that is disallowed, especially in doctoral research. Of course this implies acceptance (now settled) on Poincaré's theorem. Prior to an accepted proof you couldn't depend on it.
In fact, you can even write a dissertation based on a hypothetical (If Prof username_1's Large Theorem is true, then it follows that...). You can explore the consequences of things not proven. Sometimes it helps connect them to known results, leading to a proof of the "large theorem" and sometimes it helps to lead to a contradiction showing it false.
---
However, I have an issue with the background you have given on what is appropriate in teaching and examining students. I question the wisdom of the first professor disallowing anything that the student knows. That seems shortsighted and turns the professor into a gate that allows only some things to trickle through.
Of course, if the professor wants to test the student on a particular technique he can try to find questions that do so, but this also points up the basic stupidity of exams in general. There are other ways to assure that the student learns essential techniques.
A university education isn't about competition with other students and the (horrors) problem of an unfair advantage. it is about learning. If the professor or the system grades students competitively they are doing a poor job.
If you have the 20 absolutely best students in the world and grade purely competitively, then half of them will be below average.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In the sense that you are asking, I cannot imagine there ever being a method that is ruled inadmissible because the researcher is "not ready for it." Every intellectual approach is potentially fair game.
If the specific goal of a work is to find an alternate approach to establishing something, however, it could well be the case that one or more prior methods are ruled out of scope, as it would assume the result that you want to establish by another independent path. For example, the constant *e* has been derived in multiple ways.
Finally, once you step outside of pure theory and into experimental work, one must also consider the ethics of an experimental method. Many potential approaches are considered inadmissible due to the objectionable nature of the experiment. In extreme cases, such [Nazi medical experiments](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_human_experimentation#Modern_ethical_issues), even referencing the prior work may be considered inadmissible.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: In research you would use the most applicable method (that you know) to demonstrate a solution, and would possibly also be in situations where you are asked about or offered alternative approaches to your solution (and then you learn a new method).
In the example where L'Hôpital's rule was "not permitted", it could be that the question could have been worded better as it sounds like a "solve this" question, assuming that only the methods taught in the course are known to students and therefore only the methods taught in the course will be used in the exam.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: While there are indeed no inadmissible theorems in research, there are certain things that one sometimes tries to avoid.
Two examples come to mind:
The first is the classification of finite simple groups. The classification itself is not particularly complicated, but the proof is absurdly so. This makes mathematicians working in group theory prefer to avoid using it when possible. It is in fact quite often explicitly pointed out in a paper if a key result relies on it.
The reason for this preference was probably to some extend originally that the proof was too complicated for people to have full confidence in, but my impression is that this is no longer the case, and the preference is now due to the fact that relying on the classification makes the "real reason" for the truth of a result more opaque and thus less likely to lead to further insights.
---
The other example is the huge effort that has gone into trying to prove the so-called Kazhdan-Lusztig conjecture using purely algebraic methods.
The result itself is algebraic in nature, but the original proof uses a lot of very deep results from geometry, which made it impossible to use it as a stepping stone to settings not allowing for this geometric structure.
---
Such an algebraic proof was achieved in 2012 by Elias and Williamson, when they proved Soergel's conjecture, which has the Kazhdan-Lusztig conjecture as one of several consequences.
The techniques used in this proof allowed just the sort of generalizations hoped for, leading first to a disproof of Lusztig's conjecture in 2013 (a characteristic *p* analogue of the Kazhdan-Lusztig conjecture), and then to a proof of a replacement for Lusztig's conjecture in 2015 (for type *A*) and 2017 (in general), at least under some mild assumptions on the characteristic.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: I don't think there are inadmissible theorems in research, although obviously one has to care not to rely on assumptions that has yet to be proven for a particular problem.
However, in terms of PhD or postdoc work, I feel that some approaches may be rather "off-topic" because of not-really-academic reasons. For example, if you secure a PhD funding to study topic X, you should not normally use it to study Y. Similarly, if you secure a postdoc in a team which develops method A, and you want to study your competitor's method B, your PI may want to keep the time you spend on B limited, so it does not exceed the time you spend to develop A. Some PIs are quite notorious in a sense that they won't tolerate you even touching some method C, because of their important reasons, so even though you have full academic freedom to go and explore method C if you like it, it may be "inadmissible" to do so within your current work arrangements.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: It is perhaps worth noting that some results are in a sense inadmissible because they aren't actually theorems. Some conjectures/axioms are so central that they are widely used, even though they haven't yet been established. Proofs relying on these should make that clear in the hypotheses. However, it wouldn't be that hard to have a bad day and forget that something you use frequently hasn't actually been proved yet, or that it is needed for a later result you want to use.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: The error, such as it is, your friend made was not the use of l'Hôpital, but the lack of proof that it is correct. If he had stated l'Hôpital as a lemma and provided a sufficiently elementary proof, then presumably the lecturer would not have had an issue with the solution.
An analogous phenomenon happens in research mathematics. There are plenty of [folklore results](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_folklore), where researchers are pretty sure the result is true, and the techniques for proving the result are known, but nobody happens to have written the proof down or at least published it. These can be found, for example, in the classical regularity theory for partial differential equations.
Should one provide a proof of such a result when using it as a tool? Sometimes people simply refer to the result without being explicit about it. Sometimes they prove it "because we cannot find a proof in the literature", even if the proof is simple or not to the point of a given article. There is no absolutely right solution in these cases.
I think that folklore results are as close to "inadmissible" as one gets in research mathematics; one should be careful about them, sometimes prove them, but sometimes they are also used without proof.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_8: There are cases where the researcher *restricts himself* not to use certain theorems. Example:
>
> <NAME>,"An elementary proof of the prime-number theorem". *Ann. of Math.* (2) **50** (1949), 305--313.
>
>
>
The author restricts himself to use only "elementary" (in a technical sense) methods.
Other cases may be proofs in geometry using only straightedge and compasses. Gauss showed that the regular 257-gon may be constructed with straightedge and compasses. I would not consider that to be "a new proof of a known result".
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_9: >
> Does maths research have anything inadmissible?
>
>
>
No, but *trying to prove X without using Y* is still a very useful concept even in research, because it can lead to interesting generalizations, or new proof techniques that can be applied to a larger set of problems.
For instance, in some sense the Lebesgue integral is "just" trying to prove the properties of integrals without using the continuity of *f*, or the theory of matroids is "just" trying to prove the properties of linearly independent vectors without using a lot of properties from the vector space structure.
So this is far from being a pointless exercise, if that's what you had in mind.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_10: In intuitionistic logic and constructive mathematics we try to prove stuff without the law of excluded middle, which excludes many of the normal tools used in math. And in logic in general we often try to prove stuff using only a defined set of axioms, which often means that we are not allowed to follow our 'normal' intuitions. Especially when proving something in multiple axiomatic systems of different strengt you can get that some tool only become available towards the end(the more powerful systems) , and are as such inadmissible in the weaker systems.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_11: I'm going to give a related point of view from outside of academia, namely a commercial/government research organisation.
I have come across researchers and managers who are hindered by what I call an *exam mentality*, whereby they assume that a research question can only be answered with a data set provided, and cannot make reference to other data, results, studies etc.
I've found this exam mentality to be extremely limiting and comes about because the researcher or manager has a misconception about research that has been indoctrinated from their (mostly exam-based) education.
The fact of the matter is that by not using data/techniques/studies on arbitrary grounds stifles research. It leads to missed opportunities for commercial organisations to make profit, or missed consequences when governments introduce new policy, or missed side-effects of new drugs etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_12: It is worth pointing out, that theorems are usually inadmissible if they lead to **circular** theorem proving. If you study math you learn how mathematical theories are built lemma by lemma and theorem by theorem. These theorems and their dependencies form a [directed acyclic graph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directed_acyclic_graph) (DAG).
If you are asked to reproduce the proof of a certain theorem and you use a "later" result, this results usually depends on the theorem you are supposed to prove, so using it is not just inadmissible for educational reasons, it actually would lead to an incorrect proof in the context of the DAG.
In that sense there cannot be any inadmissible theorems in research, because research usually consists of proving the "latest" theorems. However, if you publish a shorter, more elegant or more beautiful proof of a known result, you might have to look out for inadmissible theorems again.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_13: I will add a small example from Theoretical Computer Science and algorithm design.
>
> It is a very important open problem to find a *combinatorial* (or even LP based) algorithm that achieves the Goemans-Williamson bound (0.878) for approximating the MaxCut problem in polynomial time.
>
>
>
We know that using Semidefinite Programming techniques, a bound on the approximation factor of alpha = 0.878 can be achieved in poly time. But can we achieve this bound using other techniques? Slightly less ambitiously but probably equally important: Can we find a combinatorial algorithm with approximation guarantee strictle better than 1/2?
<NAME> had made important progress towards that direction using spectral techniques.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_14: The axiom of choice (and its corollaries) are pretty well-accepted these days in the mathematical community, but you might occasionally run across a few old-school mathematicians who think that it's "wrong", and therefore that any corollary that you use the axiom of choice to prove is also "wrong". (Of course, what it even means for the axiom of choice to be "wrong" is a largely philosophical question.)
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/29
| 465
| 1,896
|
<issue_start>username_0: I have recently submitted an article to a tylor & francis journal which uses ScholarOne.
My co-author submitted the article 22 days ago, and since then, the status has remained as "Awaiting Editorial Office Process".
Is it alright that it hasn't been changed for so long?
Should I contact the editor?
How long does the process take normally?
NOTE: thank you for suggesting this page "What does the typical workflow of a journal look like?", I have read this topic. Unfortunately in this paper the average time for "Awaiting Editorial Office Process" was considered to be "A FEW WORK DAYS". My problem is I have waited for 22 days. If anyone have had the same experience, I would really appreciated answering me. Thank You.<issue_comment>username_1: It's summer, and people are using their time for vacations, conference travels and research visits. Your editor may be climbing mount Everest or crossing Atlantic as we speak. A delay of ~1 month is not unusual in my area (mathematics) after the referee reports are secured. Bear in mind that the reports may contradict each other and your Editor may need more time to read your paper carefully themselves.
Waiting for the outcome is not easy, but at this stage I think that's the best decision.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, you should. 22 days before the paper is passed on to an editor is out of the ordinary. It's true that it's summer and people might be on holiday, but this is the publisher we're talking about - even if some of them are on holiday, they should have people to cover. Journals don't close shop when the staff are on holiday.
I would contact the publisher. If you know the desk editor's email address that would be the best person to write to; if not, you can use [Taylor & Francis's author services contact form](https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/contact/).
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/29
| 1,093
| 4,658
|
<issue_start>username_0: I am presenting (PPT) my regular research paper in a computer science conference. Additionally, the conference has a poster session of 2 hr. What I find difficult in poster session is that the process of redundantly speaking the same things again and again.
E.g. If 1 person comes, I need to start. He may leave in half way. Then, next 2-3 person come, I have to restart.
**What is the best way to deal with this problem?**
One solution I think is: Wait for few minutes, let a bunch of people present and then start presentation.<issue_comment>username_1: I strongly suggest that you don't treat it as a sequence of presentations, but more as an opportunity to meet people, exchange business cards, listen to their questions and comments and just interact with them in a normal way.
Usually the venue is a bit chaotic so you aren't likely to be very successful with a presentation. Have several copies of your paper, or at least an abstract. Make sure you include contact information. Have an actual poster that gives a bit of an outline of what you do, but not too dense.
Some of the people wandering by will be truly interested, others not as much. Some will be students looking for ideas and some will be professors looking for future employees if you are a student yourself.
Keep it informal. Make a good personal impression. Let the formal presentation and the paper stand on its own. You don't really need to sell it. Of course, a few questions might be detailed and you can deal with that.
I've been to a lot of these, both as a "presenter" and a viewer. What I want as a visitor is a quick overview from the poster and the opportunity to ask a question.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm not familiar with conferences where you do *both* an oral presentation and a poster presentation, but I'll share my experience doing posters.
The most important thing to remember is that **everyone there knows how posters work**.
Everybody expects to wander up to an interesting poster and maybe get the last half of an explanation. People who are genuinely interested in your research will wait for you to wrap up with the last group before asking you to start from the beginning.
I also find that most people are pretty respectful of a group of people waiting their turn. If you turn around, and there are three people waiting to hear the talk from the beginning, it's polite to cut your questions short and let them have their turn.
**Just keep a smile on your face and go with the flow.** Depending on the size of the conference, this might never come up, or you might be constantly managing three or four attendees who are at different stages in the presentation.
>
> One solution I think is: Wait for few minutes, let a bunch of people present and then start presentation
>
>
>
Like I said in the comments, this is silly. If you meant "let a bunch of people present [themselves]," i.e. show up to your poster, no one is going to stand around and wait for you to get a critical mass of people. That sounds painfully awkward and people will just wander away, especially if it's a short poster session.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Pre-prepared presentations don't work for posters, exactly for the reasons you identified. That's what the oral presentations are for.
My poster routine is quite simple:
1. Blend with the crowd. Look at the nearby posters, have a chit-chat with someone. Don't make the mistake of standing there like a bouncer, eyeballing every passer-by, bursting to unpack your stuff. It's uncomfortable, people need a bit of time to process what the poster is about.
2. When you see someone who actually seems interested, approach them and ask if they'd like to hear more. First ask them what their specialization and position is. This is important, because it immediately opens up a two-way communication channel between you two.
3. Try your best to tailor what you say to the person. If they are on the engineering side, don't spend 5 minutes talking about deep theoretical ramifications of your work. Etc. Also, be as informal as possible, and dose the information in small chunks so they can ask additional impromptu questions.
4. If more people snowball around you, try to involve them too if they seem interested: "We're talking with Jeff here about my proposal for quantum recombobulator, care to join?"
Posters are about making connections and addressing people who actually care. Don't waste that opportinuty by giving generic speeches, trying to please everyone when most likely 9/10 people don't care about your poster (and that's perfectly fine).
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/29
| 1,144
| 4,358
|
<issue_start>username_0: I don't know maybe this question seems off topic but anybody get the chance to look at vixra.org archive?
It seems it is blown up by some manuscripts from a guy, which is called "<NAME>", and more interestingly all of them are about some ridiculously (excuse me I didn't find another appropriate word!) hot topics in quantum physics or general relativity. Sometimes in my spare time I just look for crazy things for fun in internet that seems really funny to me. I can't believe "<NAME>" is a real guy (I mean someone really exists with his name or identity!) but it seems it's a just article posting robot, which blow up vixra.org?!
Again, I know maybe it sounds completely off topic but I appreciate if someone has any idea about people post their article (If you could call it a real article, which I'm not sure really?!!!) in vixra.org? People do it just for fun or really they have some serious intention?!<issue_comment>username_1: I wonder if there is some connection with this guy ...
>
> <NAME>, a Hungarian-Israeli physicist, computer scientist, and Chess International Master, in 1987 among the Top 100 Players of the World .
>
>
>
Or this guy
>
> <NAME>, Co-founder of WeSaidGoTravel.com, M.B.A., Masters of Science in Communications Disorders, is a bilingual speech therapist who has traveled to over one hundred countries across six continents.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't think this is a bot. It looks more like a (somewhat misguided) real human, who may or may not be operating under a pseudonym. Based on what I think is their [LinkedIn profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeraina/) they seem to be a reasonably well-educated person with extensive experience working for IBM (or so they claim), so not your average [crank](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/111413/what-is-the-best-way-to-deal-with-cranks). That said, their contributions to vixra seem fairly cranky to me, especially since said contributions mostly consist of extensive compilations of existing material, without a lot in terms of attribution.
Note that there is also a [website](http://www.mindmagazine.net/theoretical-physics-with-george-rajna) apparently written by a "Rich Norman" praising George as *"a mouthpiece of the possible"*. Rich Norman claims to be an "artist" of some sort, who has also written some books published by "Standing Dead Publications" (owned by Rich Norman). The over-the-top praise, strangely flowery language, and the unstructured list of what appears to be pretty much the entirety of Georges work makes me think that there is a connection of some sort between George and Rich. Maybe they are the same person, but it may also be a case of a fringe artist being intellectually attracted to a fringe scientist.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Considering other answers, there could very well be a possibility that these profiles are created to mock Vixra.org. viXra was created as an alternative to arXiv.
I feel that these profiles may be created to ridicule viXra, because it tries to provide a platform for anyone (even someone completely misguided) to publish in their journal. Their policy is of least censorship, and someone may want to ridicule them by filling their repositories by such articles.
I would like to elaborate over here:
I had a bad experience once when submitting an article to arXiv.org. I had submitted an article without any affiliation and before getting into a Ph.D program, with me being the only author.
I can understand that they receive a lot of "not even wrong" articles but sometimes they are too stringent with their rules, that they prefer to ignore some potential articles. The rules are so stringent on arXiv that a person without affiliation and a popular name cannot publish. I had to gain support from someone in the field to get my paper on arXiv. Also, even after applying for quant-ph it was put into gen-ph category.
I thought that I may be the only person who faced such a problem, but recently I found that a well known name like [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Gisin) also experienced a similar thing happen to his PhD students. You may want to read the story here
[link](https://www.iqoqi-vienna.at/blog/article/nicolas-gisin/)
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/29
| 681
| 3,004
|
<issue_start>username_0: I was wondering, I'm interested in both some aspects of pure math and some aspects of theoretical computer science. I'm currently in a PhD program in computer science at a pretty decent institution (let's say, top 5 in most TCS people's minds), but I think my interests are more mathematical than I had anticipated. (For example, I'm realizing I'm more interested in some areas of topology and geometry and connections to computer science.) Do you think it would be worth trying to transfer into the math PhD program/do you that would be viable? I'm just about to start my second year. It would likely set me back a year at least to pass the qualifying exam in the math department, but I sort of think that it would do me good to acquire a more robust background in math. Of course, this is a very individual consideration, but I wanted to get a sense of what the general feeling on this type of question would be before chatting seriously with faculty in the two departments. (I know that usually people move from math into CS, not vice versa...)<issue_comment>username_1: I can't balance your options for you, of course, but I'll give you a couple of things to consider if you haven't already.
One is the time to completion of your current degree project. If it is soon, then staying might be best and then moving gradually into your math studies, either formally or informally.
But another option than the one you mention would be to ask around to see if you can't find an additional advisor in math and work with both of them at the intersection of math and CS which you seem to be interested it. This pretty much assumes that you are *not* yet deep in the weeds of your CS doctoral research. You might be able to avoid the math qualifiers that way if you have already qualified in CS.
I would guess that there is already some collaboration between the departments at an institution such as you describe. You might be able to explore it painlessly without needing to make an immediate decision or burn bridges.
What would be on your credential when you finish would depend on a bunch of things, of course.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The first year is sort of a calibration period, so unless the stakes are too high, some fluctuation is to be expected. I usually advise people that dropping out or switching chairs during the first year is a much better option than being stuck for 3-4 years with a topic (or advisor) you found is not for you.
PhDs are hard as nails already, so why risk burning yourself out on a topic that doesn't match your interests. Matters like the level of your institution or in which direction people usually move seem secondary in this situation.
Regardless of what advice you get here though, being you i would go and talk to your advisor about this. Simply be open. They will more likely have a specific idea how to proceed, and who knows, maybe you can work out a pretty novel direction by involving a co-advisor.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/08/30
| 844
| 2,990
|
<issue_start>username_0: I graduated with a bachelor of math advanced (honor) with first class honor from an Australian university with a WAM (weighted average mark) of 93. My university does not have any GPA system.
I am applying for a graduate program in math in US and somewhere in their application, they say:
>
> If you have a GPA less than 3.8, then do not apply.
>
>
>
I do not know if I fall below 3.8 or not. All my grades are HD (High Distinction) per the Australian system. My lowest mark is 88 (out of 100) for a course in real analysis. Other grades vary between 90 and 99. In the Australian system, if you get a mark between 85 and 100, then you get HD grade for the subject.<issue_comment>username_1: The difficulty of achieving a 3.8 GPA varies widely in the United States, both from university to university, and even from program to program within a single university.
This means that the 3.8 GPA standard is not an absolute measurement of academic excellence. Instead, it is a measure of your academic dedication relative to your peers within your program at your university.
In many American universities, an A is the highest possible grade, and is worth 4.0 towards the GPA. An A- is often worth 3.7, a B+ 3.3, and a B 3.0. (Some American universities ignore plusses and minuses for purposes of GPA calculations.)
A generation or two ago, it was common for a 3.8 GPA to only be achieved by a small fraction of students (much less than 20 percent). In the past generation, there has been considerable grade inflation. I have heard of highly regarded programs where As and A-es are common, and grades lower than A- are unusual.
Is your quantified average grade higher than 80 percent of your classmates? If so, this program might deign to consider your application.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: As the comments have suggested, you should consult the specific university for advice. They likely have conversion tables for most countries and major universities.
However, one way to convert a ballpark estimate is to use a grade distribution, if the university publishes one. For example, the University of Washington publishes [a guideline](https://registrar.washington.edu/enrollment-and-records/baccalaureate-honor-gpa-requirements/seattle-baccalaureate-honor-gpa-requirements/) to earning Latin honors (*.\* cum laude*), which are based on GPA. They're a good place to check.
A math degree is in the College of Arts and Sciences, which has the following distribution (by percentile)
```
90th | 96.5th | 99.5th |
3.76 | 3.87 | 3.97 |
```
Assuming a roughly normal distribution, we find that a 3.8 GPA is the top 93.7th percentile. (This is higher than username_1's suggestion of the 80th). If a WAM is equivalent to a percentile (or you can convert to one), it at least sounds like you're close enough to apply. I would be surprised if a university rejected a *converted* 3.79, since GPAs and conversions are noisy enough anyway.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/08/30
| 956
| 3,807
|
<issue_start>username_0: As the title suggests, I am interested to know the chances of a middle-ranking journal's acceptance of a paper by an unknown author, detailing comparatively elementary results. By elementary, I mean results which are simply stated and simply proven: requiring knowledge only up to perhaps undergraduate year 3 or 4 courses. The results are new but do not have any obvious implications, nor are they usually considered as well-known interesting questions (not like open questions posed by previous authors). The "interestingness" of the results are mediocre at best. The methodology involved is new, but there is nothing to show that it is applicable in other related problems in the field, nor that it is significant in any way beyond the paper. Note that the field I am interested in is mathematics.
So, what are the chances of a journal accepting such a paper? My initial reaction is that perhaps this kind of papers would seem too trivial, given that often papers published in journals consider material from the PhD level or beyond. But then again, it **is** novel research with results interesting to some, so perhaps they are worth publishing.
(You can assume that the results and methodology given in the paper are truly novel and correct.)<issue_comment>username_1: From your description it sounds like the results have no implications, no relation to other problems, and is not significant in any way beyond that paper. In that case, chances are journals will not accept the paper. A paper needs to convince the editors & reviewers that its results are actually *interesting*.
Check out [<NAME>'s answer to another question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/51885/i-have-made-my-independent-research-available-as-a-book-on-my-website-why-is-it/51943#51943):
>
> Here is a brand new mathematical theory I have invented just now (in the last 30 seconds):
>
>
> A Gobleflump is a set together with a ternary operation Star(a,b,c), and a binary operation Spade(a,b) satisfying Star(Spade(a,b),Spade(c,d),Spade(e,f)) = Spade(Star(a,b,c),Star(d,e,f)).
>
>
> I could now devote my life to the study of Gobleflumps. I could publish papers about extremely regular gobleflumps, and the equivalence between hyperconvex gobleflumps and hypoconvex grendleflops. This might all be legitimate, correct mathematics.
>
>
> No one will ever care about my lifes work, or probably even read it, unless it makes some connection to existing mathematical theory, illuminates why something disconnected from the theory works the way it does, or solves some existing problem.
>
>
>
... and if no one will ever care about the results, most reputable journals will not publish them, either.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In general, mathematical results need to be *interesting* in some way to some subset of practitioners to be publishable. You haven't pressented them in that way so you need to think about who wants to know this.
But it isn't the quality of the journal here that will matter, but the kind of thing they want to publish. For example, if the results are accessible to beginners, say undergraduates, then you might find acceptance in a journal devoted to teaching at that level, rather than a more research oriented journal. The MAA, [Mathematical Association of America](https://www.maa.org), for example, could possibly be interested. But it still needs to be *interesting*.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Stash the paper for now. Talk to people that you trust about it. Chances are, in a few years you'll discover a connection to something completely unexpected, making it interesting. At that point you have a good chance it gets published, regardless of how 'advanced' the required foundations are.
Upvotes: 0
|