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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a PhD student in engineering. I work in a small group with two professors and 5 PhD students (no postdocs).
Both the professors "follow" my thesis as supervisor. However, they don't get along with, and they are continuously trying to pull me to their side and change my research subjects.
It's not that my project is not going well (I have 12 publications: 4 journal papers and 8 conference papers). However my two professors don't want to collaborate together and every time assign me random extra work to do for them, on various subjects, uncorrelated one with the others, and in which I'm not even expert.
All the other PhD's in my group are in the same situation. If we raise a concern about our thesis, their answer is just "now do what I ask you, we'll think to put together a thesis at the end of your PhD".
It even happened that I sent a full paper to one of them, ready to be submitted, just to be told "If you want to publish this, you have to do this other (uncorrelated, ndr) work before".
The worst part is that professors and researchers from other divisions know the situation and come to our group every time they need cheap work. So, one day, one of the supervisor comes to your office and says: from now you'll collaborate with professor A of dept. B on this topic. Another day, the other supervisor has lunch with some professor, comes and tells you: I need you to work with prof. X of division Y on this other topic.
Most of the time, these extra assignments are running tons of calculations and collect results, code debugging, or even external consulting for private companies. Needless to say, this is a major slow down to my research activity because I spend more than half of my time on other topics in which I'm not competent. Most of these random activities ends up without publications. I'm only publishing from my main research project.
My only luck is that I have contact in other universities and I have postdoc offers there, and that I've always had clear ideas on my thesis. So I still managed to publish my papers. Other students are not so lucky and they are at the second or even third year of their PhD without having publications nor having a clear direction for their research project.
I'll finish in less that one year and, as I mentioned, I have offers in other places. However, I'm starting to ask myself a question: Is this normal in academy? I wonder if this is the standard, and I'll find exactly the same situation in other universities or if it was just an unlucky combination of bad bosses.
I love my research activity, but if these are the working conditions, I'm starting wondering if it is worth to go on..<issue_comment>username_1: This seems like a mixed blessing/curse to me. It seems to be hard and frustrating, of course, but on the other hand you have two professors who, while not agreeing on much, seem to love your work. You get a lot of finalized work (publications) out of the deal. I suspect you are building a strong academic career for yourself.
But I suggest you look for the end of the tunnel. Get the main work done *somehow* and find a good position without alienating either of your "patrons." I suspect that you are in a strong position in the long run and quitting would be giving up too much.
I suspect that you are pretty good already at putting the two off at least a bit to make some room for yourself. If you can continue that, then just start to plan your exit. You won't be juggling their needs forever, I think.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Have you considered asking one, or both, of the universities if they would accept you to complete the PhD? And then continue Post Doc?
May be easier than dealing with two supervisors who regard you as cheap, or slave, labor...
This is not a professional attitude on the supervisors part...
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: The goal of research for a PhD is to allow you to demonstrate your ability to carry out a successful program of unique, robust and independent literature review, experimentation, analysis, and publication within a reasonable time period. The roles of a PhD advisor are to assure the integrity of your work and to guide you to complete it in a reasonable time.
One danger is that your situation continues with no foreseeable effort by either of your co-advisors to acknowledge the need for an overall plan. The other danger is that your situation continues with no due respect by either of your co-advisors to prohibit you from distractions to your dissertation research. These two aspects point to a failure of your advisor(s) to respect their role in assuring the integrity of your work and guiding you to complete it in a timely manner.
I do not favor an approach that says ... You are gaining experience, so keep your head down, wait it out, and (eventually) you will be granted permission to leave. I also do not favor the approach that says ... Leave now. I recommend instead that you seek to gain some control of the aspects of your work that your advisor(s) are failing to recognize are theirs.
You might seek to resolve this situation in a few ways.
* Establish that you will prepare a Dissertation Proposal
**now**, not " at the end of your [dissertation research]". This will define the bounds of your work and a timeline to complete it.
* Establish that you will have only one Dissertation Advisor, not
two co-advisors. This assures that you have one person to oversee the integrity of your work (not two who fight about the definition of the work let alone provide no guide on its integrity).
* Establish that you will engage a Dissertation Committee to co-advise as well as monitor the progress on your dissertation research. This can give you advocates to help guide your work when your main advisor is weak (or fails) in his/her role.
How should you do this in your current situation? You may need to invoke a higher authority.
* Does your university, college, department, or program have a graduate catalogue? Does it define the requirements for a PhD? Do any of those requirements help you establish either of the above as standards? By example, our program has a requirement for a PhD student to defend a Dissertation Proposal, and the recommendation is this must happen within 2-3 years of starting the degree.
* Does your department have a Chair or Head? Have you discussed your situation with him/her? I cannot imagine that a department chair will be happy to have such a situation as yours become a standard, especially when that news should start to propagate outside of the department and university and when that news is backed up by consistent reports from all of the graduate students under the advisor(s) of concern here.
* Does your university have a Graduate Programs Office? Does that Office have a Head or Dean? Again, I cannot imagine that this office will be unable to offer some level of guidance to overcome the failures of your advisors.
Before you do anything independently, you should sit with both advisors at the same time and bring your concerns forward to them. Outline a plan (a Dissertation Proposal White Paper) **in writing** and have it available as a talking point for the meeting. Bring to the attention of your advisors at that meeting the issues that you raised above as factors that impact negatively on your ability to focus on your own research work and see a tangible end point to it.
As for how where to go to start an outline, you may first need to seek some background or help. When you are funded by a project, your first obligation is to the goals as defined in the project proposal. Ask for a copy of the project proposal and the approval letters from the funding agencies for it. Prepare your Dissertation Proposal White Paper from what the project proposal states as the description of the project. When you are funded entirely as a teaching assistant, you may need to speak with an authority above your advisor(s). Ask for recommendations from someone on your dissertation committee on how to generate a starting point for a Dissertation Proposal. When you have your own funding (a rare event), take the path as offered above to speak with someone on your dissertation committee.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: If you are being paid as a research assistant in this lab, then you must do what is needed for the funding supporting you. It would be swell if that is purely your original thesis research topic, but it probably isn't. Imagine a teaching assistant refusing to grade any lab reports that weren't relevant to their thesis work. Of course if your advisor is having you do their independent contract work for them while they personally collect the cash that is probably a huge violation of some rules and/or laws somewhere...
On the other hand, if you have your own funding, then you can probably refuse to do just about anything that won't go into the thesis or your own papers.
As for the question "is it normal, even standard, to get unfocused/scatter-brained direction from academics?" the answer is "oh hell yes". My advisor would propose a new direction pretty much every time I met with them.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I don't think this is normal at all, I published four peer-reviewed papers for my PhD (STEM) in three years. They were all in top journals with < 20% acceptance rate, so they were **good** papers and all are still being cited, but four was it, and other candidates in my department were graduating with three papers (but more years).
I think you are being exploited; some professors don't want to graduate their students because they like the free work and paper generation for their own credentials. I realized during the process I was lucky to choose a well-funded professor that wanted to graduate students, and literally the hour after I defended my dissertation, he offered to start me as a post doc at a higher salary. I didn't miss a day of work.
I don't have a definitive answer, but you should narrow your focus to ONE advisor, and just tell them you need to graduate as soon as possible. Changing to a different advisor altogether, perhaps in a different university, is not out of the question. I'd ask them what they think you need to do to graduate by the end of the next semester.
Perhaps you can research how many papers OTHER graduates had published before THEY graduated, so you have a point of comparison to cite. If you can get their names and graduation dates, just use google scholar to find their list and dates of publication. Or maybe the university librarian can help you. You might even be able to email them, if they forwarded their university address to their regular email. Or you can ask other professors you are friendly with.
If they have published less than you have, you then have the case for YOUR professors that you have already done enough original work to graduate. That is the mark of a PhD, that you have proven you can make original contributions to the field. They don't have to be earth-shattering or anything, just an advancement that you prove is useful in your field.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/10/28
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<issue_start>username_0: Some paper reviewers feel the pressure to criticize *something* in order to appear competent. Sometimes they feel this pressure due to huge blank form fields for criticism in the reviewing system. As a consequence, they sometimes criticize wrongfully. Fully recovering from wrongful criticism during review is sometimes possible, but not always. This hurts the research community.
A while ago a saw advice in a video to have ***harmless*** and rather obvious mistakes (typos, inconsistent notation) on purpose in the manuscript when submitting for peer review, in order to avoid the aforementioned problems. I don't recall the details, nor who gave that talk.
**Are you aware of such videos/articles, or can give examples of specific "diversionary tactics"?**
**Note that I'm only asking about specific example tactics. If you want to discuss (dis)advantages of choosing to use them at all, please open another question, and I'll be happy to link to it.**
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**Edit:** This question isn't about the pros and cons (see above). Many answers so far are as if I asked about the pros and cons (which I didn't).
Also, I'm not saying "I plan to do this, try to stop me". I just want to find the information that exists about it.
Note that I mean ***harmless*** mistakes. Also, they are fixed before publishing even if not asked to.
A related technique from programming is called "[a duck](https://blog.codinghorror.com/new-programming-jargon/)".
The psychological phenomenon is called "[Parkinson's law of triviality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality)".<issue_comment>username_1: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zaLcw.gif)
You're not the first one to come up with this idea.
In case it's not obvious, I recommend against doing this:
* Having stupid mistakes in your submission makes you look stupid.
* It wastes the reviewer's time.
* It wastes the editor's time.
* If all the mistakes get through the review process, it wastes the reader's time deciphering what you means, and also makes you look stupid again.
Just don't.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: In case you feel the reviewer is either biased or psychologically set to validate his/her competence by unjustly criticizing your work as if implying that it was properly reviewed by an expert, it is actually possible to introduce something which should be edited out but I advise extreme caution. It should be very subtle and yet conspicuous enough. It should not cast any doubt on your own competence: perhaps, something superfluous or murky but well-known to the reviewer so that he/she will enjoy criticizing it. However if you don’t know the reviewer and his/her level of competence, it’s better to be extra cautious about such things.
A few words about typos and sloppiness in formatting: The reviewer will feel more justified to pile up his/her criticisms so much as to consider the paper to be low quality stuff or a mess. I saw it happen when excellent papers got almost scrapped for lack of clarity and accidental errata. So, typos, bad formatting and inconsistencies are **no-go**; such stuff will only detract from your paper. Only much more subtle strategy is viable and only when you know the reviewers are less competent or unjustly biased. As to diversionary tactics, such things should be specified and discussed with the experts in the area of your work. Using some primitive generic tactics (typos, notation inconsistency, etc.) will only draw criticism.
If some "criticizing" blanks or forms or any bureaucracy are pulled on you, you should seek advice of colleagues in your area. It's better not to leave anything to chance, and discuss everything with the experts in your area. Finding out what forms/blanks or bureaucracy you are dealing with is crucial.
Your paper might be reviewed on general (non-expert in the area) principles just as if it were only reviewed by proofreaders or lay people. So making it more consistent, coherent, logical, clear, succinct, a**nd free of spelling and formatting errors will be a big plus**.
You should probably rely more on the guidelines that are used when reviewing papers in your area, rather then focusing on diversionary tactics. A lot of bad reviews are a result of carelessness (both on the part of the reviewer and on the part of the scientist), overzelousness and bureaucracy (or should I say strict "proofreader-like" guidelines for scientists), rather than malicious intent assuming the paper in question displays outstanding ideas and great substance. Please check some guidelines as *How to Write a Good Scientific Paper: a Reviewer’s Checklist A Checklist for Editors, Reviewers, and Authors* by <NAME> or suchlike articles and guidelines. Their number in astonishing. Nowadays a lot of science is about сitation indexes; and a lot of reviews are about formal structure, clarity of reasoning, proper references, nice presentation of data, etc. used in the paper.
Please note that this is very generic advice. You may want to tailor it to your area of expertise with all the corresponding changes you deem necessary. Bottom line: **I strongly advise against generic diversionary tactics.** Tailor everything to your area of expertise. Unfortunately, if they don't want to publish it, they won't, even if it is a breakthrough. You might need extra recommendations and credentials. Please also note how much pseudoscience we have today, and some of it sneaks in respected publications! So a huge number of papers need to be weeded out.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: This interesting strategy has been identified in a programming context, where it has been dubbed "the duck technique" (see [this post](https://blog.codinghorror.com/new-programming-jargon/) on the [Coding Horror blog](https://blog.codinghorror.com/)):
>
> This started as a piece of Interplay corporate lore. It was well known that producers (a game industry position, roughly equivalent to [project managers]) had to make a change to everything that was done. The assumption was that subconsciously they felt that if they didn't, they weren't adding value.
>
>
> The artist working on the queen animations for Battle Chess was aware of this tendency, and came up with an innovative solution. He did the animations for the queen the way that he felt would be best, with one addition: he gave the queen a pet duck. He animated this duck through all of the queen's animations, had it flapping around the corners. He also took great care to make sure that it never overlapped the "actual" animation.
>
>
> Eventually, it came time for the producer to review the animation set for the queen. The producer sat down and watched all of the animations. When they were done, he turned to the artist and said, "that looks great. Just one thing - get rid of the duck."
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I have not heard of doing this in regard to the peer review process for journal publication, and in that context I would advise against it. Perhaps others have had different experiences, but I have not observed any tendency for journal referees to ask for changes merely for the sake of appearing to add value. Since most of these processes are blind review, the referee is not usually identified to the author, and there is little reason for referees to grandstand like this.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: This is a terrible idea. Just a couple of days ago, I reviewed a paper with a lot of confusing descriptions and elaborate mathematics. It was not clear that the explanatory sections were going to be clear enough for me to be able to evaluate the mathematical material in a useful fashion, but ordinarily I would have given it a try.
However, the very first equation of the paper (which, dealing with introductory matters, was not particularly complicated) contained an obvious error. I concluded that if the authors were that careless, it was not worth my time to try to pick through each and every poorly documented equation, trying to see if they were all valid. The editor agreed and rejected the paper.
So including stupid mistakes like this will only call into question whether you have been careful enough in preparing the manuscript. If it looks like the authors have been lazy or careless, there is little motivation for reviewers and editors to try to fix things for the authors.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: This tactic (which is by the way more of a joke than something that people actually do) is designed to deal with an archetypal incompetent manager who is incapable to understand the work they are given to review, yet unable to admit their incompetence and so are resorting to [bike shedding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_triviality) to compensate.
Trying it on people who are actually competent will result in one of the outcomes:
* they will not realize you're using the tactic on them and decide you're sloppier than you actually are
* they will realize it and feel offended that you take them for someone who would hide their incompetence behind irrelevant changes
Neither improves the chances for your paper to be received well.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: This is not an exact match to your request, but is similar enough in spirit and relevant enough to your question to mention.
There's a very interesting and entertaining article by <NAME> published in Neuroimage, called "Ten ironic rules for non-statistical reviewers". The point of the article is to give a generic 'slap on the wrist' to "common" review points by people who may or may not understand the statistical implications of their suggestions, and who may simply be making statistically-correct-sounding generic statements out of a need to seem useful / not-unknowledgeable, and err on the side of rejection.
It does so in the highly unusual format of starting off with a highly sarcastic and humorous introduction of why a reviewer is under "so much pressure to reject these days", given articles have increased in quality, and proceeds to offer ten tongue-in-cheek "rules" for them to try in order to ensure a malicious rejection even in the presence of good papers. It only enters non-sarcastic serious discussion as to why those rules are poor interpretations of statistics in the much-longer "appendix" of the paper, which is in fact the 'real' article.
So in a sense, this is the same thing as you're talking about, except seen from the reverse direction: instead of instructing *authors* on how to keep reviewers "busy" with trivialities, it is a tongue-in-cheek article instructing *reviewers* on how to focus on trivialities in the presence of an actually well-presented paper, in order to sound like they have critical influence over the outcome and / or to ensure a rejection / wasting of time for the author (i.e. heavily implying that this is a common-enough occurence to warrant such a sarcastic article).
(the original paper is paywalled, but a version of the pdf should be available to read for free online via a simple search engine search; it's a rather popular paper!)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: Let's set up a simple static game: assume that there are two kinds of reviewers, "Good R" and "Bad R". "Good R" are those that they know the subject well but even if they don't, they will try to honestly review the paper on merit. "Bad R" are those who will go for "wrongful criticism" in the logic laid out by the OP, and for "Superficial Criticism" if we submit a superficially sloppy paper. We consider two strategies, "Superficial Sloppiness" and "Tidy manuscript". In all we have four possible states.
I argue that the most preferred state is "**Good R - Tidy manuscript**". In such a case the paper will be reviewed on merit by an appropriate reviewer. Let's assign the numerical value/utility **4** to this outcome (the scale is ordinal).
Consider now the state "**Good R- Superficial Sloppiness"**. As other answers indicated, we will most likely get a quick reject (and acquire a bad reputation in the eyes of a person that we shouldn't). This is the worst it could happen to our paper, in light of the fact that it was assigned to a Good Reviewer. We assign the value **1** to this state.
Let's move to the situation **"Bad R - Wrongful Criticism"**. Supposedly this is the state that we want to avoid by the proposed tactic. I argue that this state is *not* worse than the state "Good R- Superficial Sloppiness", because "Good R- Superficial Sloppiness" is a bad state because we shoot our own feet really, while "Bad R - Wrongful Criticism" is an unfortunate but expected situation. So we assign the value **2** to this state.
Finally the state **"Bad R - Superficial Criticism"** is what we try to guarantee with this tactic. We certainly consider it as better than the previous one, but not as good as having a Good Reviewer assessing our tidy paper on merit. So we assign the value **3** to this state. The normal form of the game is therefore
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VArpU.png)
There is no strictly or weakly dominant strategy here. But let's not go into mixed strategy equilibria. From our point of view, reviewers are chosen by nature (mother nature, not Nature the journal) with some probability, say **p** for the probability that we get a Bad Reviewer. Then the expected utility for each strategy is
**V(Sprf Slop) = p x 3 + 1 x (1-p) =2p+1**
**V(Tidy Mnscr) = p x 2 + 4 x (1-p) =4-2p**
It appears rational to chose the Superficial Sloppiness tactic iff
**V(Sprf Slop) > V(Tidy Mnscr) => 2p+1 > 4-2p => p > 3/4**
In words, if you think that **the chance that you will get a Bad Reviewer is higher then 3/4,** then your expected utility will be indeed higher by applying such an embarrassing tactic.
Do 3 out of 4 reviewers belong to the Bad Reviewer category in your field?
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: Imagine the following situation. Somebody is doing their PhD in field A in the US.
Suppose they became interested in a different field, field B, and consider doing PhD in field B instead. Suppose further that the university they are doing PhD at is not suitable for doing PhD in field B for some reason. Is it acceptable to apply for PhD positions in field B in other universities without notifying their current university until after they have been admitted to a program of their interest? The reason for doing this is to ensure that if they don't get accepted anywhere, then they could just continue pursuing their PhD in field A (which is also an acceptable option for them).<issue_comment>username_1: In most fields in the US this would be acceptable. An exception might be if you have accepted a grant that has some sort of termination clause that prevents it or makes it difficult. If you wind up leaving your current position you might have some ethical obligation to finish up some tasks if they affect others, but that is a separate question.
In general, though, you can seek a better position for yourself.
But you will also need to be able to explain to the new institution why you are leaving and why you are a good prospect for their program. Self awareness and learning are usually a good reason that (most) people will accept.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I believe that what you're trying to do is feasible and sensible, but just make sure that you really want to pursue the PhD in the field B, otherwise while being on the field B you might get interested on a field C, that is also quite common and could become a vicious cycle. So just be sure about it and good luck with your applications!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I believe that it may be next to impossible to not let anyone in your current program know of your plans. Unless all of your previous letter writers are still available to write you letters of recommendation for a new application, you will likely need to find someone at your current university to write you a letter.
If you have an advisor, I would work with him or her to prepare a plan for applying to different programs. *I would be upfront and direct about the fact that you want to switch disciplines.* You do have the right to pursue disciplines you are most interested in. Being sneaky about your plans could result in trouble.
As with any graduate admissions situation, you will also need to be prepared to provide a compelling reason to the new PhD program as to *why* you feel you should be admitted to their program. This can be increasingly difficult to do when you have already been enrolled in another PhD program. It usually is not sufficient to just say
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> "I really love botany (or whatever subject you want to enroll in). It is really interesting to me."
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*I see some variant of that statement in a large number of applications, and it is never compelling.* Such verbiage is especially common in applications of students who are switching disciplines. While being interested in a subject is necessary, it is not sufficient for admission into a PhD program. This is not to say that switching disciplines is bad (I did it myself). It just means that you cannot rely on "interest" alone in getting you into a PhD program. (I'm interested in art. But I know nothing formal [academically speaking] about art. It could be hard to convince an admissions committee that I'm a great choice for their art history program).
Upvotes: 0
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2018/10/29
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<issue_start>username_0: Is it possible, and what are the chances of doing so, to get into a Computer Science Ph.D. program at a top school like e.g. the U of Toronto with a Master's degree (say, with excellent academic record) from a lower-tier school?
My situation is as follows:
* I am about to complete my Master's degree in math (GPA will be between 3.7 and 4.0) in a program with a high reputation (acceptance rate 40 out of 170). I have done mainly (functional) analysis and mathematical physics, and some differential geometry and probability theory. No computer science-related stuff. Also, no statistics (so far at least).
* However, I am increasingly unhappy with my field, and I would like to go into machine learning. I know how to program and I have won some competitions as a high school student at federal state level (Germany), but I haven't taken any university courses in computer science so far.
* This term I'm taking courses in databases, operating systems and machine learning. That will be enough to get admitted into the Applied Computer Science Master's degree at the University of Heidelberg (note that Master programs in Germany are two-years programs). Certainly not itself a bad university, but the computer science program doesn't really have a very high reputation (after all, there's a reason the admission requirements are so low). With virtually no formal education in computer science, I just don't have a lot of options at the moment.
* Assuming that I will complete that Master's program with a very good GPA (and also additionally take the one and the other undergrad course like e.g. algorithm design to catch up), what would be my chances to be admitted e.g. into the Computer Science Ph.D. program at the University of Toronto or a similarly good school? At the moment, I would certainly have no chances to be admitted into their Master's program.
I have also considered doing a one-year computer science conversion Master at a better school, but I found the curricula of those programs rather basic and concluded that doing a 'real' Master's at a not-so-good school would be the better option. But maybe that's just my German way of thinking... Here in Germany the name of your schools means relatively little, but my impression is that things are somewhat different in the anglophone world (in particular the U.S. and the UK).
* Would it increase my chances if I combine this degree with edX MOOCs from top-tier schools like MIT?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, it is *possible*, but you're asking the wrong question.
A (paid) PhD track is more of a *job* of a junior researcher, with some studying involved, rather than a study program with a fancier title. You need to convince either a university, or an individual researcher that it's worth their while to employ you - that you have the potential to produce meaningful research and to help them advance their own overall research agenda.
In convincing them, the reputation of the institution you got your Master's at may have some influence - just like your grades, papers you've published, non-academic (e.g. industry) work, the identity of your Master's supervisor, the reputation of your research group/lab, and perhaps your online presence, scientific and otherwise. These all can factor on. Different individual researchers, departments and universities factor them in differently.
What I will say practically that it may be more important for you than for other people to engage a potential advisor personally, perhaps arrange a visit, offer to present a result of yours in a colloquium etc. - to create an impression beyond what can be assumed based on your "pedigree".
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There is no way to know if you are acceptable at University X unless you actually make application there. Most top universities have students at the graduate level who attended not quite so prestigious schools (otherwise they'd have no students). Apply and make your best case. What are your strengths? What can you bring to the table that makes you a great candidate?
But you don't need to look at it as an either/or situation. While you are in the process of applying you can also start your transition to CS. It might not even need to be a formal program. While MOOCs might give you knowledge, I doubt that they would figure very highly in any decisions.
And of course, some parts of CS are very mathematical, so if you are intending to do something like that, then the transition between fields may be less of an issue.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: If I was CS faculty and was tasked with reviewing your application, the question I would be asking first and foremost is "Why does this student think he can be successful in a CS doctoral program when he has next to no computer science experience?" As long as the institution you are getting your master's degree from is accredited and has at least a decent reputation (i.e. I know that the school exists and that it is not just a degree mill), *where* you are coming from will matter much less than *how* you plan on being a successful student in our program.
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> Here in Germany the name of your schools means relatively little, but my impression is that things are somewhat different in the anglophone world (in particular the U.S. and the UK).
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This is indeed somewhat the case in the U.S., but only to a certain extent. Harvard is distinctly better than Polytechnic University of Northern Idaho. But is Colorado State better than University of Oklahoma? Is Clemson better than Tulane? Does it even matter?
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> "At the moment, I would certainly have no chances to be admitted into their [U of Toronto] Master's program."
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Taking one or two classes is not likely to vault you to a position where you all of the sudden will be ready to enter U of Toronto's PhD program then. MOOCs would be given next to no credence in the admissions process. (I work in "industry" in computational statistics and visualization; applicants whose entire "formal" programming experience is in a MOOC never even receive a glance when I get their resumes).
Based only on what you have said, I personally would find it hard to accept a student with your profile to a top-tier PhD in computer science. While doctoral work in CS is certainly more than just "programming," it would worry me that you have essentially zero background in the field generally. Even PhD students in theoretical CS need to understand the basics of computer architecture, object oriented programming, networking, etc. Students wanting to do "big data" and machine learning need to be even more experienced in these topics.
My overall suggestion is that you consider doing a PhD in statistics or a PhD in CS at a lower-tier university. You will have an easier time convincing an admissions committee that your profile is a good fit for their program.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: There are some academic-cultural differences between US (where I live) and Canada, so take my answer with a grain of salt.
Top CS PhD programs in the US are looking primarily for **concrete evidence of research potential** in PhD applications. This is especially true in machine learning, which is by far the single most popular research area for PhD appicants. (At least a third of last year’s PhD applicants at Illinois listed ML or some close variant as their primary research interest.) I cannot emphasize this enough—competition for PhD programs in ML is *incredibly* fierce. ML has become the default area-of-interest for smart people who like CS but don’t really know what they want to do. High grades and test scores might be enough to get a human being to look at your application, but they will *not* be enough to get you in; classes ain’t research.
In addition, since you’d be applying with a masters degree, you’ll be [compared with other applicants with masters degrees](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/115007/65), many of whom will already have ML publications. (Unlike Europe, most PhD programs in North America require only a bachelor’s degree to enroll, and most new PhD students in those programs do not have master’s degrees.)
On the other hand, a strong background in functional analysis, differential geometry, and probability theory is extremely rare among computer scientists, and could be a huge advantage, if you can leverage that expertise into concrete evidence of research potential.
Some specific things to aim for in a master’s program:
* When you apply for PhD prorgams, you will need recommendation letters from well-known researchers researchers in your target research area. Make sure the department where you get your master’s degree has those researchers! You should be thinking in terms of potential faculty mentors/references, not departments.
* In your PhD application, you must be able to talk about your research interests using the idiomatic language of a researcher, not just as an interested student. Moreover, your recommendation letters must present concrete evidence of your research potential. Make sure that your masters program gives you an opportunity to do research (or at least indepedent study projects) with those well-known researchers in your target research area.
* A purely course-based master’s degree will work against you; classes ain’t research. Similarly, using MOOCs as evidence of your expertise in ML will work against you, because we only have your word for how well you did, and MOOCs definitely ain’t research. That doesn’t mean on-campus courses and MOOCs are *useless*, but you should use them to enable your research, not as end goals in themselves.
* Leverage your strengths. Look for MS programs that will help you develop research expertise that takes advantage of your particular skills. In particular, look for potential faculty mentors who have, or at least appreciate, a similar mathematics background to your own.
* Sadly, the name of your school does matter. There are too many good applications; people apply all sorts of stupid filters to limit the number of applications they have to read. (It *might* matter less coming from Germany, where there’s less variance in quality/reputation.) Wherever you are offered admission, ask for **data** about PhD placement before deciding which offer to accept.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: Should I attend a likely lesser university, PSU in Pittsburg, Kansas, for a graduate degree in history, or should I attend the University of Minnesota for a second bachelors degree in psychology? All of this is aimed at eventual graduate work in philosophical counseling and the history of philosophy. I want to take the time to read and study ancient philosophy in depth so that I can teach it, but I'm also pretty sure that I have the ability to become a decent philosophical counselor and have spent a good deal of my time thinking and reading about it. The U is a stretch financially at the moment, but I might be able to make it work. Financial aid is sparse for a second bachelors degree. This is why there is even a question. I can definitely afford to live in Pittsburg, KS and I do like it there and I can go to PSU and sort of revive my rusty study habits (3.5 yrs since graduation) in a slightly less rigorous setting, most likely, that I should be able to receive adequate loans for. If I can manage to pay for 13 credits at the U, the rest are free. That is one semester, with tuition around 18k. Living in Minneapolis is very expensive too, all the amenities are higher and rent averages 600 just for a room. I have a lot of history there and friends, but haven't lived there in some time. I also have friends and history in Pittsburg whom I've seen more recently. I have no idea what to do at this point. Looking at both acceptance letters, reading them back to back, over and over, and feeling paralyzed. School starts in January.<issue_comment>username_1: I would probably look into contacting some graduate programs for Philosophical Counseling that you are desiring to get into and ask them what would be better for you.
But for my personal opinion, the second Bachelors does not seem like a good idea.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This really depends on your personal factors; there's no one-size-fits all answer to your question. Thus, your question is likely to be closed. Still, I'll take a stab at it.
Disclaimer: my background is physics and CS, so I'm completely unqualified to answer your question. Feel free to disregard everything I say.
Nonetheless...
**I don't think a master's degree in history from Pittsburg State (not to be confused with the University of Pittsburgh) will get you very far on the academic job market.** Of course, good work speaks for itself, and PSU may be better regarded if you want to stay in/near Kansas long term. But jobs teaching history (particularly at the college level) are very competitive and not terribly well paying. $18K *per semester* seems very high given that reality.
**But, I don't like your other option much better.** Minnesota is a well-regarded school, but this is even more expensive and gives you a lower degree in another field with high supply and low demand. I do not know what the job market for "philosophical counseling" may be, but I suspect that it's also competitive and not very well paying. You could well end up spending $100K (or, worse, taking out $100K in student loans) to get this bachelor's and then a master's, only to end up with the same job you have now.
My advice is to calculate the full cost between now and graduation for both of these options, and weigh that against the (realistic) job prospects that these will open for you. You may well want to consider other options altogether. It is admirable that you want to go back to school, but I would really hate to see you invest so much time/money and end up without a viable path to a job.
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<issue_start>username_0: So, sorry if this is a daft question...
I've recently completed a paper that I'm hoping to submit to a journal later this week.
I think we have something important to say, and I want to disseminate the results more widely, in particular there's a conference I have my eye on. Their deadline is also at the end of this week.
Is it acceptable to submit the same paper to both journal and conference? Or will I get into trouble in the same way that I would if I submitted to two journals at the same time?
Thanks!<issue_comment>username_1: I have been in the same situation, written a paper, and wanted to disseminate the findings to a wider audience and hence, presented the work at a conference. I am in applied environmental science, and I feel that this is relatively common in my field.
My approach to this situation, bearing in mind there was to be published conference proceedings was to focus on a very specific element of the new methodological development that I worked on, and presented this at the conference, under a similar - but 'different enough' title than the paper. This parallel journal/conference writing also has to be used to be able to honestly answer the journal question, 'is this work being submitted elsewhere?'. Clearly you need to be able to answer no - its not.
This approach allowed me to go into some very fine detail of the new methods that was of interest to the specialist audience at the conference, that otherwise was far too detailed for the journal readership.
At the end of the conference presentation, I also signposted to the paper that was under review and the journal it was with, and some folk said post-conference that they would look for the journal paper when published.
So, in short, I would say that there has to be differences between the two submissions, but there is no problem in having them linked by common ground and to highlight an upcoming journal paper.
All the best.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This seems to depend on the field. But, in most fields, I think that you risk being rejected by both the journal and the conference. Journals, especially, want to publish what is new and ask you to assure them that you haven't submitted elsewhere.
If you happen to "sneak it through" in one instance, don't expect a happy reception in the future.
Again, in some fields, conferences are the main venue for presenting new work. Conferences in CS, for example, also publish proceedings in which the accepted papers are printed as a matter of course.
That said, an abstract of a paper submitted to a journal might be acceptable at an unrelated conference. Likewise a follow-on result to something submitted to one is probably acceptable to the other.
But the best way to be sure is to ask. Both the journal editor and the conference chair will give you the best and only valid advice. Both the journal and conference submission procedures probably already make it pretty clear what is allowed and what is not. If either objects to a double submission, then you should tread carefully.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: It's a matter of editorial policy: both the journal and the conference certainly have a policy in place about such cases. If their policy is not clear from their website, you can send an email to the editor asking about it.
In my experience (computer science), it is common for a conference/journal to allow authors to "submit elsewhere" , but be careful: this often implies that you would have to withdraw one of them in case you are accepted to both. Another option is simply to submit different content: usually conference papers are shorter, so in the journal one you can afford to study a particular aspect of the topic in more detail, thus making it a significantly different contribution.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: In most of the universities of India, conducting exams such as mid terms and end terms for a semester is as follows:
1) Designing question papers and taking print of them
2) Distribute it among students along with answer sheets
3) Invigilating during exams and taking attendance
4) Collecting answer sheets
5) Evaluation and rechecking if any student has issues
This process is tedious and most of the part is unproductive.
I want to know the method for conduction exams so that less human intervention is needed.
Does any good universities in any country automated these process of conducting exam and what are the steps in their method?<issue_comment>username_1: You cannot avoid the designing question part or having them checked / verified for quality, constistency etc
But you could try an online system which offers questions from a question bank.
On good systems there are a variety of question types available: multiple choice, short answer, calculation, matching, even essay, etc
I suggest you find out what systems are out there and choose one that suits your needs.
I did build a spreadsheet that gave 5 questions out of 5 sets of 5 questions at random : worked very well for a small quiz...
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Conducting assessments with larger and larger cohorts of students is an interesting problem and many possible approaches can be tried, but some are more suitable to some subject disciplines than others.
As already mentioned multiple choice tests are one such technology. They could be computerised quizzes using, perhaps, a VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) or even an online free survey tool. There is also optical scanning of answer sheets for computerised marking of paper quizzes, but my experience shows it has limitations. Writing good multiple choice questions is a skill that needs to be acquired.
There is also peer assessment: getting the students to mark each others papers. Often more effective that you'd expect. This can be done on paper or electronically. When done electronically it can handle anonymisation and also multiple moderation.
You also need to reflect on the goal of assessment. What is it trying to achieve? Are you measuring rote learning memory or understanding and application of knowledge? Sometimes group and team tasks which are assessed by portfolio or presentation can achieve the same goals and deliver less marking burden.
You mention mid-terms. One should also question what function they serve. In many places they are only part of a carrot-and-stick approach to motivate learning and not for the assessment result. In this case they can be substituted with other forms of task which perform the same motivation function in student engagement.
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<issue_start>username_0: How common is it that exam questions, after being designed by the instructor and before being given to the students, are checked by a colleague in one's same institute, to make sure that they are appropriate and unambiguous and that their results are correct? Is this normally enforced by universities across the world?
I am asking whether there is a formal check required by the department; I am not speaking simply about instructors of the same course writing the exam collaboratively.
Motivation: anecdotal. A [recent answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/119175/958) mentions "having [exam questions] checked / verified for quality, consistency etc". And I heard from a colleague from a country in the English-speaking world that in their institution something similar goes on: they prepare exam questions one week in advance, and then they are sent to be checked by a colleague. OTOH, this is completely unheard of for me in Italy --- the instructor designs the questions, then they are sent out to the students without any form of review imposed by the university (though the Italian system is somehow peculiar when it comes to exams.)<issue_comment>username_1: Very common in my experience. just to note I am in Switzerland...
And even if it is not prescribed by the university, common sense does seem to get most of my colleagues in the past to ask one to "have a look at x" on an ad hoc basis. We tended to do this for each other, even before "moderation systems" were "forced upon us" or the existing relationship was made more formal...
This, simply, helps to avoid typing errors, or number errors ie a factor of 10 missing that can make a really good question such an issue for students who are under stress...
Part of moderation can be where external moderators from other institutions come in to evaluate a particular course, where they speak to the lecturers, the students and check the exams and answer scripts for consistency.
On a personal note, I did not like being externally moderated at first, but now value the process for a different view point as I have found the people who come in face the same problems with classes / students that I do. So, the discussion tends to be "I'm considering this" and the response is " Well, interesting, worth a try, but look out for this or this". It makes a difference which I now value...
I remember a Professor, where I did my studies, who was told to write an "open book" exam for his course. So he duly did so... Sent it in for **external** moderation (the so-called experts as mentioned in another answer...) and the moderator could not complete the exam... :) The moderator had to ask for the solutions... My lecturer continued with the original style of exam not going to open book....
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: In the United Kingdom, the quality assurance process imposed by the UK Quality Assurance Agency requires both internal and external moderation of assessments. Internal moderators are academics from the same unit or department as the lecturer. External moderators are academics from outside the university (and may be international experts in the field).
Internal and external moderation occurs at two stages. The first is in the construction of exams and coursework assessments prior to release to students. These assessments are subject to review and revision before release. The second is in the assessment of the distribution of marks and in the conduct of the exam. In this step, we discuss issues such as the performance of the cohort against expectation, cases of academic misconduct, etc.
The regime is quite involved and very bureaucratic. However, its value is apparent when there are disputes about the level of the exam or the performance of students.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes; as mentioned in the UK it is expected that assignments (usually those greater than a certain proportion of the overall mark) is both internally checked and externally checked before being sat by students.
I have acted as an external examiner involved in the checking of the exam papers of another university. It is a valuable role that experienced academics can play in both improving the student experience, and the quality of the learning and teaching of an institution.
Another aspect that is also worth mentioning is post-exam error checking. In my department (some considerable time ago) we did an experiment of random error checking and to our astonishment, discovered that despite the diligence of the most experienced marker, things got missed. Our checking showed up whole missed script pages, ridiculous arithmetic errors in the final score and whole class transcription errors where spreadsheet cells were "off-by-one". As a result more regular clerical checks were done on everyone's marking and result recording to gain much in quality and student satisfaction.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: This seems to be very dependent on location. I think it is a good idea, but in the US, at least, it seems to be very uncommon. Lecturers might need to have exams looked at by a more senior faculty member in some institutions, but mostly the faculty is trusted to get it right.
In some institutions that teach very large classes, exams may be created by a "committee" consisting of the main faculty member and a few senior assistants. This gives some assurance against gross errors. In such places you can also have some of the TAs take the exam under exam-conditions. This gives both an indication of overall difficulty and helps guard against ambiguous or misleading phrasing.
Much less common, of course, is to have exam questions statistically validated prior to use. It is very difficult to do such a thing of course unless the exam questions are national in scope and can be trial tested under experimental conditions.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: In my experience, this is a question of the amount of resources a course is username_10cated. If a course is budgeted properly, the teaching staff spends time on properly taking care of the website; preparing and updating course booklets or interactive on-line teaching materials; reviewing each others' slide decks; reviewing draft homework assignments before publication; reviewing exam questions and so on.
In fact, when I was a TA for first-semester programming course (234114 and 234117 at the Technion IIT), it would often be the case that TAs who did not participate in writing exam questions would sit the exam a while before the official exam date, to ensure that the instructions are clear and also to time themselves. We were aiming for a 3:1 ratio between the time the students are given and the time a TA writes up a complete solution.
So, in particular:
1. There is **no dichotomy of "university review" vs "no review"**.
2. Sometimes the **TAs write exam questions**, not just the teacher in charge.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: In the Czech Republic (Charles University at least but most reputable ones from what I know) we still have most (90%+) courses graded as part of oral exams thus avoiding this kind of problem neatly, while also actually figuring out what the student knows as opposed to whether or not he studied for the test.;) Some of the exams have a written part that is succeeded by an oral examination though.
For the 10% that are purely written I've never seen external validation though internal validation between colleagues happened occasionally.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: Definitely location and resource dependent. I have never seen this done for midterm assignments or exams at the two institutions where I've taught (USA community colleges in Boston and New York; 5 years, 12 years respectively). For final exams my current department does have uniform department finals, which are viewed by all instructors beforehand.
Arguably institutions like education in the USA tend to be relatively "throw everyone individually to the wolves/law of the jungle", and this might be one example of that.
So, it definitely seems like a nice idea that I've never seen implemented. (Exactly like code reviews, back when I was a software engineer.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: While I was a PhD student at a German university, this was absolutely common. My exercises - and those of my colleagues - were multiple times checked by colleagues and rarely adopted in their original form.
It was fairly normal that the exam questions had to be revised because the exercise was simply wrong. Often enough, the formulations were unnecessarily complicated or ambiguous - or the exercises required mathematical techniques, which the students didn't necessarily possess at this moment.
Sometimes the exercises and corrections were challenged in court by students who saw this as a last resort to stay at university.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I work for an Australian university and yes, we need to submit the final exam to the department for approval two weeks in advance. The purpose is to make sure that the questions are unambiguous, comprise a range of the cognitive levels and use the right format and paper organisation.
Not only the exam, but even the marks need to be moderated by other academics in the department.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: I do think it is common and want to add another aspect: Time.
Often one or two colleagues are given the full exam and they answer it, noting the time needed for every question. Afterwards the time estimate can be multiplied by some reasonable factor (e.g. between 1.5 and 2), to estimate what you can expect from the students during the exam. This can filter too long exams and help to weight the points for each question.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_11: Where I work as a PhD student in Germany, the exam questions are designed by me and then checked by my supervisor who is giving the lecture. So, there is no "outside check" system but the exam gets checked by different people. However, different professors handle that differently (for example, some of them design the exams themselves and then their PhD students check them or a colleague checks them. It is, however not even unheard of that someone designs an exam and doesn't let anyone check it. That this is possible is quite unfortunate in my opinion.)
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I have worked on few research labs and performed research as a master's student with PhD students and faced similar issues.
It has been papers that I have contributed most of the work for that paper, including producing results, and writing. Yet the PhD student wants to put my name second due to seniority.
When I first got involved I understood that the order of the paper authors is important in showing the amount of contribution. It feels extremely demotivating to know someone else is getting credit for the very hard work I done and makes me want to stop being involved in research.
**Questions:**
* What is the best practice to decide the author order for CS/AI/ML related conferences?
* When everyone has contributed equally and ordering by name, is it the first name or last name you order by?
* When the order of the authors doesn't match the level of contribution, what is a good way to bring it up and to who?<issue_comment>username_1: Rule #1: Always try to pin these types of things down before performing the work.
Rule #2: Understand that academia (graduate school) is run on an implicit pecking order:
>
> Departmental pressures and requirements > Advisor > PhD Student > Master's Student
>
>
>
This makes complying to Rule #1 very difficult in practice. Every early career researcher runs into the issue you have described in some form. (Not that this makes such practices right). People higher than you in the pecking order will use administrative leverage to get what they want.
>
> Advisor: "I am the first author on this paper." (And if you disagree, you'll have to find a new advisor and lose a year's worth of work).
>
>
> Department: "Give Professor Smith what she wants or we will not sign off on your degree."
>
>
> PhD Student: "Collect this data for me. (And then try to convince someone that you actually did the work and not me)."
>
>
>
The order of attribution should be based on the order of contribution in most CS-based fields. Equal contributions are noted by alphabetical order of the authors' surnames, sometimes with a footnote indicating equal contribution.
I would bring the issue up first with the PhD student directly. I would then speak with his/her advisor. The advisor is essentially the court of last resort. An advisor also will be able to help with the navigation of what actually constitutes authorship for each party. At the very least, your own advisor should (hopefully) be able to help you obtain credit for your work in the form of a chapter in your thesis or something.
**Going forward, I would be firm in establishing what the authorship expectations will be on any work you do.** You will at times be forced to balance fairness in authorship and expediency in obtaining your degree.
I will note that I take the pecking order things into account when I interview applicants for a job. I care much less about author order and much more about what the person actually did for the paper. Thus, if the OP applied to a job with me, I would likely give his research the same weight whether he was first or second author. I fully understand that superiors sometimes take advantage of their underlings.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Best practice depends on the particular (sub-)field. Look at how it is in yours. Also, rules are flexible.
In mine, the [AMS guidelines](https://www.ams.org/profession/leaders/culture/CultureStatement04.pdf) are usually the norm: alphabetical family name ascending lexicographic order, regardless of authors' individual contributions.
In any case, you may explicitly state contribution in a footnote.
Other comments stress clearly enough the importance of making things clear ahead of writing. I would just add that your own contributions will speak for themselves regardless of the order in which you appear as an author (as long as you do!).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: My answer to all three of your questions: Don't bother too much. Often such short-term unfair situations will level out.
Next year you start your PhD and write a second paper with the same co-author. And then time you will be the first author and profit a lot from the experience of your co-author. Or someone leaves academia, you have to take over and just by adding the finishing touches, you get a great paper. Or you supervise a brilliant masters student winning you another easy paper. Or an office mate thanks you for your thoughtful coffee break discussion by adding you to his latest paper.
Sometimes (this time) you lose, sometimes (maybe next time) you win.
You have to find out and be aware of the authors wanting to trick their co-authors.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: I disagree with the other answers: to me, this is some clearly unethical behaviour from your co-author and it does matter, especially if this makes you want to stop doing research. While this can happen of course, in my experience this is quite rare (I'm also in the field of AI/ML). I would encourage you to raise the issue with your co-authors.
>
> What is the best practice to decide the author order for CS/AI/ML
> related conferences?
>
>
>
In CS/AI/ML the authors are almost always ordered by the importance of their respective contribution, and the reader is likely to interpret it this way.
>
> When everyone has contributed equally and
> ordering by name, is it the first name or last name you order by?
>
>
>
Last name, but I saw this only once in a multidisciplinary paper.
>
> When
> the order of the authors doesn't match the level of contribution, what
> is a good way to bring it up and to who?
>
>
>
First with the co-author directly, it might be a simple misunderstanding. Maybe this person can give you a good reason why they should be first author: did they have to rewrite everything after you? Did they fix major mistakes? Did they contribute major elements of the work? If not, this has to be discussed with the other persons involved, including the advisor. If you are not comfortable talking to the advisor directly, you might talk about it to your director of studies or any professor who could tell you if they think that this is acceptable or not and, if not, address the issue themselves with the advisor.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I agree with the *don't bother too much* [philosophy](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/119222/22768) [in response to all questions], but I disagree with the motivation ("unfair situations will level out"), I believe motivation should come from *it not really mattering*: You're career is built on your research, not author ordering.
**Do great work; don't worry about author ordering.**
---
This advice may not apply to all disciplines.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: When climbing a ladder, sometimes helping another is a way forward to your own achievement further down the line. I would posit, that while you made a sizeable contribution - was this your first paper or 12th? If it was your first paper I somehow doubt that your contribution should outweigh anyone else's who have more experience than you? Nonetheless, if you have been slighted, the very inclusion as an author should be a big boost. In any event, a footnote or endnote indicating your actual contribution should rectify any grievance you might have, and satisfy the pecking order, which often has little to do with reality.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: >
> What is the best practice to decide the author order for CS/AI/ML related conferences?
>
>
>
The *best* practice is to list authors randomly (or alphabetically), and when necessary, explicitly state that author name order does not represent degree of contribution.
This is not to say it is the *prevalent* practice in all fields. The custom of somehow assigning more significance based on name order should be rooted out, and it will not be rooted out until enough people endeavor to root it out.
While you might not be able to make this happen right now - having perhaps the least amount of "political clout", you can still offer this principle to the PhD candidate as a compromise, instead of you two quarreling about who is more deserving of being first.
>
> When everyone has contributed equally and ordering by name, is it the first name or last name you order by?
>
>
>
In European-type names (which the last name is the family name) - last name first.
>
> When the order of the authors doesn't match the level of contribution, what is a good way to bring it up and to who?
>
>
>
The order of authors very frequently doesn't match the level of contribution, even when it supposedly should. But I don't want to evade the question. First, bring it up among all authors (e.g. via email or group meeting). Try to make sure you have enough backing in written evidence to establish your having the most significant contribution, otherwise ["that's just, like, your opinion man"](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/thats-just-like-your-opinion-man). If you have enough backing among the authors but get overruled by your advisor, you may want to consider taking this up with your graduate researchers' union.
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<issue_start>username_0: It's like the response to my PhD application usually includes something like "The number of the applications we've received is so high that we can't accommodate all of the qualified applicants." It's like outnumbering applicants is the general reason of rejection.
Besides that, they seldom address other reasons. Some responses of this kind were due to my enquiry after application, rather than on their own initiative. Some of them didn't bother to respond even after my enquiry.
So I wonder whether a research group or school actually reviews every applicant's documents if they receive an overwhelming number of applications compared to the vacancy number. Maybe they have a way to pick some among the large number of applications — like using the filter function of a computer to pick documents containing some kind of keywords, which may not be completely faithful — to actually review to consider who to admit and that's why they don't bother to reply to all the applicants they don't admit.
For example, recently I found the reason I was not admitted for an application to a fundamental physics research group in Europe four months ago is eventually the funding is only available for a research project which is not my research interest; thus probably they even didn't review my application as they, saying they received an extraordinary number of applications, only picked those whose research interests involve that research project to review.<issue_comment>username_1: You encountered a standard phrase which is used to reject applications. This is useful for the institution, because
* noone wants to write dozens of individual letters
* you might get into legal trouble if you wrote something which might not be true in the eyes of the recipient of the letter.
Usually all applications are checked, some institutions might have automated systems to support the process (e.g. check for grades etc.), but most will do it manually.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: You shouldn't read such a phrase as the reason for the rejection. It is there for you to feel less bad, because you were not (necessarily) rejected because of a problem with your application or background; there simply were so many applicants that also good candidates had to be rejected.
That said, the absence of a clear rejection reason means nothing, so you cannot deduce from this that you were one of those good candidates (which is why I put "necessarily" in parentheses above).
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: When I get applications to review, I usually do a pre-pass on every application. I look for GPA, test scores, and compliance with requested application materials (i.e. did they even have anyone write them letters of recommendation?). We usually have explicitly stated bottom line cutoffs for GPA and test scores. Those falling below these marks are automatically set to the side.
I next try to scan the research statements / statements of purpose. This eliminates a large amount of the candidates usually.
I then cut the remaining applications into about half. I select who I want to accept from this half stack and order them roughly from strongest to weakest. I then do a spot check to see if anyone in the other half stack is clearly superior to the weaker candidates in the already selected stack. If so, I do an insertion of the new candidate and the weakest person is dropped from the list.
In the end, yes, I've looked at everyone's application, and no, I have not given heartfelt and deep thought to each applicant.
We then send out an accept/reject form email to every applicant. I very rarely even reply at length to students who fight their rejection.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Besides all the correct answers (that you should not read too much into a standard rejection letter), let me also answer your actual question:
>
> So I wonder whether a research group or school actually reviews every applicant's documents if they receive an overwhelming number of applications compared to the vacancy number.
>
>
>
**In general, yes - *for some definition of "review"***. Let me clarify: the number of applicants is *typically* overwhelming compared to the vacancy numbers. If I announce a PhD student position (usually a single position), I get somewhere between 10 and 100 applications. This is not unusual - all my colleagues report similar numbers. And yes, we do actually look at all applications that come in, but for most applicants we do so only very, very briefly. I have a number of knockout criteria that I use to do a first cursory assessment.
My (non-complete) list of knockout criteria includes: Does the candidate fulfill the necessary formal requirements? Are they in the right field? Is there some semblance of a research statement? Did they graduate from a school I know, or have they worked with somebody I know and respect? Are there any obvious red flags?
At least 3/4 of applicants do not pass this stage. For the remaining ones I typically take more time to review their application (i.e., I actually read their application material), and for a further subset (usually between 3 and 5) I schedule telephone interviews. The applicants I had a phone interview with I usually mail a (slightly) personalized response if I decide against them. Everybody else gets a standard email from HR.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: If you saw how crammed the average professors calendar and how full their email inbox is... I would guess most groups simply don't have that kind of time.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: Is it appropriate for a professor to give an exam to section A and then give the same exact exam to section B 2 weeks later?
Would this be a proper argument towards the professor and/or university to either curve or do something about the grades of the two sections?
It's an engineering course with the same prof in both sections.
(*note: in the original version sections A and B are called "the English section" and "the French section", respectively, but these names have been edited out because they seem to be a red herring.*)<issue_comment>username_1: You encountered a standard phrase which is used to reject applications. This is useful for the institution, because
* noone wants to write dozens of individual letters
* you might get into legal trouble if you wrote something which might not be true in the eyes of the recipient of the letter.
Usually all applications are checked, some institutions might have automated systems to support the process (e.g. check for grades etc.), but most will do it manually.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: You shouldn't read such a phrase as the reason for the rejection. It is there for you to feel less bad, because you were not (necessarily) rejected because of a problem with your application or background; there simply were so many applicants that also good candidates had to be rejected.
That said, the absence of a clear rejection reason means nothing, so you cannot deduce from this that you were one of those good candidates (which is why I put "necessarily" in parentheses above).
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: When I get applications to review, I usually do a pre-pass on every application. I look for GPA, test scores, and compliance with requested application materials (i.e. did they even have anyone write them letters of recommendation?). We usually have explicitly stated bottom line cutoffs for GPA and test scores. Those falling below these marks are automatically set to the side.
I next try to scan the research statements / statements of purpose. This eliminates a large amount of the candidates usually.
I then cut the remaining applications into about half. I select who I want to accept from this half stack and order them roughly from strongest to weakest. I then do a spot check to see if anyone in the other half stack is clearly superior to the weaker candidates in the already selected stack. If so, I do an insertion of the new candidate and the weakest person is dropped from the list.
In the end, yes, I've looked at everyone's application, and no, I have not given heartfelt and deep thought to each applicant.
We then send out an accept/reject form email to every applicant. I very rarely even reply at length to students who fight their rejection.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Besides all the correct answers (that you should not read too much into a standard rejection letter), let me also answer your actual question:
>
> So I wonder whether a research group or school actually reviews every applicant's documents if they receive an overwhelming number of applications compared to the vacancy number.
>
>
>
**In general, yes - *for some definition of "review"***. Let me clarify: the number of applicants is *typically* overwhelming compared to the vacancy numbers. If I announce a PhD student position (usually a single position), I get somewhere between 10 and 100 applications. This is not unusual - all my colleagues report similar numbers. And yes, we do actually look at all applications that come in, but for most applicants we do so only very, very briefly. I have a number of knockout criteria that I use to do a first cursory assessment.
My (non-complete) list of knockout criteria includes: Does the candidate fulfill the necessary formal requirements? Are they in the right field? Is there some semblance of a research statement? Did they graduate from a school I know, or have they worked with somebody I know and respect? Are there any obvious red flags?
At least 3/4 of applicants do not pass this stage. For the remaining ones I typically take more time to review their application (i.e., I actually read their application material), and for a further subset (usually between 3 and 5) I schedule telephone interviews. The applicants I had a phone interview with I usually mail a (slightly) personalized response if I decide against them. Everybody else gets a standard email from HR.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: If you saw how crammed the average professors calendar and how full their email inbox is... I would guess most groups simply don't have that kind of time.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am TAing for a CS course. The professor I am TAing for, I took the same course with him one year ago. In that semester and this current semester I am TAing, he has been taking lecture slides and simply relabeling the headers with our school name and date. Furthermore, this may be somewhat of a lesser problem, but he is also using material that can be found online from other schools for the exams and homework.
Question is: Is this practice allowed and should I say/do anything about this?
Update: Professor blatantly just told me that it's perfectly fine to do this. I did not want to make a confrontation so I didn't oppose what he said.<issue_comment>username_1: This sounds like plagiarism, and if true, would be something I'd do something about. After all, if the professor does not lead by example, it's hard to imagine students will not plagiarize either.
I'd speak to the professor first, failing which I'd speak to the head of department.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: What you describe is over the top. However, it is quite common for professors to take material from other courses or textbooks. Preparing a course from scratch is a lot of work and that work is unnecessary if there are already courses online with similar material. Usually, the professor will combine several sources and/or add in some of their own material, rather than straight copying.
The professor should acknowledge the source of the material. I often see course websites list textbooks or similar courses at other universities. Invariably, much of the course material will be sourced from those textbooks and those other courses.
However, you say that your professor is also copying exams from this other course. This is dangerous if a student figures out the source. I think this is actually the bigger problem. This may also explain why the professor may be reluctant to name the source of the material.
**TL;DR:** The practice is allowed to a certain extent, but it sounds like this case is possibly excessive. In your situation, I would tell the professor that you found similar exams online and are worried that the students will find them too, but I would avoid making any accusation of plagiarism.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: On the first day of class, I told my students that they are not allowed to use their phones in class. However, a lot of them use their cell phones and don't pay attention in class. How should I deal with this problem? Do you let students use their phones during the lecture?<issue_comment>username_1: Well, we are educating adults - and they should be able to decide what's good for them and what's bad.
Of course, this philosophy does not work out really well in real classrooms - but some students are using their phones to look up terms I used or check concepts I was teaching online - yes, it really happens!
What I'm doing is confronting them with the results of such behaviour: I'm telling students, that they failed a test because of their phone usage (not only in class but in general). From time to time I demonstrate that they do not follow the course by taking someone as an example for something who is currently using the phone and they do not recognize we are talking about them.
But if you take it too serious, you can only lose.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: If it bothers you, stop class a second. Tell them to please put their phones away. Proceed.
Personally I don't much care, though it does bug me for example when I take precious class time out of the syllabus to review for an exam, which I need primarily for a few lagging students, and the slacks are playing with their phones rather than listening. At which point I'll embarrass them by asking them to listen.
Just don't make too big a deal of demanding everyone turns the phones or ringers off (unless you have to single out someone who has a really loud one or which goes off a lot) because sooner or later you own phone will ring in class and you'll look like a fool if you acted like it was verboten.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: I don't mind my students use their cellphones in class. In fact, I **encourage** to use them by tossing open questions in systems like [Mentimeter](https://www.mentimeter.com) or even a simple Google form can do the job of attracting the student's attention and provide real-time feedback on the topic you are presenting. Just be creative and use technology on your favor!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: When I was teaching, if a student was being disruptive in some way such as talking, I found that singling them out and asking them kindly to stop their behaviour is extremely effective.
I disagree with most of the comments here with regard to phone use. I think you should use the same strategy (for extended phone use). Random phone use *is* distracting to many students because of the bright screens in front of them or beside them, and those students should be protected. Yes, they are adults essentially, but the transition to adulthood is not an instantaneous one and there are enough immature and wayward youths in university to make a little classroom control go a long way for the many timid students in the class who are actually there to learn and not check Facebook.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: Frame challenge:
You shouldn't, in fact, You *cannot*.
This is academia, not kindergarten.
**These are adult people and are completely free to do whatever they want in their life as long as they are not disrupting other people.** Whatever the results of their actions are, are on them and solely on them. You are not allowed to dictate other people's lives, in classroom or anywhere else. You trying to enforce such a rule would be as ridiculous as trying to dictate what colors should they be using while taking notes - and in fact, whether they take notes at all.
While I consider the above argument sufficient, I would like to point out a few supplementary points. On the flip side, other answers already pointed out that phones (being nothing else than small computers) can be very useful for students. People may take notes, record the class to listen again later and take pictures of the slides and blackboard notes. They can check the definitions on the internet and play around with equations on Wolfram Alpha while listening to You talk about these equations at the same time.
On the other hand, if You will try to go through with this, You will very quickly loose any and all respect. People do not take kindly to having their lives dictated by a person at position of power.
It should be also noted that common decency rules about phones apply in class the same way they apply in cinema or opera. People are expected to keep all their devices completely silent - the 'not disrupt other people' part of the fundamental rule is as important as the 'complete freedom' part.
**EDIT:**
I would encourage all the commentators to point out WHAT culture do they belong to. It seems to me, seeing the comments, that it's one of those many questions where You will get WIDELY different answers depending on the place where a given person lives. For that matter, I would also like to point out that I speak from the European perspective.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: It seems to me that the issue sounds like an ego-trip (even if it's not). Making an issue out of it sends a very clear message to your students - I need validation as a teacher because I need it, and your phone usage disrupts my ego boost to have all eyes on me. Would it make a difference if they were taking notes? Probably not. So, to me, that's *your* issue.
In general, the state of phone usage is probably tied directly to interest and motivation. (Yes you're going to get deviations to that metric - like "I needed to look up a term I was unfamiliar with").
Is your class motivated? Is the material engaging, relevant? If not, maybe it should be?! If yes, maybe you need to explain why! Perhaps the mere fact that students are using their phones suggests otherwise.
In a class dedicated to surgery and learning the particulars of anatomy, I would think that students who use a phone should be simply told to leave (not publicly, but after the class, privately) - whoever heard of a surgeon in the middle of a procedure checking his/her smartphone? That's the point - it is socially unacceptable - you can't be a good doctor if you're simply not motivated and committed to learning the procedures. Being on your phone is simply counterproductive to that cause.
If you want to send a clear message - at the start of your year, you can say that offenders will be told to leave the class (privately, of course, don't humiliate people in public).
But there is a lot of research to say that students don't listen well anyway to lectures. The question is what is being gained by hearing you speak? To be fully engaged is not to take notes, but simply listen (which for most students is undesirable since they would want to retain the information - and so they need to be half-engaged to take notes). So perhaps you need to explain your terms better so that students will not feel the need to look up past material or terminology. [This article](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42386272_The_Impact_of_Note-taking_Strategies_on_Listening_Comprehension_of_EFL_Learners) seems to suggest that students should be using the Cornell method of taking notes in order to retain the information.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: Make your sessions interesting and innovative,so that they won't be using their mobiles.let me give you an example ,in our physics class teachers use to explain to us how the apparatus ,which is in our lab works . Instead of just telling how it works why can't they take us to the lab and explain it to us by performing the experiment . Practical classes are more interesting than theory like wise don't just be explaining something thinking that everyone knows the basics of it so just by telling plainly you can explain to them from basics each time so that students will think ,he is teaching from basics at least now we will listen and understand
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: I had a professor who absolutely did not allow phone use in the classroom. Written into the syllabus was a clause that stated, for each time he saw you on your phone, you lost 50 points towards your final grade, which is equivalent to half a letter grade.
Did it completely deter everyone, including me, from using their phones? No, however, we were *very* discrete and non disruptive when we did.
This was a graduate level class.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: If you think students shouldn't use their phones because it's distracting you can do what one professor of mine did. He showed how multitasking actually makes it so you do both tasks at a much worse level with a small example. He asked one person to volunteer who thinks they are good at multitasking. One person comes to the front of the class. He says, ok, count to 26 and recite the alphabet while swapping each time. So the student says 1,a,2,b,3,c,... etc, until they inevitably fail because this task isn't as easy as it seems. These are two things that the student is extremely comfortable doing, just like paying attention or using a phone, but they failed only while trying to do both. Displaying WHY it's bad to multitask (without a clear purpose, like looking up some missed content) is much better than saying just don't do something.
If a student really thinks they can look at their phone and learn the lesson, show them why they can't.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: There are several approaches. One is to educate students about why it's not good to hope they make good decisions on their own. Another approach is to provide some motivation in the form of a disincentive (punishment).
I find that students who use their phones in class do worse on exams, on average, than students who don't. I teach statistics, so if I were very motivated to illustrate this to students, I could track how many days I see which students on their phones on the roster and find the actual correlation between phone use and exam scores for the class.
Another approach might be to announce that the use of phones will increase the probability of a pop quiz for the entire class. This disincentive should also encourage self-policing among the students. Then, you would need to be prepared with the occasional pop quiz until the students stop using phones in class. (Is that too Machiavellian?)
Of course, you could always ignore the issue. The students will reap the rewards of their own decisions.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_10: In my college/university classrooms, I find it effective to employ three strategies with respect to electronic devices:
1) **Acknowledge the student's responsibility**,
2) **Enable the student's agency**, and
3) **Intervene to prevent disruption**.
In general, I leave it to each student to determine how to use (or not to use) electronic devices in class. They are adults who are in charge of their own education. On the first day of class (and as necessary afterwards) I verbally **acknowledge the student's responsibility** to make decisions that further their education objectives. I do so in order to prevent them from thinking that the electronic device policy has been imposed from on high, which would externalize motivation and also create an antagonistic relationship between teacher and student.
Unfortunately, many students are woefully unaware of the research that shows how reliance on electronic devices can diminish learning. So in order to **enable the student's agency**, I provide them with brief recommendations on how technology could be used profitably in my course (in order to help them understand what works) but also with brief characterizations of the potential pitfalls (in order to help them understand what will probably be harmful to them). With such guidance, they're far more likely to settle into better habits than if I said nothing. Moreover, they're put in a position to make informed rather than ignorant decisions.
There are still classroom management issues that come along with electronic devices being used. If a student in the front row is shopping or watching videos on their laptops, everyone behind the student will be distracted. So I **intervene to prevent disruption** when there's a demonstrable effect on the learning environment. Usually, that's a matter of asking the student to put away the device (rather than trying to take it away). I'm careful not to scold the student, but instead state plainly and briefly why I'm asking that the device be turned off. If the student protests that the use is urgent or somehow otherwise legitimate, I won't argue. I ask them to step into the hall until the business is concluded so that it's not a distraction to the other students. A brief glance at the faces of the other students is usually enough for the offender to realize that there was in fact a problem, so the matter rarely goes beyond that.
If the reasons for your electronic device policy weren't established at the beginning of the semester, students might think that it's merely arbitrary (and easily dismissed--or forgotten). There's no reason that you couldn't present your reasons now, though. If those reasons involve some sort of need for a universal prohibition, you're likely to get better compliance from the students if they understand why.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_11: One of the best things any of my professors have done is given us a reading which discouraged any form of computer use within the classroom. The classic one is the Fried article (<NAME>. (2008). In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning. Computers & Education, 50(3), 906-914.) about laptop use.
As a technology professor, Shirky (<https://medium.com/@cshirky/why-i-just-asked-my-students-to-put-their-laptops-away-7f5f7c50f368>) posted about his approach with laptops.
Truth is, I would ask any students who want to use technology to sit in the back of the room. If you want to sit in the front and take notes, use a notepad.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_12: You state that you told the students not to use their phones. Your desired behavior is clear. They are ignoring you. My recommendation to your question of what to do when they ignore you depends on your answer to this question:
Why do you care?
--> Using a phone is unabashedly and unambiguously *disrupting and distracting* more than just a few others in class.
* Such disrespect must be nipped harshly by example for everyone. When a student pulls out a phone, stop lecturing. Stare at and/or walk over to the student with the phone. Say calmly but firmly ... "My class policy is that you are not to use phones during lectures. Your use of the phone is disrupting other students from learning. We will wait until you put away your phone to continue the lecture." Do this for perhaps three times. At the next instance, stop entirely. Say nothing. Wait until the phone is put away. Then say ... "We've waited until after the disruption with the phone has stopped. Unfortunately, this means I have to skip the lecture material that I would have covered in the meantime. Perhaps next time, when anyone wants to use a phone, you will leave the class first. Otherwise, I leave everyone in the class to appreciate that from now on even one person can be the cause of not be able to provide all the lecture content for everyone. Perhaps you all should figure out how to fix this problem that I apparently cannot despite my best efforts to do so."
--> Using a phone is annoying you (and absolutely no one else).
--> Using a phone when you asked them not to is disrespectful to you.
* Learn to ignore this problem. Get on with giving your lecture to the students who are paying attention. It does no good to carry the battle to a war. At best, on occasions when the annoyance gets too high, stop the lecture and just say so ... "My class policy is that you are not to use phones during lectures. One reason is because I get easily distracted. Another is because I want to engage with you rather than teach to you. The level of phone use has become annoying to me to a point where I cannot continue well. Let's try putting away all cell phones for this lecture and leaving them put away for the next lecture. I'll wait until you've put them securely out of the way and then I will continue the lecture."
--> Using the phone *seems to be* annoying only one or two others in the class.
* Such behavior should be pointed out as being disrespectful. Again, stop and stare and/or walk over to the student with the phone. Say calmly but firmly ... "My class policy is that you are not to use phones during lectures. Your use of the phone seems to be annoying other students. Please be respectful, put away your phone, and we can continue the lecture without the annoyance." Handle this each time as disrespectful. After enough times, take a moment at the start of class to remind the class of the general policy. For students who continue to ignore the policy and continue to annoy others, pull them aside for an office visit and dig deeper.
In the future, you might structure a written class policy in your Course Outline. Mine says something akin to this: The use of cell phone, tablet devices, computers, and camera recording devices is strictly prohibited during quizzes and exams. Anyone caught violating this policy may have the respective quiz or exam grade reduced to zero. Cell phones should be kept off and placed out of use during lectures. Extenuating circumstances are recognized. Please go outside the classroom to handle emergencies.
Finally, as background, I teach in the US, and I am not teaching first year students (fresh from high school) any more. I admit my approach may be hash for the first year levels, where I have heard that a bit more "coddling" is sometimes required to handle disruptive situations. Also, by the time the students get to my junior and senior level classes, they are rather aware that playing on a phone during lecture is entirely their loss not mine.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_13: First, how big is the class size...A huge lecture class vs a small class makes a difference. It'd be more 'rude' seeming in a small class to whip out a phone and use it.
I would make the distinction between using the phone as a phone or just pulling it out and glancing at it and again using it to type on for a period of time. Also, is the phone making noise...I definitely would stress MUTING their phones.
I mean, if somebody pulls it out and starts talking on it, without making an effort to leave -- that's rude to everybody.
A quick glance -- ok...maybe OK.
Pulling it out and using it -- depends on why and how long/often they do so...you may want to ask the person WHY, discretely later -- because maybe you could alter your lectures to better get the information across .
The frequency/duration could also be asked too...I mean maybe it's them, maybe it's you...but at least maybe you could see what is up with them.
Although, if you notice that it is distracting to other people, you should opt to discourage it -- or move the offenders into their own section away from other people.
I don't think today that you could or should totally ban it...but mitigate it definitely or work to include it. If someone is legitimately using it to learn, why shouldn't they.
For me, in Grad School, I had a laptop (this was in the pre-wifi days and pre-ebooks -- so I couldn't do what people could now) which I used...but mostly to type out class notes, because my handwriting was Doctorish -- and sometimes I was like what the heck did I write...so...using technology isn't necessarily bad.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_14: Try offering positive reinforcement for voluntary cell phone surrender. I give students a very small amount of extra credit, applied to their next exam mark, for every day that they leave their phones at the front of the classroom. This gives them an 'excuse' to not answer texts/emails immediately in class, and even though the extra credit is insignificant, they like it. If someone does not want to surrender their phone- I don't ask why. It's their choice. For those who do, they get a different learning experience. This is in a small college in Canada.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_15: I'm an older (40yo) college student. I've sat in classes where prof said put away phones. I don't sit on my phone, but if I get a text or call, I know it's important and will answer it. If prof has a problem with that, they can kiss my you-know-what.
The problem is that most college classes are not 40-something adults monitoring their phones for critical issues (eg: sick kiddo at home, emergency with elderly parents, etc). Most are young teen / 20-something who are bored in class and use it as a distraction.
My suggestion is ... as long as they're not distracting the rest of the class, let them mess with their phone.
Had one prof up-front say during "syllabus" day that they don't restrict folks messing around with their laptops or phones. But, if that's all a student wants to do, then please sit in the back of the class where it won't be a distraction.
The whole point of pay-for classes is that students can find the right way to learn that suits themself. Some like to read the book. Others want to be taught in class. They all still show up to class to catch key information that prof may give out.
Likewise, in some classes, the students look like they're messing around on their phones when really they're all working on a collective Google Doc notes doc taking notes in class. They're listening to the prof and writing the notes out on their phones, colaboratively. And, they're texting with each other to clarify spots without interrupting class to do so.
So, kids aren't just "screwing around" on their phones. You have a generation growing up with advanced skills in multi-tasking and leveraging on-demand technology to solve all kinds of problems.
If the phone is not a distraction to the rest of the class, then let it go.
If it's a distraction to you, because you look up and see half the class not paying attention ... well, that's your own problem.
As a college student, if I pay money for a class, I'm a customer. I can waste my time in the class if I want. I can ignore the professor if I want. If it's impacting my grade, then it's my own fault and I deal with it.
If professor is boring and not doing enough to keep everyone's attention, that's the professor's fault. I've had professors that bore me to tears, or drone on and on. They are not very engaging. It's easy to lose interest in them.
When you're standing up there looking out and seeing half the class not paying attention to you, you can either get used to it, or become more engaging / compelling to watch as a professor. I'm not saying you need to put on a stand-up routine and get the crowd laughing. Just that a dynamic professor that's telling stories and relating real-world experience so the class can understand how the material being taught is actually relevant is far more engaging then a professor rambling on like an adult out of a Peanuts cartoon.
If students not paying attention is hurting them, then they will get bad grades on tests. The universe balances it out that way.
When they approach you at the end of the semester begging for a better grade, you just say "oh, you were the person in class that was always on your phone and never paid attention to me.. well, you can sit there and plead your case to me on why I should help you with your grade, but while you're doing so I'm going to be on my phone and ignoring you, so..."
But, as an older college student (been in working world for 20 years and quit to come back full-time) I do NOT abide professors laying down extracurricular rules on me like... mandatory attendance, no phones allowed.. and other non-sense. I'm a grown adult. I have emergencies happening in my life (elderly parents, wife dealing with health issues, etc). I'm not going to ask a professor "mother may I" to skip a class in order to handle real-world crap in my life. And I'm not going to apologize to a professor for pulling my phone out if I get a text and worry if one of my parents died or something. I have paid money for the class, and I decide when I want to attend and when I want to ignore the professor.
Since I paid money, it's in my best interest to attend class and not use my phone in order to pay attention. But, if I attend several classes and find the professor drones on, or they don't cover the material that is on the test.. I'll eventually just stop going to class and just read the book and ignore them. Or, I'll come to class and work on other work on my laptop while ignoring them. (Because these types of professors always seem to get a power trip and want to "zing" students for not paying attention, eg: they'll only announce test dates in class and never email them to people missing class).
So, just learn to ignore students on their phones and let their test scores speak for themselves.
If a student doesn't pay attention in class, then approaches you after to class to go over everything again... tell them to go buzz off and read the book. You spent your time to relay information. If they didn't take the time to pay attention, that's their problem.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_16: Let them do, witnessed personally that going after them is a huge waste of time for everyone, if they don't want to pay attention it's their choice, just tell them they're on their own if they lag behind.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_17: You're fighting a losing battle. Are some students simply playing games and ultimately hurting themselves? Maybe. But I've learned that many students also use their phones in a myriad of productive ways during class. They might photograph a diagram on the whiteboard. They might be taking notes. They could be using the calculator.
I remember one class when a student asked me a question about my lecture. I told him I didn't know the answer. Then another student spoke up and answered the question for me. I asked the student, "Oh, you knew that already?"
The student answered, "No, but I was wondering that same thing, so I looked it up."
That moment changed my thinking in a lot of ways.
I was once in your shoes; I used to try to prohibit cell phone use in class. I still encourage students to not use their "electronic pacifiers" as a way to alleviate boredom. But with that comes a promise that I will work hard to make our class time engaging and worthwhile. For example, my class leverages in-class activities such as [think-pair-share](http://www.adlit.org/strategies/23277/), I do my best to incorporate humor into my lecture slides, I use the Socratic method, I tell stories, and I will occasionally let class out early if I feel like we've covered a topic enough and I'd only be boring them by trying to use up the last 10 minutes. I create every lecture with the mindset that all of my students would probably rather be doing something else, and I think of ways to keep the class lively, engaging, and productive.
I used to tell my students that I would prefer they not use their phones in class. Now I use an analogy instead. I say, "Just like an airline will ask you to put your phone into *airplane mode* before takeoff, I'll ask you to put your phone into *classroom mode*." In other words, turn off your ringers, silence your notifications, and avoid opening apps like Facebook.
Then the onus is on me to deliver a presentation so engaging that the students don't even think to get out their phones unless they are doing so for a good reason.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_18: My personal experience is that using a computer is *extremely* distracting to a degree that those students probably miss most of what you say. This experience comes from two sources:
1. From myself when I goof off during boring online meetings and start reading the news (or stackoverflow ;-) ): I immediately miss most of the conversation.
2. From teaching a weekly math club with elementary school students. Even the 11 year olds desperately wanted to boot the computer in the room and do *some*thing with it, *any*thing. When they succeeded they were completely zoned out and didn't participate at all any longer. The math club was voluntary so when they didn't stop trying to get to the computer I told them that they are there voluntarily; they need not be there if they are not interested. That helped.
There is the additional aspect of respect which may be a generational thing (I'm 54): I become immediately and extremely annoyed if my conversation partner (in a private or professional setting) starts using a phone. I respond by abruptly stopping talking. That usually gets their attention, so that they look at me again. I continue; when they goof off again, I stop again. They usually are surprised but get it. If they ask, I tell them that they have all the time in the world finishing the urgent phone business and that I'll continue when they are done.
I would not tolerate phone use in my class, and I'm surprised that the vast majority here seems to be OK with it or at least considers it an unwinnable battle.
I would use whatever sanctions you have; in particular, if you can, I'd throw offenders out for the lesson after a first warning, and maybe even throw them out of the course for repeats: Because they are so very obviously not interested in what you say. To avoid temptation I'd suggest they turn off the devices when they enter the classroom.
(You may want to talk that through with your students to avoid misunderstandings; let them sign a little sheet with these rules so they cannot claim they missed it later. You can also ask them whether anybody needs to be reachable during class for emergency calls, e.g. from elderly relatives or children, and allow taking such calls, after leaving the classroom.)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_19: My experience teaching small classes (not 100-person lectures) that place a high premium on in-class engagement is that cell phone use not only distracts me, it can easily distract other students. But I also have found that public shaming of all manner of distracting behaviors can be counterproductive - no surprise, in retrospect.
So often I will take about thirty more seconds of whatever I'm talking about, then turn to the board (I teach in a quantitative field with a lot of examples on a screen or board) and make up an example that somehow involves the issue. Like "Imagine the power on your phone is P and you're using it right now, what would the graph of P against time look like?" Very silly, but it gets the point across and I really do consistently see sheepish looks and phones disappearing.
Of course, I have other strategies like talking to students after class, calling on someone who seems to be distracted (and then letting them down gently or repeating the question), etc. Some people are addicted, some are worried about family, many reasons they use it. But this seems to work pretty well if:
* You have students who are used to you engaging fairly directly with the class, not just anonymously
* You have students who agree with the premise that phone usage in class is poor form.
If you don't have the first point, this idea may just seem creepy. If your students don't agree with the second point, probably phone usage is not the biggest problem you face.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/10/30
| 503
| 2,254
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<issue_start>username_0: I have recently submitted required documents to apply for a postdoc position. One of the required documents was a personal statement. Unfortunately, after its submission, I found two grammatical mistakes, for example I used present tense of a verb instead of past tense. It does not make a big change in the meaning of the sentence. What do you think about bad effects of these mistakes?<issue_comment>username_1: No one can really say except the one that reads your application materials. Likely it will have little effect, unless the field depends on correct use of language in an essential way. Even there, however, people make mistakes and other people recognize that they do.
But a good plan for the future is to have a colleague or friend read your materials before you send them to comment on things they find confusing or incorrect.
You can, of course, send a note of correction if it is in any way important. "I *am* the king of the world" is a bit different from "I *was* the king of the world."
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I've assessed thousands of personal statements and train program directors and others in the assessment of such submissions. The first and most important rule is that application packets and supporting documents are assessed as a whole. In that way, inconsistencies are more easily found.
We specifically specify that minor grammatical errors in the personal statement should be ignored except in cases in which proficiency in language is a feature of the programme's entry requirements. For example, say you're applying for a post-doc position in translation studies and, as part of your personal statement, you decide to show off your skill by translating text from classical Chinese to modern Arabic. In this situation, a grammatical error is likely to be considered quite severely.
In my own past, my personal statement contained a glorious error -- I misspelled a common medical term as "Alzeihmer's disease". I'm sure the assessor picked it up. As far as I know, however, it had no effect on my acceptance, progression or accomplishments to date. It did, however, ensure that I've never misspelled "Alzheimer's disease" ever again.
Good luck.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
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2018/10/30
| 371
| 1,474
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm looking for the correct wording for a collection of homework that will be given to students throughout the duration of a course/class.
So far I came up with Homework Plan. But I'm wondering if this is correct or widely used or not?
For example: My `insert proper term here` for the term consists of 6 assignments.<issue_comment>username_1: This is how I would phrase it:
>
> There will be a total of six homework assignments for the term.
>
>
>
This statement is completely unambiguous. Say it straight. No need to be cute.
Phrases like "My homework portfolio for the term consists of six assignments" and "Homework plan" could potentially be confusing to students. What's a homework portfolio? Do I need to keep it in a special folder? Does it need to be labelled? Are there other assignments besides this portfolio? Why, as a student, would I care what your plans are? You either have homework to assign or you don't.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I advise against using language that can be construed as confusing or clumsy. Just plain English should suffice.
*The entire semester homework will consist of six assignments.*
*The total homework over the course will consist of six assignments.*
*The total homework over the term will comprise six assignments.*
..........
and so on and so forth….
username_1’s version is also crystal clear; it can help avoid clumsy style and ambiguity.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/10/30
| 482
| 1,814
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<issue_start>username_0: I left a PhD position that I did for a year and then changed to a different area in psychology, the subject I do my PhD in. I am just wondering how to put that unfinished PhD on my CV. After my current PhD, I would like to continue on academia and apply for postdoc positions, maybe even in the same university in which I dropped out but on a different department. So I don't know how could I put that antecedent on my CV so that does not really affect me later on. Or would you think that with my achievements during my PhD the previous academic history remains irrelevant? I was thinking I could just leave it as one year of research internship, but I am not sure about this.<issue_comment>username_1: What about something like this?
>
> ### Education
>
>
> * 2016-present, PhD student, psychology
> * 2015-2016, PhD student, underwater basket weaving
> * 2012-2014, BSc, underwater basket weaving
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I don't see the need to put unfinished things on a CV, especially if they're not relevant to your future. I recommend just listing fully completed or in progress degrees, with completed degrees listed with the year of completion. After all, you don't put unfinished and abandoned papers on your CV either. No one in psychology will care about an abandoned degree in whatever that you tried way back when.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I think that since it will never be finished, put the work you did as "pursued PhD in and did the following: item1, item2" etc. I don't think it is required to put in the word "unfinished", as that is implied, but if someone asks, always be honest.
If/when the other PhD is finished, this should add credibility, not detract from it.
Have a friend/colleague review for suggestions.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/10/30
| 867
| 3,295
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<issue_start>username_0: I have seen a lot of negative reviews and even boycotts of some Elsevier journals. I do not want to jeopardize the future of my academic career by publishing in illegitimate journals. Am I correct in assuming that the journals on Elsevier are considered "legit" but just "very pricey," and this is the source of the negative reviews? Would it be safe to publish on any journal of Elsevier?<issue_comment>username_1: They're generally legitimate. The negative reviews and boycotts aren't about the quality of the journal, but are because of Elsevier's alleged high prices (see [The Cost of Knowledge](http://thecostofknowledge.com/)). Elsevier publishes some of the best journals in some fields, e.g. *The Lancet* and *Cell*.
Having said that Elsevier gives their editorial boards some leeway on what to do with their journals, and to my knowledge up until recently that included not conducting peer review if they don't think it's necessary or appropriate. This journal *[Medical Hypotheses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Hypotheses)* was an example. That journal published a paper denying that AIDS is caused by HIV, there was a backlash, and Elsevier replaced the editor-in-chief. Although you should be fine in general if you publish with Elsevier, to be sure, you'll have to research the journal in question.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Clarivate has a list of journals that have been punished for excessive self-citation. Several are published by Elsevier. However, all the biggest publishers have journals that have been punished.
No publisher is completely reliable.
<https://retractionwatch.com/2020/06/29/major-indexing-service-sounds-alarm-on-self-citations-by-nearly-50-journals/>
A single case of corruption can even span multiple publishers.
<https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2017/03/09/citation-cartel-or-editor-gone-rogue/>
<https://retractionwatch.com/2017/03/03/citation-boosting-episode-leads-editors-resignations-university-investigation/>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: There may be some reputable Elsevier journals, but some of them are certainly not legitimate. As an example, Toxicology Reports publishes work by the the editor-in-chief in a special issue organized by the editor-in-chief overseen editorially by the editor-in-chief (passed off to his buddy when the issue was raised) in which they take the data in the VAERS database as actually representing effects due to the vaccine as opposed to correlated in time with the injection and have the audacity to suggest that the actual real incidence of reactions attributed to the vaccines are a factor of 10 higher, then say they are making "conservative" estimates.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Actually, Elsevier is not at all a credible and reliable publishing house. If you are known to the Editors or you are paying them, you will be able to publish, or else keep things about that your work is not worth publishing. It is not even beneficial to publish your paper in this publishing house. The students are influenced by their IF. But I would like to tell you truth that they have a self-citation of more than 60% in all their journals, which ultimately, provides you with a fake IF. Think wisely and choose wisely.
Upvotes: -1
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2018/10/31
| 502
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<issue_start>username_0: I was writing a take home exam where I was allowed to use notes. I copy-pasted some of my lecture slide show into one of the answers, to speed up the process of referring between my notes and the slide show and this way I could easily reference my notes. It was around two sentences and the font was completely different than my answer. I ran out of time on the test and I am not sure if I deleted the two sentences copied from the slideshow.
**My question is: Do I email my professor and let him know this just in case I did not erase it?** I do not want him to think I plagiarized, I had no intention of keeping it there, and it is blatantly obvious that I was not trying to pass it off as my own (because you can tell it came directly from the slideshow and is not incorporated into a sentence).
Do you think I should be worried about getting in trouble?<issue_comment>username_1: As an instructor, I usually appreciate when my students let me know about a potential problem in their work before I even have a chance to discover it myself. It signals to me that they're 1) concerned about their work, and 2) aware of their own work -- which, sadly, not all students are.
I can't imagine it would hurt to send that kind of email, unless your instructor feels a certain kinship with the Grinch.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Regulations in your University may be different. In where I am students tick a declaration saying that they submit the work which is entirely their own and all citations are properly labelled and attributed. So formally copy-pasting a sentence from another source without attribution may be considered a bad academic practice and result in penalty.
Formalities aside, I also think that copy-pasting someone else's text and changing it to make a part of your own submission is indeed a very shallow approach to learning and I would discourage my students from adopting it. You are supposed to work with concepts, ideas and methods, not with words, sentences and fonts.
To answer your question — I recommend you to get in touch with your lecturer, explain your mistake, and mention what you intend do in order not to repeat it.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/10/31
| 1,047
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<issue_start>username_0: The NRC Research Press (or Canadian Science Publishing) offers a, at least to me, peculiar option they call ["Just-IN" manuscripts](http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/authors/services/just-in). This seems to be an extreme version of an [online-first article](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/90635/17254). Note: I understand an online-first article to be a basically finished version that's just waiting for some cosmetic stuff, like [volume and page numbers](http://journals.sagepub.com/page/help/online-first), but gets hosted on the journal website early, and assigned a DOI. (As noted in the [answer to a related question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/115491/17254), in some journals the online-first article isn't quite the final version, but it still sounds as if it should be substantially similar to the final one.)
The "Just-IN" approach, however, means that the *author's version* is made available on the journal website. This happens right after it's undergone peer review and been accepted, but *before it's been copy edited or been corrected by the authors*. NRC notes
>
> Readers should note, however, that changes (sometimes substantial) are made during the publication process, so the content of the official version of record could be different from that of the Just-IN manuscript.
>
>
>
In other words, this seems to be something that is between a preprint and an official journal version that's just waiting for publication. Indeed, I have had my eye on a specific paper that's been sitting in this status for over half a year, and where, based on a cursory check, the contents appears to be the same as in the arXiv version (which was posted before the journal received the manuscript).
I wonder:
* How different can the final published "copy of record" version be from the "just-IN" version?
* To cite the "just-IN" version I would use the DOI. Given that this DOI will later point to the final version, am I potentially misleading readers if the two versions turn out to be significantly different from each other? (If I instead were to cite the arXiv version, should it exist, at least the previous versions would be available to future readers.)<issue_comment>username_1: >
> How different can the final published "copy of record" version be from the "just-IN" version?
>
>
>
By as much as how just-accepted articles can differ from actual published articles (this is in all likelihood what the two types of articles are in this case). Copyediting is done, figures are moved, author corrections are implemented. This last part can be quite substantial, e.g. if the reviewer recommends acceptance but has a few extra (optional) comments that the authors agree with. The central arguments presented by the paper are not likely to change, but the presentation might.
>
> To cite the "just-IN" version I would use the DOI. Given that this DOI will later point to the final version, am I potentially misleading readers if the two versions turn out to be significantly different from each other? (If I instead were to cite the arXiv version, should it exist, at least the previous versions would be available to future readers.)
>
>
>
Because the central arguments presented by the paper are not likely to change, you can safely use the DOI of the just-IN version. In rare cases, this might not work, e.g. if you say something like "See Jane Doe et al [ref] figure 3" (since figure numbering might change), or if you're citing Jane Doe et al for something that isn't their central claim, e.g. "It is well known that dark matter exists [ref]" where Jane Doe et al isn't a paper about dark matter's existence, but rather its properties. But these exceptions are quite rare, and you should be able to safely cite as-is.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I recently (last year) published an article that appeared 'Just-in' first. In answer to your questions:
* The 'Just-in' version was after revision were made and the manuscript was accepted. It's almost identical to the published version, at the exception of the format.
* No, I do not think you would be misleading, as if there is differences, they are probably minimal.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/10/31
| 3,593
| 15,716
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<issue_start>username_0: The papers I write contain all the source code required to reproduce results. I have written a series of papers that build on each other over the years. My intention has been to release an open-source libary that encapsulates all of this, but I have not yet done so.
Before releasing anything I was contacted by the employee of a large company. They have been using my techniques and have decided to release an open-source version of their library. Their library contains code almost exclusively from my papers, copied verbatim. They clearly acknowledge my work in the documentation of their library.
My question is whether I ought to ask to be an author of the library. While I didn't commit code to the particular repository of that library, I did write the original code in papers. I'm worried that I'm not getting credit due for the work I've done if I'm not listed as a developer. I don't want to upset the authors of the library because a large ecosystem now depends on what they have done.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I was contacted by the employee of a large company. They have been using my techniques and have decided to release an open-source version of their library. Their library contains code almost exclusively from my papers, copied verbatim.
>
>
>
IP protections may prohibit the large company from releasing their library (legally). You should check what rights you have. (Given they are a *large* company, they surely already know what rights they/you have.)
>
> My question is whether I ought to ask to be an author of the library.
>
>
>
I think you should. You might also want to raise the issue of IP, because it probably needs to be dealt with by your institute's lawyers, probably their lawyers too.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In fact something great happened: Your research did have impact in the real world and seems to be useful - not everyone can say that!
When it comes to legal issues, things are usually complicated and will involve copyright issues (of yours and of the journal / publisher) as well as authorship issues. Those vary between countries and it will be difficult to give an advise without proper juristical background and line by line comparison of your publications and the library code.
But as I understood your question, you are more interested in the academic credit, and therefore I would suggest to contact the authors, tell them you are happy that your work is used by them, and offer to be part of the development team. You might add a phrase like *it would be a pleasure to be listed as author of the library* - an in most cases they will understand...
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Since they acknowledge you as the original author, the only issue is to find an arrangement acceptable for everyone. The first step would be to contact the IP office in your institution, they know how to deal with this kind of issue.
My suggestion would be to actually publish your own open-source library as soon as possible, and there you clearly specify the conditions in which your code can be reused: typically a license (some exclude commercial use of the software), but also requirements for anybody reusing your code. You can ask them to credit you in any way you see fit. In particular is common to ask for the paper to be cited. This means that they would have to satisfy this requirement, as well as anybody reusing their library.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Here's how I would view it:
*I got to do all the **fun** work of research and discovery. Somebody else voluntarily did the **not-fun** work of wrapping this work up in a nice software package. They're even volunteering to maintain it, and they're properly giving me all the credit for inventing what they've implemented! So **people can use what I created and I can keep focusing on research**, rather than on details of software packaging, distribution, and maintenance.*
All I would do is thank them and make sure that their documentation suggests that users cite your papers. I certainly wouldn't be in a hurry to get any lawyers or bureaucrats (e.g. from my university) involved.
This is subjective, but I think many academics would align with this view of things.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: The first question is, how complex is the code in your paper? Trivial code may not be protected by copyright. This is somehow related to length, but length is NOT the most important criteria, when you invented something new which did not exist before.
And then the question is who owns the copyright of your paper. Often you transfer the copyright to the journal, so you cannot claim the copyright anyway. The journal may have licenced the paper by a CC-licence (or similar) if it is open access, or hold proprietary rights on the paper.
You usually retain the full copyright and usage rights on your source code, but grant a licence to the publisher, who usually can sublicence your code, e.g., by username_5wing readers to use the code from your paper.
The next question is, if the library licence is compatible to the paper licence. Again, this is probably a question for the publisher and not for the author.
Code from some separate repo is another issue, as long as they used code which is only in your repository and not in the paper itself.
>
> My question is whether I ought to ask to be an author of the library.
>
>
>
Ask for appropriate acknowledgement, if major parts of the code are from your paper. You should not only be acknowledged by "based on paper ...", but also be in the `AUTHORS` file (or similar files with author information). Existing licence headers in your source files should be retained.
Be aware, that being listed as an author can mean that users will ask you for support or questions about the library. Maybe you prefer a simple acknowledgement.
Personally, I would ask if some paragraph could be included, that academic users should consider citing your paper.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: Treat your code as a preprint, that you can archive on a repository as [green open access](https://cyber.harvard.edu/hoap/How_to_make_your_own_work_open_access#Deposit_in_an_OA_repository_.28.22green.22_OA.29), so that *you* are in control of what gets attributed to you and under what terms. (Ideally you deposit before the final version of the work gets published, but you can always retrieve your original work and deposit it later.)
Pick whichever [open source](https://opensource.org/licenses) or [free software license](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html) you prefer, preferably a copyleft one like GPL (see why in last paragraph). Use the git history to record the code made exclusively by you, either in a single version or multiple (e.g. the original version published in the articles, plus the reformatted one you were working on).
You can also deposit the whole repository on [Zenodo](https://zenodo.org/), which will create a DOI for it. (Zenodo items can also have an embargo or other restrictions.)
Then tell the company to credit this newly created, self-standing artefact, and to follow its license. If you end up not liking what they produced, no problem: the git history shows what is actually your work. If you end up liking their work, you can incorporate or adapt it in your code thanks to the copyleft license, which forces them to use the same license.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: Since the library includes code that you've written, you *are* an author and should be recognized the same way that other authors are recognized. There's nothing wrong with asking about this. I strongly doubt anyone at the company would be upset by such a request; authorship recognition is standard practice when it comes to using third-party code. The particular license you used for your code will determine the specific way that the company must document your authorship.
The code that I've seen included in papers falls into two categories. How you should approach this will vary based on which applies to you.
### You published your code with an explicit license
It's extremely important (for both you and the company) that the company's use of your code is compatible with the license you initially released it under. Otherwise, one or both parties could end up with legal problems. If you let us know what license you used, we can give some more-specific advice. In general, most popular open-source licenses would require the company to retain your existing copyright statements and license notices, and possibly to include a separate note indicating that the library includes code written by you. If the library will include a separate list of authors and contributors, it would not be unreasonable for you to ask to be included there as well.
### You published your code without specifying a license
You need to be *extremely* careful. Even if you made the code public, [no one has the right](https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/207941/reusing-open-source-code-that-doesn-t-specify-a-license) to use [source code that doesn't have a license](https://choosealicense.com/no-permission/) in their products, be they commercial or otherwise. International copyright law says that as soon as you wrote it, you owned the exclusive copyright to it. A license is how you indicate that you are granting others certain rights pertaining to the use of the software. Without a license, there is no grant of rights and a third party *may not* use your code.
With this in mind, the company *must not* publish their library at this time. It contains code that you hold the copyright for and that they do not have a license to use. Publishing the library would be a legal risk for them, and could put you at risk of legal liability.
Your best course of action here would be to release the source code yourself under an explicit license. You don't have to put it all together as a library for the time being. The simplest approach is to place each paper's code in separate files, store all of the files in a public repository somewhere, and include an explicit software license and copyright notice in each file. Ask the company to delay releasing their library until you have done this. They should now be clear to publish their library, provided they've met the terms of whatever license you've chosen.
If you aren't sure what license to use, the [MIT license](https://choosealicense.com/licenses/mit/) is straightforward, permissive, and easy to comply with. The [Apache 2.0 license](https://choosealicense.com/licenses/apache-2.0/) is essentially the same, except it also provides some protection against patent trolls.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: You can ask yourself a couple of questions.
1. Were they username_5wed to use your code in a library?
Depends on the copyright policy (license) of the journal you published the code in. The journal terms of services should clarify that or you can just contact the journal directly about that.
2. If they were username_5wed, did they have to obey certain rules like giving credit to the author and did they obey them?
Depends again on the copyright policy (license) of the journal you published the code in. Many licenses require you to give attribution, others not. If they had to give attribution, but didn't already and also refuse upon you asking them to give attribution, you could refer them to the relevant terms of the license.
Even if they didn't have to, asking for more visible attribution never hurts.
3. If they were not username_5wed, did they ask you to give your permission?
You could probably still give your permission (grant them a license). However that would be up to negotiations between the copyrights holder (you, your employer) and them. Giving proper attribution could be one point in these negotiations.
4. Are you an author?
Yes. You are the author of the code that you have written.
5. Are you an author of the library?
Yes. Code (I take it's not just trivial code) that you have written is verbatim in the library. You are an author of the library.
Note: In some jurisdictions (not all) you can completely detach yourself from a work, for example by putting it into the Public Domain.
6. What should you do?
* Clarify the legal situation.
* Find out if they have to give attribution.
* Ask them to give attribution and be listed as a developer.
* If they refuse but had to give attribution, remind them of their obligations.
* Suggest that they put references to the papers in their documentation if this has not already been done.
* As soon as the open source version is online, make a copy of it and publish it (forking on Github, ...).
* Thank them for their effort.
* Decide if you want to add future code contributions to their library, to your copy of it or just continue publishing through papers and let them do the copying.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: First, of course you should be acknowledged, and the company is well aware of this, which is why they contacted you. Big companies do not release open source libraries without a legal review and most likely the lawyers have told them they need to get permission from you. They copied code without a clear license that username_5wed them to do so and definitely without a license that username_5ws them to release it, so now they have to fix that in order to release.
Second, you should think about what license you are comfortable with and what kind of acknowledgement you want, assuming you are comfortable with them releasing. However they are unlikely to be willing to use a license like GPL, although you never know. You can visit the Open Source Initiative and Free Software Foundation websites to learn more about the different licenses. As someone with open source projects myself I think if you can come to an agreement with them about this you're probably better off with them releasing and maintaining because it is a lot of work and headaches to deal with users who show up wanting bug fixes, updates and improvements. It's fun for a while but it gets tiring too. Since they have people they pay to do things like that, it's pretty nice.
Third, if they do a release you can always fork their release and continue your development, contributing back to their project if you want (or they can watch you).
That said, personally, I'd want my name in the licensing file as the original author. Depending on the language and code style I might want it elsewhere too.
This overall is a legal issue, and I suggest you talk to a lawyer who knows about software licensing. You might be able to get advice at your campus but you might also be able to get advice from an open source advocacy organization.
You should also consider what licenses you are comfortable with and you will also want to consider what licensing they are proposing. If you can't come to an agreement with them then it can't be released by them. Your code is your copyright (or possibly that of your employer). I do think it's unusual for academic code to be copied verbatim because a lot of times it is pseudocode and in that case it is really about "discovery" (which unlike an invention is not patentable). But in your case it sounds like there is clear copyright.
Addition:
Also, if I were you I would discuss with them writing a paper with your as an author about their version of the library. That gives you what you need in terms of academic productivity metrics. I also put links to code repositories of formally released code in a citation format and the estimated number of downloads into my annual accountability reports.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I applied for some research positions and send the name of my references. I would like to know that: Do the full list of my references will be forwarded to each of professors by institute which I applied for. In other words, Will professors whom I add their names as my references be informed about the name of other references of mine?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I was contacted by the employee of a large company. They have been using my techniques and have decided to release an open-source version of their library. Their library contains code almost exclusively from my papers, copied verbatim.
>
>
>
IP protections may prohibit the large company from releasing their library (legally). You should check what rights you have. (Given they are a *large* company, they surely already know what rights they/you have.)
>
> My question is whether I ought to ask to be an author of the library.
>
>
>
I think you should. You might also want to raise the issue of IP, because it probably needs to be dealt with by your institute's lawyers, probably their lawyers too.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In fact something great happened: Your research did have impact in the real world and seems to be useful - not everyone can say that!
When it comes to legal issues, things are usually complicated and will involve copyright issues (of yours and of the journal / publisher) as well as authorship issues. Those vary between countries and it will be difficult to give an advise without proper juristical background and line by line comparison of your publications and the library code.
But as I understood your question, you are more interested in the academic credit, and therefore I would suggest to contact the authors, tell them you are happy that your work is used by them, and offer to be part of the development team. You might add a phrase like *it would be a pleasure to be listed as author of the library* - an in most cases they will understand...
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Since they acknowledge you as the original author, the only issue is to find an arrangement acceptable for everyone. The first step would be to contact the IP office in your institution, they know how to deal with this kind of issue.
My suggestion would be to actually publish your own open-source library as soon as possible, and there you clearly specify the conditions in which your code can be reused: typically a license (some exclude commercial use of the software), but also requirements for anybody reusing your code. You can ask them to credit you in any way you see fit. In particular is common to ask for the paper to be cited. This means that they would have to satisfy this requirement, as well as anybody reusing their library.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Here's how I would view it:
*I got to do all the **fun** work of research and discovery. Somebody else voluntarily did the **not-fun** work of wrapping this work up in a nice software package. They're even volunteering to maintain it, and they're properly giving me all the credit for inventing what they've implemented! So **people can use what I created and I can keep focusing on research**, rather than on details of software packaging, distribution, and maintenance.*
All I would do is thank them and make sure that their documentation suggests that users cite your papers. I certainly wouldn't be in a hurry to get any lawyers or bureaucrats (e.g. from my university) involved.
This is subjective, but I think many academics would align with this view of things.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: The first question is, how complex is the code in your paper? Trivial code may not be protected by copyright. This is somehow related to length, but length is NOT the most important criteria, when you invented something new which did not exist before.
And then the question is who owns the copyright of your paper. Often you transfer the copyright to the journal, so you cannot claim the copyright anyway. The journal may have licenced the paper by a CC-licence (or similar) if it is open access, or hold proprietary rights on the paper.
You usually retain the full copyright and usage rights on your source code, but grant a licence to the publisher, who usually can sublicence your code, e.g., by username_5wing readers to use the code from your paper.
The next question is, if the library licence is compatible to the paper licence. Again, this is probably a question for the publisher and not for the author.
Code from some separate repo is another issue, as long as they used code which is only in your repository and not in the paper itself.
>
> My question is whether I ought to ask to be an author of the library.
>
>
>
Ask for appropriate acknowledgement, if major parts of the code are from your paper. You should not only be acknowledged by "based on paper ...", but also be in the `AUTHORS` file (or similar files with author information). Existing licence headers in your source files should be retained.
Be aware, that being listed as an author can mean that users will ask you for support or questions about the library. Maybe you prefer a simple acknowledgement.
Personally, I would ask if some paragraph could be included, that academic users should consider citing your paper.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: Treat your code as a preprint, that you can archive on a repository as [green open access](https://cyber.harvard.edu/hoap/How_to_make_your_own_work_open_access#Deposit_in_an_OA_repository_.28.22green.22_OA.29), so that *you* are in control of what gets attributed to you and under what terms. (Ideally you deposit before the final version of the work gets published, but you can always retrieve your original work and deposit it later.)
Pick whichever [open source](https://opensource.org/licenses) or [free software license](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html) you prefer, preferably a copyleft one like GPL (see why in last paragraph). Use the git history to record the code made exclusively by you, either in a single version or multiple (e.g. the original version published in the articles, plus the reformatted one you were working on).
You can also deposit the whole repository on [Zenodo](https://zenodo.org/), which will create a DOI for it. (Zenodo items can also have an embargo or other restrictions.)
Then tell the company to credit this newly created, self-standing artefact, and to follow its license. If you end up not liking what they produced, no problem: the git history shows what is actually your work. If you end up liking their work, you can incorporate or adapt it in your code thanks to the copyleft license, which forces them to use the same license.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: Since the library includes code that you've written, you *are* an author and should be recognized the same way that other authors are recognized. There's nothing wrong with asking about this. I strongly doubt anyone at the company would be upset by such a request; authorship recognition is standard practice when it comes to using third-party code. The particular license you used for your code will determine the specific way that the company must document your authorship.
The code that I've seen included in papers falls into two categories. How you should approach this will vary based on which applies to you.
### You published your code with an explicit license
It's extremely important (for both you and the company) that the company's use of your code is compatible with the license you initially released it under. Otherwise, one or both parties could end up with legal problems. If you let us know what license you used, we can give some more-specific advice. In general, most popular open-source licenses would require the company to retain your existing copyright statements and license notices, and possibly to include a separate note indicating that the library includes code written by you. If the library will include a separate list of authors and contributors, it would not be unreasonable for you to ask to be included there as well.
### You published your code without specifying a license
You need to be *extremely* careful. Even if you made the code public, [no one has the right](https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/207941/reusing-open-source-code-that-doesn-t-specify-a-license) to use [source code that doesn't have a license](https://choosealicense.com/no-permission/) in their products, be they commercial or otherwise. International copyright law says that as soon as you wrote it, you owned the exclusive copyright to it. A license is how you indicate that you are granting others certain rights pertaining to the use of the software. Without a license, there is no grant of rights and a third party *may not* use your code.
With this in mind, the company *must not* publish their library at this time. It contains code that you hold the copyright for and that they do not have a license to use. Publishing the library would be a legal risk for them, and could put you at risk of legal liability.
Your best course of action here would be to release the source code yourself under an explicit license. You don't have to put it all together as a library for the time being. The simplest approach is to place each paper's code in separate files, store all of the files in a public repository somewhere, and include an explicit software license and copyright notice in each file. Ask the company to delay releasing their library until you have done this. They should now be clear to publish their library, provided they've met the terms of whatever license you've chosen.
If you aren't sure what license to use, the [MIT license](https://choosealicense.com/licenses/mit/) is straightforward, permissive, and easy to comply with. The [Apache 2.0 license](https://choosealicense.com/licenses/apache-2.0/) is essentially the same, except it also provides some protection against patent trolls.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: You can ask yourself a couple of questions.
1. Were they username_5wed to use your code in a library?
Depends on the copyright policy (license) of the journal you published the code in. The journal terms of services should clarify that or you can just contact the journal directly about that.
2. If they were username_5wed, did they have to obey certain rules like giving credit to the author and did they obey them?
Depends again on the copyright policy (license) of the journal you published the code in. Many licenses require you to give attribution, others not. If they had to give attribution, but didn't already and also refuse upon you asking them to give attribution, you could refer them to the relevant terms of the license.
Even if they didn't have to, asking for more visible attribution never hurts.
3. If they were not username_5wed, did they ask you to give your permission?
You could probably still give your permission (grant them a license). However that would be up to negotiations between the copyrights holder (you, your employer) and them. Giving proper attribution could be one point in these negotiations.
4. Are you an author?
Yes. You are the author of the code that you have written.
5. Are you an author of the library?
Yes. Code (I take it's not just trivial code) that you have written is verbatim in the library. You are an author of the library.
Note: In some jurisdictions (not all) you can completely detach yourself from a work, for example by putting it into the Public Domain.
6. What should you do?
* Clarify the legal situation.
* Find out if they have to give attribution.
* Ask them to give attribution and be listed as a developer.
* If they refuse but had to give attribution, remind them of their obligations.
* Suggest that they put references to the papers in their documentation if this has not already been done.
* As soon as the open source version is online, make a copy of it and publish it (forking on Github, ...).
* Thank them for their effort.
* Decide if you want to add future code contributions to their library, to your copy of it or just continue publishing through papers and let them do the copying.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: First, of course you should be acknowledged, and the company is well aware of this, which is why they contacted you. Big companies do not release open source libraries without a legal review and most likely the lawyers have told them they need to get permission from you. They copied code without a clear license that username_5wed them to do so and definitely without a license that username_5ws them to release it, so now they have to fix that in order to release.
Second, you should think about what license you are comfortable with and what kind of acknowledgement you want, assuming you are comfortable with them releasing. However they are unlikely to be willing to use a license like GPL, although you never know. You can visit the Open Source Initiative and Free Software Foundation websites to learn more about the different licenses. As someone with open source projects myself I think if you can come to an agreement with them about this you're probably better off with them releasing and maintaining because it is a lot of work and headaches to deal with users who show up wanting bug fixes, updates and improvements. It's fun for a while but it gets tiring too. Since they have people they pay to do things like that, it's pretty nice.
Third, if they do a release you can always fork their release and continue your development, contributing back to their project if you want (or they can watch you).
That said, personally, I'd want my name in the licensing file as the original author. Depending on the language and code style I might want it elsewhere too.
This overall is a legal issue, and I suggest you talk to a lawyer who knows about software licensing. You might be able to get advice at your campus but you might also be able to get advice from an open source advocacy organization.
You should also consider what licenses you are comfortable with and you will also want to consider what licensing they are proposing. If you can't come to an agreement with them then it can't be released by them. Your code is your copyright (or possibly that of your employer). I do think it's unusual for academic code to be copied verbatim because a lot of times it is pseudocode and in that case it is really about "discovery" (which unlike an invention is not patentable). But in your case it sounds like there is clear copyright.
Addition:
Also, if I were you I would discuss with them writing a paper with your as an author about their version of the library. That gives you what you need in terms of academic productivity metrics. I also put links to code repositories of formally released code in a citation format and the estimated number of downloads into my annual accountability reports.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I vaguely remember reading an article(as an online pdf - possibly via twitter) on why one should/should not do a PhD; what doing a PhD entails. It was well structured and specifically mentioned that a PhD isn't for everyone. I also remember it was written by a prominent computer scientist(or a mathematician). Can anyone provide suggestions/hints about what article it might've been?<issue_comment>username_1: Here are some sources I have found that speak to the topic of not getting a PhD.
Perhaps this document is the one you are looking for? Both the authors are mathematicians with PhDs. I would not say they are necessarily prominent, but they are established.
<http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/media/eps/schoolofmathematics/study/guide_2011.pdf>
---
This is a short article reposted by a professor at Stanford University.
<https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/545>
---
Here are three other online articles about the topic.
<https://medium.economist.com/why-doing-a-phd-is-often-a-waste-of-time-349206f9addb>
<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/15/should-do-phd-you-asked-autocomplete-questions>
<https://www.cbsnews.com/news/12-reasons-not-to-get-a-phd/>
---
I will add my own brief commentary here. Obtaining a PhD has never hurt me financially. I have a well paying full-time job that requires a PhD. (Now *should* the job require a PhD is a different story). There are many, many, many jobs in my field (statistics) that prefer a PhD. I have never regretted obtaining a PhD.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Perhaps [Teach undergraduates that doing a PhD will require them to embrace failure](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06905-0). The author is a molecular biologist, not a mathematician.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: <NAME> writes a lot of advice, including an e-book about earning a PhD.
<http://pgbovine.net/PhD-memoir.htm>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Perhaps [this](http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/) short "Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D." by <NAME>? It's a personal favorite of mine. He is a computer scientist but there is not much advice about why it's not for everyone. However, it's worth a read regardless.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I have found the article I was looking for, [here](https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~harchol/gradschooltalk.pdf). Although the author isn't a popular computer scientist, I did find parts of it quite useful.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: If you submit an NIH grant (e.g. RO1) as PI and then move to another institution prior to study section review, or after an award is made, what are your options under both scenarios? Also, what is the NIH policy regarding such PI changes?<issue_comment>username_1: I'm going to assume that NIH handles things like NSF does. In the latter case, grants can be transferred from one institution to another. *Technically*, an award is made to an institution and not an individual researcher, and so if your proposal is accepted, then NIH would send the money to your old institution and they can then find someone on campus who can do the work that you proposed. But in practice, if the award is for an individual's research (as opposed to grants made to support, say, the graduate program of a particular department on campus), then universities have an agreement that allows the researcher to take the grant with them to their new university.
The way this is then handled that when (or before) you move, you talk to the people in the grants/sponsored projects office of your new university about transferring your grant. They will walk you through the steps necessary and probably also recommend that you inform your program manager about this. The process is a bit lengthy, in particular if the grant is complex, but not fraught with uncertainty. It just takes work to go through everything everyone will need to know.
At the end of the day, the scenario you describe happens *all the time*. Don't lose sleep over it -- it can all be sorted out, you just need to talk to the right people.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The answer to your question is specific to your funding from the NIH. From the [NIH webpage](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/funding/grant-writing-and-application-process/moving-to-a-different-organization.shtml):
>
> Many NIH grant mechanisms allow the principal investigator to bring their grants with them when they change recipient organizations. This is subject to approval by NIH, and there are specific procedures which must be followed in order to make this process run smoothly (and relatively quickly!). If you are a current NIMH recipient, you **MUST** contact your NIMH Program Official (PO) and Grants Management Specialist (GMS) **BEFORE** your move, in order to initiate the process of transferring your grant.
>
>
>
This webpage then goes on to describe the steps necessary to transfer the grant.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: My current postdoc position will end in few months, so I started to apply for another postDoc position abroad. Shortly, if I would get the second position, there might be about two months overlap between them.
What is your advise on how to deal with it? What I am considering:
1. End the first job two months earlier, and start the new one.
2. Keep both positions during those two months: start the full-time the
second one and continue the first one on weekends, until it "dies"
naturally.
I think the most honest would be the first option (opt#1). However, as my manuscripts were submitted for publication, I will work on them no matter where I end up (likely the second position). The finalization of those manuscripts is my main responsibility, and I cannot be sure about the each review processing time and schedule.
In this case, I would get at least paid for my publication finalizing (opt#2), which would not happen if I will officially quit my first postdoc earlier (opt#1). And I can use two affiliations during the time overlap.
Should I notify my future employer about my postdocs position overlap and my potential plan to keep two affiliations?
My expertise is in ecology, therefore I am transferring neither extra secret information nor some commercial patents between positions.<issue_comment>username_1: You don't mention whether you have obligations that you need to fulfill in the first job. You need to deal with any of that, of course and not leave others hanging if they depend on you.
One option you have is to inform the supervisor of your current position that you have another offer and that they overlap. They might ok not resigning early if they want to be acknowledged in a certain way on your publication when it is finished.
But if you take the second position while still having obligations in the first, then the second employer might object that you can't spend full efforts on the new position. They should probably be informed, even if informally in a conversation. I suspect that if the only "obligation" is to finish a paper, that it wouldn't be a blocking issue.
I suspect that if you are valued by both institutions, one for your past work and the other for your expected contributions, that something can be worked out.
But it seems to me, at least, to be a mistake to just make a decision without either institution having any input. But the underlying situation is common enough that both places have probably dealt with it before.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Around here (in Nordic countries), many institutions and non-academic workplaces include terms about informing the employer of other work besides the one the contract is for. As such, I would be contractually obliged to inform the university that I am also emplyed (presumably full-time) by another institute. Since both of them would have a claim to my full time work, it would be unlikely that I could satisfy that requirement, I would expect them to not accept the situation.
In your case, I would discuss the situation with my current and future superior and give up one position at the same time as starting the other, so that I am only employed once. At least in mathematics, there is typically flexibility to adjust the starting and ending times of the contracts by a month or two, as convenient for everyone.
Also, you can just resign. Out of courtesy, as username_1 noted, please make a clean exit where you finish as much unfinished business as possible and take care that all duties you have (teaching, running a seminar, etc.) are transferred to someone else. Make sure your data or code is available and documented and your collaborators and superiors know where to find it, if this is relevant in your field and country.
---
At least in pure and applicable mathematics, it is expected for one to continue previous research projects at the new institute. This might be very different if you are hired for a concrete job as a part of a team, but I would guess that most academic jobs allow a measure of flexibility in the matter, as outside collaborations are usually valued. Discuss with your future supervisor if you are in doubt.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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<issue_start>username_0: I haven't worked with my supervisor for long (~3 months now, 4 when apps are due), and she is well known in her field. I understand she has a reputation to uphold is honest in her letters from what I hear, so she really needs to get to know you before something like this.
I will be giving a lab talk on Nov 15 and submitting a research proposal and lit review on Nov 19, but sadly apps are due earliest by Dec 1. So, again, understandably, she told me she didn't feel prepared to judge me in a span of about 10 days (between when I submit and when apps are due), and that I should seek another prof.
Luckily, I'm working on another independent project and I've asked that supervisor (fingers crossed!); my other references are from (1) a 1.5-year work supervisor from when I was a research assistant and (2) a prof I worked with for a summer independent project.
How will it reflect on my Master's applications if I don't have a reference from my thesis supervisor? Is there anywhere I can explain the situation? Or, is there a possibility to request a delay in submission anywhere - and if this is the case, should I mention it to my prof or should I not persist?<issue_comment>username_1: **It's generally a good idea to have at least one reference from a research supervisor.** It's sounds like you have one, possibly two, such references, so that is no issue. Given that you've only worked with your current supervisor for a few months (and haven't even submitted your proposal yet), I don't think the lack of a letter from her will be suspicious.
In terms of the options you list:
* As far as I know, getting extensions on grad school apps is not really done.
* You could wait until the next cycle, but that seems extreme.
* Rather, I would just proceed with your application as-is, clearly indicating that your primary research mentor was [the person who wrote your letter] and that you only recently started working with [the person who didn't].
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm pretty sure that the recommendations that you *do* get far outweigh any that you *don't* get. I think that it is much more important what those letters say about you than which particular faculty members they came from.
Getting a really good one from your supervisor would be great, of course, but a so-so one not so much. But great letters from other faculty would weigh much more in your favor.
I would apply with the best CV and other materials you can build. If you get in then there was no need to wait. If you don't, then you can work to do better in the next cycle, perhaps with that great letter you want now.
Also, no single thing is likely to be determinative of your success. You are a "package" both in your materials and in person. The whole package will be considered.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I feel let down and (right now) rather upset about how I've been treated by an academic at another institution. Any tips for how I manage my (unavoidable) working relationship with him going forward?
I'm a PhD Student in a small subdiscipline (only 2-4 of us in this country). He is a (moderately) established researcher and for him this is just one string to the fiddle. We've met a couple of times at conferences and organised a symposium together last year. I invited some of my non-academic network who are wonderful collaborators.
After the symposium we discussed further work together. He asked if I would assist with chairing a (broad discipline) conference, and I was excited about us working together, thinking how great it was to have a good relationship with someone who was more focused on our subdiscipline than my supervisors are, and looking forward to post-PhD collaborations. I felt he was 'taking me under his wing' and that my expertise would be highly useful to him.
Since then, the role we had discussed for conference organisation went to someone else, without him informing me.
And I've found out he has been putting together a project proposal with my wonderful collaborators, without mentioning it to me. Naively, it never even occurred to me that someone would do this. It seems particularly weird because geographically I'm located right next to these collaborators, and there are plenty of similar organisations in his area that he could have reached out to.
Right now I'm feeling pretty raw about this. (But perhaps this is on me? Was I simply too trusting?) But we are organising another symposium together. Undoubtedly we will cross paths again in the future, and will be reviewing each other's work.
Any tips on how to manage this relationship going forward? Or other tales of betrayal to help me put this in perspective?<issue_comment>username_1: Until you know a bit more, I'd start with a generous interpretation. Academics can be forgetful. They (we) can lose things like contact information. This interpretation may not be warranted, of course, but it is usually worth starting as if it is. It may be that what you were thinking of as fairly firm commitments, he was just musing about. It doesn't reflect well on him, of course, but your best way forward is to assume it is benign (for now).
Send him an email reminding him of past conversations and suggest that you are interested in collaboration. Send whatever support information you think useful. Go visit in person if that is feasible. Remind him of those conversations and your memory of them, but without being accusatory.
You will learn a lot from the response. In particular, you should learn if the generous interpretation is the valid one. I don't know that you have a lot of recourse, however, if he is a bad actor. But if not, you may be able to get the ball rolling on this or a similar project.
If he is a bad actor, you should probably have a conversation with your collaborators about how he treats them and try to figure out if you are treated differently. You and your collaborators can, perhaps, come to some understanding and even create a support group.
---
### On Forgetfulness
One of my mentors, great person, great teacher, used to know when he was "working hard enough" when he would lose his car. You would find him wandering through the university parking lots looking for it when it was time to go home. Not a bad actor, but not always dependable.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: That story sounds sinister, and more often that not, this is a kind of appropriation of other people's contacts which some privileged people permit themselves do to less privileged ones.
I have seen such attempts of rerouting contacts even done by peers to peers. It requires some skilled manoeuvring to prevent such a "hostile takeover" of productive contacts from being successful.
However, in their position, OP probably has no other option than to make a friendly face to a distinctly unfriendly move and pretend that they had been in on that particular plan from the beginning.
I would recommend to OP to at the very least to try and be present at the event. If they are bold, they could perhaps suggest some official role in it, but without showing the least grudge. This would be the politically adept move, even if, from the point of view of personal satisfaction, quite dissatisfying.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: For these kinds of situations, you should apply [Hanlon's razor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor):
>
> "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."
>
>
>
In this situation it is entirely possible that this person simply forgot that he had previously had you in mind for the conference role. If you are disappointed in this outcome then a reasonable first step would be to make a polite inquiry with this person, asking whether they still have you in mind for a conference role. Maybe you're right that he is being "sneaky", but until you have exhausted other possible explanations, I would suggest that you don't jump to the worse possible interpretation of the situation.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Offering someone a part in the project (e.g. conference organisation) and then taking it off without notice is not great. "Bad memory" does not serve as an valid excuse here — such roles are important enough to be put on paper and not messed up with.
Your point on collaborators seems strange to me. You don't own people. You established your relations with your network and these relations are still here. For some reason, your collaborators agree to work on a project with someone else and without you. It's their decision. I would reflect on your role in this group. What did/could you offer to collaboration and why do you think it was not valued enough by them to include you? You can also directly *ask them* about it.
I would not blame anyone for "stealing" my collaborators — unless the collaborators are currently supported from my research budget. People make connections for specific projects, and these small groups tend to change after each project is done.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I'm going to assume the worst scenario, and judging by the answers above, you should assume the best. But, you need to know something about Academia.
You can be nice and amenable, but you need to stick up for yourself too. That doesn't mean you need to express malice, grudges and be a bad sport. Use this to your advantage. In the long run, you need this person right now as a supporter. So be positive, be nice (not that you shouldn't be always), make sure you're on his good side.
Why? Because that's the benefit, you need him more. The issue is about you, and making sure you're protected and you won't lose from this. Make sure that your gains are your own and that the person concerned won't be able to double cross you. Protect yourself and use your relationship with him to your advantage.
I'm not saying you should be acting with malice and with regard to avenging your grievances. No. I'm saying be a good person, honest, and transparent when you need to be, but protect yourself from him and see this as a business relationship - nothing more.
In the long run, if you're going to collaborate with him, you need to be wise, and you need to have clear boundaries and guidelines of how to work with him so he won't have the tools or ammunition to walk all over you. That will take some skill at navigating. It won't be easy, but it will protect you.
When you're in an academically more mature, authoritative place, then things might be different, but until then, hope for the best, protect yourself and assume the worst, but act as though he didn't affect you.
Emotionally I understand that you're feeling slighted and hurt. It is natural, you invested time and energy in the relationship, and you worked together on something mutually beneficial. This is why in future dealings you need to protect yourself a bit, and this will help you to develop a thicker skin. Create some boundaries, and also, regard this as a relationship that is a purely work and business related. Then you won't feel so hurt if it doesn't work out.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: Frankly, to get to the point, I am schizophrenic.
University sucked for me, not because it was hard and difficult work; not because I didn't get along with people; not because I couldn't communicate points; and surprisingly not because I had anxiety. But because I carried a ball and chain of "voices in my head."
After five years of undergrad I dropped out.
I am a mathematician at heart. I study math to the point of extinction of all other thought. And I'm good at it. Now I'm no Gauss, Euler, Newton, or Galois. But I'm pretty damn good. I got in well with my professors, and managed to write a few papers which stated correct final results but were not without their subtle mathematical typos (slight errors in rigor, which in math can cost you everything).
I do not ever expect to achieve professor status. Quite frankly I wouldn't be able to be a professor anyway. I am in a secure place financially though, luckily I'm schizophrenic in a supportive, fairly well-off family, and live in a country with a supportive government (I live in Canada); so there's no worry of needing to sustain myself off mathematics. I just love math, and I know I have things to add, but I have no avenue of adding them.
To express some of my hinderances: conferences are pretty much off the table. Regular meetings with faculty are off the table. Extended interaction with a bunch of colleagues are off the table... you can start to see the chips are stacked against me.
I'm asking this on academia.stackexchange, because I can imagine there are schizophrenic academics out there, and I imagine they may have found loop holes, or loop holes may have been created for them.
So as the title preludes:
>
> As a schizophrenic with academic ambitions, what are my best options?
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>
><issue_comment>username_1: You wouldn't be the first mathematician with schizophrenia, of course. But you also don't really say whether you want to just *do* mathematics in a satisfying way, or *to be known publicly for doing* mathematics.
And, don't be concerned about making stupid errors. We all do that. I've made some real boners that I've luckily caught in a second or third proof reading of my work. Hopefully I catch them all before publication.
While you can learn mathematics from books (and even wikipedia), doing it is vastly simplified if you have someone to give you feedback on your work. It needn't be in person and it needn't be especially frequent.
Let's assume that you keep the medical condition within bounds via professional help, and let's also assume that you aren't dangerous to the public.
What would help you advance in math is to have a mentor of some kind who is aware of your medical condition and who treats you like a human being. If you live near a university, preferably a large one, but a small college might do, see if you can visit the place and introduce yourself to a few people. Universities often have seminars that are more or less open to the public. You can also just write to a department head, introducing yourself, without details, and asking for a meeting. Go with a friend if necessary. Take some of your work. See if you can't wrangle an introduction to someone who works in an area you are interested in. A high powered researcher with little time for distraction probably isn't the right mentor for you, but if your work is "interesting" some professors might be willing to look at it.
It is also possible to make a link from a distance by simply writing to such a professor, stating your interest, showing some of your work, and stating initially that a medical condition prevents your formal participation in most activities. You don't need to say more at the beginning, and can decide later whether revealing more is a good thing or not.
If you can make a link then you have a feedback mechanism for your work. You might even have a conduit for joint publications if the work is promising.
Once a link is made, you needn't necessarily interact in person with your mentor if that is difficult in any way. There are many collaborations that go on internationally simply using email, so distance is no longer a problem after initial contact.
Many mathematicians have worked long and hard in obscurity and done fine work. Sometimes their work is superior to the general run of it since they have their own way of looking at problems. It isn't impossible that the wiring of your brain gives you an advantage in mathematics if you can learn how to exploit it.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Your best bet is to start with the professors who you got along well with as a student. Ask them if they would be willing to mentor you informally, and if they agree, work out with them the form this mentorship will take. If they can't work with you, they may be willing to make introductions to someone who can. But approaching people cold is unlikely to work. You might get lucky, but realistically, most professors are too busy with their own students and other various tasks to take a chance on someone they haven't met before.
I don't agree with the other answer--leading with your work is unlikely to help, unless you're the next Ramanujan. You've had five years of undergraduate training and, presumably, you've studied a good amount of graduate-level material. That's all good, but it doesn't make you ready to hit the ground running with research. The way you describe your papers convinces me you don't quite know how research works yet:
>
> managed to write a few papers which stated correct final results but were not without their subtle mathematical typos (slight errors in rigor, which in math can cost you everything)
>
>
>
If the errors cost everything, then they weren't slight. Minor, fixable errors in a proof are not a big deal (and if they're not fixable, how can they be minor?) Any error small enough to be compared to a typo would routinely be ironed out in the peer review process, if you submit to a journal. I don't have much to go on, but I would conjecture that your work was not all that close to being valid research math. Getting the right theorem is often not that hard--the hard part is nailing down the proof.
Of course, there's no shame in making unsuccessful attempts. The point is that I don't think you should emphasize your prior work when you're reaching out for a mentor. "I almost proved X, Y, Z" doesn't impress anyone, because an almost-proof that's not salvageable isn't worth anything. At your stage, the main thing you have to offer is potential, which is why I think you should start with the people who already know you and can vouch for that potential.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: My suggestion is that you shouldn't consider yourself any different from other academics for being labeled a schizophrenic.
The label "schizophrenic" itself is a cultural category. There are other cultures in which the experience of hearing voices is not necessarily considered insane. You shouldn't consider this a problem really, unless the content of the communications disturb you. If properly channeled, the experience may even help you in your work and become an asset rather than a liability.
I think making contact with other people (academics or not) who have similar experiences is a good move. This kind of experience is more common than you may think. There are mutual-support groups for people who hear voices, in which people with similar experiences get together to share their impressions and seek to understand them (check out, for instance: <https://www.hearing-voices.org/>).
Don't use your neuro-diverse constitution as an excuse for requesting privileges. Perhaps your hindrances (as you describe) are not impossible to conquer. In fact, schizophrenic or not, you can expect these things to be difficult anyway, they are just another set of problems for you to solve with your creativity.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I would like to receive some feedback from the community about the following situation.
I have a permanent position as associate professor in an institution for some years now (3). This institution is the one I did my PhD 10 years ago, and in particular I am in the same department as my PhD advisor (who is a Full Professor).
Despite having my own research line independent of the one of my PhD advisor (namely, I have my own research problems, projects, collaborators, etc), the truth is that I also continue working with her, and being sincere I trust that my contribution on works is as important as her contribution. I am advising PhD students on different topics, I have my own national research project, etc.
I know that this should not bother me too much, but the truth is that at the end the person who receives the recognition of our work is her. Here by recognition I mean invitations to conferences, seminars, being in committees and things like this. I also know that being on an early stage is not the same as being a well-stablished professor, but when this happens on a regular basis, it makes me start to feel bad. Just to give an example, in the last year I have not been invited to give any seminars abroad, while she has been invited to present our work at least 3 times.
It has come to a point where I believe that having worked as crazy to get this position in a university in the city I wanted to live (because this one of the main reasons I picked this position... I love the city and most important, it solved the 2 body problem), it comes with the problem that I will always be 'the student of \*' in the eyes of everybody, even if I obtain significant breakthroughs on my own. I trust that this will affect, for instance, if I want to become a full professor some day soon.
**The question is the following**: how to act when you have tried hard (and in part having been successful) to be (researchally speaking) independent of your PhD advisor, but in the eyes of almost everybody you are still her student? If this situation is rephrased saying that we are in the same institution then it explains a little what I was explaining in the previous paragraphs.
So, I would really appreciate advice from the community. I find it a little radical to stop collaborating scientifically with her (in part because there is no one around working on this area!), but as time goes by it seems to me that the best option is to start working alone on this common area, or some similar solution...<issue_comment>username_1: >
> I find a little radical to stop collaborating scientifically with her (in part because there is no one around working on this area!), but as the time goes by it seems to me that the best option is to start working alone on this common area, or some similar solution...
>
>
>
There is some truth to the often-heard advise that one should stop regularly collaborating with one's PhD advisor after getting a PhD. I would argue this is doubly the case when you and your advisor work at the same place. To the outside world, you will *always* appear to be the "junior" in your collaboration, independently of who does how much work, who has had which ideas, or who is where in the paper author list.
My impression is that in the career stage that you are in, you should prioritize collaborations where you are the most senior person in the team, or where you are at least not overshadowed by somebody much more famous than you. Work on papers with your students, or with other people in a similar or earlier career stage than you. Avoid collaborations where you do all the work and some other eminent figure in the community (your advisor or some other senior professor) could be seen as the strategic brains behind the work.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I believe the infallible way towards academic recognition is being clearly responsible for major breakthroughs in your field. Probably you have put yourself where you are, by consistently directing the spotlights to your senior author(s). Making someone else honorary first/corresponding author, as well as letting *them* present **your** work sure "gives face" to peers and shows reverence. If you got where you are because of such acts of "loyalty" then stopping it will quickly generate conflicts.
But unfortunately there's no other way around this: publish independent research (meaning the best you can produce), stand where you belong, present your work directly. No more special thanks at the end to honorary seniors. Discuss that openly with your ex-advisor, who may feel betrayed.
And by all means, do not expect nor induce some student to give you the face you've given your advisor as in the shape of some karmic payback. This is not a cycle.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Here is a somewhat radical suggestion that my apply or not, depending on personalities. If your mentor/collaborator is anywhere near retirement this may be especially useful. It is a bit risky (or not) depending on her attitudes and place in the profession.
But you could, perhaps, just start a conversation with her letting her know that you think your career "needs a boost" and ask if she can help you get to the next level. Many people will respond positively to this, in fact. My personal attitude is that I am happiest when I fall into the shadow of one of my former students. After all, our job is to advance the state of the art, not only through our own work, but by teaching students to do the same.
If she thinks enough of you and of the work you both are doing, she will want it to continue after she leaves the scene and you are probably a good vehicle for carrying it forward.
But small steps are to make sure that you go to those conferences with her and become personally known in the community. Find a way to be the presenter of your joint work. Find a way to be the corresponding author on papers so you get contacted by committee chairs and editors.
Don't ignore the other answers here, of course. Work that you do alone or with other collaborators will help distinguish you from your former advisor. But it is a long process. Your early-career tag on the question says a lot. With ten years in the saddle you have a long way to ride and your former advisor won't be a riding companion for the whole way. But take advantage of your association while you can, rather than trying to sever it. Make her the champion of your career advancement if at all possible.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I am recently graduated with a degree of MS in Physics. I am very interested in condensed matter physics, that is why I chose a topic from this field for my MS thesis. But it was very hard for me to complete this thesis because I have not taken any advance course about condensed matter physics. I had to learn many theories by myself.
I am aiming to find a PhD position in Europe, and as you know in Europe, there is no course work in PhD program. So, before going for a PhD level research project, I want to attend a pre-PhD diploma in which research level courses of condensed matter physics will be taught.
My question is: is it a good idea to spend one year just to learn advance theories? (I am not in any rush to get a PhD degree).
Also
How should I write a motivation letter for this pre-PhD diploma? I mean everyone applying there would obviously write "I want to learn advance theories". How can my application be different than others?<issue_comment>username_1: I'm going to suggest that spending a year would not be a good use of your time. The end-all and be-all of doctoral education isn't the methodology, but using the methodology to do something interesting in your field.
I would answer differently if you thought your background is weak and that you would only be accepted by spending this year, but with an MS that isn't likely true. If it were a matter of a summer spent on methodology then, again, it might be worth it. But a year feels like spinning wheels.
On the other hand, the course you suggest is in your field. If it can also get you closer to the research frontier in that field then it would have value for that, rather than methodology. At some point you need to cross that frontier so you need to approach it somehow.
Of course, this isn't my field, and I don't know how difficult the methodology is, but I suspect that you can muddle through and pick it up - especially knowing that you have a need. It would probably delay your completion less than spending a dedicated year that might not even give you a benefit in your application.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I know of only one program that calls itself a "pre-PhD diploma" program: The pre-PhD program at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). This seems to likely be the program you are speaking of. This program is at least pretty well regarded from what I can determine. It would likely help formalize some of what you need to learn if you want to study condensed matter physics. If time is not an issue, then the program could be helpful.
This being said, I will add my personal opinion that doing a pre-PhD seems a bit redundant. If you are able to get into a funded PhD program, why not begin your PhD immediately? You might not be in a hurry to finish now, but I'm also not sure that you will still feel that way five years down the road. Having all the time in the world is fine when you are 25. It becomes much harder when you reach your 30s.
The finances are also of consideration here. It seems that the ICTP's program is unfunded unless you are from specific countries. (Maybe this is your case, which is fine).
Moreover, note that a pre-PhD program is probably one of two things:
1. So fast that it covers nothing in enough depth to allow you to actually complete a PhD on the subject.
2. So fast that you will not be able to absorb the blitzkrieg of information you are being taught.
Simply put, one does not easily learn the principles of advanced condensed matter physics in a rapid-fire program.
Also be aware that a "pre-PhD" sounds a bit like something one would get from an online pay-to-learn website. For those not familiar with the program, it may not be given much weight.
---
As far as convincing an admissions committee that you will be successful in studying condensed matter physics, you may have a tough time doing such if you have zero courses in the subject. In my opinion, stating "\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ really is interesting to me" never gets an applicant through the door if they have zero experience in studying the subject. (Which you have taken note of above). You could try including an explanation of the personal work you have done in studying the subject. If you can speak somewhat at length to the actual *efforts* you have given on the topic, that may bode more favorably for your cause. Because this pre-PhD is so niche, it is very hard to know what they are looking for.
I will add some general thoughts on getting into graduate programs on the whole:
* Bad GPA/Test Scores are very hard to overcome. Passion is not enough.
* Letters of recommendation matter. Immensely so, at times.
* Expressing interest in studying a very niche field will usually result in very narrow acceptance parameters.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: Inspired by another question where a user asks how to handle students with a phone, my question is from the opposite perspective: what is the correct response when a lecturer asks one to put away the phone?
This actually recently happened to me (a few months ago), and for obvious reasons (not wanting to interrupt the flow of the lecture, not wanting to have a falling out with the professor, etc), I just put my phone down.
But to be honest, I don't think that's the correct response, or at least I feel this is not the way it should be, because I find such demands inappropriate for a number of reasons, and so I shouldn't be giving in to them, should I?
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My reasoning:
First of all, and this may sound immature, but what I do with my phone is none of the lecturer's business. As long as I am not disturbing anybody (audio is always off, I am never typing loudly because it's a touch-screen, and nobody is distracted by the screen because I make sure to sit in the back), it shouldn't be a problem.
Secondly, I find that such demands can impede my learning. I often use the phone to look up information related to what the lecturer is actually talking about. If a topic is mentioned that I don't quite recall, a quick google search or a 10-second glance at the topic's Wikipedia page brings me up to speed. Or perhaps the textbook for the course is on my cloud server and I need to the phone to actually access the book, if I didn't bring (or even buy) the physical copy.
Finally, I find it highly disrespectful to call a student out for being on a phone in the middle of a lecture in front of all others. Such conversations, if they need to be had, should be had in private. Approach me after the lecture or during the break if you have a problem. Don't call me out in front of the entire class.<issue_comment>username_1: There is a dimension that you aren't considering. While it might be benign if one person does something, it might be less fine if everyone does it. Others might not be so good about turning off ringers, etc. Others might just decide to play games or chat with friends. It is hard to let this happen and also assure that it isn't disruptive.
The reason for the policy, I suspect, is that the instructor wants you to focus on what is going on in the class - exclusively. Even ten seconds away can cause you to miss something important.
But, I also suggest not getting into a fight with your professor ("handling teacher"). It isn't a fight worth having if you are so likely to lose it. Generally such rules, which may seem unreasonable to you, are put in place for valid educational reasons. There are tradeoffs, of course, but they usually favor paying attention.
There are other ways to be an effective learner that don't require electronics. They have been used for millennia.
I have written about effective classroom learning strategies that require only index cards and a pen/pencil at [CS Educators](https://cseducators.stackexchange.com/a/1168/1293) as well as in other answers on this site.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: Put your phone away (or leave the classroom), and speak to the professor afterwards if you're still unhappy.
Let's examine your reasons for thinking it's inappropriate:
>
> First of all, and this may sound immature, but what I do with my phone is none of the teacher's business. As long as I am not disturbing anybody (audio is always off, I am never typing loudly because it's a touch-screen, and nobody is distracted by the screen because I make sure to sit in the back), it shouldn't be a problem.
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Let's assume you are indeed right about all this and that you're not breaking any rules. In that case you have a *right* to pay attention to your phone instead of the professor. But that doesn't make it a wise thing to do. It's rude to not pay attention when someone is talking to you, and if you're looking at your phone you must expect your professor to notice. You'll regret what you did if someday you need a reference from him, you're looking for research supervision, or maybe even if you need a PhD/postdoc position. Academia is a small world, with a very long memory.
That's not all - teachers talk to one another, and another teacher's impression of you could be negatively impacted even before you start the class. This is especially the case if you end up in a formal dispute over whether it's your right to use your phone in class.
>
> Secondly, I find that such demands can impede my learning. I often use the phone to look up information related to what the teacher is actually talking about. If a topic is mentioned that I don't quite recall, a quick google search or a 10-second glance at the topic's Wikipedia page brings me up to speed. Or perhaps the textbook for the course is on my cloud server and I need to the phone to actually access the book, if I didn't bring (or even buy) the physical copy.
>
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However by using Google or looking at Wikipedia you don't actually pause the lecture. The professor will move on and you won't actually get up to speed, you'll be 10 seconds behind. Why not just raise your hand and ask the lecturer directly?
>
> Finally, I find it highly disrespectful to call a student out for being on a phone in the middle of a lecture in front of all others. Such conversations, if they need to be had, should be had in private. Approach me after the lecture or during the break if you have a problem. Don't call me out in front of the entire class.
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So speak to the professor in private after class and sort it out like adults. The parallels between the two of you are close. In both cases, one party has done something that the other party disapprove of. It's just the methods you use to solve the dispute are different. You don't approve of the professor's methods, so use your own method and talk to him in private.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: If you believe your use is completely legitimate (I'll give an example), briefly state your purpose to the lecturer when asked and be prepared to put away the phone anyway.
Once, in grad school I had a professor tell me to not use my phone in class. I'm hard of hearing and typically record the lectures on a voice recorder or my phone. If I recall correctly I had to interrupt or start the recording on my phone in the middle of the class when the professor spoke to me. I never use my phone in class otherwise, and typically prefer a voice recorder as its purpose is more obvious.
I said something like "Sorry, I'm hard of hearing and I had to turn on my audio recorder." The professor was gracious and might have been a bit embarrassed. There was no problem from that point forward. In fact I've recommended the class and professor to many people since.
If your purpose isn't so obviously valid (e.g., playing a game, etc.) then I'd just put the phone away. In my example, the purpose of using the phone was to better understand the lecturer and minimize disruptions to the class from me asking to repeat things I did not hear well enough, not distract myself.
There are many other reasons which few would argue against, like expecting an important phone call or message.
If you intend to regularly use your phone for legitimate reasons, it would be best to talk with the professor before class time about this to make sure there are no misunderstandings. Asking for permission also appears to be required to record lectures in at least some universities.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: It is true: it is your business what you do with your phone. Up to this point: I had actually students talking into the phone while in class. Now it became the business of the other students. And thus, my business. After I had made it my business, you can be assured that talking on the phone in my class stopped for good.
Ok, you say you do not make noise while in class. Fair enough. Now, there is this proportion of students who play around silently with the phone and then, suddenly, they start asking questions about tests, exams, and other important issues which for which the detailed explanation has just been given. Clearly, their subconscious picked up the words of the lecturers, but not the detail for which conscious attention is required. That was absorbed by whatever they were doing on the phone. So, for the benefit of the students that prioritised their phone activity, and to the detriment and loss of time of the students who didn't, the lecturer has to explain the same things once more.
Note, the lecturer cannot just say: "pay attention instead of playing on the phone", because perhaps on that particular occasion, it would turn out that the accusation might be totally unfair to the student: in fact, something else might have absorbed the students' attention - their sick mother, having to move flats, or how not to get fired from their night-shift job. But, frankly, whenever a student asks about something that was explained just a minute ago (to be clear, not clarifications of a difficult concept, but the repetition of simple details) my first suspicion what caused this question for repetition would fall on their little "devil's prayerbook" that they consulted just under a minute ago.
I am not always convinced that, under the current zeitgeist, students, despite being lawfully adults, are fully mature. However, it is my view that if you treat people as adults, they usually will begin to behave like adults and, indeed, phone use seems to decline over the course of my classes. But not everyone has this patience: Therefore, I do not really blame other profs for wanting to stamp out this bad habit from the outset.
Because, all decent profs will have exactly one interest in class: to educate you as well as they can and know. And, if they believe that the phone disrupts your learning (and possibly that of your colleagues), the right response to that is to accept that they have the best intentions, and give them the benefit of the doubt that they know what they are asking for: and put the "devil's prayerbook" aside - there will be more than enough time for dark masses worshipping the interbeast after class.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_5: As long as you aren't in violation of other academic expectations, then yes, you're probably fine. Note that there are a lot of standards, particularly not impeding others, that need to be complied with; however, if you are in compliance with everything, then **the professor is out of line**.
To resolve the issue? If you wish, you may **speak with the professor after class about this**, but be prepared for a tough time convincing the professor of your intentions. Even if you are polite and courteous, **some professors won't be receptive to your argument**. Most teachers dislike when students have phones out for any reason, simply because some students abuse their phones. I'd recommend putting the phone away discreetly, then talking to the prof after if the use of the cell phone for your education is important enough to you. By directly defying the professor, you risk alienating them to your plight (if they took the time to ask you to put it away, they probably wouldn't like to have the discussion right then and there.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_6: >
> this may sound immature
>
>
>
And it is.
You're acting as if you have the *right* to do what you want. You don't!
It's a teaching session in a building owned and run by *other* people and *they* set the rules and delegate the authority.
You have two legitimate choices (1) obey the rules and the authority or (2) leave.
If you want to protest the rule, contact your student union (a legitimate channel for complaints). You can pass *your* opinion along that way. However the *decision* still rests with the people in authority, and ultimately you will have to accept that fact.
Note also that the people making that decision are *both experienced teachers and students themselves*. You are not. Respect their experience.
There's one more important reason:
*You are there to learn. You should be paying attention and listening. You may need to ask questions and you may miss something if you don't.*
I watch a driving show where bad drivers are educated and it's astonishing to see how many of the bad drivers put forward all sorts of elaborate rationalizations for using a phone when driving. People are, simply, addicted to their phones. Learn to do without it. If you can't sit through a lecture without your phone, it bodes ill for when you hit the real world.
Note then if you were my employee and you started looking at your phone when I was presenting a report in a meeting, you'd be on your way to being fired.
The right you think you have to use a phone when you want *does not exist*.
Respect the rules other people set when using their resources.
It's that simple.
>
> Finally, I find it highly disrespectful to call a student out for being on a phone in the middle of a lecture in front of all others
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You are now experiencing the real world. The one where people call you out to your face and in public for your errors.
Get used to it. It's the difference between an adult and child. All part of learning.
How disrespectful were you being by ignoring the teacher? Did you think about that?
Immature is the right word.
**Edit : regarding this and similar comments :**
There are too many comments to address individually and this is as much effort as I'm willing to spend on this relatively small storm in a teacup. My gut feeling is this won't make people who oppose my viewpoint any happier, but they deserve some kind of response. But life's too short, so this is probably all I'll be doing on the subject.
Remember : Agree to Disagree is not ideal, but it's practical. :-)
>
> One thing which could improve this answer is an acknowledgement that the OP is paying the institution for certain services and - unless he disturbs others - it's not the institution owning his time and not their place to order him around. The OP is not working for the professor, the professor is working for him.
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That's not how it works ( in the real world :-) ).
The fantasy that "the professor is working for him" is not correct. What is happening is that for a fee you are permitted access to the resources (including lectures) of the college/school. But that's *not* a one way contract - you are accepting the authority of the college/school and it's agents and their rules. Typically that small print gives the lecturer rather a lot more power and discretion than you realize.
If the rules are *really* unreasonable (e.g. pretty girls/guys in front, stand all the time when there are seats, etc.) then you have two choices : dispute them in some legal way (e.g. contact the authorities or ultimately take legal action) or *leave*.
Now one of the most basic rules is that *you pay attention*. It's not complicated. It's nor strange. It's not an infringement on your human rights. It's an implicit (possibly explicit) part of your contract with the school. It's the *only* thing you are required to do at a lecture beyond those other common sense things of not disturbing other people, dressing, not eating, not drinking, not talking - and so on..
And, yes, it can disturb other people when you start using your phone to text or whatever.
>
> OP just said they did put the phone down when the teacher asked
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That's nice but the issue is the fact they *should not have been using the phone in the first place*. The OP doesn't get this or the question would not have been asked here.
I've explained the OP needs to contact the authorities via appropriate channels. That's all there is to it.
*Many people seem upset by my post. Fine. They have a right to be upset if that's how they feel. If it's any consolation when I was a young student I also thought every rule, restriction and law was personally aimed at suppressing my rights. Maturity (experience) teaches you that it's not that black and white. Some rules are necessary.*
Inconvenience is not the same as being deprived of a right.
I am happy to encourage people who disagree to say so, but if you want change remember three things :
* I can't change things. You need to exercise normal legal political activity to *try* and get changes *you* want. In normal political activity you do not always get what you want. So contact your student unions, get a petition going, make a logical case to the authorities. But be prepared to not win, because that happens. Never start a battle you are not prepared to lose.
* You can get more with a carrot and stick than you can with a stick. Make a logical case why using a phone would benefit the college and lecturer as well as the student and you'll get a lot further than talking about rights you don't actually have. That kind of approach will sound very naive to the authorities.
* There are better battles for your energies that the right to fiddle with your phone during lectures. Put that youthful vigor into something more useful to the rest of the world, please.
Upvotes: 9 <issue_comment>username_7: The most upvoted answer has the core of the answer right. The rules are set up by the university, including the rule that says that it's the professor's job to set whatever rules in their class, as long as they are not against higher level rules. Also, if you want to go further, the university has been granted the authority to set these rules by the state, which has been granted authority by the people, which mostly mean your parents, and grandparents, and to a lesser degree you.
Now most people here, including the author of the most upvoted answer here, think that since there's such a long chain of authority, and plenty of experience, the professor also has the right of your respect and obedience.
Firstly, respect can only be earned. Whenever I hear someone asking for respect, they lose a bit of my respect to them. They might not care, then they lose even more respect from me.
Secondly, while nobody has the right to anyone's obedience, professors, due to their long chain of command, which literally leads to your parents, do have the tools to enforce obedience if they wish to.
How to handle such an enforcement really depends on the situation. Maybe the professor is actually happy if they find out that you're extending your knowledge. In this case, simply asking a question after class, in a polite way, might make the professor see your way, and maybe even apologize for their previous behavior. Going to the other extreme, they might propose for you to be expelled, at first sight of a phone in your hand, without you even having the possibility to explain anything. This means that the best course of action depends highly both on the actual context, and on your perceived advantages for challenging the authority. Since you only exposed a theoretical general case, there can't be any optimal solution.
I understand how the above is mostly a non-answer, so I want to extend my answer with a personal anecdote, which perfectly exemplifies the situation.
During my bachelor I was in the exact same situation. More specifically, I hated taking notes, as it distracted me from paying attention to what the lecturer was saying. Maybe it's me, but when I'm writing something I can't also process the information that I receive. The lecturer on the other hand, had this rule that everyone has to write everything he was saying. He was pretty much dictating stuff and we were supposed to write it, as if we were second graders learning to write. Some might say that this situation is different, because dictating to students is stupid, while not allowing phones in class is different. Nevertheless, they are both arbitrary rules, set by the professor, which has the power from... from... from... and also the tools to enforce them (see the above part of the answer).
I decided to challenge the rule and simply not write anything. I was just sitting silently and listening to what he was saying. Similarly to what you described, I was not disturbing anyone. It was obvious that I was the only student not writing, so the professor called me out for it. I politely explained my reasoning and the professor replied me with his rule, which needs to be obeyed, as everyone does. I politely declined to obey, and he dropped it for that class. It was a small win. Similar exchanges happened a few more times, but the new ones had mockery added to my address. I always remained polite. This professor was also the dean. Long story short, I did 5 years of bachelor instead of the regular 4. Although to be honest, this was not the only rule that I challenged in that university. I did earn the respect of some of my colleagues, and even of some professors, maybe I even changed some things for the university, but I literally lost one year of my life. I do not regret my choices, but my colleagues who agreed with my thinking, and chose to act differently, also don't regret their choices either.
Finally, you are asking for respect from the professor. I really meant everything I wrote above.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: Excuse yourself to go out into the hall to use your phone.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_9: The answers have been given already, it is disturbing for the teacher to see a student busy with something else than listening and paying full attention to what the teacher is teaching, in the teacher's point of view. It is purely manners. A few teachers might find it not a big deal a student is googling up something about the lecture right away during class, but see that as a given right, not a freedom.
*And to zoom in on your first reasoning:*
What if other students (that are NOT in the back rows) that getting pointed at as well in front of other students (about being busy on their phones) are complaining about you doing the same (while sitting at the last row in the back)?
When something is about to get unfair, younger people get annoyingly childish (no pun), and want the same rights and treatments as others. In the end, the whole lecture or even semester or year might be a disappointment with all those disruptive discussions about paying attention. Especially for students that actually like to listen with full attention!
Though I do understand your interest and way to look things up by the Internet, but that's just an impulsive action. Please have a respectful chat with your teacher about this subject.
*On the contrary:*
It is becoming a part of the lectures in some areas... I know of a few primary schools that educate mainly with use of tablets. Digital boards and pc's are more common in some lectures, ofcourse.
But even then, I can't think of students not listening when the teacher is talking and demonstrating....
Just think about the teacher's point of view, if you will.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_10: **Disclaimer:** I'm 48 years old and have a B.S. degree in Mathematics, so I've got a bit of detachment from this.
This reminds me of a friend of mine who is currently a freshman at a state university. He took calculus his last two years in high school, and assumed that those credits would transfer to the university. They didn't, and the university put him in their first year calculus course.
I asked him a few weeks ago how his classes were going, especially his math class (since that's my degree). He said that he sits in the back of the room and *plays games on his cell phone* because he's seen all of the material before.
What should I tell him? Drop the class and come over my house a couple of afternoons a week for a math lecture? (I didn't say that.)
Contrast this with my first sixth grade math teacher, who had me out of her class and reassigned to the Algebra I class within about two weeks because she realized that I was in the wrong class.
Conclusion: my sixth grade math teacher was more competent that Dr. Whosit at State U.
Based on my experience during my own undergraduate time, there may (or may not) be very little point in complaining about it.
The big up-voted answer lectures us a lot about maturity and responsibility. In one sense, I agree with it. If I had known then what I know now, and had the maturity at 18 that I have at 48, I would have... dropped out of university after my first year and lived homeless on the streets while pursuing my academic studies.
Seriously.
That's a lot of maturity to expect from an 18-year-old. I didn't have it, and it's unreasonable to expect that many people do.
Instead, the adults with terminal degrees who run our schools should do a better job at their profession than what my friend is experiencing. Not sure just what situation OP is in, but there's a lot of people who use "the rules" to cover up for their own incompetence.
---
**Update**: (after 4 up votes and 7 comments) @Ben Voight has rightly criticized me for not answering OP's question, so let me try to address the question directly:
It's very hard to respect people who insist that they're experienced teachers, that they've been placed in positions of authority, that you should obey the rules or leave, but when called out on something as basic as placing a student on an appropriate curricular track, whine about all their rules and regulations and how, despite all their tenure and shared governance, there's just nothing they can do about it.
Respect them anyway, or at least act like you do. It's the most mature course of action.
Keep text messages brief, like, "I'm in class right now. I'll call you back later." Don't play games. There's no reason not to use your phone to look up material related to the class. If the teacher says something, and you're really just goofing off, say "sorry", and put it away. Otherwise, if you think you have a good reason to be using the phone, explain why. If it looks like it's turning into an argument in front of the whole class, try to defuse it with "can we discuss this after class, please". Don't turn it into an argument about rights. Back down for the sake of the entire class.
The key is to **act like you really want to be in their lecture**.
If it's so bad that you just can't stand the act, then you really should leave. The consequences may be severe. Most of my professors would knock off a letter grade, minimum, if you didn't show up to their lectures, even if you could recite everything in their class. Don't bother complaining to the school's administration - it's pointless. Instead, go talk to the individual professors during their office hours. Try to explain, calmly and rationally, why you're bored by the lectures, or you'd rather study the material out of the textbook, or whatever problem you have with the structure of the class. The best teachers understand what educators call "learning styles" and will work with you. The lousy ones won't.
Finally, realize that people who whine about their rights and people who bark orders to "do what you're told or get the hell out" are both immature. A lot of maturity is expressed by voluntarily sacrificing your rights to smooth interpersonal relationships, by standing up for important causes, and by knowing when to do each. When in doubt, favor conciliation over conflict, and dialog over silence.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_11: There are many good answers, but I wanted to add a few points that I did not see elsewhere.
Personally, when I teach, I find it incredibly important to be able to judge how much of my class is following so I can change my pace to suit my student's needs. There are many ways I try to do this, but the best way I know how is to judge based on the faces of my students. If you are on your phone though, I cannot get a feeling for how well you are following. In this sense, your choice to be on your phone is actually making my job harder, so even if you aren't disturbing other students, you may be disturbing the teacher and their ability to get instant feedback from you.
Also, I try hard to promote an atmosphere in which students ask questions, as this is helpful not just for them, but also for other students who may not have even noticed they don't understand. The more students who vocalize their questions, the more benefit to all students. Thus, if you chose to remove yourself from this process by asking questions to google rather than me, you are degrading the learning environment I am trying to create, which hurts other students.
Also, you suggest that a professor should approach you after class or during a break, but in my experience, that isn't feasible. When I call a break in my class, I don't actually get a break, instead students usually immediately approach me to ask individual questions. If I do get a second to breathe, I sure don't want to spend that time running to the back of the room to have a conversation with you about how your phone use isn't conducive to the learning atmosphere I am promoting. Similarly with the end of the class, that is when I hold office hours, so I do not have a chance to go chase you down (especially since you sit in back!!) when I have ten students who want to talk to me about this or that. My only option there would be to call you out and ask you to stay after class, which in my opinion is much worse than a quick comment asking you to get off your phone.
I cannot say if your professor has similar reasons for not letting you use your phone, but there are many reasons why it is indeed an appropriate request. So, to answer your question, as others have advised, you should respect your teachers wishes, and if you wish you can approach the professor after class (a good teacher will give you time to approach them either immediately after class or in office hours, so this is not unreasonable, unlike you expecting a professor to approach you after class). Don't be surprised though if you do not get your professor to budge on the issue. If you feel dissatisfied my your conversation with the professor, you can look into organizations at your institution that allows you to report grievences, but again don't be surprised if this also does not go your way.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_12: The problem with phones is that their primary purpose is to be a phone. I imagine that the professor would not mind if you had a laptop on the desk, s/he would assume you were taking notes.
However the suspicion that you might be using a phone for texting and social media would be very irritating to any teacher however and probably also to students sitting near by. If one person was allowed to do it then so would everyone else and chaos would ensue.
**Suggestion**
If you have a laptop but no access to wifi then you could set up your phone as a wifi hotspot, then put it in your pocket. Connect the laptop and silence any alerts on both devices. You can then google to your heart's content and others will assume you are note-taking.
P.S. Of course check that laptops are allowed before doing this!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_13: I think you need to reconsider your position as a student.
In the US, every course will have a syllabus, which will serve as a contract between students and the instructor. In most other countries, there is something similar. You'd take it or leave it: it is your right to take the course at the given time or not, and it is the right of the instructor to set up some reasonable house rules. "Don't use your phone" is certainly one of them. You have a right to use your phone, but you likely forfeited it temporarily per course or school policy.
Now, if neither your instructor nor your school said you shouldn't use your phone in class, this would be more debatable, but still not to the point where you have a good case. This is not a pub, but a classroom: you are there to learn, as your instructor is there to help you learn. Being on the phone doing stuff is likely not going to help you learn, and would thus be disrespectful to the instructor.
Personally, if it were a large course, I wouldn't care much unless the student is actually being disruptive: it's their tuition and their education, and I could hardly do anything if they decide not to learn.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_14: I'm commenting enough I might as well start porting some of it into an answer...
You probably have little footing to argue on, and this may be a very steep uphill battle that is not worth having because of the high chance of losing, but there is some hope.
Someone else wrote in comment that teachers must follow the code just like police cannot decide who to charge and must follow the law and movie theater workers must enforce the code at the theater.
... except that statement is wrong.
Police *can*, and they *do*, decide when and where to enforce the law. They do it *every day*. It is very common for police to stop a driver for some traffic violation and to either a reduced ticket (for a completely different violation, one which is less severe) or to issue no ticket at all.
Once I even watched a judge tell someone off (not me) for coming in to argue against a ticket that the judge believed was already a reduced ticket. The judge himself said that police do this all the time, that the ticket this defendant had was a type that police never actually give except as a reduction for some other worse violation, and that the defendant should just be happy that he doesn't have the ticket for whatever he actually did.
Likewise, in the classroom the teacher is the enforcer. The teacher has the authority to enforce the rules. The teacher usually has the authority to tell you to put your phone away. They could choose not to, even if the school's code of conduct says "thou shalt not use a phone in class."
When I taught, it was at a place where attendance was mandatory. But I knew that there were some people in the class that already knew the material. So I told them to feel free to skip if they already knew it, and I provided them with a practice test to judge whether they were prepared for the test or if they needed to come to class.
I also provided a "test-out" test the first week of class. I told people they could take a test that was similar to the final, and if they liked their grade they could just accept that for the class and not show up any more. They loved it, especially the ones who got an A, and it meant I did not waste their time and less of my time was wasted as well. Technically, this was against the attendance policy. But it was still the right thing to do.
The rules are there for a reason. They are there to increase some beneficial quality, such as order, peace, or - in the case of school - average grade. When the rules actually cause things to be worse instead of better, then following the rules is actually the problem and the rules are counter to their own reason for existing - this is usually not the case as long as the rules are good, but this does sometimes happen. **The phone in the back row in the classroom is in between these two extremes.** Using your phone in a non-distracting manner does not cause any real problems, and avoiding using it instead does not really provide any benefit (omitting the potential benefit or drawback to *you*, as only you can judge that). So this is a neutral case.
If following a rule in some specific case does no good nor bad, then enforcing it just makes the enforcer look like a jerk. And that might be the case - that is debatable. Unfortunately for you, the enforcer still has the authority to do that even if it could be considered an abuse. It is essentially the "might makes right" attitude, as authority is a form of might.
In your specific argument, where you use it *for class*, as a tool to augment your learning, you have an excellent argument. *If* this is actually a very common thing and is the only way for you to access the class textbook in class, then *and probably only then* would this be a good battle to fight, if you think that it is worth it and that you could succeed in that narrow case. Even then, the fight will probably apply only to that class, and the instant you are noticed doing anything else that fought-for right may be revoked. You may have to have similar fights for each class, though each time you succeed you set a precedent.
For anything else other than the class assigned textbook, this is not as likely to succeed even if the use is to augment class. Unfortunately, if you are looking up a term on Wikipedia, someone can (and likely will) argue against you that you should just write down that term in your notes and look it up after class. I am not saying that is how it should be, but that is a likely counter argument.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_15: So here's my take on this: Using a phone gives the impression that you're distracted. If I'm teaching, and I see students on their phones, I would tend to feel that I'm being ignored or not delivering the message I want to deliver. Some instructors will feel very disrespected by this; others may simply ignore it and continue lecturing.
If you have a valid reason, briefly tell the instructor that you're using it to look up relevant topics, read the book, or otherwise. If the instructor continues to object, put away the phone and discuss the issue in more detail at the end of the lecture. Don't argue it beyond this point during the class.
The tone of the question as written makes it look like you feel entitled to certain rights. While I recognize that you feel invaded, bear in mind that you're in a classroom setting and the instructor generally expects students to be at least minimally respectful and paying attention. Also, there are other students in the classroom, and your actions may set a bad example for others, even if unintentionally and inadvertently, and cause your peers to become distracted during the lecture. Ultimately, my recommendation is to be honest and transparent about what you're doing so the lecturer understands and can help you learn best.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_16: It's a grey area.
From the social norms, "the correct response" is to put the phone away, then find a solution later.
Even if you are not distracting anyone, and even if you are adding to your learning, those are not sufficient to justify your use of the phone. The society is not a math optimization problems, as the constraints of interpersonal relationships and traditions are too great. Otherwise you can make the case that you can cross the road on red light any time there are no vehicles in sight. It sounds logical, but you can't make this argument in front of a judge. Anything that has to do with policy, with multiple people involved, is very time- and energy-consuming, and sometimes the best solution is not the most nuanced.
Even, say, if you aren't distracting anyone, the professor has to always keep in mind, when seeing you, that you aren't distracting anyone. So it's a slight cognitive burden on the professor --- who clearly is distracted. And why should your greater learning take away from the other students', as now professor is 1% more distracted, thanks to you?
More to the point, as others said, stop making excuses. If you did not bring the textbook and need to access it in the cloud, is it the professor's fault that you can't? Or is it your fault that you did not bring the textbook? If you forgot some topic and need to look it up, again, whose fault is it that you are unprepared? Countless research shows that successful people are the ones taking responsibility for their actions and their lives, while unsuccessful people spend their time on this planet complaining and whining and blaming everyone around them for their problems.
The complexity of interpersonal relationships is so great that tens of thousands of smart and trained people around the world struggle to codify the most obvious examples as laws: what is a crime, what exactly is a theft, what exactly is a rape, what exactly is being intentional vs. negligent. Your situation belongs to the range of opinion/tradition, as it is far from clear-cut notions. If you really feel you need this access during the class, I suggest you (1) study really hard to make it clear that you are not just some complaining loser. This would go a long way. Then (2) talk to the professor, and/or (3) find another device, such as a tablet, that is less distracting.
Personally, I just think you are wrong, as in my experience, simply moving your eyes down to the phone and immediately back to the blackboard could affect your ability to pay attention, probably for the next minute or so. You are likely clueless about how learning and attention actually work (though the professor may be equally clueless) to be making the case that it doesn't distract you or the professor or anyone.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/01
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<issue_start>username_0: Last spring I did some teaching at a university. It was my first time. It was a temporary position. I was there 1 semester only. I was paid by the hour.
A couple of things caught my eye about the arrangement:
1. They only paid for the time I spent teaching in *a scheduled group setting*.
2. They did not pay for *prep time*.
By prep time, I mean the time I spent getting ready for a particular class. I saw this term being used elsewhere on SE Academia, not sure how common it is...
In what countries / universities / contexts is it common to not pay teachers for the time they spend preparing a lecture?
FWIW I was teaching an undergraduate media studies course at a private *creative industries*-type university in South America.<issue_comment>username_1: My experience is in the US, and here I think paying by the hour is very rare other than in a consulting situation where it is expected that the person already has the needed expertise and needs no prep time.
Here, one is paid by the course and in a situation like yours the pay would be (likely) very low, but not by the hour, specifically.
Since this is a private institution, it may be that they thought of it as more of a consultancy than a lectureship.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: It is quite common in the UK for hourly payed lecturers to bill University for contact teaching hours only. The rate is usually significantly higher than the hour worth of a full-time lecturer, to account for (unbilled) preparation time.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/02
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<issue_start>username_0: I received a response about a manuscript I reviewed earlier, and the authors write about the reviewer (i.e., me) and ***his concerns***. As a woman, I'm not so keen on this.
Obviously this isn't intentionally insulting or anything like that---it's a minor blip. Nevertheless, it's a bit irksome, and the feminist in me is thinking *that's not right*; it's a [microaggression](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microaggression) (one of the everyday reminders that *you don't belong here*).
I could simply ignore it, but...
**Question**: Should I simply ignore it if authors assume that I'm male in their response to my review of their article?
There's no issues inside the manuscript: they thank the reviewers without using pronouns.
I'm particularly interested in if an editor would typically just groan and consider me a troublemaker for saying anything. And probably not pass the message on to the authors anyway.<issue_comment>username_1: I think you should let this one go.
If you have to use pronouns in situations where you don't know the author's gender, there's always a chance you get it wrong. For example take most questions here on Academia.SE. If you have to refer to the question-asker in a situation where the gender is unknown, do you use 'he' or 'she'? It's either choose one and risk the possibility of getting it wrong, or write 'he or she' everywhere and end up with a very cumbersome answer (not to mention there's still a chance you get it wrong, since it's possible the question-asker identifies as transgender and prefers 'they').
That said, you could write something like this:
>
> The authors have addressed all the issues, and I recommend this paper for publication.
>
>
> PS: I'm female.
>
>
>
Writing something short like this is unlikely to make the editor groan, and he or she (or they) will probably pass your comment on to the authors. Editors don't usually censor reviewers - that only happens if there's something really inappropriate in the review, and this certainly isn't something inappropriate.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_2: I've found that some non-native English speakers use *he* for *they*, because that's how they'd do it in their mother tongue. Perhaps mention in your response (alongside any other language/style/etc.) issues:
>
> Use *they*, rather than *he*, when the person's gender is unknown.
>
>
>
---
From [chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/47470296#47470296):
>
> Most native English speakers over a certain age were taught that the use of "they" to refer to a single person is incorrect (I continue to consider it incorrect).
>
>
>
Indeed, Strunk & White (*The Elements of Style*) write, "The use of *he* as a pronoun for nouns embracing both genders is a simple, practical convention rooted in the beginnings of the English language." They go on to add, "Currently, however, many writers find the use of the generic *he* or *his* to rename indefinite antecedents limiting or offensive."
But, "[Singular *they* has become the pronoun of choice to replace *he* and *she*](https://public.oed.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-singular-they/) in cases where the gender of the antecedent – the word the pronoun refers to – is unknown, irrelevant, or nonbinary, or where gender needs to be concealed...that’s nothing new." The OED "traces singular *they* back to 1375, where it appears in the medieval romance *William and the Werewolf*."
See [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they#Acceptability_and_prescriptive_guidance) for a summary of guidance offered by style guides.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_3: As a reviewer, you are supposed to comment on academic value and scientific correctness of the manuscript.
As a woman, you feel unhappy about authors not guessing a correct pronoun for you and not using an appropriate gender-neutral pronoun.
It seems that the issue has nothing to do with the manuscript and hence you are not reacting with your reviewer hat on. You are considering your response based on your role as woman/feminist/activist — but not as a reviewer. You are not reviewing the paper, you are reviewing author's communicative behaviour.
As long as you make it clear that you are not commenting as as reviewer of a manuscript, I think you can make this remark to the editor.
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: I don't know what an editor would think of it, but I think it's fine to mention your experience of receiving the review with the incorrect pronoun, as long as (like other answers have said) you allow for the possibility that it was a translation error etc.
e.g.
>
> ...authors have addressed all issues...
>
>
> PS. I appreciate this is a relatively minor issue, but as a female reviewer it felt awkward to be referred to as 'he' by the authors.
>
>
>
It may make more sense to do this if there is some action you would like the editor to take, e.g.
>
> Would you consider issuing guidelines to authors and reviewers that they should not presume the gender of their colleagues?
>
>
>
I don't agree that as a reviewer/any other professional role you should have to ignore the discouraging effect that adds up from these interactions.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_5: I think your question can be rephrased like this:
**Should you do what you think it's right, or should you not, because it is likely to bite you back?**
From my experience, nobody likes to be contradicted. Regardless of the context, or even the possible benefits that changing their minds can bring to them, people simply hate it to be contradicted. No matter whom (the journal, the authors, etc) you raise the issue, you'll be perceived as a pain in the ass, smaller or bigger, depending on how diplomatic you are.
What you need to do is to assess 2 things: what you lose and what you gain if you contradict someone. When assessing losses don't forget to include things like the spent effort (like posting this question here) and the virtual losses of debates which you may not have since the current loss will exclude you. When assessing gains don't forget to assess things like the societal impact.
In short: pick your battles. Only you can answer which are worth fighting for.
Edit: People keep misinterpreting my answer, which indicates that it is not clear enough. This is an attempt to clarify it.
Any answer that she should reply about the misuse of the pronoun or that she should let it go, is, in my opinion irresponsible. None of these 2 decisions can be reached simply by using the information provided in the answer. Such a decision should depend on many things, some of which are very personal details about the Original Poster (OP) (some examples are: is she currently involved in a lot of projects, is she currently over stressed, what is her relationship with the journal, does she care about it, can this affect her career, to what extent etc). Due to the nature of such details, I do not expect the OP to clarify the question, but to be helpful, I indicated a basic possible framework, which can help her reach a conclusion of her own.
Most people who already answered here believe she needs a push towards a decision, or a public poll on the matter. Her life is not a democracy, and her personal circumstances are not the same as other people circumstances. It is fair to say what one would do in her position, it is not fair to tell her what to do, from a selfish interest to promote the interests of the answering person, disregarding the possible detrimental effects on the OP and her agenda.
To exemplify, in her position, I would let it go, because I do not think that using the male pronoun as a neutral gender pronoun means anything more than that. I do not think it is non-inclusive, but a mere artifact of how English evolved over thousands of years. Even if it might have had non-inclusive origins (a fact that I do not know of) thousands of years ago, it does not have a non-inclusive meaning now. Still, I personally use *they* when the gender is not clear, because I know it might bother other people, and whether they are right or wrong, I still don't want to annoy them or disrupt the flow of whatever we were doing.
Even if in OP's position, I would let it go, I do not think that this is the best decision for her to take, because the optimal solution depends on her circumstances, of which I am not, and I cannot be aware of. Simply said, I am not her, and I encourage you, the OP, to carefully look inwards for an answer.
I hope that with my edit, which in my opinion, is just rephrasing and exemplifying my original answer, the answer is more clear now.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: If the use of the masculine pronoun to refer to a reviewer of unknown gender is problematic, this is so independently of the gender of the particular reviewer. A formulation like the following allows the reviewer to indicate this without revealing the reviewer's gender. In the reply to the authors the reviewer could write something like the following: *Although the following comment is not relevant to my evaluation of the technical merit of the manuscript, the authors are advised that writing "his concerns" when referring to the concerns of an unknown reviewer presupposes that the reviewer is male, and that such an unfounded assumption could be bothersome to some reviewers.*
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_7: Just drop it.
There are places where it's entirely reasonable for a scholar to start a discussion with a colleague about politically-charged, potentially-inflammatory topics such as microagressions, the appropriateness of using "he" as a genderless pronoun, unintended negative consequence of assuming a random member of a (presumably) male-dominated field is male, etc etc.
Reviewer-author communications are an especially poor choice of such a place.
* Revealing information about your identity or ideological beliefs threatens your anonymity;
* Peer reviews are intended to be objective, impartial, and impersonal, and political activism is decidedly off-topic in this context;
* The review process is already often stressful and tense, and criticism of the author's communication style is more-likely-than-usual to be interpreted as confrontational rather educational.
EDIT: to answer your specific question: as an associate editor, I would do nothing: I would not delete a sufficiently civil correction in the “comments to authors,” nor would I relay anything to the authors if you put it in “private comments to the editor.” I would base all my decisions purely on the technical content of the review.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_8: Firstly, I would check whether the journal has a policy or style guidelines to the effect of using gender-neutral pronouns, and whether the authors are native/non-native speakers of English. If, as you say, you have met one of the authors, you probably can make a strong guess at their nativity.
Case 1: Non-native speaker
Many (I would hazard a guess and say most) non-native speakers, myself included, have been taught never to use "they" in singular. In fact, we received corporal punishments at times if we did that. I learnt about this usage only after I relocated, and since then I've had to consciously convince myself to use it. Secondly, some of the non-English languages I speak, don't have or usually use gender-neutral pronouns. Although that is changing, they are far behind on the curve than English is. Hence, in the case of non-native speakers, I would probably give them a large benefit of doubt.
In this case, I suggest that you write to the editor separately. If they don't have a policy, request that they make one. If they do, explain your experience without naming names and request them to enforce it better.
Case 2: Native speaker
This is would be a more egregious case since we can assume that the person at least knows of this usage, and there's not much room for doubt. In this case, I would go with something like what @username_4 suggests in his answer, except I would modify the 'P. S.' section to say - "This is a relatively minor issue, but I would appreciate it if the authors don't assume the gender of the reviewers in their responses or communications". That way you have made your point without revealing your own gender, thus preserving anonymity.
As to whether the editor would actually pass on the message to the authors - who knows. But I don't believe that you will be immediately branded a troublemaker simply for making this point.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: Well, to bring up a point that only seems to have been in comments...
If you don't care about your anonymity, or those whose anonymity partially depends on your anonymity, then go ahead and say you're a woman.
Else, you might have to say nothing, because by making a note about gendered pronouns, could be taken to hint that you are a woman, because a man is assumed to be less likely to bring the topic up.
Although, men do make such notes, as [Mike](https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/52524/mike) says in his comment:
>
> I (a man) always tell authors who refer to me by gender that it is inappropriate to bring an imagined gender into a technical discussion.
>
>
>
---
Is this blind-bag reviewing, or not?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: >
> Should I simply ignore authors assuming I'm male in their response to my review of their article?
>
>
>
I wouldn't. But - I'd try to say something that sounds dispassionate and not very accusative. Paraphrasing @username_1's suggestion, and assuming the authors get a copy of your recommendation, I'd write something like:
>
> The authors have addressed all the issues; the paper is therefore recommended for publication.
>
>
> PS: In their response to the review, the authors assumed the reviewer was male (e.g. in using references such as "his concerns"). The authors are reminded that is not necessarily the case.
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>
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_11: This has so far been mostly pointed out in the comments, but since comments get culled on topics like this, let me re-state it as an answer:
>
> You don't know whether the authors are actually **assuming** your gender, or merely using a grammatical rule that you dislike, or aren't even fully conscious of their grammar (e.g., being non-native speakers).
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>
>
Any response should take this into account: you don't want to **assume** what the authors are doing either. Thus, as several people on this thread have suggested (often for other reasons), it makes sense to be non-confrontative and not centralize the topic in your response.
The concept of a microaggression, too, does not have the empirical footing that it ought to have before I would start lobbing it as an accusation; google for "microaggression evidence" (e.g., [<NAME>, *Microaggressions: Strong Claims, Inadequate Evidence*](http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1745691616659391)). It isn't hard to draw some lines and define some things to be microaggressions, but the lines will depend heavily on who is drawing them, all while the actual damage done by crossing these lines is far from established. At the very least, the field isn't yet at the point where it can be applied with a resemblance of surety. Correspondingly, whatever you suggest should be a suggestion, not a correction.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_12: Depending on culture the response may be male dominated and therefore the term 'he' is used mindlessly, and especially if the gender is unknown. Names don't give away gender all the time either - especially across cultures.
The term reviewer would be neutral.
There are some points of issue: Are you on a face-to-face known basis or simply on a web distance unknown basis?
If you are not on a face-to-face basis with someone then it may not be important and depending on how your gravy train works it is probably not important.
However if you are known face to face - then sure you might mention you do like to be referred to as she and not he.
In some terms let us put it this way if you are receiving work because of a 'perception' don't kill your gravy train. You KNOW who you are (or maybe not and that is the issue).
Perhaps you want to be recognized as a woman achieving, and not simply as a person achieving?
If someone is presenting an award - one likes to be referred to correctly, but if they pay me 2 million dollars and refer to me as she did an excellent job.. well I certainly did and thank you.
They may get the gender wrong but the pay and the accolade was correct. Better than $0 and saying Sally did such a wonderful job ... just missed the mark completely.
Again if I am on the web writing some code for someone and they are paying me and saying she is fantastic - well, maybe it is a typo, maybe not .. but hey I don't know them personally and maybe they feel comfortable working with a she. I am not going to tell them nor will I tell them if I am Jewish, Chinese, or whatever. I want the work and they can say man that Indian guy is doing great work...As long as they pay me and keep sending me requests for jobs...
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_13: I realized a long time ago that there's very little to be done in situations like these, because regardless of what you say, they can always resort to the grammar-defense: *he* is an accepted pronoun in the case of gender-neutrality, so in their eyes, they're just speaking English.
It doesn't cross their mind that, hey, *negro* is an accepted English word as well, so maybe it would be acceptable to use that word to describe black people too, no? Of course, today, that wouldn't fly: we live in a world where that word is no longer acceptable.
Similarly, all you can do is wait until people evolve enough until the consensus changes in favor of *they*, and not *he*, as the appropiate gender-neutral pronoun. There's definitely a clear trend towards *they*, so it might happen sooner than you think, but, really, waiting is all you can do. Making a fuss about this is going to make people become defensive (because personal egos are more important than deep societal issues) and that isn't going to end well for you.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_14: Apply [Hanlon's razor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor) with great liberty. It is most probably thoughtlessness in this case.
Peer-review is supposed to be a neutral and objective process, which involves the authors not communicating directly with the reviewers. Thus, the authors most probably had no idea you are a woman.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_15: I'd like to write more or less what username_3 wrote in his answer
>
> It seems that the issue has nothing to do with the manuscript and hence you are not reacting with your reviewer hat on. You are considering your response based on your role as woman/feminist/activist — but not as a reviewer. You are not reviewing the paper, you are reviewing author's communicative behaviour.
>
>
>
but **without** the last part where he suggests that
>
> As long as you make it clear that you are not commenting as as reviewer of a manuscript, I think you can make this remark to the editor.
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>
>
I believe the professional thing to do in this context is just ignoring the pronoun, without any remark whatsoever.
It's curious that this question comes more or less at the same time as this one: [How to react to a student proselytising during office hours?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/119577/how-to-react-to-a-student-proselytising-during-office-hours) . I think the two settings are more similar than it seems at first sight. This is a context in which you should focus on content and stick to business, not try to convince the paper's author of his/her mistakes on a matter unrelated to the content of the paper, even if you believe it's for the greater good.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_16: I'm going to suggest something a bit different - others have hinted at this, but really there are two activities here that are being terribly conflated and should really be addressed completely separately.
As far as *this specific review* goes, I would completely drop it. The issue is not relevant to the review whatsoever and there are enough unknowns here to preclude your knowing the author acted out of malice (which, in fact, it is most likely the opposite case - that they wrote this with your identity being no more than an username_20 talking head and without giving it a second thought). This is issue one.
The second issue is your desire to raise awareness about gender issues in academia generally. This is doubly so the case if we default to the assumption that the original author was not being malicious but rather just defaulting to a perfectly normal standard of language which appears to be falling out of popular favour (and which you would like to change).
Consider now the second goal and the things you might do to effectively achieve that goal. What will it achieve to write a letter to the author? The editor? Probably close to nothing, and you risk introducing confusion and uncertainty into the review process. Going straight back to the author or editor here is a high-controversy, low-impact action. You won't change many peoples' ideas and you risk exposing yourself to blowback.
If this is an issue that is important to you I would suggest that you take this up as a completely separate activity entirely disconnected from this specific review. If it's an issue with one journal, surely it must be an issue with all journals and reviewers and authors in the field. Do you want to spend time and effort changing one author's mind? Or one journal's? Or do you want to actually do something effective to promote this type of change across the field?
I feel your efforts would be better rewarded by focusing them away from this specific review - why not completely independently make contact with all of the major journals in your field? Raise it as an issue on its own and pursue it on its own merits - this turns it into a general issue rather than a specific one (which you might be seen to have a conflict of interest regarding the particular review in question).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_17: *If* the answer to the reviewer was restricted in length (based on characters), my suggestion is to ignore it.
In that case, "he" is simply one of the shortest pronouns available in English, and in length-limited texts, every character may count when struggling for including another statement relevant to the content of the paper or of the review.
That doesn't mean there are no better choices available, such as using "R" to refer to the reviewer (or "R1", "R2", ..., in the case of multiple reviewers) in a stylistically clumsy (based on *current* preferences, where repeated mentions of the same object are typically substituted with pronouns - this may be changing, of course), but short and gender-agnostic way.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_18: The person is not necessarily assuming you are male. Similar to what you encountered, many women use "she" or "her" when the gender is unknown. Not using a pronoun in that spot may have made the sentence structure read awkwardly, and they might not be aware of the increasing use of "they" in such a case.
I have had women use "she" or "her" when writing about me when they did not know that I was male. I was annoyed for just a few seconds, until I realized that I occasionally do the same thing in reverse, and for that reason I have started using "they" as a gender-neutral singular pronoun. But not everyone does that.
In short: They might not be assuming you are male, but they had to write *something* in that spot.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_19: I encourage you to speak up. As you suggested, it's probably fair to think of it as a minor slip-up, indicating ignorance or implicit bias rather than overt bias or intent to harm — so your response should probably treat it as such. But nothing will improve if we stay silent.
Below I'll say how I might respond, but first I want to address the many wrong-headed arguments against responding that I've seen on this page, so I'll make a list and respond to each. I'll be paraphrasing, but I think these are fair representations of the various points.
* **English evolved over centuries to arrive at gender-neutral "he".** English evolved in societies that were generally swamps of *overt* misogyny. The fact that the patriarchy has always done it this way doesn't mean it should always be done this way. Nor do modern notions of equality expunge history of its inequalities. When <NAME> wrote that "all Men are created equal", women really did not have equal rights (not to mention non-white or even just non-rich men), and it's silly to pretend that we're doing anything but rewriting the text by interpreting that to include women.
* **There's no good alternative.** Many of the comments have refuted this pretty well. Pronouns can be avoided altogether by talking about "the reviewer" or similar. Alternatively, singular "they" is actually deemed acceptable by many authorities, and will get the point across in any case.
* **The authors might have a different first language where default-masculine is totally standard throughout many of their language structures.** That's fine, but now they're communicating in English — and in a professional setting.
* **But the authors weren't even assuming your gender.** That doesn't matter; it's still problematic to use "he". While ethicists will talk about *intent* being important for deciding whether or not an action is ethical, there are also considerations about reckless disregard for the consequences. Reckless homicide is still homicide. If they offended you by their reckless and unnecessary use of a masculine pronoun (minor though the offense may be), it was still offensive.
* **Not everyone can agree that what they did was problematic.** That's true, just as not everyone can agree that it *wasn't* problematic. We fight for *our own* principles. If we only stood up on unanimous decisions, we would never stand up — and there would be no point anyway.
* **It's too minor to bother with.** As you said, it's really about your status as a full and equal member of your community — which is not minor. You deserve respect.
* **Don't start trouble.** You're not the one who started it.
* **An academic review isn't the appropriate venue to introduce your feelings or politics.** Again, you didn't start this; the authors are the ones who acted unprofessionally by introducing some imagined gender. They communicated poorly, and it is absolutely a reviewer's job to suggest improvements and to act as the arbiter of standards in the community. Suppose they had said something that was clearly intentionally and extremely racist. Would it still be inappropriate to address the matter?
* **You'll harm your professional relationships.** This is username_20 review. The editor you're dealing with is the only person who will know who you are, and in my experience they are professionals who understand that they need to keep things professional — though it is true that highly specialized journals survive because they are run by individuals who are in that specialized field, and thus may be more likely to encounter you personally, in which case you may need to use your judgment. The authors won't know who you are, and might just become more conscientious in their treatment of women in your field — possibly including you personally. If you can't speak up now, when can you?
* **You'll pierce the veil of anonymity by revealing your gender.** You don't need to refer to your gender at all. I'm a man, and I *always* advise authors who refer to me using a gender that it's not professional. I don't recall ever mentioning my gender when I did that. In any case, revealing your gender would only be a *partial* piercing of that veil, narrowing down the list of possible reviewers to people who might care about this sort of thing.
* **You can't change anything.** In each case where I've advised authors not to use masculine pronouns for username_20 reviewers *and* where there's been another round of revisions (so that I saw a response from them), they've apologized and said they won't do it again. I can't say whether they took the lesson on equality to heart, but as long as their words change that was a positive outcome.
* **They don't deserve to be punished for your feelings.** This isn't punishment; this is a very private communication, limiting the extent of any embarrassment or any other consequences they may experience. Whereas many commenters here are suggesting that their use of the masculine is not a big deal, I would also point out that your response will not be a big deal. All you're doing is giving them a tiny bit of sound advice. And this isn't just about feelings; it's about equality in the workplace.
---
So we're left with the conclusion that we really should say something, but the issue is what to actually say. I can't claim to have the optimal solution, but I can say what I do in this situation and what my reasoning is. I generally write something along these lines after anything else I have to say:
>
> In their response, the authors referred to the username_20 reviewer's concerns as "his" concerns, despite not knowing the reviewer's gender. The use of masculine pronouns in gender-neutral situations is no longer considered correct in modern English, and is generally perceived as unacceptable in a professional setting. In cases like this, it would probably be more effective to write things like "the reviewer's concerns". Though this is a minor issue, we all need to be careful and make an effort to maintain a professional and inclusive environment for the benefit of our shared field.
>
>
>
Though the wording is a bit awkward in places, I have some motivation for it. Obviously, I want to get the point across without the authors becoming defensive. So I start off by stating the facts as plainly as possible — they really did write that, and didn't know the reviewer's gender. Then I de-personalize it by using the passive voice and referring neither to the authors nor to myself; I talk about things like "correctness" and "professionalism" to point towards external standards that are generally accepted rather than some random reviewer's idiosyncrasies. I suggest a more appropriate alternative, couching it as "effective" in an effort to appeal to practical-minded authors. I make sure to say that this is a minor issue because (as evidenced on this page) some people may overreact and take it as a personal accusation of some grave moral defect or an implication that the authors are irredeemable monster; it's just a one-off mistake made by people who are probably quite decent individuals. I try to defuse potential defensiveness by including myself and saying "we" have to do this and by talking about the benefit of our shared field. And I say that we need to be "careful" and "make an effort" to suggest that these things aren't always obvious and automatic.
Again, though, that's just what I would write. Some commenters have suggested that you might specifically say that you are a woman. I can't claim to have any insight on that; I can imagine it might be counterproductive for anyone not inclined to agree with you anyway, or it might be persuasive to people who didn't realize actual women might feel this way, or maybe it'll just plain make you feel better for standing up for yourself (which is also a valid objective). You're the best judge of that. In a similar vein, while I don't want to start [tone policing](http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Tone_argument), I'll just point out that this page also demonstrates that some people are triggered by words like "feminist", "misogynist", and "microagression" (not to mention "triggered"), which can push the discussion toward [derailment](http://web.archive.org/web/20181110080917/http://www.derailingfordummies.com/). Evidently, people get distracted by the words themselves. They fail to notice that you use them not as some sort of *rationale* for why you *should* feel this way, but in an effort to *communicate* what you actually *do* feel; the communication breaks down. While I find such objections childish and feeble-minded, there's no arguing with the fact that they occur. And if you want to maximize your likelihood of making a positive impact, it may be better to avoid them. So sticking to your specific feelings in this particular case, rather than appealing to the more general context, would be the more effective path.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_20: This is an issue that is best addressed through the editor of the journal. Ultimately the best solution might be for a revision of the "Guide for Authors" noting the correct form of address (i.e., "reviewer one," "reviewer two," or "they"). A revision to the "Guide for Authors" would also allow editors more opportunity in the future to correct authors to ensure appropriate forms of address.
While the desire to address the author is understandable, I don't see how it could be done without violating any of the [types of blind review](https://www.elsevier.com/reviewers/what-is-peer-review):
* Single Blind - They might now know enough to tell who you are in a field with low representation.
* Double Blind - Same as single blind, plus for reasons that other answers have noted, you shouldn't be assuming their national origin.
* Triple Blind - Same as above, plus the editor now has enough information to maybe guess who you are.
Another consideration is if the author sees your feedback along with a reject notice from the editor. Depending upon their basis, they might assume that you were unduly harsh in your review because of the microaggression. It's also going to be a one-way communication which generally makes for a poor learning experience on the part of the author.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_21: How often was the possessive adjective "his" or pronoun "he" used? Once, twice or several times? It sounds like it was used once.
The OP acknowledged it was probably a simple mistake, `a minor blip` so she should treat it like one. Ignore it.
If it happens again with the same author(s), she should not shy from pointing out "their" repeated and unintentional blunder to the editor or in a friendly personal email.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_22: I assume there is an editor. So I would ask the editor to let the referee know that their readership and authors are male and female and they should not presuppose a male author through the use of their pronouns. This way you don't embarrass the referees and also don't enter into confrontation with them.
Upvotes: 2
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<issue_start>username_0: I was pursuing Ph.D. at a certain institution, let's call it X. After I started working, my experiments would fail repeatedly. My supervisor started calling me incompetent in the first two months of starting my Ph.D. Only later did I know that my experiments were failing due to some uncontrollable factor that I was not initially aware of. Later, I found research articles to support my argument and told about the same to my supervisor. Now, he was pressurizing me to do something unethical and I refused, quit the program after one year. Now, I am planning to pursue Ph.D. somewhere else, probably in the USA. Should I tell the admission committee and prospective supervisor what I went through and why did I left first Ph.D. programme?<issue_comment>username_1: I would not put that full story on the initial admission, perhaps you could put that time as "research" or somesuch...
If questions in an interview bring it into the open, then you should have an answer ready that is truthful and relevant. How and what you say is for you to know...
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: In the US, most graduate schools will ask for a transcript from every school you ever enrolled in. So, they will know that you were in this program and left it without a degree. Given this, it is a good idea to concisely, neutrally, and optimistically describe the circumstances under which you left in your statement of purpose. For example, rather than saying unethical, you may want to say "I did not feel his suggestion of X was appropriate."
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: There are a lot of reasons that people want to change programs. You don't need to have a justification to want to join the program of Y rather than X. You are seeking better guidance and a more supportive atmosphere, but you don't even need to stress that.
Don't however, make accusations about individuals.
In your written application materials, just list the existing program. In your statement of purpose focus on that (SOP), not on the past. If there is a well respected potential advisor or group sharing your interests, focus on that. Make it forward looking and positive.
If you are asked during an interview you can say that you were a poor fit for the other program and had some ethical concerns with behavior there. You don't need to go into detail, and, again, shouldn't make accusations.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: Last year, I started collaborating with a high-level professor in the field in a good but not the best institute. Before leaving there, I discussed with her a possible opportunity to having her recommendation letter. Also, I asked about the possible opportunity to becoming her Ph.D. student. She seemed okay about this, however, she told me there will be an interview.
Now, I want to send an email to her letting her know that I want to be considered as her potential graduate student while having her recommendation letter because I do not know yet what options I will have. Her recommendation letter will really help me, but I do not want to lose the chance to be considered as her potential graduate student.
I worry that my asking her for a letter of recommendation, while at the same time asking to be considered for admission as her own graduate student, might look like I am too ambitious! How does it sound to a professor? What are the possible reaction of a natural professor to this? Is it mature and rational to send such an email? If I were the professor, I will definitely realize the student is looking for as many opportunities as feasible, however, I may not consider him as a potential student. Please help me to clarify my thoughts on this point.<issue_comment>username_1: This depends greatly on both the place and the field. In some places admissions are controlled by individual professors who agree to take you or not. In such a place a recommendation letter wouldn't be needed, just her acceptance.
But in other places admissions are an administrative matter separate from advising/supervising. In such a place or field, both would be desirable, with the letter of recommendation more important for admission.
But if you do need both, just ask. Remind her of the earlier work. Let her know that you would be honored to be her student and ask for a letter of recommendation based on your past work. She will know the rules, of course, and will respond appropriately to the request.
One possible outcome might be the letter only, without an agreement to serve as your advisor. You might need to seek that later or be left working with another.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: It is extremely common in my experience to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation while at the same time expressing interest in pursuing further work with that same said professor. I did it myself.
Professors realize that they might not be your only option. Placing their students in graduate programs (where ever they may be) always reflects positively on them.
You have actually done much of the hard work already. You have already talked with this professor about your future plans and sought to gauge her opinion on your becoming her student. If she seemed at all open to taking you on as a student, she will also be open to writing you a letter of recommendation.
I would say something like the following:
>
> Hi Professor McGonagall,
>
>
> You and I spoke briefly last year about some of my plans for graduate school. I am applying to several programs and I am in hopes that I could obtain a letter of recommendation from you. As one of my options, I am planning on applying to the program at [your university], with you as my potential advisor. Is there a time we could meet to discuss these items further? I am available any time next week on Wednesday or Thursday.
>
>
> Thank you,
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>
> mathvc\_
>
>
>
Any reasonable professor would be happy to discuss bringing you on as a graduate student and writing you a letter of recommendation for other options as well. My master's advisor did so for me; I have also done so for my own students. If this professor tells you that she will only write you a letter for her own program and is offended that you would look at other options, **you do not want her as your advisor.** It would be very worrisome to me if advisor was only willing to take me on as a student if I applied to no other programs. It signals an advisor who is a controlling advisor.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/02
| 758
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<issue_start>username_0: Through this link, <https://www.elsevier.com/physical-sciences-and-engineering/mathematics/journals/fast-publication>, one sees the publishing times for selected Elsevier journals, given by Elsevier itself. My question is whether there are averaging times listed for more/all of Elsevier journals, and if so, where to find them. (for example, the Journal of Number Theory)<issue_comment>username_1: This depends greatly on both the place and the field. In some places admissions are controlled by individual professors who agree to take you or not. In such a place a recommendation letter wouldn't be needed, just her acceptance.
But in other places admissions are an administrative matter separate from advising/supervising. In such a place or field, both would be desirable, with the letter of recommendation more important for admission.
But if you do need both, just ask. Remind her of the earlier work. Let her know that you would be honored to be her student and ask for a letter of recommendation based on your past work. She will know the rules, of course, and will respond appropriately to the request.
One possible outcome might be the letter only, without an agreement to serve as your advisor. You might need to seek that later or be left working with another.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: It is extremely common in my experience to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation while at the same time expressing interest in pursuing further work with that same said professor. I did it myself.
Professors realize that they might not be your only option. Placing their students in graduate programs (where ever they may be) always reflects positively on them.
You have actually done much of the hard work already. You have already talked with this professor about your future plans and sought to gauge her opinion on your becoming her student. If she seemed at all open to taking you on as a student, she will also be open to writing you a letter of recommendation.
I would say something like the following:
>
> Hi Professor McGonagall,
>
>
> You and I spoke briefly last year about some of my plans for graduate school. I am applying to several programs and I am in hopes that I could obtain a letter of recommendation from you. As one of my options, I am planning on applying to the program at [your university], with you as my potential advisor. Is there a time we could meet to discuss these items further? I am available any time next week on Wednesday or Thursday.
>
>
> Thank you,
>
>
> mathvc\_
>
>
>
Any reasonable professor would be happy to discuss bringing you on as a graduate student and writing you a letter of recommendation for other options as well. My master's advisor did so for me; I have also done so for my own students. If this professor tells you that she will only write you a letter for her own program and is offended that you would look at other options, **you do not want her as your advisor.** It would be very worrisome to me if advisor was only willing to take me on as a student if I applied to no other programs. It signals an advisor who is a controlling advisor.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/02
| 499
| 2,111
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<issue_start>username_0: How would you weight each factor below on choosing an advisor?
1 - My interest in the advisor's research topic.
2 - How well he/she dedicates time and effort to guide me.<issue_comment>username_1: This is a Hobson's Choice as stated. In reality you need both.
But in reality each of these ideas is defined by a wide range. Your interest can be a little or a lot. The more interested you are the better. But if your interest is zero it is a big mistake to choose that.
The support provided by a professor can be a little or a lot. Even if it is "low" the needed support may be provided by others, say post-docs or senior lab researchers. But if the support is zero (in time/effort), again, it is a big mistake to choose this. Moreover, the *kind* of support provided by different advisors can vary widely. They can be the source of a problem that you solve, or they can be a collaborator.
In realistic situations you need a balance. Moreover, the balance is partly determined by yourself. How wide are your interests? How flexible are you? Are you driven to a particular sub-sub-sub-field or are you willing to explore anything "interesting"? How much guidance do *you* need? Are you a dedicated self studier or do you need a kick to get moving in some given direction?
Think about your own personal situation and make a choice. But zero on either of the two indices you are looking at is probably a bad choice.
---
However, at the undergraduate level this is a less critical choice since you have a variety of things to do beyond research. As you are just getting started in research, it might be wiser to choose someone who will give you more help rather than less despite a low interest in the specific topic. At the doctoral level, the topic becomes more important.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I would weigh the second factor much more heavily. It's hard to know how interesting a subject will be before you get started with it, especially if you're new to doing research at all. But the engagement of your advisor is important no matter the topic.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/02
| 934
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<issue_start>username_0: This is a question that has been in my mind for a month now. I am a final year M.Sc student in mathematics and applying for graduate school this year. But for applying to graduate schools, let's say in Europe, it is recommended that you should study the papers of Professors to whom you are applying. My question is how to go about reading the papers? Let's say I am interested in doing research on a particular topic (let's say X) and I have only taken a basic course on that topic X. I should have done my M.Sc thesis in X but in my university, nobody is working on X. Also, I didn't know I am interested in X until the last year otherwise I would have done some internships on this topic. With this background, there is no way I could understand the papers of a Professor who is working on the subject X for years. This is certainly not a problem in the US as you don't have to apply to a Professor, but in Europe, I think in most of the cases, you have to directly apply to a Professor. So, what to do in this case?
Thanks in advance!
Sorry for my bad English.<issue_comment>username_1: Don't expect to understand the whole paper. Many researchers won't manage that either anyway, without a fair amount of time. Read the introduction. That should be written in simpler/less technical words, and give you an idea of what's going on. If that's still too hard, identify the main words in the title/abstract, and see if there are corresponding articles of Wikipedia (which isn't reliable enough to quote, but in many areas is actually pretty accurate).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: First an answer that is (half) joking. Try to read the paper. If that fails your understanding, get the papers cited in the references and try to read those. Proceed recursively deeper until either (a) you understand the paper(s) or (b) you reach Euclid. In case of (b) you should probably find another field. In case of (a) work forward again to the original paper.
While there is some truth to the above, appalling as it sounds, note that the farther you go back the broader is the coverage of the papers, generally speaking. The research frontier (where the professor wrote the paper) is very narrow in mathematics. But it has a lot of background that goes into getting to that frontier. If you understand that background, or at least some of it, you are doing well. The research edge is like the tip of a funnel, with a wider body of knowledge behind it. Textbooks stand a fair ways back from the frontier, but maybe a bit closer to the edge than they are to Euclid. If you have a good general understanding of the broader field (analysis, say, or algebra) you won't have to go back too far.
I'll note that this is much easier to do now than it was fifty years ago. Then, to trace back a chain of citations you had to go to a physical library and for many of the papers ask the librarian to get you a copy from some, yet bigger, library. Now, the more recent stuff is available online, though you may still need to have the librarian get you a copy to avoid charges imposed by publishers.
It is a hard job to get started in this. Having done it once, however, for a narrow field, the outlines of what is known in that sub-domain will become clearer to you and you won't need to repeat this too often. Moreover, the funnel narrows fairly quickly so there is, perhaps, less to understand than you might fear.
In my own case, the number of steps back from the edge to what you could find in good analysis textbooks was only half a dozen steps, if you had the right insights. The essential papers you needed to read to get the insight was, again, only half a dozen or so. With those insights I can explain the essence of my work (very old now) to good undergraduates, though not with all the details. OTOH, it is probably the professor him/herself that will give you those insights.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/02
| 577
| 2,395
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<issue_start>username_0: I am working on a hot topic of research in a subfield, and I am possibly going to cooperate with a senior research scientist who is interested in this topic specifically. However, during our discussion, he mentioned that all research that has been done up to this point are rubbish, which, to be honest, may be correct. I am a bit confused about whether this could be a warning sign about collaborating with him.
The question is: Could this attitude be a warning sign to not collaborate with a potentially arrogant senior researcher?<issue_comment>username_1: Dismissal of previous research in the field is not problematic in itself. As you concede in the question, you may even share this assessment. The possible problem, which you can't really assess from one general comment like this, is whether the researcher lets that opinion drive his research in inappropriate ways. I'd say that's a question of emotional maturity. Does this person *need* to be right where everybody else is wrong, in order to feel fulfilled or successful? That would be a big problem. But, being overly risk-averse, and "going with the flow" too much, could also be a problem. In science, the main thing is to look at evidence dispassionately, and draw conclusions based on the scientific method. Any character trait or emotional immaturity can threaten one's ability to do that.
TL;DR: It's not a problem in itself, but it could lead you toward some worthwhile inquiry. Focus on the person's ability to manage their strong opinions or emotional dispositions and integrate them into appropriate scientific techniques, not so much on the specifics of what those opinions or emotional dispositions are.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Like others, I would say it's just a single data point. Also look at if the guy is a hype scientist or domineering with advisees. Ask his students how he is and ask a few students outside his group but at his department. If he's a bad guy, you will find more smoke.
You might also see how you click with the guy. I like a flippant, cut through the euphemisms style. Some don't. But I hate hype science. If he was self deprecating in an sarcastic manner as well that would be a positive for me. But you have to figure out if you can work with him or not. And some of it depends on you, not him.
Good job letting your spidey sense tingle.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/03
| 1,446
| 6,182
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<issue_start>username_0: This semester, due to an increase of students enrolled, I was assigned to teach an introductory course. The course had been previously taught by two lecturers, who taught a different half of the course. The two do not know well the other half, so they developed the teaching material independently. This semester two lecturers were added and each of us teach the whole course.
It turns out that the slides for the second part are very superficial and contain some serious mistakes and omissions, and so do the tutorials. Mind that the errors are on basic definitions upon which the rest of the material is developed. Also the textbook is horrible because it is aimed at business students and is very wordy with many examples but little clear explanation and definitions.
I spoke to the lecturer in charge of the first part, who is also course coordinator, and we agreed that it was too late to change the slides and we would do something for the next year. However, the other lecturer must have been informed of my complaints and turned nasty to me, even though I have been careful not to criticise the person but only the material. Therefore, I really do not feel like helping them with comments and suggestions. Mind that it is not an ego problem here, I don't give a damn about proving my colleagues wrong, I only want to do my job and move on.
In any case, I have now to teach five weeks of material containing mistakes. Should I follow the material and teach wrong things or should I warn the students of the mistakes on the slides and teach the right stuff?
Personally I would prefer the second option (for ethical and selfdignity reasons) but that may create problems in the exam when students have to answer questions on the wrong defintions. Also, the students may be confused and the reputation of the course would be damaged. Lastly, I do not want to talk to the head of department now because it is too late and we all know what happens to whistleblowers.<issue_comment>username_1: As a compromise, given you are staying with the existing slides, consider saying things like "For purposes of this course, the definition of X is [what the slides say] but many people use [more conventional definition]". That way, the students know what they should assume during the exam, but have been warned that they will see different definitions in the future.
In thinking about contributing to updating the slides, you would be doing it to help future students, not to help the instructor who wrote them.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This situation is so close to my own that I had to check that I was not in fact the OP. If the subject matter is, for example, introductory statistics for undergraduate students majoring in something else, such as business studies, or psychology, there is evidence that it is a subject that, when taught by non-specialists, is prone to major error.(See Haller and Krauss, 2002). I inherited lecture notes that were just wrong on certain issues (such as the interpretation of a p-value). In my university, I am pleased to say, that when I pointed this out (and gave references to show that it was not just my opinion) they said: we would never ask you to teach something that you believe to be wrong.
The key point, it seems to me is to be able to show in the way that academics accept, that is by citing references, that there are errors in the material that has been produced.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Sorry, but I don't see room for compromise here assuming the case is fairly stated. It is an ethical issue about what is taught to students. It is not acceptable to "teach" them things that are known to be incorrect. No one should ever teach anyone things that they know will later need to be unlearned. You are positively damaging them and insisting that they absorb falsehoods in order to advance their careers.
Furthermore, it is an ethical violation to put a low level faculty member or lecturer in a situation in which this is required.
Being able to stand up to such idiocy is the precise reason that we have academic freedom in the first place, though, I suspect, little freedom is granted to you.
Letting such a situation go forward is wrong. Forcing you into the situation is also wrong.
Unfortunately, the solutions are painful. Probably the best outcome, if you can force change, is to ask the dean to relieve you of this course and that you have ethical reasons for needing this relief. That will probably blow back on you, though I hope not. In the best case it will force a wake-up in a place where it might be useful. But perhaps he/she can assign you other duties so that you don't have to participate in an ethical breach.
Maybe you should be the course coordinator.
Your objections are already known to some, at least. So you are already a whistleblower.
Note that I'm less concerned about the *quality* of the materials, than I am that definitions are being given that are incorrect. Students will be disadvantaged in future by having to learn these. I am also not concerned that the textbook is mostly examples rather than a more rigorous treatment. Examples are good, actually, if they lead you to correct reasoning. There are a lot of valid ways to use such materials.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> It turns out that the slides for the second part are very superficial and contain some serious mistakes and omissions, and so do the tutorials. ... I spoke to the lecturer in charge of the first part, who is also course coordinator, and we agreed that it was too late to change the slides and we would do something for the next year.
>
>
>
Sorry, but I don't think that is a reasonable decision. If the slides contain serious errors, that are known to you, then you cannot reasonably continue to use them as materials for the students without correction. There is no such thing as it being "too late" to correct errors in teaching materials. At a minimum, you need to correct the errors in the slides you will be using. A broader improvement of the materials can wait until you both have time to rewrite it.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/03
| 550
| 2,327
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<issue_start>username_0: I don't mean misconduct that will make him get expelled or miss his academic requirement. He will have received sanction like making an apology or suspension for a month if the university finds it out earlier. But the student now has graduated and will not be back. Can the university still do something to him?<issue_comment>username_1: This depends entirely on what the misconduct was and the university in question. One extreme case is [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sch%C3%B6n_scandal#Aftermath_and_sanctions) where he published many articles using fabricated data. The University of Konstanz revoked his degree after the subsequent investigation of academic dishonorable misconduct. For something like this, the institution that had initially conferred the degree may revoke the degree despite the individual having already graduated.
If the individual has graduated, but has not yet been issued the degree, and depending on the severity of the misconduct, the university may also withhold the degree until further notice.
Overall, it really depends on the university's judgment on how severe the misconduct was. There are no universal rules regarding how the university ought to punish a student based on the misconduct (e.g., some universities are much more strict about plagiarism or cheating than others).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In the US, I do know people's degree were revoked after they had got it, but this thing rarely happened. At least in my alma mater, it never happened.
Also bear in mind, revoking a student's degree is actually a shame for the university too, because people may question the university that didn't your guys carefully check your students' dissertation before letting them graduate?
As for the reason of revoking a student's degree, I feel it is always the same: Their dissertations are subject to data fabrication or plagiarism. Honestly, plagiarism rarely happened over the course of the past 10 years, because most universities would conduct the plagiarism check immediately after the students submitted their dissertations to graduate school, at least in my university our dissertations are subject to plagiarism check using Turnitin software. But data fabrication, it is really hard to know at the first hand.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/03
| 1,070
| 4,642
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm about a junior-senior in college and got the chance for an interesting lab that's conducting research information theory, where the role would be to help write ML model code. This is an area of interest for me and I think I could learn a lot from it.
I want to know if it's reasonable to expect to be paid, because this position doesn't compensate. I've heard of some positions that are and some that aren't. Money isn't that big of an issue but it's a nice to have. There are part time jobs I've been considering and admit that if I were to receive payment, I would probably spend more time doing research on this than working on my own projects. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn, disclaimer, I know I'm not entitled to anything.
I know it's related to and I don't want to open up the argument for should interns be paid. But are undergraduate researchers normally paid?<issue_comment>username_1: Usually, undergraduate research assistant positions are compensated in two ways: 1) academic credit or 2) hourly wage.
From my own personal experiences, paid undergraduate research assistantships are hard to come by. In the United States, a lot of these positions are considered "work studies" where it's considered an on-campus, part-time employment. However, even then, a lot of these positions were restricted to lower-income students who were able to document financial need. Usually, the research labs would be using their research grants to fund these paid positions. As many people in academia may know, research funds are also hard to come by. A lot of labs may have limited funds that they prioritize for hiring more important positions like Graduate Research Assistants/Associates or Lab/Project Managers.
Undergraduate Research Assistant positions compensated via academic credit are much more common since they allow for students to take fewer classes (and also saves the lab's funds).
However, when neither options are given, then it's ultimately just a volunteer position where the undergraduate may take on the position for intrinsic value or to gain experience.
Ultimately, a lot of professors and researchers may agree that it makes sense to compensate undergrads for hourly wage if possible (especially if they're putting in significant amount of work every week!), but a lot of times, it's really just the fact that the labs do not have the adequate funds to do so.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Not all undergraduate research has any source of funding other than the salaries paid to professors. This varies widely by field and by place, of course, but math in the US typically has little outside funding, though it can have. If a project is externally funded it will likely have a provision for student researchers being paid. But otherwise there is no way to really do it.
Almost all colleges and universities in the US require research of their professors, but not all require that it be funded externally. Again this differs by field. All universities *love* external funding, of course, and top universities require it. In those places, funding for students would be common.
Some universities have a senior level course in which students do research and write a paper, though it may not be intended, necessarily, for publication. Such research may or may not contribute to the research of the professor who guides the research, and may just be used to give a bit of experience in working independently. In my own case, I was in a special Honors Program, that required a senior thesis, guided by a professor. Mine was never published (and was pretty awful, as I look back). But it gave me some experience, which was the goal. There was no payment (and no funding) other than that it "counted" as two normal courses - 6 total credits out of around 150 total.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It depends on the field. If you're doing something that is valuable in the job market, like programming, then you should be able to find a research assistant job that pays. Particularly as you near graduation and have useful skills to offer.
At engineering schools for example, even when an internship which earns academic credit is a required part of the curriculum, the internships generally also pays a salary. Hence an internship as part of the program will be a big draw for applicants, as it implies you must be able to get these jobs for students. Unpaid research projects are sometimes called "capstones" instead.
In other fields (like journalism perhaps) which are not high-paying professions with constant demand, it can be a different story.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/03
| 860
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<issue_start>username_0: I want to know how to proceed in an experimental research, where there is a conflict between different theories with different predictions. I.e. the theory A predicts X > Y, while the theory B predicts X ≠ Y or X < Y.
So, can I, based on the conflicting theories, adopt and test both hypothesis in my research? Or do I really have to pick one?<issue_comment>username_1: I assume you are not talking about mathematics in which things can be definitively proven. In (most) other fields that doesn't happen. Research provides evidence for a theory but doesn't prove or disprove it. If you *accept* an hypothesis your experiment shows that within certain statistical bounds the hypothesis is likely to be true. Rejecting it doesn't prove it false, it just concludes that there is less evidence that it might be true.
But research with rejected hypotheses is still valid research. Something is learned about the potential truth of the hypothesis. So, if you research something and need to reject the hypothesis as stated, you can, certainly, start to explore alternate, even contradictory, hypotheses.
For a dissertation, writing up a series of experiments (some with accepted and some with rejected hypotheses) would seem to me to be valid, but presenting it all in a single paper would be a bit of overkill and likely confusing to readers.
The worst case is if you accept contradictory hypotheses. Then you have to question the methodology itself. You are doing something wrong. "We have 99% confidence that mumble-matter is black and we have 99% confidence that mumble-matter is white", would be looked at askance.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Your hypothesis should be clear (following either A or B), however, there should not be a problem to test and compare both theories' predictions in a single research study. Measure/compare X and Y and see which theory explains your results/is supported by your data.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: **From a statistical point of view,** there is no reason you cannot have the
null hypothesis that X = Y and the alternative that X unequal to Y. Then when
you get data you can assess which is greater and by how much.
Before you start you should do a 'power computation' to find what the
sample sizes need to be in order to have a reasonable probability of detecting
a difference of a size that is of practical importance. (Technically,
'power' is the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis, at a particular
significance level, if the difference is at least D --- ideally, where D
is chosen to be a difference large enough to be worth talking about.)
If you fail to reject the null hypothesis, you will not have a "statictically significant" difference
to discuss, but you should be able to cite an updated version of the power
computation to say that the true difference, if any, is likely to be smaller
then D. If you reject the null hypothesis, you may want to present
confidence intervals (say 95% intervals) to give an idea how large the difference is and with
what margin of error.
**From a political point of view,** you may find your adviser or those who
are willing to support your work strongly on one side or the other of the
debate whether X < Y or X > Y. Then you can write your proposal in terms
of testing the null hypothesis (that X = Y) against whichever alternative
(research) hypothesis is favored. But if possible, make sure your methods,
sample sizes, types of data, and so on, have anticipated the *possibility* that the
truth is in the other direction from the popular view, so that you will
still have something to publish, even if the prevailing view is wrong.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/03
| 803
| 3,043
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<issue_start>username_0: For example, would it be OK to write: Many of these articles belong to School of Thought A and/or School of Thought B.
What about the other cases in general just to replace "or" with "/"?
E.g. This brain area might coincide or connect with the brain area responsible for...
Can I write it as "This brain area might coincide/connect with the brain area responsible for..."<issue_comment>username_1: Given that scientific writing needn't be pedantic, the answer in general would be yes. But it also has the potential for confusion if the two terms aren't closely related or the and/or sets up a conflict. So, at least think about the overall meaning when you use it in any technical writing. As an example:
I run hot/cold on this question.
Note, however, that in those places where it is especially important to be precise, such as the statement of an hypothesis, it would be a mistake to write in such a way that might generate confusion.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: "**It's best to avoid using and/or**," <NAME>, [Grammar Girl](https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/andor), "You'd be hard pressed to find a style guide that doesn't admonish you to drop *and/or* and rewrite the sentence with just *and* or just *or*."
Rather than "*Many of these articles belong to School of Thought A and/or School of Thought B*," try
>
> Many of these articles belong to School of Thought A, School of Thought B, or both.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: The question “is it OK” is a bit too vague to be answerable. Surely the sky won’t collapse if you do it. But to make things a bit more precise, I would say that if you want your writing to communicate your ideas in the best way to your readership, and if you want it to be taken as seriously as possible by as many people as possible rather than have it tend to be dismissed (consciously or subconsciously) by some people as the product of an immature writer, then no, you should not use the “X/Y” informal writing pattern.
Remember also that the reason scientific writing uses a formal writing style is that the primary purpose of a scientific text is to communicate technical ideas, in as clear a way as possible, to a broad audience that’s usually very diverse and consists of people from many countries, cultural backgrounds, age groups etc, and for many of whom English is not a native tongue. For this reason, using anything in a scientific text that may distract too much from the main technical content or confuse readers who don’t share your particular background is generally frowned upon. That includes things like [slang](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/94731/40589) terms, [emoticons](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/61892/40589), [graphical symbols with a charged historical and political meaning](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/84829/40589), [pointless anecdotes](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/9402/40589), and, in my opinion, the “slash” shorthand device.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]
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2018/11/03
| 1,311
| 5,190
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<issue_start>username_0: This is a follow-up on these two questions:
[When can I safely use CC-BY license on arXiv?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/9740/when-can-i-safely-use-cc-by-license-on-arxiv) and
[What arXiv CC licenses are compatible with American Physical Society publishing?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/17368/what-arxiv-cc-licenses-are-compatible-with-american-physical-society-publishing)
From the answers to these questions, it seems that it is not possible to publis an article that is already on a preprint server (in particular arXiv.org) with a CC license in the American Physical Society (APS).
However, in Physical Review Letters (PRL), it is possible to publish open access (by paying a higher fee), and in that case APS use the [CC-BY license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This license is also available for posting on [arXiv.org](https://arxiv.org/help/license).
My question therefore is: If an article has been posted on a preprint server using the CC-BY license, will APS accept it for publication in PRL, either using their normal "Transfer of Copyright" (I guess not), or open-access? It looks to me as if it should work for open access, because the license under which APS would publish the article is exactly the same under which the article was posted on the arxiv.<issue_comment>username_1: I haven't seen a definitive answer from APS, so it'd be useful to confirm with the editors directly. However, based on the agreement below there's no reason to think they would reject open access papers for that reason. They could, in principle, have some internal policy to that effect, but APS is generally quite permissive when it comes to preprints so I wouldn't expect them to. (Given that CC-BY even allows commercial redistribution after publication, it also doesn't make much sense to ban preprints just because they were posted before publication.)
When publishing under open access there's no need to transfer any copyrights. Instead, APS uses a shorter [publication agreement](https://journals.aps.org/prl/authors/creative-commons-publication-agreement) that, in its entirety, reads
>
> Subject to the acceptance of the [above-listed] Article for publication in a journal of the American Physical Society (APS), the Rights Holder(s), where applicable, or the Author(s) hereby agrees:
>
>
> 1. To grant APS permission to publish the unpublished and original Article, the abstract forming part thereof, all associated supplemental material, and subsequent, if necessary, errata in a journal of APS under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0), <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/>.
> 2. That further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.
> 3. That any subsequent Reply to a Comment accepted for publication in a journal of APS, for which this work is the target of the Comment, should also be published under the same Creative Commons license as this work.
>
>
> By signing this Agreement, the Rights Holder(s), where applicable, or the Author(s) jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties. The signing person(s) also represents and warrants that they have the full power to enter into this Agreement and to make the grants contained herein.
>
>
>
Note that, unlike their usual [copyright transfer agreement](https://journals.aps.org/authors/transfer-of-copyright-agreement), there's no mention of preprints or copies on your website. However, since all you give them is the permission to publish the article (not the copyright to it), as far as I can tell posting the preprint under CC-BY should be fine.
For future papers it could also be worth using the standard arXiv license until you know where the paper will be published, and under what terms. The license can always be changed when the arXiv posting is updated.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I got a reply from APS on this issue. My question was:
>
> We accidentally chose the CC-BY 4.0 license <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/> for our arXiv preprint of a manuscript submitted for publication in Physical Review Letters instead of the standard arXiv license.
>
>
> Does this license conflict with the standard Transfer of Copyright
> agreement? If so, is it possible to instead choose the option "Retain
> copyright and complete the Creative Commons publication agreement"?
>
>
> As far as I understand, the second option should work, since APS would
> publish under the same CC-BY 4.0 license as we used for the arXiv
> submission. Is this correct?
>
>
>
APS answered:
>
> Choosing a CC-BY-4.0 license for your arXiv submission does
> not conflict with choosing the standard Transfer of Copyright
> Agreement for submission to an APS Journal.
>
>
>
So in short, you can use a CC-BY-4.0 license for your arXiv preprint and still publish the manuscript in PRL under the usual conditions (i.e., not open-access).
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/03
| 494
| 1,894
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<issue_start>username_0: I am from France and want to find an internship in Finland.
Can I use "BAC+n" on my resume? Will it be understood or should I use something else? Maybe the terms License and Master are enough since it is supposedly known in all Europe but this is relatively recent so I think it would hurt to add BAC+5.<issue_comment>username_1: The ECTS was created precisely for this kind of issue. If you think there is any doubt, just say how many ECTS your degrees are worth. In any case, the Bologna process started about 20 years ago. I think by now everyone knows the lingo. Be aware that the first degree is usually called "bachelor", though. Bac+5 is master's degree, so if you do have a master's degree, just say so.
In any case I would be very surprised if "bac+n" was understood in Finland. You should realize that "bac" refers to "*baccalauréat*", the French high school diploma. Even assuming that someone understand that "bac+n" means "n years after the bac", they are very likely to think that "bac" is "bachelor", the French "*licence*"... And "bac+n" is hardly a useful metric anyway, the content of the degree matters much more.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I am Finnish and have never heard the term "BAC+n", and have little idea what it would mean. Maybe it is related to bachelor's degree, with "n" signifying quality by some measurment? I have a PhD, but no experience hiring people or accepting students or interns.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I am not a Finn; but I grew up 200 km from France, and I have no idea what it means either.
**You can count on everyone in the academic world understanding only the three words bachelor, master, phd**. Everything else, nope, unless they are familiar with how that country's university system works. So make sure you put one or more of those three words on your CV.
Upvotes: 3
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2018/11/03
| 839
| 3,489
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<issue_start>username_0: It's been 4 years since my PhD and now I'm applying for a postdoc in China. The Chinese website mentions that the age limit for applicants is 35 years and the applicants must have received their PhD within the last 3 years.
I heard that Chinese universities are strict with age when it comes to postdoc positions. However, they can be more lax on post-PhD experience.<issue_comment>username_1: There are two kinds of post-doctoral fellowships available in China. The more traditional Chinese post-doctoral fellowship offers you a government-recognised certificate at the end of training. The more "Western" style does not. There are additional differences having to do with employment, benefits and such that are too individual to list here. Regardless, both are two year contractual commitments.
In general, the more traditional route is very strict in its requirements. You must meet age and graduation requirements and register through a common government portal. The strictness is due, in part, to closely aligned visa requirements. Thus, even if the institution to which you are applying is willing to allow you to attend four years after your PhD, the visa bureau is likely to decline this application.
The more "Western" style of fellowship is much more fluid because it is, in part, more structured like an employment contract and less a training scheme. In addition, there is no need for the academic institute to issue you a government-recognised training certificate. Under this route, there is more flexibility in entry requirements. However, this route is much, much less popular in China. It may not exist in some fields of research.
Good luck.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: **Yes, you can.** I have just spent 2 years in China as a postdoc. When I got there I was aged 36, and good 6 years since my PhD.
When I finished my postdoc I got an official certificate from the government. All procedures were registered at a portal with the central government. Whilst finishing I was offered yet *another* 2-year-long postdoctoral position at CAS Beijing for a fair salary, but refused it because my experience there [was a mess](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/104541/persistent-issues-with-salary-pay-as-a-postdoc-in-china-what-can-i-do?rq=1). I **never heard** of some age limitation for these positions.
However, I should note that China runs mostly by *common practice* and institutional rules are confusing if followed/known at all. That means that everyone does things in a certain way, and trying to take different paths typically leads to confusion and renegotiation of terms. In the case of postdocs, relatively few Chinese PhDs take them, and usually a single postdoctoral position straight after "graduating" as a PhD. Thus someone seeking a 2nd/3rd postdoc position as an older PhD may look "awkward" for the administration and thus they may not know how to deal with the situation. A typical situation would be that some enrolling system/paperwork includes the options "( ) 1 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 Years since Graduation" at some point where a local secretary gets stuck and starts claiming "it cannot be done". Usually this is to avoid a discussion and getting into trouble.
My bet is that this is a matter of debating with whoever is directly encharged with the paperwork to find out a "mutually agreeable" solution. Actually my sincere advice would be, **do a postdoc elsewhere**.
Good luck!
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/04
| 1,521
| 6,144
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a 2nd yr Master's student set to graduate this may. My plan is to pursue a PhD afterwards at another institution. In my program, you either have to do a Master's thesis or a 45 min oral summary presentation of what you learned.
I always had the intention of doing a thesis and had a really cool one my first yr. We were collecting data over the summer and everything was going well. All of a sudden, my thesis chair told me she was leaving for another teaching position in a different state. B/c it was not possible to do this without her and no faculty wanted to take over, I dropped the thesis. This occurred the summer before my 2nd yr.
I still wanted to do a thesis, and so I asked a man (who was on my first thesis committee) if I could be his thesis student. He agreed and he had me print articles so I can get started reading over the summer before I started writing my proposal. Summer went by and everything was fine. School started in Aug. (2nd yr) and things were still okay. I had started writing a portion of my draft and had sent it to him for edits. He edited and sent it back. I edited it again and sent it to him before our meeting. He then emailed me, saying he needed to talk to me regarding his plans.
Just as background info, I felt completely dropped and abandoned by my first thesis chair. When I asked my 2nd (and current thesis chair) to take me on, he assured me he wasn't leaving.
Anyways, we meet and he told me he was leaving late Feb. on medical leave and wouldn't be coming back. We decided to continue on with the thesis, but tweak and shorten it in order to be ready to propose this Fall and defend early Jan.
I started to work harder and he would send me edits. We always seemed to get along, and we had a nice flow. However, something in him changed, like snapped. It was like he went from Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jeckel. October came and it was complete radio silence which was SO unlike him! He never responded to any of my emails although I emailed him every week in Oct., he didn't edit any of my stuff, he forgot our meetings. He was just so radically different. After not hearing from him over email, I started to wonder if I had said something. I had texted him (he said I could text him any time) b/c I hadn't heard from him and he sent me this snippy, rude text, telling me not to text him this early.
Because he failed to respond to my emails and give me edits, it was about 4-5 weeks until we met again. Because of this gap in time, it is impossible for me to do a thesis with him.
What gets me is that he went from being kind to me to almost borderline rude. He isn't as nice, he's cold, snippy and distant. The 2 of us talked to the department head and it's decided that I will do the summary presentation instead of a thesis (my chair decided that for me not my decision).
The summary presentation is like a reflection. It doesn't involve drafts of edits or anything like a thesis requires. It's really easy. Since he doesn't know any of the rules, I've had to explain this to him.
Basically, my question is, how do I deal with him? I'm thinking of switching advisors although I dont know anyone who could take me on. My thesis chair is still demanding that I do lit reviews although it is pointless. He basically is telling me that if I don't do what he says (the lit reviews and other things that is ONLY necessary for a thesis and NOT the summary presentation), he won't sign off on it. I NEED this to graduate.
My question is, what do I do?! I'm usually very calm but lately I've been stressed and anxious, I'm breaking out and haven't taken care of myself in a while. I am perpetually stressed and fear hearing from him. I just want OUT. He's toxic and mean. It's like I'm being held hostage. Please help me.
Also, if people are wondering, I have done NOTHING to him but be nice, obliging, etc. I always tell him if I can't make a meeting and am polite to him. People are telling me it's stuff in his personal life, but I just want him to stop treating me like trash.<issue_comment>username_1: The thing that stands out here is that the new advisor is going on medical leave *and won't be back*. This sounds serious. Maybe he is facing his impending death. This would make his work very unpredictable.
It sounds like the department head was trying to make the best possible decision for you, though probably shouldn't have done so unilaterally. But starting over again will probably just delay your completion, which I assume you don't want.
You've been caught in two bad situations which is very unfortunate. Work with the head to find a good way to reach completion and also get good recommendation letters to support your future.
At least ask if the head can find a way to give some stipend to your first advisor to permit her to continue to work with you. Even if that isn't possible it may get the department head to start thinking of better solutions. It is a situation that is uncomfortable for the head as well.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I think you have at least two choices
1. Find the third thesis chair
2. 45 min oral summary presentation of what you learned
For the first option, you'll need the help from your department. They can help you to do that. But, I won't go this route if I were you because it means you rely on other people to control your future. What if the third chair wants you to do a topic that you don't like? Or the topic is very hard? Or something happens to the third again?
The second option is much easier and only depends on yourself. You have taken graduate level courses. You have been doing two these. You have more than 45 minute materials to present. Everybody would understand why you can't take the thesis option. You tried, it didn't work and it's not your fault.
I understand you wanted to do the thesis. Please think of it this way. We need to be practical sometimes. You already tried twice. You did your best. They failed only because of your tough luck. Accept this reality and move on. If you really want to do a thesis, do a PhD thesis after you get the masters degree.
Upvotes: 3
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2018/11/04
| 1,541
| 6,518
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<issue_start>username_0: Consider the following scenario:
Bob goes to a top-tier university for his undergraduate degree. This university is known for its extra challenging curriculum and Bob also challenges himself while attending. Bob is able to learn the material, but due to the extra rigor of the college, Bob graduates with a 2.5 GPA (B/C Student).
John goes to a different university for the exact same undergraduate degree as Bob. His university has a significantly easier curriculum and as a result, John is able to graduate with a 3.5 GPA (A/B Student).
Other than going to a different undergraduate university and their GPA, Bob and John are identical. Both are now applying to the same grad school and the same program at that school. Which is a better graduate school candidate?
**Note**: I know this question is similiar to [How are GPAs from different universities evaluated for admissions to MS programs in the USA?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/20159/how-are-gpas-from-different-universities-evaluated-for-admissions-to-ms-programs), but I am looking for an answer that is narrower. In my case, I would like to know how two candidates would be judged if there *only* differences was undergraduate GPA and undergraduate university. In all other aspects of the application process, these two hypothetical candidates are identical.<issue_comment>username_1: Admissions don't come down to a single number or any single factor. Knowing no more it is impossible to say which of these two is a better candidate.
While it is true that some universities are considered "better" than others, it is an ephemeral thing. Some marvelous teachers work at some quite "modest" places. Moreover, the universities that have a really great reputation, often do so because they are able to offer more learning support to undergraduates, though that isn't always the case. They can often attract top faculty, of course, for financial reasons, but that doesn't necessarily translate to better undergraduate *learning*. Certainly not for every student.
Someone with a low GP from a top university, might have been somewhat disconnected from the learning process and had little contact with those top professors. Someone from a lower ranked place might have that higher GPA because he/she worked closely with the faculty and has a much better grasp overall. This, too isn't necessarily true, but it can happen.
Another factor, of course, is that not all of the "top" students go to the "top" schools. Money plays too big a part of who gets to go to, say, Harvard. Some people just go to a local State University of modest reputation due to family or other reasons. But they can get an excellent education there, and have done.
And don't assume that John had an easier path or that his university had a "significantly easier curriculum". There is no basis for saying that. Some graduates of highly ranked places are also quite weak in skills.
However, I suspect that there is a general feeling among academics that a student who has done well locally (high GPA) has taken advantage of the offerings and is well prepared, while one who has not done so well in the local environment may not be as well qualified to continue. But that "general feeling" needs additional evidence, so isn't considered definitive.
Admissions is a game of balancing. Many factors are looked at, grade point and college reputation among them. But those alone won't tell a useful story about a candidate.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: For me, a long-time admissions person (and now-and-then director of grad studies) in mathematics, in a large state school in the U.S.: I do not care very much about GPA. Reason: there are too many reasons, unrelated to mathematics, why someone might get good or bad grades. Even "chronic good grades" can be a somewhat negative indicator, potentially, if it means that the student is obedient and conformist above all else.
Undergrad programs (not so much "universities", and not so much "higher-ranked") with richer programs obviously tend to have more resources to offer students. Having inaccessible big shots does not guarantee a rich program, for example. Nor does everyone take advantage of the potential in their environment. And so on.
And, specifically, "identical in every other regard" would have to mean identical letters from the same faculty members. Well, this never happens, for many reasons, especially to students in different universities.
So, although I understand the intent of the apparent premise, on one hand if I play along with it then the answer is something like "they're still essentially identical", but/and, more realistically, this does not happen. That is, the premise is essentially never met in practice.
To amplify: being in different universities usually means that one has access to different faculty, and has different people in one's cohort. In my appraisal of grad school applicants, this distinction is the origin of my comparisons of applicants... which is manifest specifically in letters of recommendation (and applicants' statements of purpose, which reflect the students' perceptions of their experiences).
EDIT: Also, now that I review things, the notion of "easier curriculum" is quite a bit of a phantom, too. It can only sensibly refer to "minimum requirements", which are rarely an attractive profile to have, in the best of cases. It's not that mathematics (e.g.) itself is easier in some locales than others. Students can avoid engagement or not, especially with the internet, in nearly any physical location. The question of the local minimal requirements is hardly relevant to anything (apart from the unfortunately common misinterpretation of "minimum" as "desirable"...)
One can be passive and disinterested at an elite place, or proactive and engaged at a less-elite place... and in both cases it's still impossible to predict "GPA" since the latter is badly correlated with actual mathematical activity, etc.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It's not realistic that a 2.5 at one school might equal 3.5 elsewhere. There's obviously some difference but not that much.
A 2.5 is a terrible GPA everywhere, even from a top school. Acceptance into any reasonably selective graduate school would be unlikely. A 3.5 is okay to excellent for a master's program, possibly a little low for a PhD program at a selective school, but should merit consideration no matter where you got it.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/05
| 1,633
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<issue_start>username_0: I am currently a senior year student at Hansraj College, University of Delhi. I have completed my 2-month summer internship at IISc Bangalore recently. During my stay, I got to interact with a lot of Pure Mathematics Ph.D. students. I have come to know lately that many BS and MS students leave even the topmost schools like IISc, IISER's, TIFR etc and go for Ph.D. in pure Mathematics abroad.
Although the standard of research in pure Maths is pretty good in India.
See this post [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/16976/mathematics-research-status-in-india)
I have the following questions and some associated assumptions/facts:
Question 1. So, why do these top students leave these exceptionally good schools that are almost at par with the elite US universities for a Ph.D. in Pure Maths?
Assumption 1. Since they were already a part of the school, it is unlikely that the small department size is a factor behind this. However, unlike US schools, TA's are not common in India.
Assumption 2. The recent pay increase should have improved the financial situation as well.
Question 2. What is something that Indian grad schools lack when it comes to theoretical Mathematics or in general that drives students out of India?
I am going for a Ph.D. soon, so I think this is something I should know.
Thank you.<issue_comment>username_1: Disclaimer: I'm European student at decent Math PhD program in the US.
Sorry, but it seems that I'm going to disillusion you...
>
> Question 1. So, why do these top students leave these exceptionally
> good schools that are at par with the elite US universities for a
> Ph.D. in Pure Maths?
>
>
>
Although I don't doubt that India have a couple of decent universities with relatively strong mathematics department, they are by no means "at par with the elite US universities". If they really were, I would expect crowds of applicants both from prospective grad students and faculty from Europe and North America to study/work there, but in fact there is quite opposite trend. You have mentioned "topmost schools like IISc, IISER's, TIFR", but without prior web searching I have absolutely no idea what all these abbreviations mean. The same true for overall level of Indian born mathematicians -- they are simply not on par with US, France, Russia and UK in math, just check recent and overall numbers of Fields medalists and ICM speakers. Please do not take it like something offensive, but realizing that is essentially an answer to your question.
>
> Question 2. What is something that Indian grad schools lack when it
> comes to theoretical Mathematics or in general that drives students
> out of India?
>
>
>
Just in my opinion, they lack
* Transferable degree recognition and world renowned top notch researchers like I tried to elaborate above, that is crucial for graduate school, because grad school is essentially about research.
* Job prospects after graduation. It goes without saying that Europe and especially North America region (US + Canada) have more attractive job market both in terms of available positions, research prospects and salary than India. In general relocating to grad school is easier than relocating to postdoc or faculty position, this is why Indian students willing to have a shot at American or European job market trying to get in local grad schools.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Though I have more knowledge of the Physics scene, the most important thing for research is not "physical" (facilities, salary etc), but having access to a strong, open, inclusive, active and sufficiently numbered community of grad students, post docs, professors, researchers and visitors. You learn from people around you.
In India, this is definitely not comparable to the top in the world. Do you know that there have been times when TIFR has not taken a single grad student for Math?(Was informed by existing math grad students on these facts). What does this say? How do you get a community then?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I think you are wildly underestimating how strong the top US/UK universities are.
TIFR is a strong math department. For example, it looks like they have around one ICM invited speaker per ICM and most faculty publish regularly in top-20 journals. On the other hand, there are no Fields medalists or comparably famous people (in fact, no one whose research I was aware of before looking them up, though that might be reflective more on me or my field), and most faculty don't have publications in the top 5 journals. From this data it seems to me like they are comparable to a US math department ranked somewhere between 30-80. (I hesitate to try to nail it down further because I'm just not that knowledgeable about their department, and because rankings are pretty subjective anyway. Plus the lack of teaching at TIFR means faculty have more time for research.) But they are pretty obviously not comparable in research profile to a top 10 US math department, where typical faculty are publishing frequently in top 5 journals and many are famous at the level of Fields medalists.
As far as I can tell all the other universities in India combined had only a handful of ICM speakers in the last 16 years. I looked at a random other university you listed, and people are doing good research but they don't seem comparable to Tata Institute or to top 50 US math departments.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I can not answer the specific question about Indian students, but I can give some perspective related to Russia, and some bits of my answer may also apply to your situation.
As you may know, Soviet Union had a strong reputation for the quality of its education and research in physics and mathematics. After the collapse of USSR, Russia inherited the majority of academic institutions and research groups.
The next thirty years are the story of almost continuous brain drain, with a lot of groups and individual researchers leaving Russia for the US, UK, EU, China, etc. Obviously, government is trying to keep people by raising salaries and providing research grants, and in some places the funding is on par with US standards.
However, what modern Russia lacks is stability. Government initiatives are usually a short-term response to a certain political situation. There is a strong feeling that the priorities may change and financial support can be re-directed to other areas of economy. Also, there is a fair amount of corruption, nepotism and sexism in Russian academia, making it less attractive and forcing some students / young researchers to seek luck elsewhere.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/05
| 1,169
| 5,154
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<issue_start>username_0: As I understand the funding model, it's generally the funder solicits research proposals, then choose those they find the most interesting/promising. The researcher who wrote the funding application then goes and does the research with the money. In other words, the funder mostly assesses the research idea, not so much the researcher.
Can the funder use a different model where they assess the researcher (not the researcher's ideas), give those they find the most qualified/promising a large sum of money, and let them do whatever they want? How effective would this be relative to the traditional model?<issue_comment>username_1: I think you may be a bit wrong on how it works (or at least how it was posed). The solicitation of proposals is generally very broad and the applicant(s) have fairly wide latitude within those bounds for proposals. Secondly, the proposal will also have to convince the funder that the applicant(s) are capable of carrying out the research. This will largely be based on their history and it becomes easier to get funding if you have carried out successful projects in the past. So, the researcher is indeed looked at, but in conjunction with the research rather than independently.
Of course, the medieval model of "patronage" was that a wealthy or powerful patron would support a scholar independent of what they might do. This happened in both the arts and sciences, of course. It isn't used so much anymore, though, I suppose that there are a few "gentlemen scholars" (regardless of sex, actually) supported by spouses or rich uncles/aunts.
The problem with the patronage model is that trust needs to be established. Just as in the standard model, this would normally depend on past successful work, unless there is some personal tie.
---
Note that I have experience only in the US. Mileage (kilometerage?) may differ elsewhere.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There are a few funding schemes which are working exactly in this direction, giving the researcher lots of freedom in their line of research. Sometimes, the funding comes in form of a "prize" and the prize may only be used for further research topics.
In a smaller scale (you were talking about a larger amount of money) each tenuring decision is such a grant: The university is investing a significant amount of money into a person without any further control about the future research directions (at least in Germany). There is just some hope that people will not stop doing interesting things. If you sum up the regular amount of money a professor recieves, plus the additional staff / expenses granted, you end up with *large* amounts of money. I must say this freedom is something I really enjoy, and for me it is my major motivation for staying in academia.
Of course, those professors still write grant applications...
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: The truth of the matter is that a surprisingly large fraction of basic research funding is spent more on "heads" than "ideas" anyway. First of all, you have personal grants (such as the [ERC Advanced Grant](https://erc.europa.eu/funding/advanced-grants)) or sponsored professorships (such as [this one](http://wasp-sweden.org/application-for-wasp-professorship/)). While these will typically require that the candidate defines some project, at least 50% of the evaluation is not of the project, but of the past success and future promise of the candidate. It is easy to argue that these funding schemes are betting much more on people than on the specific project.
Further, even for "normal" basic science projects, one typically has significant freedom in how to actually execute the project (to the extent that one not infrequently ends up running a completely different project than what has been pitched originally). Funding agencies of course know this, and are often willing to grant a strong applicant with a weakly developed idea money, where they would almost certainly refuse a weaker applicant with the same research proposal. This is again the same basic idea - for a strong applicant, they may assume that they will do *something* useful with the money (even if the currently pitched problem seems not well developed), whereas they won't give the same benefit of doubt to a weaker candidate. Again, they are betting more on heads than on projects (also because at the end of the day in your typical basic science open project call, they don't really care about the specifics of any project - they only care that good science is done).
---
There is, of course, an annoying flipside to this. Namely that it leads to a "the rich getting richer" effect that is very hard to overcome for less established researchers. For grants such as ERC you are basically out of the running if you are not already among the best in the world in your field, and even for smaller project grants an inexperienced researcher will often need an *outstanding* idea to be able to compete with all the researchers with established credentials (who, of course, typically have good proposals *in addition* to a better track record).
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/05
| 1,823
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<issue_start>username_0: I am an EU citizen interested in pursuing a physics PhD in either a UK university or an European one. It looks like PhD fees for UK universities are so much higher than EU universities, so my issue resides more with UK universities.
How likely is it for a physics PhD to be self funded? Do most PhDs get funded by the university or other third party funding? Are there any statistics on this since on average, £20,000 a year for 4 years is not an option for me if I have to pay these fees myself.
Any thoughts on this?<issue_comment>username_1: It's very uncommon. It's so uncommon that I've heard of two cases where the student offered to self-fund and the professors were surprised enough to respond with, "are you sure?" One professor even said "I don't know if our department allows self-funded students, let me check".
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Here's the thing: Doing a PhD - perhaps not in every single discipline, but certainly almost always in STEM - is a form of employment. You would be a junior researcher, with a measure of independence and a measure of supervision, and with bosses, a department and a university to answer to. You'll need to be on campus most of the week (albeit with the possibility of remote work depending on specifics); you may be required to teach if the university needs you to; you will be subject to all rules and regulations the senior academic staff is subject to, etc.
In those EU states where this is recognized, an "self-funded STEM PhD" is like "volunteer work"; universities can't rely on its existence, and if they want PhD's they have to shell out the money to pay them their wages. Not that you make a lot of money, but it's something. There are sometimes collective labor agreements which govern PhD employment.
In other states - including, AFAICR, the UK - PhD candidates are *not* recognized as employees. In those states, self-funded PhD are more of a recognized option, but still obviously very rare, as few people can afford to do full-time volunteer work for years.
And thus...
>
> How likely is it for a physics phd to be self funded?
>
>
>
Very-to-extremely unlikely.
>
> Do most PHDs get funded by the university or other third party funding?
>
>
>
This depends on the state in the EU, the university and even the individual researcher, there is no general answer. Also, it sometimes happens that you're funded by the university for some parts your PhD and by a third-party source for other parts - or even that, at the same time, both the university and one (or more) third parties fund your employment (or "stipend"). Finally, third-party funding sources sometime get pooled at the departmental or university level, so that "university-funded" can mean money from different sources.
>
> £20,000 a year for 4 years is not an option for me if I have to pay these fees myself.
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Indeed it is not, and please don't try to do this kind of volunteer work, because you'd be hurting your fellow PhDs by legitimizing such a practice.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: >
> How likely is it for a physics phd to be self funded?
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As mentioned by others, this is extremely uncommon (in the UK, but also elsewhere). In the UK, when applying to a PhD in a STEM subject you’ll usually apply during a recruitment round. These invariably come with funding (from the University or an independent institute), otherwise this will be clearly marked.
So don’t worry, as long as you are applying through the normal process you’ll have funding secured for the nominal PhD duration (3–3.5 years).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: I’ve heard of a self funded astrophysicist who funded his PhD through tutoring. Self funding does happen and it sometimes gives more freedom in terms of research direction. What you lose in cash, you gain in terms of research direction choice. An industry funded position might provide an application for research, and it’s great if that aligns with your own desires.
I can’t give you a complete overview like the other answers, but I’ll add some resources that I’d use if I was looking for a PhD position in the UK. I’m in the UK.
You can find some current positions on [jobs.ac.uk](https://www.jobs.ac.uk/phd). As you can see, some list a salary (a "stipend", which can be tax free).
It’s also worth checking out the websites of individual institutions, where they will list any conditions associated with funded positions. Sometimes it has to go to a UK citizen (I’ve seen engineering positions advertised that request this and it might become more prevalent with Brexit looming).
It’s also worthwhile checking out the [Knowledge Transfer Partnership](http://ktp.innovateuk.org) programme. These are industry positions but the academic partner will look to sign the associate up for an academic qualification, sometimes an MRes, sometimes a PhD (where the funding is long enough). Funding for the fees comes out of the KTP budget. You can see the salaries for this are higher than the stipend but you’ll pay tax on it, so the difference isn’t as big as it seems.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: The majority of PhDs in the UK will be funded by the UK Government. Most commonly a Lab head will apply with a project to the funding council and if allocated a studentship will advertise for a student to fill it. There are also some cases of PhD programs where the program will advertise for many students at once, and the students will choose the lab from a selection associated with the program. This second route is much rarer however. In STEM it is rare for students to be funded by the university, and even rarer for students to be funded by the lab head (most grants forbid spending the money on students).
Note that in the UK, PhD students are students and not normally employees. They do not get employement rights, they are not covered by health and saftey at work legislation, but conversely they can't be sacked or made redundent. Legally, they are under no obligation to do what their "boss" (i.e. supervisor) says.
PhDs funded by the UK government are only open to UK or EU nationals (or at least those funded by the councils I have knowldge of: Biology and Biotechnology research council, Medical research countil, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council). After the 29th of March 2019, when the UK leaves the EU, it is likely they will only be open to UK citzens.
Students from outside the EU are generally COUNTED as self-funded. However, most often this means that their government or a charity in their country has given them the money, and they give it to the university. We do occasionally have overseas students from wealthy families who are genuinely self-funded. Both types of self-funded student are usually very welcome as there is no limit on what the student can be charged, both in tuition fees and in the "bench fees" that cover the cost of experiments (such bench fees can often form a significant part of the reserach income for a whole lab).
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<issue_start>username_0: Recently, a full professor at my university lost their tenure and had their employment with the university terminated. I have never heard of a tenured faculty member "being fired" before. I am not sure why this happened or what the former professor did that resulted in this outcome.
I know that assistant professors can be denied tenure for poor performance. But for what reasons might a full professor (or an associate professor) lose tenure?
(In this question I use US-centric academic ranks. An assistant professor is tenure-track, an associate professor is tenured, and a full professor is tenured with a slight increase in pay/benefits/responsibilities.)<issue_comment>username_1: Even tenured professors are required to adhere to a certain level of standards. They are given *academic* freedoms, but not *complete* freedoms.
Committing a felony could in many cases lead to your dismissal, regardless of if you have tenure or not. Rape, murder, sexual assault, multiple DUIs, etc. all could result in being fired (even if you have tenure).
Committing fraud with department/grant money would also likely lead to being dismissed.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: The details are likely institution (and or state) specific.
From the [University of New Mexico Faculty Handbook](http://handbook.unm.edu/policies/section-b/b5.html) one sees that the options there are:
1. "Adequate Cause", including academic incompetence, neglect of duty, serious violation of policy, serious crime, loss of license (medical), or other serious deficiency.
2. Financial emergency - that is, the university runs out of money to pay them.
3. Termination of the program/department.
4. Health reasons (permanent disability with no reasonable accommodation possible).
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: Traditionally, tenured faculty can only be dismissed on non-academic grounds, such as the reasons discussed in @username_1's answer.
But that is not the reality everywhere. Universities that have a post-tenure review (at least in some cases) reserve the right to dismiss faculty if, say, their research output slows down too much. See, for example, [the post-tenure review policy at University of Colorado](https://www.colorado.edu/facultyaffairs/career-milestones/post-tenure-review): "Possible sanctions include...revocation of tenure and dismissal."
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: When a professor receives tenure, it means that s/he may not "let go" in order to be replaced by the university by another individual, even if younger or "cheaper." Thus, a tenured professor may be terminated only for "standalone" reasons.
1. Financial reasons leading to the discontinuation of the professor's department or at least courses, without the possibility of the professor's reasonably being transferred to a new department or courses; one or more positions was eliminated and not replaced.
2. Violation of academic or legal standards against plagiarism, sexual harassment, drug use or commission of other civil crimes, usually felonies, such as fraud or assault. These are typically violations of university policy as well as civil law.
3. Possibly minor "violations" that go to the heart of the academic experience, such as repeatedly not showing up for class, and teaching far fewer hours than courses require.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: Just to add something relevant to the USA academic dismissal landscape - and probably relevant to other countries also.
Some universities are the property of, and operate under the control of, one or other church. For example, the USA has 244 catholic church governed universities - of which 60 are Jesuit governed. There may be other universities in which certain departments (e.g. theology, divinity) are under the auspices of one or other religious denomination.
It has been known that professors of theology have been dismissed ([and their dismissal upheld in courts later](https://ie.vlex.com/vid/mcgrath-and-ruairc-v-793408705)) after making utterances in conflict with prevailing church dogma. In Germany, [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_K%C3%BCng#Career) was on the point of getting booted out of his job within the Institute for Ecumenical Studies after sharing his views on papal infallibility and celibacy. Luckily, in his case the University of Tubingen stepped in to secularize his Institute within the university and save his job. But others have not been so fortunate.
Obviously, such removals of tenure may only occur in departments over which the denomination has authority. So a Jewish lecturer in economics in John Carroll University cannot be summarily fired for referring occasionally to the Vatican as "a terrible waste of money". He could however find himself subject to a cold war campaign amongst colleagues envious of his talents or courage who would make affectations of orthodoxy in favour of the university management.
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<issue_start>username_0: After three years in the workforce, I am planning on returning to school to get my PhD. I currently have a master's degree. Recently, however, there has arisen a complication: my thesis advisor for my master's degree was just discovered to have been embezzling from grant money (double dipping using a fake employee) that was shared between him and two other professors (one at his own institution, one at another institution). His fraud occurred after I was gone from the university.
Because he was caught embezzling grant money, the entire grant was revoked and the other two professors lost their portions of the money. This represents at least two more years of planned funding that they have now lost through no fault of their own. The professor at the other university (call it University X) was one of my strongest choices for potential advisors if I was accepted to the program at U of X. She likely would recognize my name if I applied to the program at U of X. Because I do not know how she would react to an application from a former student of the professor that just caused her to lose a large grant, I am now hesitant to apply to U of X.
Even if I decide not to apply to U of X, I worry that admissions committees will see my former advisor's name and will black list me. My advisor was at least somewhat well known in the field (22 years of work in the field) and the number of people that are aware of him may be somewhat large.
I would just avoid mentioning my advisor's name if it was not for the fact that I published two papers with him. If I want to entirely cleanse my application of my advisor, I will also have to avoid any mention of these two publications. Not being able to include these publications in my application would obviously weaken my application. My advisor has a rather unique name (not just <NAME> or something) and anyone who knows of the situation would immediately be able to connect him to what happened.
Will I still be able to get into PhD programs? Should I attempt to address my advisor's actions in my application? If so, how should I go about doing so?<issue_comment>username_1: From what I can deduce, your advisor was involved in *financial* misconduct, not academic misconduct such as plagarism or using falsified data. This means that the actual integrity of your research has not been compromised (from what I can tell). If this is the case, the papers you have written still stand and offer valid insight into your abilities as a researcher.
**Applying to Univeristy of X**
Personally, I would just avoid applying to University X altogether. If you would still like to apply to U of X *and you personally know the affected professor*, I would actually consider writing an email directly to her. Tell her of your intentions to apply to the graduate program at her school. Ask her what her thoughts would be on you applying. Tell her that you are considering her as an advisor and then ask her if she has openings for students. This should allow you to gauge her feelings. And the worst that could happen I guess is that University of X rejects you and you are out an application fee.
**Applying to programs in general**
As for the field in general knowing of your advisor's misdeeds, it is indeed feasible that other programs will be aware of some portion of the story. This will depend on how large your field is and how well known the university you got your master's degree from is. If you feel that a significant portion of the field would be aware of you advisor's misdeeds, it may not actually be an awful idea to include a short statement in your application acknowledging that, yes, he was your advisor, but that you were in no way involved:
>
> Because my former advisor was recently implicated in fraudulent use of grant money, I feel that it is important that I provide full disclosure as to my association with him. [Dr. Fraud] misused grant money after he was my advisor and I have no knowledge of any misuse of funds while I was a student of his. I believe that the integrity of my work with him still stands and is a positive reflection of my work in research-level [basket-weaving]. If the admissions committee would like to speak to me further about the situation, I would be happy to do so.
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This acknowledges the issue head-on and does not leave them speculating as to your involvement. It also opens up the possibility of them contacting you directly and allowing you to explain the situation at further length. Admissions committees always prefer full disclosure. They want to know as much as they can about an applicant's situation and portfolio.
Because most universities will not have any professors who were personally affected by the fraud, I do not think they would really hold against you the fact that your advisor cheated on his use of grant money. If I had an application like yours come across my desk, I would personally hope I would be reasonable enough to understand that you were in no way complicit with your advisor's scheme. This is all you need to say about the matter. Focus on *your* credentials and potential, not your advisor's misdeeds. Trying to explain too much will actually make you look guilty. Just be short and up front about what happened, then focus on how you will be an excellent choice for their PhD program because of your research and capabilities.
One option I would certainly look at for sure is applying to the same university that you got your master's degree from. They will be fully aware of the situation and they will know that you were not involved in any way. It's sort of their mess to clean up.
Whatever you do, do not have your former advisor write you a letter of recommendation.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I basically agree with @username_1's answer, but maybe enough differences that I will write my own answer.
**I would address this very clearly and succinctly** in your application. I would write simply:
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> "[description of research]. Note, my graduate advisor, <NAME>, was recently implicated in financial misconduct. This allegedly occurred only after I had already graduated; I have no knowledge of any misconduct while I was his student."
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**Think carefully about who will write your letters of recommendation.**
* Dr. Fraud is obviously a bad choice
* But, it's essential you have a professor-level person who is intimately familiar with your research experience to write you a letter
Hopefully you're on good terms with a professor who can write such a letter, or maybe the department chair would be willing to get inputs from Dr. Fraud and transmit them as part of his own letter, along with a description of the situation. If nothing like this works out, you have a very difficult choice to make between getting a letter from Dr. Fraud or applying without a strong research letter.
**Other than that, I would apply "as usual"**; you did nothing wrong and don't need to adjust your plans.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: A few weeks ago, a student asked me during my office hours whether I was religious or not. More specifically, he asked whether I believed in *his* religion, and was visibly disappointed when I replied negatively.
How should I react to a question such as this? Religion is a bit of a touchy subject, and even if I am a TA (i.e., not the instructor of the course - and more importantly, also a student), I don't want to be put in a similar situation again.
More generally speaking, how do I react to a situation in which I have to answer a question in a way that I know is likely to upset a student, without lying or making the situation worse?
**edit:** Some comments have pointed out that the student was never actually *preaching*, and I understand and somewhat agree. The reason I chose this phrasing over anything else was because he did try to make the conversation into something along the lines of "Do you want to learn about the ways of [religious figure]? There's always time, you know".
**edit 2:** I'm in computer science; there is no link whatsoever between religion and the contents of the class (or the whole program, really).<issue_comment>username_1: It is like a question about your political opinion or sexual preferences: It is your private matter!
If you want to tell the student, you can do so, but you'll have to face the discussions (which can be fruitful or stressful), but if you prefer not to share them (which many people will do in a professional context), tell the that this touches your private field and since this does not belong to the workplace, you do not want to answer this question.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You address this by stating directly
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> "I would prefer not to discuss this topic during office hours. Can I help you with any questions you have on the homework?"
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If the issue persists, I would speak with the professor and perhaps also your dean of students (or something similar).
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: In the US, you have done just the right thing. Tell him the truth and leave it at that. You can't avoid such situations as they are set up by others.
Of course, you can say, and it is perfectly valid, that such questions are very personal to you and you don't feel that you want to discuss them. Reasonable people will accept that, and if they aren't reasonable, they have no right to proselytize. You don't need to be harsh ("None of your business"), but you have no obligation to answer.
There are countries, of course, that have State Sponsored Religion in which the only accepted (safe) answer is the State Religion, but not here.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> and was visibly disappointed when I replied negatively
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This is *their* problem, not yours.
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> How should I react to a question such as this?
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If you feel uncomfortable defending your position when it comes to religion, politics or sex, or simply you don't want to discuss them with an extraneous person, recall that you don't have any obligation to: cut it short and answer that you're there to just answer questions about the subject you TA.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_5: >
> I don't want to be put in a similar situation again.
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>
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If that is indeed your main motivation, the best thing to do is to politely refuse to discuss the topic with the student, as suggested in @username_2’s answer.
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> More generally speaking, how do I react to a situation in which I have to answer a question in a way that I know is likely to upset a student, without lying or making the situation worse?
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>
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Although username_2’s suggested approach seems the best suited to avoid confrontation and minimize the extent to which the student may get upset without lying to them, I think it’s worth examining your premise that telling students things that may upset them (particularly in the current context) is something that necessarily needs to be avoided. Consider the fact that for many students, college is the first place where they start encountering many people whose cultural backgrounds and beliefs differ significantly from their own. So, “making the student upset” by showing them that there are interesting, intelligent people out there with beliefs different from theirs may actually be doing them a big favor. You are not making them upset, you are helping them grow up.
Moreover, a truthful answer promotes the general value of truth-telling, which is always a good thing. So, unless you have reason to fear that the student genuinely “can’t handle the truth”, answering truthfully seems to me like the course of action that leads to the best outcome for society, although it is a bit more unpleasant for you personally.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: Although other answers are basically reasonable, I think the answer to this and other questions about personal/inflammatory things is "don't engage"... but be polite.
E.g., say "We really shouldn't talk about this here. Here, we talk about math (or whatever)." This can also apply to pick-up lines, and harassment of other sorts. It is harassment. Thinking of it that way, the futility of giving some information and "reasoning with" the harasser becomes clearer.
In different words, although we should be "personal" as opposed to "stand-offish" with students, it is definitely a friendly-and-compassionate *persona* we take up... which does not even *understand* questions about religious or political affiliations, for example. :)
I know, easier said than done. But I do recommend aiming for that.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: Make it clear that religion is not a topic for conversation. When raised, reply with:
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> My religious views are private.
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That should end the conversation, but, if pushed, follow with:
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> This isn't a topic for conversation.
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You needn't *react*, per se, you just need to dismiss the topic, and this response enables you to do so honestly.
---
As rightly noted by [username_3](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/119580/22768), "[t]*here are countries...in which the only accepted (safe) answer is the State Religion*". I have assumed the OP isn't in such a country, given the phrasing of their question.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_8: So the goal is to find a way to react, with the following requirements
1. to never be put in the same situation again
2. to not upset the student
3. to not lie
4. to not make the situation worse
Let's take them one by one and then combine the solutions to find the optimal one.
1. to never be put in the same situation again
I am afraid that you cannot control what people will say when they start talking with you. You can influence that by opening every discussion with something along the lines *I don't speak about religious matters*. In this way you will also get notoriety and perhaps some people will stop doing it. Still, it's not 100% effective. It might even have a boomerang effect, i.e. religious people to consider you're a lost soul needing guidance. Conclusion: No solution.
2. to not upset the student
What did exactly upset the student? From what you said, it's the fact that you told the student that you do not have the same religion. So, to NOT upset the student, just reverse the previous phrase, i.e. *do not tell the student that you do not have the same religion*. We can go with the analyses further and think what would happen if you would not say that, but instead reply with something along the lines *I do not want to speak about religion*. I think the likely outcome of that would be that the student would still get upset, but that's just my assumption, you may try it out and come back to this answer. Alternatively you can lie and tell the student that you do have the same religion. I bet that would not upset the student. Conclusion: lie to the student and tell them that you have the same religion.
3. to not lie
If you don't want to lie to the student, you obviously have to be honest. The way you proceeded is the most honest way. Conclusion: Be honest and tell the student that you do not have the same religion.
4. to not make the situation worse
I don't know how you define worse, so I can't provide advice on that. Conclusion: No solution.
Let's put draw all conclusions and see how we can put them together:
1. Conclusion: No solution
2. Conclusion: Lie to the student and tell them that you have the same religion
3. Conclusion: Be honest and tell the student that you do not have the same religion
4. Conclusion: No solution
Solution 1, and 4 are incompatible with any other solution, so you either accept that there is no solution, or you change requirements 1 and 4. To go further, I'll assume you give up on these requirements, as I can't possibly know how you might want to change them.
Now we only have solutions 2 and 3. They are obviously incompatible. 2. says you should lie, 3 says that you should be honest, which are antonyms. You'll have to give up on one of the requirements 2 or 3.
In conclusion: You either pick 1 and 4 as a solution, or 2, or 3. One last alternative is to change the requirements all together, but that would just mean that you accepted 1 and 4, and you'd try to solve a different problem, wouldn't it?
Note 1: By this point I expect that some people will say that this answer is not helpful, as it doesn't give the OP a solution that matches all their requirements. To which I reply that you can't draw 7 red lines, 2 with red ink, 3 with green ink, and the rest with invisible ink, all perpendicular to each other.
Note 2: Some critics will say that my answer (lying and honesty are exclusive) is trivial. To which I reply that the question would not have existed if the solution would have been that trivial.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: It's simple:
"Sorry, I do not discuss my religious views with anyone, and am not interested in learning about other people's views. Thank you."
And it's the same if they approach me about politics.
I'm fairly blunt, assertive, and unequivocal: stay away from me in all matters of religion. I'm not interested in what anyone has to say.
People should know by now that discussing politics and religion with strangers or acquaintances is liable to get you an earful at best; but the chances you are going to sway someone one way or another - while at work - is slim to none. Such topics create bias and division in the workplace, and can bite you in the rear later on. Best to always avoid these subjects while at work, unless your work is directly related to religion. (Or politics).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_10: Some religions make recruitment ('Spreading the Good News') a permanent obligation. This student seems to believe in his religion, and doubtless gains benefit from it. Maybe it even makes him a better person. Don't set Human Resources up against all this. No-one wins, everyone gets upset.
You deal with lots of people. You WILL be put in this situation again. People will also invite you to join pyramid selling schemes, book clubs and drinking parties. It's part of YOUR life skills to be able to deal with these politely, and without getting YOURSELF upset. Don't worry about his behaviour. Worry about your reaction.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_11: >
> How do I react to a situation in which I have to answer a question in a way that I know is likely to upset a student, without lying or making the situation worse?
>
>
>
There is no such situation regarding religion! There is no obligation to provide any answer to a student's question. Professionals are entitled to their own personal beliefs, just like normal people, and they are entitled to refuse to answer personal questions. But please do this politely.
Suppose the question was personal, but of a different nature: one of the other topics "not to be discussed in polite company". Would you have reacted the same? ...or would you have felt more secure in responding, "I appreciate your interest, but I don't think it's necessary to get into my personal beliefs about [koans / the Prosperity Gospel / helminthic therapy / homeopathy / Interpretational Quantum Mechanics / Quakerism] during office hours."
And if you like the student, to add "maybe after the final we can get boba and talk about it some more."
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_12: Religious proselytizers don't do you the courtesy of letting you avoid this conversation in the first place.
You don't have an obligation to extend them a courtesy they don't extend to you (that of avoiding an unwelcome turn in the conversation).
That is not to say that you should seek to be rude, but seeking to avoid offending someone who sets out to create a situation in which they will be offended if you don't give the answers they want is creating the problem -- don't take on responsibility for the situation they felt no compunction about creating.
I suggest you don't answer questions on personal topics, particularly on religion or politics or your personal relationships (or a number of other subjects).
I recommend simply cutting the conversational direction right at the beginning. Don't feel like you have to be overly gentle (it tends to be taken as encouragement) -- the inappropriate behavior was not yours. It's necessary to be firm and clear and leave no hint of wiggle-room for continuing the conversation in that direction. Something like this:
"I am here as a TA for your course. I am willing to discuss anything directly relevant to the course that falls within my responsibilities as a TA. It is not appropriate to expect to engage in discussion of personal topics."
If they choose find that offensive, that's not an issue you should need to be concerned about -- you can remain within the bounds of reasonable interactions but you cannot control how people will react. After that, as far as possible make sure that any interactions with the student take place with another person present.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_13: In the very first college class I taught, I had a student come up after class who wanted to engage me in conversation. He began with something along the lines of "Don't you think all these Christians are stupid?" He assumed that all college profs and TA's were atheists, and he was clearly looking for some validation.
Unfortunately, I'm a fanatic Lutheran, attend church every Sunday, sing in the choir, go camping with the youth group, etc. So I just said, "Well, I don't feel all that stupid, but I can ask some of the others at my church, if you'd like." His eyes got big and he slunk (slinked?) away. I felt bad for him.
I also didn't want to be put in that uncomfortable situation again. So I make it a point in every class to somehow let it be known that I'm a serious Christian. I do this by sneaking the fact in when I'm introducing myself. "My hobbies are homebrewing, coffee roasting and I'm learning to play the pipe organ. I suck at pipe organ, but I'm good enough now that I can play one hymn while the real organist goes up for communion." Slick, eh?
I believe that the first day of class is when the students are listening most closely. That's when to set up your personality. The things you say the first day will stick. "Please don't give me little gifts like key chains or pencils. I appreciate the gesture, but it makes me uncomfortable. Please keep our relationship academic. I will be most effective as a teacher if I know you only as a student. I'm not going to join your pyramid scheme, your club, watch this great movie you love, read this book, etc. It only distracts me from my number one goal. If you're in a play or part of a concert, do let me know that, because I'll probably attend."
This sort of pre-emptive strike may not be 100% effective, but it's close.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: I recently started working for a professor as the statistician on the project. I cleaned the data, performed the data management, statistical analysis, and reported the results (with explanations of how to interpret the results). A poster was submitted and I was not asked to review it and provide feedback, but I was given an acknowledgement. In previous jobs I would have been included as an author so I found this lack of author-level attribution demotivating (it was a lot of work and it was complicated). Should I have been asked to be an author here? If so, how to raise it with the professor? Thank you.<issue_comment>username_1: The first rule of thumb is never do work without clarifying authorship. (This is usually harder said than done, especially if one is a graduate student).
Based on the limited information you have provided, it seems that authorship may be warranted here. If your analysis was used, especially if your "explanations of how to interpret the results" were used verbatim, you need to be given authorship. If you are in a position to do such, I would send a short email to the professor and explain that you feel your contributions deserve authorship. It costs the professor nothing to add you as an author. Since you are outside academia, you have the option of not working with the professor further. Regardless of the outcome, you can still list the project as a project you participated in as a statistician.
This will be somewhat field specific. Such practices could be confirmed by looking at other similar papers and seeing what type of attribution the statistician was given. This will also back your claim if statisticians are usually given authorship in the field.
Also note that a poster is not the same as a journal article. Authorship for posters is usually somewhat loose; authorship for journal articles is much more official.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Let me chime in with my experience. I (mostly) left academia a couple of years ago to start a business, but I'm still doing research. The trouble you describe is not unknown to me. Most of it are well-known conflict lines in inner-academic collaborations as well, but there are a few points that are peculiar to freelancers/consultants/contractors from outside academia:
I had to learn that there are peculiar misconceptions about (scientific) authorship. In particular I've met (a few/some) academics who
* seem to think that authorship in a publication is bound to holding a position at an academic research institution (seems to correlate with the world-view that valid research is exclusively conducted at academic research institutions), or
* that being paid on contract basis somehow buys off the authorship\*.
* Or that authorship is a form of payment that can be used in lieu of money\*.
* And I've had people arguing against me being co-author that being industry/business/freelancing I don't need publications any more.
Needless to say, all these points are of no relevance at all for deciding scientific authorship. BTW, I'm in a legislation where authorship is an inalienable right - I could sell the right to economic exploitation (just like academics/their employers do all the time when tranfering rights to the journal publisher; I do that, too: I license my work to the client), but not authorship.
In consequence, whenever I smell such authorship trouble lurking around the corner/whenever the contracted work is of a nature that is likely to end up in a publication, **I put into my offer that any publications coming off of the work in question will handle authorship according to the [DFG priciples for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice](http://www.dfg.de/en/research_funding/principles_dfg_funding/good_scientific_practice/index.html)**\*\* This is redundant in the sense that the academic research institutions I'm dealing with are members of the DFG and have agreed to these rules. But by reiterating it in the contract I try to cut short those nonsensical "arguments" above and I emphasize from the beginning that I do care about authorship.
In a way we freelancers/contractors/consultants do have an advantage here over, say, academics in the stats department who do statistics consulting: as the normal way of cooperating with us is a written contract, we can use this contract to clarify our claims to possible authorship\*\*\*. In practice, it seems to just offset the additional risk of encountering misconceptions about authorship like the ones I've listed above.
* I agree with the others: the guesstimate from the necessarily limited information about your contribution is that you probably should have been an author.
* OTOH, in my field (analytical chemistry) only peer-reviewed papers do really count.
+ Therefore, I'd personally not make a big fuss about the poster (as in, not crying over already spilt milk).
+ But I'd express clearly and unambiguously that I'd have thought to have contributed sufficiently to be a co-author. However, I recommend doing starting this discussion in a very polite and professional manner (one-to-one with the prof in question). If the prof does not bring forward valid arguments why I'm mistaken in my view but does not agree to my claim of coauthorship for the paper, it's time firmly make that claim project-publicly.
+ In my experience, there may be some fuss as the client may not want to pay you for working at the paper, and you'll have to decide how to deal with that.
+ Similarly, you'll have to decide how much of a stink you'll raise if they nevertheless submit a paper without your knowledge.
However, if you are well-known in the relevant scientific community, it may be well to casually let other colleagues know that you are involved in that study and you are the one to do all the statistics and data-management.
* Importandly, never letting you see the manuscript (so that you don't contribute to the writing/revising of the manuscript - which is a prerequisite for authorship) is not a valid way of excluding you from authorship after you contributed substantially to the published work/study: that would be plagiarism.
* I've had my authorship to a paper upgraded to co-first-authorship by the editor based on the description of my contribution in the "contributions" section. With that experience, I'd *hope* that an acknowledgement that acknowledges you doing the data management, statistical analysis and helped with the interpretation of the results of the statistical analysis would trigger reviewers and/or editor to put you as an author. Unfortunately, I think it unlikely that your full contribution will be acknowledged (as opposed to mere help with these points).
---
\* I met academic researchers on full-time contracts who say this without blushing.
\*\* put in here any scientific authorship guidelines that are relevant for your field/location. In my experience, they are pretty much the same in their requirements.
\*\*\* For future collaborations: I've discussed concerns with prospective (academic) clients by explaining that though it doesn't have anything to do with them personally, I've had bad experiences with other academic clients in similar circumstances and therefore will work only on particular terms until I know that the collaboration with them (their institution's administration) works smoothly.
My experience with that is in terms of payment delays, which were comparatively easy to discuss with the clients in question (as employees they've probably had delayed reimbursements as well). I'd expect telling the prospective client that you had bad experiences in terms of authorship and in consequence insist on agreeing on the rules for authorship early on should work similarly - again, academics are well aware of all kinds of trouble around legitimate authorship claims, and clarifying authorship at the beginning is recommended for inner-academic collaborations as well.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: It is worth having a look at some of the academic literature and ethics documentation on authorship to get an idea of what is considered a valid authorship claim. The [Council of Science Editors](https://www.councilscienceeditors.org/) has published a recent [White Paper on Promoting Integrity in Scientific Journal Publications](https://www.councilscienceeditors.org/wp-content/uploads/CSE-White-Paper_2018-update-050618.pdf) that gives a good summary of research on authorship and attribution in scientific journals (see section 2.2 of the report). Following their 2003 report, they state that
...“there is no universally agreed definition of authorship, although attempts have been made … As a minimum, authors should take responsibility for a particular section of the study" (p. 22).
In the case of a statistician who undertakes the data management and analysis for a project, this seems to me like a "significant contribution" to the paper. Data analysis and interpretation is an expert skill, and a contribution of this kind is a fundamental contribution to a scientific paper. [Parker and Berman (1998)](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/%28SICI%291097-0258%2819981030%2917%3A20%3C2289%3A%3AAID-SIM931%3E3.0.CO%3B2-L) give a detailed analysis of authorship by statisticians, and recommend the use of a scoring system which rates the contribution of a statistician to the design, implementation, and analysis of the study. It would be worth your time to read this paper and score your contribution on their scale, to see whether this justifies inclusion as an author on the paper.
Once you have reviewed this material, I would recommend contacting this professor and putting forward your claim to authorship (assuming you still wish to pursue it). You should back up your position by references to documentation of this kind. In the first instance you may be able to negotiate authorship with the professor, but if this is disputed then you should also be able to have recourse to dispute-resolution mechanisms at that professor's university.
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<issue_start>username_0: I am planning to apply for a (quite competitive) scholarship offered by a foreign government, which I need the recommendation of a prospective doctoral advisor to apply. However, if I am offered the scholarship but decline it for opportunities in other countries, would I offend anyone? Are there alternatives should I decide later not to pursue a PhD there?
In fact, I'll give it off: I'm going to apply for the Japanese government's MEXT scholarship. Now, while I really enjoy living in Japan (having lived there briefly in the past) and can find good doctoral advisors there, I am not sure if that is in my best interest, as I would prefer to pursue a career in Europe due to personal and family reasons, and doing a PhD in Europe would be better for my goals. Also, if anyone is familiar with the MEXT scholarships, I wonder if there are alternatives: e.g. use my scholarship to study as a research visitor student (kenkyuusei) instead, etc.<issue_comment>username_1: I can't judge the specifics, but in general the committee will have a backup plan if an offer is refused. But if you need to refuse it, you should do so immediately, rather than wait very long for other opportunities unless you notify them immediately. If the sponsoring organization is wise, you will get a deadline to accept or reject it. Honor that and you should be fine.
It is expected that candidates will be looking at all of their options, since it isn't really possible to explore them one at a time due to overlapping application periods and deadline dates.
As to which country, I can offer no advice other than to choose a country in which you know the language well. Others may have more specific advice on the particulars.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: If you have a definitive plan in Europe, then there is no problem rejecting the opportunity in Japan, it should be ok as long as everyone gets notified. The advisor may be get annoyed briefly, but they will soon not think about it (especially famous professors) as they have many things on their mind.
I am actually in a similar position right now in which I might decline a potential JSPS fellowship.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I did my master in one lab and am continuing my PhD here. My advisor asked me to do some research that he doesn't know, and is also beyond the domain of my current major. I have no other choices so I did some work in my master. Because I haven't gotten any professional advice on that kind of research, I am very unsatisfied with my previous work, but I graduated anyway.
Now I am becoming a new PhD student in the same department and same lab. And I'm facing the PhD qualifying exam. I've always been thinking about doing something new so that I can pass the qualifying exam. But since my advisor is still asking me to do the same kind of research and he's still not providing any professional help, I made very little progress.
Now the PhD qualifying exam is impending. On the one hand, I need to continue my research, which is still very hopeless; on the other hand, I have to review some class materials to prepare for the exams. And I'm still taking a class.
I feel so overwhelmed and am currently very anxious and depressed. Sometimes when my mood is very bad, I start to hate my advisor deep in my mind. My advisor wanted me to do that kind of research simply because he thinks that is interesting, but he actually does not know much about it because that is beyond his research area. Worse still, he is the kind of professor who forbids collaborations even among his own group.
Because the research he asked me to do is beyond my previous experience, I have to go slowly solely by myself. I have to take relevant classes and read papers that I usually find hopeless to understand. (Now it's much better, I can understand most of the papers.) What I found was that usually it took me a lot of time only to figure out that the way I was thinking simply didn't work. As a result, I wasted so much time in this way. I mean, I was just a master student before, should I master student be required to do that kind of things?
Now my confidence is running out. I basically achieved nothing in my master, and it will be very hard for me to even pass the PhD qualifying exam. Because the exam is impending, changing advisor is almost impossible, partly because my advisor will be the one who at least has power in determining whether I should pass or not. Also, it is very hard to find a new advisor in my current university, both because of the environment of the department culture and my previous achievements on research.
Yes, everything is bad about me, but that's where I am. Any advice on helping me to get out my current dilemma will be appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: My advice would be to find another advisor, maybe even a different university. If you are just at the beginning, then it is a good time to move.
There is very little worse than an unsupportive advisor.
But if you think it is possible to move, look among the faculty for one or two people who believe in you and can support and application elsewhere. With good support it may be possible to move even if you need to take the qualifiers and do poorly. Your advisor is probably not the one to help you.
Even at the same institution it may be possible to reset the clock on your exams if you move to a different advisor. Sometimes the department head can help and sometimes you just work through a more compatible faculty member.
But continuing on doesn't seem like it is going to be easy, maybe not even possible. Look to your options.
One good thing that has come out of it is that you have learned to read and understand the literature. That is an important and useful skill.
However, if you are overly stressed and seriously depressed, you should seek medical advice, and learn about stress reduction activities.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Changing advisors, either in the same institution or not, is probably best.
Doing a PhD is a very lengthy and stressful process, so you will need the support of someone you can respect and can direct - once you dislike your advisor it is usually difficult to change that opinion.
I have some past colleagues during my PhD who did not get on well with their supervisor and I believe no work came out of it, so they changed their advisor in the same institution after the first year and they loved their PhD after that. I recommend something similar to you, albeit, earlier.
If you would like to stay in the same institution, you may have a good idea of professors who not only have research that sound interesting, but are also friendly/supportive.
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<issue_start>username_0: I cannot get any help from my supervisor if I want to write a new thesis. Not only that, I didn't have anyone in my lab. Therefore it's obvious that I don't have any people who can help me here. I'm trying to write it again by myself.
Is it that impossible? If that is the case, what can I do for it? Or should I just give it up?
Thanks.<issue_comment>username_1: A degree is awarded by a university. So you can't get a degree while completely ignoring the university. The problem for us is that the exact rules differ substantially between countries and universities within countries. So we cannot give you any concrete advice.
However, there are typically student advisors at a university whose job is to help you. These are typically people who help students with all the formalities, help with study specific choices, help students who want to go a semester abroad, for bigger problems help the student find the appropriate person in the university, etc. So that would be the first step for you to take. Find that student advisor, and talk to her or him. (S)he will probably tell you that you need to enroll again, and the steps you need to take to find a thesis advisor and write the thesis.
You seem to have had a bad experience at that university, so maybe you want to consider another university. Again talk to the student advisor at that new university and see if they can recognize (some of) the courses you finished from your original university.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: It is not clear whether your main concern is employability or thinking well of yourself.
Unless you are seeking employment as an academic pure mathematician, you need not worry about not completing your research degree.
I used to employ hundreds of highly intelligent staff in a professional organisation. Some had PhDs, some had never tried, some had tried and found they did not want to continue with academic research. I myself thought better of pursuing pure maths research and pursued a professional career instead.
As an employer, I took very little interest in such matters. What I wanted was highly motivated and highly intelligent people who enjoyed the work I wanted done and who could bring creativity and imagination to it.
When you apply for jobs, you will undoubtedly be asked why you did not finish your research degree, but the mere fact that you did not is not negative. What would be negative would be feeble reasons for stopping.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: Suppose one of my papers is published by journal A and I upload it in addition to my university repository B. When people cite this paper, would some cite the paper in A and some the one in B? Or is it ensured somehow that people will only cite the one in the journal?<issue_comment>username_1: If it's a direct copy of the published version (same PDF, with formatting, headers etc.) I'd be very surprised if anyone would fail to cite the journal version. I mean, what's next? Providing the address to their university library instead of using a standard citation format for a printed publication?
If it isn't a direct copy, but the copy in university repository B lists the journal reference, readers will generally cite the journal version. This also tends to happen with papers on preprint repositories such as arXiv, except when people find the preprint version before it's published, and don't remember to check their bibliography for updates before they submit/publish their own work. If no journal reference is listed, you can't really blame the readers for not noticing the version in A, so make it easy for them to get it right.
Now, this isn't really enforced. The closest thing I've encountered is that many journals will ask authors to double check references that don't look like peer reviewed and published versions during the copy-edit phase. As you say, this could be considered a disadvantage to green OA, but it's likely outweighed by the visibility advantage of having a non-paywalled version.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In addition to username_1's answer: Some journals might have specific rules about copies of papers on university repositories and preprint servers. E.g. *Molecular Ecology Resources* state in their [editorial policies](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/17550998/homepage/forauthors.html#ed_policy):
>
> ...
>
>
> Given that the measurable impact of the article is diminished when citations are split between the preprint and the published article, authors are required to:
>
>
> * update the entry on the preprint server so that it links to and cites the DOI for the published version
> * cite only the published article themselves.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a postdoc at a US university, and my principal investigator (PI) asked me to cover some of his lectures next semester. I do not want to do any lecturing as I want to focus solely on my research. I am involved in two funded projects, and I therefore have a lot to do research wise.
Can I say no to covering lectures or would that be considered a mark against me?<issue_comment>username_1: Your personal relationship with your advisor is probably a very important consideration. This might depend on your assessment of how he/she would react. But in general, it is probably a good idea to get the experience of lecturing in a way that involves only a short term commitment. While I think you *can* refuse, and most legal systems would back you up, it may not be wise to refuse.
But you might want to try to structure it so that you benefit maximally from the experience. For example, asking now for the opportunity to discuss things with your advisor after the first such lecture would be an advantage. Also, it puts an obligation on the PI.
Your future may depend on your relationship, but also on the breadth of experiences that you have as a student. You could think of it as an opportunity, rather than an obligation. The PI seems to trust you. That is a valuable thing in itself.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You can.
But how do you see your career progressing? Perhaps a combination of research and a small amount of teaching could be good for you and, for the future students.
Your choice, so good luck anyway.
I had the Professors coming to me and saying, will you do X lectures, we have the pay rates already agreed and signed... And the material, examples, handouts all prepared, printed and ready to go...
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I don't think a flat "no" would go over very well. Covering classes is something that colleagues are expected to do for one another, within reason. Yes, everyone has their own projects that this takes time away from. But it's really the only way that faculty are able to travel during the school term, which most find essential to keeping an active research program. Saying "I don't want to do *any* lecturing" will come across as unreasonable and possibly selfish. Keep in mind that "focusing *solely* on research" is a luxury that basically nobody ever has.
However, you can certainly negotiate, and maybe reduce the amount, while still showing that you're willing to help. Keep in mind that the PI presumably has an interest in your research success, so if the teaching would impact this in *specific* negative ways, beyond a generic "this is an hour of my time that I could be spending on research", you can point this out and suggest a compromise.
* "I'm happy to help out, but seven classes over the semester is kind of a lot. I am going to need to [achieve specific research goals] next semester and I think this might start to get in the way. Maybe you can find another person who can cover some of them, and we'll split them up?"
* "I can do January 18, but on March 7 there is a conference that I was really hoping to attend. Perhaps someone else could cover that date?"
* "February 10 would be fine. April 3 is the week before [important deadline] and it might be kind of a crunch, so maybe someone else could teach on that day."
You can also ask for materials or other help that will lessen the amount of work for you.
* "Sure, I can teach on January 30. Can you point out the specific sections in the book that I should cover? Will you be preparing notes for me to follow, or do you have notes from a previous semester? Can you suggest any particular examples that I should present? [etc...]"
With such assistance, covering a lecture should not end up taking an excessive amount of time away from your research. You really should only need to prepare and deliver the lecture - you likely won't have to deal with creating assignments, grading exams, supervising TAs, holding office hours, answering emails from students, or the other things that end up taking the majority of time when teaching.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_4: The short answer is: it depends.
The objective of a postdoc is to obtain sufficient research experience so that you are ready to be a 'grown-up' academic and university professor. This is achieved mostly by doing amazing research, but your PI's assessment of your work is a significant part of this. So I would say that even if you feel that this is taking up a significant chunk of your time, it's better to keep a good relationship with your PI, even it means a few hours lost to teaching.
That said, almost any academic position would require some teaching, and perhaps this is the PI's way of assessing your teaching capabilities so that they can make an educated statement in a future reference letter.
If it is just a few lecture hours, I personally would not make a big deal out of it. If they are asking you to grade exams/consult students or something more time consuming, perhaps it would be worthwhile to diplomatically discuss it ('are you sure that this is the best use of my time given that I am involved in two projects?').
If you feel like this is part of a growing pattern of assigning you a bunch of tasks not related to your research, it may be good to raise this issue.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: **Yes** you can. *How* you do it is the key point you should worry about.
I was in the exact situation once before. As a 1st timer postdoc my supervisor came to me informally to ask whether I could lecture in his place in case he'd go for "trips". Immediately my internal alarms went off. Why did he drag me into a separate room, and why was he smiling so much? Clearly he was pushing beyond limits.
Still, I was quite friendly and open. I asked how did that contribute for my record with the department and project? I wanted certificates per each class given, and beforehand some rough estimation of how many classes to expect and more or less when. I emphasised on how time-consuming the project and writing of papers were sure to be. And I asked whether officially my postdoctoral funding rewarded or at least demanded giving out classes (e.g. how many hours).
He immediately realised the resistance. He said "Well, in case you **don't want** to help with classes, it's OK", to which I said, "of course I am available, but I must understand the official details before making plans."
In the end, I lectured about 6-8h in total, out of 3 years as a postdoctoral fellow in that lab. Surely it could have been more. My impression is that he was wary of "leaving for trips" and relying on me to cover him up. I bet he wasn't really communicating absences, where talking about *official procedures* gets a bit unsettling.
Thus, my advice is: don't let others abuse you, but make concessions where you see some clean opportunity for experience or "points" with the department. You do **not** depend on your supervisor for jobs later -- this is usually a myth and they won't move a finger in any direction.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: First, I agree with everything <NAME> wrote in his excellent answer.
To add to that: you may think your job is only to do research, but the funding agency that provides the funds that pay your salary may not see things that way. Your PI pays you out of (I assume) a grant he got from the National Science Foundation or other similar government agency, as part of the grant’s “training” component, that is, the PI promised the agency to help train the future generation of researchers and educators (and the NSF cares about such things, including the teaching part, see [here](https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14002/pdf/02_mission_vision.pdf)). One could make a very plausible argument that giving you some teaching experience is an essential part of that training. So, even aside from the fact Nate and others already explained that not being willing to do any lecturing will indeed come across as a black mark against you on an informal basis, you may also have a hard time arguing even at a purely formal level that lecturing is “not in your job description”.
Another thing to consider is the mindset of your PI, who as a regular faculty member likely teaches around 100 hours a year and also has many administrative duties, and yet manages to do productive research. From his point of view you have an incredible luxury to be able to focus essentially all your time on research. Depending on his personality and the level of stress he experiences from having such a workload, he may even be a bit resentful of you for having such unbridled freedom in comparison to him. From such a vantage point, a refusal on your part to take on just a few hours’ teaching load - a trivial amount, relatively speaking - is almost certain to appear selfish and immature.
Finally, to balance my answer a bit, I will go in the other direction and mention the possibility that a normally innocent request by a PI to his postdoc to teach a few lectures can in fact cross a line into potentially abusive behavior if the extent of the teaching grows above a certain point, especially if this is done without the knowledge and approval of the PI’s department. I have heard of cases of faculty who got their postdocs to do essentially all their teaching for them, and got in trouble for it. It would certainly be reasonable of you to be on your guard about a potential abuse of authority of this type, and to set a reasonable limit on the amount of teaching you are willing to do, and also ask some questions about whether this has been cleared with the department.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_7: ### You should respectfully tell him to "Insert Coin" (but be careful)
Most post-doctoral positions involve research work under the supervision of a more senior researcher. They do not include teaching or institutional-administrative duties. This is related to their fixed- and short-term nature - and to their significantly lower pay.
With due respect to your PI - making precarious researchers serve as a backup teaching workforce is a further degradation of their (or should I say our) position in academia. So while - as @NateEldridge suggests - accepting a backup request is the collegiate thing to do, it is also collegiate for your PI to make sure you are then recognized as having been employed as a teacher, even if for a short period of time, and paid for it (with consideration of the extra relative overhead per class hour when you are teaching just once or twice).
With that said,
* It is very possible that refusing will hurt your relationship with the PI and even threaten your continued employment - this depends on the specifics of the situation. It is still possible, though less likely, that even requiring formal recognition of this duty and payment will hurt your relationship.
* Careful management of your rhetoric and order of actions (see @username_5's answer) is important, regardless of what exactly you choose to do.
* Ignoring the questions of status and rights, I would be disposed to help a colleague in need, as @NateEldridge suggests. You mentioned your wish to focus only on research - remember that, collectively, as academics we have an obligation to teach students, so it is important that *someone* competent cover for your PI.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am in my last year of my PhD and start focusing on writing my thesis. In the course of my PhD I had to apply twice for external funding, in which I - thanks God - succeeded.
I believe that part of that success was - aside of the "hot" topic - the way I presented my research. I wrote roughly 10 pages in style of a paper, where I had an abstract (5-6 phrases about my research answering the 5 common w-questions) for those who had just 1 minute to spare. However, instead of presenting my text of 8 pages right away, I added first a text of about 1,5 pages in which I wrote about my research in categories like motivation, research gap, my approach and contribution, research questions, method, time and work schedule in greater detail for those who had about 4 minutes to spare.
Is it good practice, a good idea to do the same for my PhD thesis, presenting the major argumentative path in the first chapter "Introduction" on perhaps max. 5 pages? My idea is that the reader (supervisors) do not need to read the entire dissertation to understand/identify the major arguments (but obviously need to, for him/her to challenge my entire work) and to not get tempted to only read the conclusions of each chapter to prevent that they get a sided idea (just in case).
My idea is basically to allow the reader to follow my entire argumentation easier, not to help them skip pages or save them time (like in the case of the funding application).<issue_comment>username_1: Every dissertation or thesis should have an introduction.
When I receive a student's thesis to read, I usually do not have numerous hours to pick out the details of every page. Having a 4-8 page introduction is extremely helpful in allowing me to learn what is most important in the overall arguments of the thesis. An introduction allows readers to see the major theme of the work.
When I wrote my own dissertation, I treated the introduction chapter much like an extended abstract. It highlighted what the reader needed to watch for and established the overall theme of my work.
The introduction can also serve a useful purpose of providing a place to take care of some of the administrative aspects of the thesis such as acknowledgements and holistic citations ("This thesis was written using LaTeX; all code was written in C++). These things are given their own pages at times, but I found it useful to be able to just place them in a paragraph in the introduction.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: First thing to do: check if it is common in your field to write conclusions.
Next, there is a German academic saying that roughly translates to "Introduction is called so, because it's written last."\* Really do so.
Next, when it's time, fly over the thesis with your mental eye. What is this actually about? What are you doing? What is your hypothesis? (You should actually know that a bit earlier, but I digress.) What is the starting point?
>
> The art of sepulation has been studied for over 70 years [1,2,3]. Tihiy presented the key questions of sepulka sciencies in his seminal work [4]. This thesis focuses on sepulation phase B (in the standard denotion [5]) where we found ...
>
>
>
A bit of historic lookback is also nice, but it's not the major focus of an introduction, just a further gimmick.
>
> The first algorithm that is known to us was reported by Euclid [1], though modern historians tend to believe that is it was not his own creation [2-4]. Further well-known personalities, such as Eratosthenes of Cyrene, Plato, and Archimedes of Syracuse have contributed to the Ancient Greek notion of ...
>
>
>
The main ingredients are:
* You *may* gently introduce the subject with a motivation or a historical review.
* You **should** present your research topic, your hypothesis.
* You **should** show the contributions of your work. You can do this somewhat at length, 3-5 pages are Ok in my opinion. There is a whole thesis for the gory details. Basically, you rewrite the contributions / conclusions of separate chapters in other words.
* You *may* list the chapters and their role for the whole thesis.
* You *may* thank your supervisor and your friends in the introduction, but this can be done elsewhere.
* You *may* put a dedication somewhere around the introduction.
The questions, the introduction text needs to answer are:
* What is she/he doing? / What did she/he do?
* Where does she/he stand in the field?
* Why does it matter?
---
Now, for the conclusions. It's the "should" parts, you need to address here. If you do conclusions at all, you really, really need to pick up your hypothesis and tell what you know now about it. Does it hold? Why not? What parts did fail? Then I'd write basically the same thing, but in a more affirmative way:
Introduction:
>
> We aim to inspect the B-stage of cooperative sepulation in order to ...
>
>
>
Conclusions:
>
> From the careful inspection of the B-stage of cooperative and competitive sepulations (Chapters 17 and 23) we deduced a general theory of B-sepulations (Part 3) that allowed us to ...
>
>
>
If you don't do conclusions, you may formulate the introduction more offensively:
>
> We inspect B-stage of speulations in Part 2 and deduce a general theory of it in Part 3.
>
>
>
Hope, it helps.
---
\*: Vorwort heißt Vorwort, weil's zuletzt geschrieben wird.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/06
| 540
| 2,137
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<issue_start>username_0: There are several answers available on Academia but all of them are 4 to 5 years old. That is why I am re-asking this question.
I was looking for a PhD in UK and contacted a professor of my interest. He's agree to take me but he said he doesn't have funding.
I searched over internet for potential funding sources but I could not find the one which is completely covering all of the expenses. There is one studentship available but it will only cover fee at home/EU rates, which are much less than international rates. Moreover, I can't apply for commonwealth scholarship.
What are other potential PhD funding sources?
**Edit:**
The field of study is physical sciences, physics to be exact.<issue_comment>username_1: * Most universities in the Russell Group provide a scholarship for PhD students in natural and mathematical sciences. Nevertheless, they tend to be very competitive, and, for obvious reasons, there is preference to UK and EU students. Usually, a professor/lecturer writes a project, and if it is approved by the department, a PhD student can be fully funded. It may be the case that your potential supervisor does not want to do this as it is time demanding or the project is not a priority in his/her agenda.
* Another way of finding a fully funded PhD studentship is to look for projects that fund an international PhD student. These tend to be less restrictive in terms of your nationality. You can find hundreds of opportunities at <https://www.findaphd.com/>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In the UK, PhD students in sciences are largely supported via [EPSRC CDT](https://epsrc.ukri.org/skills/students/centres/) scheme. Many Universities have Centers for Doctoral Training, providing scholarships for PhD students in a specific area of research. You can check the list of centers on the website and contact Universities directly. You can also take a look at PhD posts advertises on [jobs.ac.uk](https://www.jobs.ac.uk/search/?keywords=&location=&distance=0&academicDisciplineFacet%5B%5D=physical-and-environmental-sciences&qualificationTypeFacet%5B%5D=phd) website.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/06
| 1,176
| 4,798
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<issue_start>username_0: Today my student was not paying attention to my lesson. He just slacked off and gave a fit. I can't call the administration (It's a private College School). I have asked him nicely several times to comply with what we are doing. But he won't listen and/or do the work. Yet his parents bribe some of his Professors to give him an A. And some Professors actually agree. What should i Do? Give him more work to do? a signature from parents?<issue_comment>username_1: Why can you not call the administration? If it's a private school, are they not able to remove students from classes?
If the student is just not paying attention, I'd say you just let him be. It's college. It's his (parents') money. Let it go to waste. Teach the students who are there to learn. Your job as a college professor is not to wipe runny noses of students who do not want to be there. When we focus too much on the students who do not want to participate, we usually end up neglecting the students who do want to be there.
If the student is being disruptive, document and report. What is the administration there for if not to handle such administrative issues?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Before resorting to [username_1's](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/119630/75368) solution you might try to learn whether there is a reason for the misbehavior. The student may have a medical (physical or mental) condition that leads to this sort of behavior. The administration or counseling center may know something, though you may need permission to get any information from them. If the student is local you might want to talk to the parents if they are available. Former teachers might also be able to give you some insight into what is going on and especially into what triggers the behavior.
If you get get a reason for the behavior, you might be able to design a solution.
While you have a responsibility to try to teach every student, the student is free to reject your efforts and you may just have to let him fall by the wayside.
Some misbehaving students are just bored, of course. If that is the case here, then giving him something more interesting to do might help. I was that way in elementary school, but "woke up" by the end of high school and did well thereafter. But quite a few of my teachers weren't well pleased with me.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: For your career health, three things I'd suggest:
* Be compassionate
* Develop a teaching philosophy
* Figuratively, if you see someone insisting killing himself by jumping into a well, try to rescue; if he refuses, keep rescuing. And most importantly, don't throw rocks into the well even though you're pretty certain that he'd die anyway.
When it comes to students underperforming or misbehaving, never start with blaming. Try to be in their shoes and try to be their advocate, at least at the beginning. While it's true that he was unprofessional, there could be other reasons behind his lack of interest that you might actually find reasonable. If it's only *today*, it may also be an isolated incidence. So, keep communicating, keep caring, the worst you can say is "I tried."
A teaching philosophy is a 1-2 pager that lay out your directions, aspirations, overall method to become a teacher you want to be. Search online for ample amount of examples. From your question, I think you need one. First, compassion seems to be lacking as you quickly put yourself automatically in adversity with the student; second, you factored in the student's parents' immoral behaviors into the student's own account, unfairly judging him beyond what your course syllabus would have defined; third, faced by a student who is disinterested in learning, the corrective methods you could come up with is: give him more works. None of these made sense. I think if you have put good thought into the philosophy statement and established a general "professional protocol," you'll have a better idea on what's the most suitable action.
When making pedagogical decisions like this, think: basing on my philosophy and my syllabus, is what I am doing justifiable if shit hits the fan? If he decides not to put in the effort, and you decided to give him more works, what would you say to the Dean when he/she asks you to explain your action? I am not saying you probably can't, I am saying you should be prepared. If your student has made a decision to not study, accelerating his failing trajectory by giving more works, to me, is akin to throwing rock to a drowning person in the well. Not that you are the killer, but your action is not justifiable.
I hope these few points can help. Remember to build more bridges, fewer walls. Talk to him, help him, don't openly humiliate him, treat him like an adult.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/11/06
| 1,316
| 5,212
|
<issue_start>username_0: To the point, I do love conducting research, however, I have put myself in a very difficult point of research that made me switch to another Ph.D. program for the sake of more technical support. However, I found the other group doesn't have the required set-up devices as they have mentioned earlier before arrival, moreover, they don't have any idea how to solve this complicated point which they are interested in already. Finally, I felt I am in the same blank loop.
To be honest, I began to lose motivation and passion and sometimes I feel lost. I don't know what to do, I see crappy research published and seems everything to me to be fake, I am asking myself: Why this happens to me?.
My dream is to be like <NAME>, <NAME>, and present interesting science TV show one day, but I don't know how to reach this goal and present what I am really interested in.
Honestly, I don't know how should be the exact question, but I feel miserable, I don't know whether I have to look for another different point of research and easy to be solved. This would obligate me to look for another different research lab.
Maybe I am not smart enough, but, I began to feel academic field is so dull and boring. I would like to hear what I should do in that complex situation as I cannot dare to speak with anyone in my current research lab about my situation.<issue_comment>username_1: You seem to have jumped from one bad situation into another. You can't do that very often and reach success in a reasonable amount of time. You may just have to "tough it out" and do some of the background work yourself if support isn't available.
You should note that your idols spent a long time building scientific reputations before they could become public intellectuals. No one really gets into the public eye without a lot of background work and respect from other professionals.
As to the question of passion, it is hard to say and impossible in general. Many people are motivated by working to solve hard problems, as long as those problems are interesting. Maybe that is what you lack. But hard problems are hard, and many of them require a long time to solve along with a lot of "scut work" that may not be entirely pleasing.
As for short term suggestions, you might talk to your advisor or another trusted faculty member. You might form a group of your fellow students to talk about the bigger issues of your field. Trying to go it alone may not be the best solution.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If you lack motivation in your research because you feel like you lack the resources/knowledge to tackle the problem, then you should probably discuss this with your advisor. It is important that the advisor offers you projects that can be 'broken down' into small, manageable pieces, rather than some monolithic task.
A PhD is often an isolating and depressing experience. You should find a support system of some sort to help you through the process. This can be family, friends, or fellow students. You can consider taking up a hobby (preferably something social, like sports) to give you an outlet that's not research.
I can't comment on what exactly makes some people great thinkers, but I can say that in successful research takes a lot of hard work, vision, and a hearty willingness to fail 90% of the time.
Finally, and I am sorry to say this, but you need to be mentally prepared for the fact that academia is not the right place for you. If it truly depresses you to the point where you don't feel like it's worth it, you should seriously reevaluate your prospects.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Doing a PhD can be very stressful and socially isolating. We all can have a run of bad luck (I speak from experience and thankfully I got through it).
I suggest you look at the difficulties others have had and, more importantly how they overcame them. Sheer determination and the right strategy can overcome many obstacles.
Here are quotes from the lives of just two famous people.
>
> In 1968, Sagan was denied tenure at Harvard. He later indicated the
> decision was very much unexpected.[26] The tenure denial has been
> blamed on several factors, including that he focused his interests too
> broadly across a number of areas (while the norm in academia is to
> become a renowned expert in a narrow specialty), and perhaps because
> of his well-publicized scientific advocacy, which some scientists
> perceived as borrowing the ideas of others for little more than
> self-promotion.[22] **An advisor from his years as an undergraduate
> student, <NAME>, wrote a letter to the tenure committee
> recommending strongly against tenure for Sagan**
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan>
>
>
>
---
>
> <NAME> is arguably the most famous director in the world... **he was rejected from the University
> of Southern California School of Theater, Film, and Television three
> times**. It didn't prevent him from achieving world-wide acclaim,
> though.
> <http://uk.businessinsider.com/successful-people-who-didnt-do-well-at-school-2017-5/#steven-spielberg-was-rejected-from-film-school-13>
>
>
>
Upvotes: -1
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2018/11/06
| 768
| 3,284
|
<issue_start>username_0: I attended a networking event and met a distinguished professor at another major university. I am studying to attend graduate school for one of the Ph.D's that the university actually offers, and the professor would like to meet to me about admissions and research. I have been in an undergraduate lab with one of my professors for almost a year now at my university. I want to be respectful and talk about the research I am doing with my professor, but want to ask them first if it is okay to share our purpose.
I know some professors in the past do not encourage their undergraduate research assistants to talk about their work until publication. My professor will not be on campus this week but will be checking their email. I would like to get back to the professor I met soon to set up a meeting time in their office and discuss so does anyone have any advice or a sample emaiL I can follow asking my professor if it is okay to share the work we do in the lab?
Thank you very much.<issue_comment>username_1: First, I think you should assume that it is ok to talk to a potential future advisor. No one should forbid you to do this. But you can ask your current advisor if there are elements that should be held back "for now." If there are strong reservations, ask for advice on how answers to questions on the research should be stated. Those questions will come, of course.
One way to deflect questions that you are not comfortable answering is to refer the questioner to your professor for details.
Some things might be sensitive, such as incomplete results or innovative methodology, but it is more likely that the details of such things, rather than their mere existence, that might need to be held in confidence at the current time.
You can set up the meeting with the potential future advisor without hearing back, but keep your own advisor informed about the meeting.
You need to keep two people happy and their interests are a bit different, though not necessarily at odds. But don't neglect your own interest here.
You have a right to advance your own career, of course.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> I know some professors in the past do not encourage their undergraduate research assistants to talk about their work until publication.
>
>
>
I depends on who you're taking *to*. Doing public media interviews about results that have not been peer-reviewed is usually considered a bad idea, but talking about the research to other academics inside the university system is not usually considered to be a problem. Unless there is some good reason to the contrary, it is usual for researchers at different institutions to be able to talk freely about their research (even prior to peer review and publication) and this usually comes with the implicit norm that the people you talk to keep your research findings confidential prior to you publishing them. For applications for a PhD program it would be usual that you would talk about your present research.
>
> ...for one of the Ph.D's that the university actually offers...
>
>
>
Another thing to do if you are emailing distinguished professors is to learn [the proper use of apostrophes](https://www.scribendi.com/advice/using_apostrophes.en.html).
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/11/06
| 907
| 3,911
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<issue_start>username_0: Recently, my MS advisor instructed me to submit a conference paper. They outlined what this paper would include, which would be a simulation study that is a near duplication of a ten-year-old published journal article (from a different group of researchers) that I have been reproducing results from for learning purposes. They said to omit citation of that journal article for the initial submission, and add it in the final draft if the conference paper is accepted. From a professional integrity standpoint, I have no intention to do this. I plan to write a paper that extends the results, and to include the citation in all drafts. I am unhappy that my advisor instructed me to essentially plagiarize, but plenty capable of not doing so, so I wasn't going to make a fuss about it.
However, in my literature search for writing my conference paper, I stumbled across Paper A that is extremely similar to one of my advisor's papers, Paper B. Paper A has different notation, but the same equations and results, published about 30 years earlier than my advisor's paper. Paper B does not cite this older paper, but does include a new simulation example in additional to the similar material, so it is not a complete copy. In light of their recent request to me, I am suspicious of my advisor's previous publications, and uncertain how to proceed working with them.
Should I show this older paper to them and ask about it? Should I report this to some higher authority? Is this a relatively common occurrence that I am overthinking? I do not rely on my advisor for funding, but I would not be thrilled about sabotaging my thesis by starting drama with my advisor. I would also not be thrilled to sabotage my future publishibility by working with a serial plagiarizer.<issue_comment>username_1: First, don't assume that it is plagiarism without more evidence. Parallel research is very common in many fields and a 30 year old paper may not have been well known in the time frame your professor wrote his/her paper. It may well be plagiarism, but it isn't necessarily so.
It is appropriate to point out the newly found paper to your advisor and gauge the reaction, but it is premature to "complain" to higher authority without solid evidence. You are correct to be wary. But showing it to your advisor could be just an "oh by the way, I came across...". Depending on the reaction you may learn more about their general attitude.
It would, indeed, be unfortunate to have to work with someone with poor ethical standards and if your suspicions are verified you might try to move to a different advisor. This is less critical at the MS level than it would be later, but as long as you preserve your own ethical reputation, you should be fine.
But, certainly, the recent instructions about omitting a reference are problematic. It is possible to write a valid paper reproducing and verifying old results without crossing ethical boundaries. But the work clearly needs to be presented that way, rather than as an innovation. If the referees are up to date in the field, such obfuscation may be caught to everyone's detriment.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I just want to make a clarification regarding plagiarism.
Not citing relevant work can be considered sloppy, ignorant, unprofessional or even deceptive (especially if done on purpose to increase the apparent novelty of a paper). However, it is still different than plagiarism. Unfortunately, not citing relevant work is quite common (both unintentionally and intentionally), and as far as I know it is not considered to be a huge breach of ethics in the way plagiarism is. Plagiarism is much rarer and considered to be a very serious issue.
So you have to be very careful and not immediately jump to conclusions regarding plagiarism.
Regardless, this does not sound like a good research environment long-term.
Upvotes: 0
|
2018/11/06
| 1,816
| 7,641
|
<issue_start>username_0: Why do some professors choose to go into academic administration (e.g., become associate deans, etc.)? I've always assumed the main attraction is that they get paid more.
But I've also thought that if I wanted to make more money than I do as a professor, I'd just leave academia entirely and take a job in industry, where I could probably earn 30-40 percent more. I'd have less flexibility in industry than I have as a professor in terms of what I research and what my work hours are. But the same would be true if I went into administration at a university (which would probably still not pay as well as industry).
So I've never seen a real benefit of going into administration, given that the extra pay does not (to me) offset the extra responsibilities (especially when the best-paying jobs are outside of academia entirely). Are there other benefits of being an academic administrator that I'm overlooking?<issue_comment>username_1: I feel like I'm pointing out the glaringly obvious, but many people actually want to make their institution a better place, design policies that benefit future students and colleagues, etc.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_2: Echoing the other answer: some people do see the opportunity to better their university. Also, in my experience, some people decide that, even though they did well-enough in research-and-teaching to get tenure, etc., that this is not their genuine strength. So, having considerable understanding of both research and teaching, they are uniquely qualified to try to administer things related to that. We rarely hire "professional managers" in academe, because we do not trust that they know what is going on here.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: A benefit not mentioned in the other answers is a **reduced teaching load** in many universities. Possibly zero teaching load. If someone does not like teaching, but likes (or has a lesser dislike of) administration and research, then the reduced teaching is a motive to become an administrator.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_4: Oftentimes, these administrative positions are only temporary and after a while, professors having such positions will become regular professors again.
This means that they can (1) work on improving their department, (2) perhaps get a higher salary for some time, (3) get reduced teaching load, and (4) help to grow their professional network within the university, all while having the assurance that the job that they actually like to do (Professor) for will be waiting for them when they don't want the higher responsibilities any more (or are not re-elected to these positions).
This is something that you can't get by switching to a job outside of academia -- once you are out of academia for a few years, it's quite difficult to get a good academic position as your scientific output is normally lower (or insignificant) when working for a company (perhaps with a few exceptions). Hence, you won't be such an attractive candidate (again, with exceptions).
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_5: One factor I don't see mentioned in other answers: pensions. In one school I'm familiar with, your pension is 75% of your salary *averaged over your five best years*. So if you are department chair or dean near the end of your career (as is usually the case), you get the ~40% bump not only for those 3-5 years, but effectively for the rest of your life. Particularly since the increased administrative load may be partially offset by a reduced teaching load, this is not a bad deal.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: Why do people want to be professor? They do less direct research (compared to post-docs or full time researchers) but instead they let other people execute their ideas. If you become head of department or a whole university, you can "steer" a lot more people but you become more indirect.
It is similar to why people climb the hierarchical ladder in industry. They loose contact with the real work but their thinking influences more people.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: The difference between "administration" and "teaching" in a university is like the difference between the managerial and technical tracks in a corporation.
The "average" university person probably wants to remain on the "technical" or "professor" track, but some people will prefer administrative duties, and a chance to exert executive power, either inside or outside the university.
As a child, I didn't want to be a movie star, but I did want to be a "producer," which would have made me their boss. That was true even though I knew that the stars made more money.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: A few more aspects of motivation I have not yet heard mentioned are:
* **Salary**. In many universities, senior administrative positions offer a salary increase over the (often uniform) salary grade of a professor. For most people this is a secondary motivation, and Professors' salaries are not that low to begin with, but it does carry some weight.
* **Prestige**. It makes many people feel more accomplished to have reached higher positions or ranks; to be more in the public eye; to speak for their departments or universities in various circumstances. Some might consider this vanity (and there are certainly vain people in such positions at times), but social recognition does motivate most people at least to some extent.
* **Getting *away* from research**. Paradoxical, isn't it? Well, some Professors are not as motivated as they used to be. Or - dislike the current fashions in their field. Or have just evolved as people and want to try something different in life, without quitting their job. An administrative position is a way of doing that instead of focusing mostly on your research.
Having said that - I agree with @RaghuParthasarathy's answer, that the primary motivation is hopefully the wish to actually do right by your institute or department.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_9: Here at the college I work for, our state retirement system (FRS, florida) administrative positions above a certain level accrue retirement pay at 3% per year vs. 2% per year for us peons. Additionally, retirement pay is based on the average of the highest 3 years of earnings from *any* FRS employer. Rather common for admin types to teach a few classes as adjunct or run for city/county political positions, or to teach overloads, etc. all as a way to crank that retirement paycheck up as high as you can get it.
Our administration also pull faculty away from the classroom (we aren't a research institution) to work on special projects like our SACS accreditation, etc. though this is usually time limited (1-5 years) with a promise of returning to the classroom and no loss of tenure, etc.
So from here at a "junior college" type place, it is about that retirement pay.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: In systems where internal appointment of academic management still exists some staff members who are collegial or union will put themselves forward in order to prevent the filling of the role by an unknown external, an uncollegial peer, a non-union worker, or a yellow dog or scab.
To the extent that the academic management role has some freedom of action they may be able to protect their unit from higher levels of management for a period of time.
This perspective assumes a higher level of proletarianisation, class conflict and class consciousness amongst academics in a unit; but, I have seen the case in the Australian system. Sometime everyone else steps backwards faster when colleagues ask for a volunteer.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/07
| 1,349
| 5,417
|
<issue_start>username_0: I know that you are likely to suggest "Ask your supervisor. He/She will know best.".
While that is obviously true, I would like to know from your personal experience either as the PhD candidate or as the examiner: What should I expect in my viva?
For example:
* Should I expect to be asked about the history of my topic?
* About the research cited in my thesis (i.e references - will they ask me about them? I have over 100...)?
* About methods used?
* About justifications for my conclusions?
* etc
What should one expect, in general, to be asked? I am PhD student in the UK.<issue_comment>username_1: >
> What should I expect in my viva?
>
>
>
Every viva is unique, but the first question will likely be standard in your department, ask a fellow student (and post the reply in a comment below).
Regarding your specific questions, you may be asked about each of them:
>
> Should I expect to be asked about the history of my topic?
>
>
>
You may be asked to contextualise your research within the broader field.
>
> About the research cited in my thesis?
>
>
>
You may be asked about any citation. For any particularly closely related citation, you may be asked to explain the differences between your work and the cited works.
>
> About methods used?
>
>
>
You may be asked to explain the methods (to demonstrate that you understand them), to justify the appropriateness of the methods, and to explain alternative methods.
>
> About justifications for my conclusions?
>
>
>
I'm not sure I understand the question, could you clarify in a comment below?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There is one critical question that is asked in every Phd viva, be it either directly or indirectly, that is "what is the original contribution of your thesis to knowledge". To be awarded a Phd the result of the research must be to contribute something new to the planetary or disciplines store of knowledge. You must have done something new and know what that thing is.
It is the very purpose of a viva to discover if you know that. Saying "I do not know" to this question can result in a Phd failure.
Other questions will seek to discover if you really understand the works you are citing in your bibliography; have you actually read and understood them and do you know how they relate to your work.
The third aspect of a viva is to resolve any ambiguity that the examiners read into your writing. Which of the possible interpretations of the words and conclusions did you actually mean. You might not have realised that your thesis contained ambiguity but the examiners will certainly find it. They will also seek to expand on or explore elements that are not clearly explained and get you to clarify them.
The answers to all these questions will determine if you have to make corrections to the thesis to resolve these ambiguities or make clarification, or even conduct more research to resolve those matters.
This is written from the perspective of a Phd examiner, both internal and external and experience as an independent chair of such vivas.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I recently (2-3 months ago) passed my PhD viva in Computer Science at a UK institution in the top 100. I will relay the useful points from my viva experience, but I preface this by saying that yours may differ. Ultimately the viva is a product of the examiners, and different examiners have different priorities. To reply to your questions point by point:
* I was not asked about the history of the topic at all.
* I was not asked to discuss any particular reference in detail.
* We did have some very in depth conversation about methods used (specifically my use of Principal Components Analysis), but in a visual sense, not in the sense of having to recall the formulae. This demonstrated that I knew why I was using it, how it applied to my problem and what the novelty of my approach was.
* Some of my stated conclusions were not specific enough. This was brought up and narrowing their scope was part of minor corrections.
Whether those are of any use to you is unclear. However, the best pieces of advice I received in hindsight were:
* Focus on *what you wrote*, not excruciating detail on the methods you used and the papers you cited. Read through the thesis in its entirety, and if there is any written or implied detail that you do not feel 100% confident explaining, then go and revise that. My colleagues tell me that their vivas were all focused on the thesis claims and content, and mine was no exception. Don't lose sight of the big picture of the thesis amid the minutiae.
* Don't defend the indefensible. If you get caught out on some detail and what you put is wrong, just concede the point, suck it up and move on. It will go into corrections, no big deal. Flogging a dead horse will just make things worse.
* As a side to the last point, you should still be robust. The examiners may play devil's advocate, and if they pick up on something that you *know* is right, this is the time to commit to discussing it. Perhaps concede that it could be explained better in the text if you are struggling to conclude the argument.
* Don't burn yourself out. Assuming of course that you wrote the thesis entirely, a week of good revision before the viva should be plenty to get you through.
I hope these are of some help to you.
Upvotes: 2
|
2018/11/07
| 459
| 1,797
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<issue_start>username_0: I would like to ask those in Academia who supervise PhD students and get to read their Phd theses. When checking on previous theses submitted to the library, I found some printed not in the more common A4, but A5 format, half the size of A4.
I was wondering whether is is more comfortable for supervisors to read a thesis of roughly 200 pages (just counting the main matter) in A4 or A5 format? My thesis would contain some "normal-sized" tables and figures.<issue_comment>username_1: Firstly, just checking the library is not enough — there might be restrictions on the format and only the relevant office can tell you what those restrictions are (if any).
Secondly, if you find out that you do have a choice (between A4 and A5 paper, for example), the natural thing to do would be to ask would be your supervisor in what format they would like to read your thesis.
(After submitting several printed copies of the thesis for review, you may get some of them back after your thesis defence, which you can submit to the library.)
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> is it [easier] to read a thesis of roughly 200 pages...in A4 or A5 format?
>
>
>
A4 seems advantageous to A5 if the font size is the same, because more fits on the page.
A4 remains advantageous to A5 with a smaller font size to fit the same information on a single page, if the reader finds smaller fonts harder to read.
A5 is advantageous to A4 if reading on-the-move, because A5 is more compact (and might even fit in the reader's pocket).
Ultimately, more information about the reader needed to definitively answer your question. If you're interested in your examiners' preferences, then you could ask them (just make sure they each have an identical copy!).
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/07
| 1,146
| 4,585
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<issue_start>username_0: I have been trying to get a Ph.D. position in Germany so I follow the advertising sites frequently. A few days ago I saw a position from a group of X Institute. I wrote the professor about the requirement and he replied a bachelor is a prerequisite and he encouraged me to apply. Today again I saw an advertisement for a position from a different group from the same institute and the professor said a master is needed as a prerequisite for becoming a Ph.D. student. My question is why the requirement varies from group to group whereas they come from the same institute? Can a professor or supervisor can play a role to waive master if he wants?<issue_comment>username_1: In most programs in Germany, the PhD is a paid position that is known as a *Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter* ("academic employee") and typically requires a master's degree as a prerequisite.
There are some exceptions to this—there are some programs where students enroll in a master's program that leads to a PhD position once the master's thesis has been completed. But such programs are relatively uncommon and should not be expected as a master's course.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: tl;dr: You'd typically need Master's. Read on to find out why.
The "traditional" German higher education system had only one kind of a degree before PhD, the Diplom. It's typically translated as MSc and it's not wrong: basically, it was a 5 years degree. You'd typically need this degree, and having it from a university (and not a *Fachhochschule,* a polytechnical university) in order to start a PhD.
Then, Bologna happened.
The current scheme in Germany is: 3 years BSc + 2 years MSc. Though the initial thought was to have a US system, where most of the students exit university with a BSc, it did not took off. Most companies and universities themselves saw "just" BSc as inferior and still required a MSc degree. It got a bit better nowadays.
It *is* possible to get a job with a BSc, even if it would pay less.
It *is* also possible to start your PhD with a BSc. But it's much, much harder. In many places special "fast-track" programmes exist. Details depend on the location. Typically, they allow a future PhD candidate to study for their MSc, but in a sort-of accelerated manner, for example, the MSc thesis is then allowed to be a topic from the future PhD. Further, typically the non-MSc holders are payed less, E12 level instead of E13.
All this requires, however, further, and in some cases non-insignificant actions from the advisor. So, there might be a certain willingness to employ a BSc-holder. It might be easier, if it's a four-years BSc. The typical "fits all" requirement is, however, a MSc.
---
A further notice. There are two sides to doing a PhD in Germany. 1) The general advisor-student relationship. It is about research and mentoring. No money is involved in this relationship. (You might want to register as a (PhD-)student with the university, it costs not much.) 2) The employer-employee relationship. The "funded position" is not really connected to the readiness to supervise a student. (Yes, it is often coinciding, but it is not required to be so.)
My point is: you should really ask very directly, does this particular professor really want to supervise you as a prospective PhD student (even with "only" a BSc), or do they do the former *and* have money for your position.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: * Usually, with a Master in the field of the PhD position (or a closely related field, e.g. PhD positions in physical chemistry will typically accept physicists or chemists; possibly the Master should have a grade better than x), you can be directly accepted.
* With a Bachelor (or Master from a totally different subject, or Master not from a university but a university of applied sciences, or possibly a degree from a foreign country for which there is no official declaration that it is equivalent to the Master of a German university) your application will probably have to go to a committee first who have a look at your case and decide whether and which additional courses or exams you need to take.
---
* If the institute you're talking of is a non-university research institute (e.g. <NAME>, Fraunhofer, Helmholtz, Leibniz): the PhD is not granted by these institutes but by the university they cooperate with. Different groups of the same institute may be cooperating with different professors from different faculties (or even different universities), and thus different rules may apply.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]
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2018/11/07
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<issue_start>username_0: I accepted an offer and after that got an iterview opportunity from my dream company. In the interview they had asked me if I have deadlines coming up. I informed them that I had to accept another offer since the deadline was before they invited me to the interview.
Will this create a negative opinion with interviewer or HR? Will the decision of considering me for next rounds be affected?
Thanks in advance<issue_comment>username_1: Surely by saying you have accepted another offer somewhere else, you have simply told them you don't want their offer.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If you accept an offer you should immediately withdraw from consideration from all other potential employers. This is simply to preserve your own credibility for the future. Failing to do this will, perhaps, cause them to expend resources wastefully and it can come back on you in the future.
They won't want to talk to you in the future if they think you might do this again in the middle of negotiations.
Alternatively, you can back out of your earlier acceptance if possible so that you are really available. This is risky, of course. But this is a situation that if you try to play games, you will probably lose.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/07
| 1,400
| 6,050
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<issue_start>username_0: I recently identified a textbook which is currently looking for authors of chapters. It states "For selected and invited authors" on the website, so I am wondering, if I submit a chapter proposal, if it has any chance of being accepted having myself being the only author, and not having graduated with any graduate degree yet. I also have no publications, but several are in the process.
I asked my PI if he would coauthor it, and he responded stating that he gets several requests to write book chapters per year and does not do any of them because he does not have time.
My question to the more experienced: if a chapter proposal has content which is completely golden and is well-written, does it have a chance of being accepted to be included in the book? Are book authors generally desperate to find authors for currently-researched topics, or is it generally competitive? Would they even consider a graduate student author? If it matters, the field is physics/nanomaterials.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know that publishers are desperate, but they are on the lookout for people who can write intelligently on subjects of interest to them. I think you have about as good a chance as anyone in this if your writing is good.
Publishing in books is a bit different from scholarly papers and you will likely get more feedback on your submission than you are used to. It will probably be reviewed by a subject expert, but the writing itself will also be guided by an editor whose main function is to deal with language, not content. The editor may also try to make the overall writing consistent across chapters when they are submitted by different people. I often found this to be very helpful.
Don't worry about the "invited" part. They can't invite you if they don't know about you. Perhaps your advisor can write a letter of introduction to the editor on your behalf as well.
It is possible, of course, that they are looking for the big names as authors, but as your advisor points out, such folks may be too busy to write.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Strongly related: [Is it OK to publish a book as an undergraduate?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/100780/is-it-ok-to-publish-a-book-as-an-undergraduate/)
It's an unfortunate fact of life that books don't sell well unless the author is well-known and has the authority to write it. Publishers may love books, but there's still no point in getting a book proposal if the book doesn't sell. I realize it's just a chapter proposal, but a chapter written by you still means they can't claim the chapters were written by leading experts in the blurb / promotional materials.
You can ask, but your chances of succeeding are poor unless you can persuade your PI to add his name to the chapter.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I don't know about physics, but in Computer Science book chapters tend to be the lowest class of peer-reviewed publication. Most book editors are struggling to get any good contributions, and the only chapter-books (as opposed to text books with a single, or few, dedicated authors) I really see succeed nowadays are written by a closed group of people for a specific purpose. For instance, I know that some [Dagstuhl](https://www.dagstuhl.de) seminars collectively decide to write a book - every participant writes one or two chapters, often together with (a subset of) members of their research group.
For books with an open call, you can in my field basically never be too inexperienced to write a chapter, as long as your English is good. That said, I generally advise my students against writing one anyway. Chapters are fairly long, so they may take an inexperienced writer substantial time to write, and the reputation and scientific impact of having a chapter in a book that is virtually never read is so negligible that the same effort is better directed to writing a different kind of paper.
Finally, the reaction of your advisor may also be a hint that they don't value book chapters either. Even if you can get your chapter accepted, is it a good use of time to work on something that your advisor appears to not put much stock in?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: In the Humanities and Social Sciences it depends on the book’s purpose.
For many HASS fields the primary or most esteemed output is the scholarly publisher monographic book, not the chapter in an edited collection.
Edited collections are often the result of significant small topic conferences, if you missed the conference then your chances are lower. This kind of book is valuable due to the restricted domain and small number of active researchers. It puts your work at the head of the queue, and the introduction hopefully notes it’s field relevance.
Predatory solicitations tend to be with low quality publishers or no quality publishers. Also known is the rat bag editor. For example, *The Black Book of Communism*’s editor didn’t inform the contributor of the Soviet chapter on the editors “unique” thesis of causation which the editor pushed to great length in the introduction and conclusion. Younger researchers may also be prey to this kind of deceptive intellectual project.
If you have to submit, it is a good sign, especially if revisions are required. If you are solicited, and you don’t know the crew, display caution.
HASS edited collections will judge based off quality and fit (constrained problems or topics in original research). You are as competitive as others working to your standard in that problem or research programme.
That 5000 words of research output might always be placeable somewhere else. And writing 5000 wd of new content based on primary research you were planning to use elsewhere may not be in your queue.
Generally: DOIs and open access are lagging behind the sciences here. But HASS works are usually cheaper than STEM works, and Interlibrary loan usually works, as long as your national level library system has a deal where someone buys at least one.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/08
| 1,245
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a graduate student in the U.S., specifically California although I am not sure it matters.
After three months in the American university system I am almost convinced there is an organizational level plot to ignore my emails, or people's emails in general. From Health Centre personnel to personal advisors it seems no one manages to answer an email.
Over the course of four weeks I emailed this employee at the Student Health Centre, not once, not twice, but four times. Each time I would receive an automated response "We are very busy bla bla bla will reply in 48 hours", and each time I patiently waited a week without response...After a month I decided that the only way to get an answer to my question was to corner said employee in their office and ask them!
Later during the quarter, I attempt to get in touch with my advisor. I get an half baked reply to my first email (it seems they couldn't be bothered reading past the halfway mark), and then nothing to my several other emails. *(Just to be clear, I am not spamming anyone. We are talking about one email per week at most)* As it turns out, said advisor went on sabbatical leave between my first and second email - and didn't bother to inform anyone or set up automated email responses...
Even later during the quarter, I get a new advisor. I email said advisor asking to set up an appointment since they need to sign one of my forms. As you can imagine...nothing, no reply, nada. Send another email a week later....nothing, tumbleweeds in my inbox.
Over the four years of my undergraduate degree, I think only **one** of my emails did not receive a reply. Given that my undergraduate was in the U.K., is there something about the American system that makes people not reply to their emails?
I am aware that most graduate lecturers have outside jobs, but it seems even in person some staff have little to no clue as to what their task is, they are slow in getting back to you, and are not helpful in general.
I was just wondering if the issues I am encountering are related specifically to my university of if it is an American issue?
Thanks!<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Is there something about the American system that makes people not reply to their emails?
>
>
>
I've spent my education and career in the American system (including California) and haven't had any particular problems with people being unresponsive to emails. This is probably specific to your institution and/or the individuals involved.
That said, in your academic life you will certainly encounter more people who don't respond to your emails, so you need to be comfortable with other forms of communication, and to have strategies to handle such cases:
* Call by telephone
* Visit in person
* Talk to an administrative assistant
* Find another person who can help with your issue
* Escalate to a superior
* Ask a colleague if there is a particular reason why the person might be unreachable (e.g. sabbatical, leave of absence, vacation, has quit, medical problem, is dead, etc)
And as mentioned above by Anyon, it is also an important skill to write emails that minimize the effort needed for the recipient to read, comprehend, and respond. This also will improve your chances of a useful response.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I wonder if we're at the same institution as this is something that I've noticed too. Have personally been ignored by the registrar, project accounts, housing, the health center, facilities, IT, the book store, the computer store, department managers, payroll etc. On the flip side, I get too many emails just saying "Thanks!" and dozens of emails about topics or events that are so unimportant that you wonder how anyone has the time to organize or write about them. Personally I put it less down to a conspiracy or culture, but some combination of admin staff being overworked, having higher priorities, and being too inexperienced to deal with something properly instead of putting it in the "too hard" pile. I have emails from over a year ago that are important to address, but still aren't at the top of my to do list. So unfortunately for those people waiting on my replies, it probably won't be soon the way things are going. Uncommunicative advisors, well, that's just a whole other topic.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: It sounds strange that so many people do not answer your emails. Are you sure you send emails concerning important issues, clearly and concisely written?
If this is the case, after two or three unanswered emails you should complain. There are different levels of complaint. You can either complain specifically against a person to his/er manager (e.g. the head of department) (you may be able to find staff's line managers on the staff directory) or, if you think it is an general problem, delegate a representative such as the grad rep or student lyason officer, who takes part to the department meetings. If the problem issue is not taken seriously you can escalate the complaint up to the president (you know what I mean).
Surely, before complaining against your advisor you should make an effort to clarify the problem with this person. Maybe knock on the door and ask politely. But do not underestimate the effect of complaints, at the annual performance review they can create problems to a person.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/08
| 1,376
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<issue_start>username_0: One of my high school teachers once said that if I ever meet her again, I should identify myself by name because otherwise she will probably not remember me (there are simply too many students every year to remember all of them).
So just curious: do professors remember all their ...
* Collaborators?
* Postdocs?
* PhD students?
* Masters students?
* Undergraduate research students?
* Undergraduate non-research students (i.e. those who took one of their classes)?
* Summer students?
... years into the future? Or are situations where the person goes "Hi <NAME>, I'm one of your \_\_\_ from 1985, remember me?", and Prof. Smith looks blank, common?<issue_comment>username_1: I can tell you that I don't remember all of mine, at least not immediately.
Just a few weeks ago, I got a DM from someone who I knew I knew, but I couldn't remember how or from exactly where, there was no photo on their profile, and they had a fairly common name. I thought at first it was someone I had gone on a couple dates with, but it turned out to be a former student--one I had taught in 3 different classes and met with a couple times after he graduated. Fortunately, I hadn't said anything of a sexual nature before realizing who he was (nor after).
Do you remember everyone you've ever met/worked with/studied with? I can't recall all my students from last year, let alone the hundreds from farther in the past. Some, yes--the ones who made some sort of mental or emotional impact on me.
Introducing yourself with a bit of clarifying information (like in your example) would probably prompt recall, or at least allow the professor to pretend like they recognized you.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Some research professors might have a couple dozen "students" over the course of their career all of which spent considerable time in their lab. Other professors can have 500 students a semester taking their classes. In these cases they will not even necessarily ever know the names of all their students.
As for collaborators, I have a couple of coauthors who I have never even met. If I grab my CV, I could find their names, but I have no idea who they are.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Just like other human beings, academics will tend to remember students who they have had regular one-on-one contact with over a sustained period of time. They are unlikely to remember students who they have met only in group settings (e.g., in lectures, etc.) or only on sporadic occasions. The passage of time will also tend to eradicate memories of particular students, unless they were well-known. And as with all other people, the memory of academics is affected by the length of contact, volume of other contacts with students at around the same time, time since last contact, and the idiosyncracies of memory of each individual.
>
> So just curious: do professors remember all their ...
>
>
> Collaborators?
>
>
>
Usually, but not always - Collaboration on a research project generally involves sustained contact, though it can also involve remote contact (via email, etc.) with some collaborators that you do not meet face-to-face very often, or at all. Some research projects might involve large teams, and in this case an academic might forget some members of the team. Academics will generally remember most or all of their research collaborators if they work closely in small groups, but might forget some who they did not meet often, or those on large teams.
>
> Postdocs?
>
>
>
Yes - Supervising a postdoc involves regular one-on-one contact over a period of several years. It involves assessment of work, research collaboration, and supervisory feedback. It is a close working relationship that would generally be retained in memory for a substantial period of time.
>
> PhD students?
>
>
>
Yes - As with a postdoc, supervising a postdoc student involves regular one-on-one contact over a period of several years. PhD students require more guidance than postdocs, so the relationship usually involves even more contact. It involves assessment of work, research collaboration, and supervisory feedback. It is a close working relationship that would generally be retained in memory for a substantial period of time.
>
> Undergraduate research students?
>
>
>
Maybe - Undergraduate research projects involve talented undergraduate students (the type you might remember) but they are usually short and simple research projects (which are fairly forgettable). Contact with the student is usually for only one or two semesters. After a period of time you might forget these students.
>
> Undergraduate non-research students (i.e. those who took one of their classes)?
>
>
>
Definitely not - There are hundreds/thousands of them. Some academics teach courses with several hundred undergraduate students each semester, in which case there are *thousands of them* over a period of years. You might be lucky to remember a few of the students that did particularly well in your courses, or had a lot of contact with you. For the rest of them, you would probably recognise the faces for a year or two afterwards, but eventually even this would fade and you would not recognise them at all.
>
> Summer students?
>
>
>
It depends - This really depends on what exactly is being taught for these summer students. If they are just taking summer classes then there is a similar dynamic to other undergraduate students, although the classes are probably smaller, which aids memory retention. If they are doing research projects over the summer then the dynamic is similar to undergraduate research students.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2018/11/08
| 1,016
| 4,168
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<issue_start>username_0: I have applied for several PhD positions but I was never able to reach to even interview stage. Now I wonder if my motivation letter is strong enough or not. I have written the following letter for a Physics PhD position in a research group. This research group is working on applications of topological materials in spintronics (*fancy terms, you can just ignore them if you don't understand them*). And I am very much interested to explore this field on applications side. I don't want to miss this PhD.
So, I want to request you to please read my letter of motivation and find what is wrong in it? Why I am not able to get a PhD? Also, as I am not a native English speaker, I would really appreciate if you highlight the grammar mistakes.
**My profile:**
BS: 3.51/4
MS: 3.8/4
1 publication in well known international journal (impact factor 2.617)
TOEFL: 100
GRE (not taken, as it is not required in Europe)<issue_comment>username_1: I don't mean to be harsh, but the letter, to me, seems "over the top." If you take out most of the "superlative" adjectives in favor of the facts of the case it will be more convincing. It reads like you need to bolster your case with flowery language rather than the facts. This makes it harder to get the essentials of the case, but also makes the reader wonder if you are overstating the case.
For example, the second paragraph basically says your goal is to be a researcher, but in far too many words.
Likewise the sentence "My ride on the ladder of education has been pretty much self-motivated and innovative at a personal level." is too wordy and actually unneeded. The whole paragraph could be reduced to just a couple of sentences about what you have studied, avoiding all of the self-congratulatory wording.
Such language not only adds to the length it also makes the essentials harder to find while making the reader wonder whether you are overstating your accomplishments. Let the accomplishments stand on their own. Let others praise you in letters, rather than seeming to praise yourself.
While it isn't my field, you *do* seem to have some solid accomplishments. Put more emphasis on your future goals than praising your past work.
Note that this is just one person's reading. I don't agree with a commenter that the English itself is poor, but the phrasing is "too much".
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I mostly agree with username_1 that the letter is not very effective due to the "over the top" style of language it uses. Personally, there's a good chance I would stop reading at
>
> always dreamt about being the creator of an extraordinary piece of knowledge
>
>
>
I hate this kind of phrasings with the passion of a thousand suns. They tell me literally nothing about you as a person (other than that you sound a bit obnoxious), and are more likely than not a blatant lie anyway. I am so much more inclined to invite people to interviews who say they enjoy doing research (a normal amount), who value the freedom that an academic job grants, or who want to learn how to do good science in order to become a professor or work in a research lab. You don't need to pretend to be <NAME>. In this letter, there are many similarly over-the-top formulations. Edit them all out. This would also have the advantage of making your letter much shorter, which is good.
That said, I think there *are* in fact some very good elements in the letter that you should retain. You talk about concrete research you did, and what courses you have done that would make you successful. This is very good, and exactly the kind of information I am looking for. Focus on these aspects. Edit out everything that you cannot support with data or quantify.
Finally, since iayork keeps mentioning the bad grammar: I agree that this is not ideal, but personally the grammar is far away from being so bad as to count as a real red flag. Most people who apply for positions with me are not native speakers, and neither am I. If this is the current basis of English, we will get to a level where we can write a research paper together, and this is what counts for me.
Upvotes: 4
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2018/11/08
| 1,018
| 4,443
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<issue_start>username_0: I am teaching at the university, and I am giving Calculus 1 for first year engineering students.
I am having a problem with some students, their behavior in the class is inappropriate: making noise, speaking in the class with their classmates, not writing or even paying attention. As a consequence of such behaviors and in order to keep my class controlled, I kick them out the class.
For this, I should send a misconduct report to the director of the university. Our university has distributed a misconduct sample for all instructors, however, I have difficulty describing the misconduct.
The idea is that it is difficult for me to describe their behavior in English since it is not my native language.
Would someone help me how to start the description of the misconduct? and what to write exactly?
I already did some researches on google, but they were useless, and as this site is concerned with Academic ideas, I think my problem can be entitled under academic problems.<issue_comment>username_1: You can't find it under "academic problems". Every university might have different policies regarding how to handle students interrupting the course (there is no universal guideline).
I would ask a senior colleague "What is considered a misconduct that qualifies to be reported?".
Your colleague's answer will help you qualify the type of misconduct and you will know what to write in your report.
And for your own sake do not kick students out of the room regularly if you do not know the university culture and regulations. From your question I assume you are still getting used to the university that you are teaching at.Instead of keeping your class in control you might get a nice nickname and a headache from your head of department.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Rather than put the blame on students, you might look at what you are doing in the face to face sessions. For some reason at least some of your students don't believe that it is worth listening or participating. Likely they are bored.
One solution to such things is to force the students into a more active learning situation in which they naturally participate, rather than simply listening to a lecture. They don't seem to think that the information they are getting is worth it.
I once had a couple of teachers who thought, quite literally, that students were supposed to faithfully copy everything they wrote rather than understanding it. In one case, with only two students, we simply copied from his previously written notes. There was a lot of copying, but no learning.
It is possible that even good lectures are posed at a level that isn't appropriate for the students. It might be low, hence boring, or too high, hence frustrating.
Look to your teaching methodology. Passive learning is seldom very useful for very many students. Learning involves working with and reinforcing ideas, not just hearing ideas from another. Even marvelous lecturers can be less effective in actually *teaching* rather than just entertaining. It is a subtle issue.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> I am having a problem with some students, their behavior in the class is inappropriate: making noise, speaking in the class with their classmates, not writing or even paying attention. As a consequence of such behaviors and in order to keep my class controlled, I kick them out the class.
>
>
> For this, I should send a misconduct report to the director of the university.
>
>
>
While it seems a little over the top to me, I am going to assume you were justified in kicking the students out and I am also going to assume that triggered a mandatory filing of a misconduct report. I would write a draft report that says exactly what you said. I would then pass that by a senior colleague and ask if it is necessary to provide more detail.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: The term "academic misconduct" usually refers to things like plagiarism or ghosting. Disturbing behaviour in class is annoying but in my opinion does not come under the same umbrella as academic misconduct. In many more traditional (old-school) universities it would be considered normal to kick disturbing students out of the class; however, I never heard on anyone filing academic misconduct report on them afterwards. In many places kicking students out is seemed as a certain weakness of a lecturer and would be grumbled upon.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/08
| 581
| 2,580
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<issue_start>username_0: How does my TOEFL score affect my odds of being granted a TA in US Universities? I'm an international student BTW.<issue_comment>username_1: Note that TA is normally only granted to a (usually) doctoral student. You need to be accepted into a program before you can be considered to be a TA and that will be determinative.
The evaluation will be different at every university as we have no national system here. Also, TAs do different sorts of things in different fields and in different universities/departments. Some actually teach undergraduate courses and some simply grade papers. In between are those common cases where a TA will work a few times a week with a small group from a large lecture section. For most of these situations fairly good English skills are needed, but each department will do its own evaluation. But it is probably understanding and speaking ability, more than writing, that is the most important thing as a TA.
Treat TOEFL as important but there may be other considerations that are treated as more important in a given situation.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: My impression is that most departments / universities simply set a minimum score on the TOEFL (or other standardized exam) to be a teaching assistant. Usually this minimum will be stated in the application information. If you have at least that score, you'll be considered for an assistantship if you are admitted, along with all the other eligible candidates. If you have a lower score, then you won't.
It could be that some departments give preference to candidates with higher scores, but I am not sure how common that is.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: At my university in the U.S., "The Graduate School" sets a minimum TOEFL speaking score, which is slightly lower than my math dept's minimum TOEFL speaking score for TA's and/or RA's. Further, there is an intense orientation program for non-native English speakers before the beginning of classes, and unsatisfactory effort or performance there results in a kind of "probation", requiring further English-speaking classes.
Most applicants with a less-than-minimum TOEFL speaking score will not be considered at all, because they'd be unable to do the job of TA. In some cases, faculty "lobby" for students with at-the-margin speaking scores, but must (in effect) promise that they'll guarantee that the student works seriously to improve their English, and possibly promise to support them as an RA indefinitely, so that English skills matter somewhat less.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/08
| 700
| 3,005
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm looking for some information about how academic conferences can or already do accommodate the needs of people with anxiety. For example, do you know of any conferences which have special measures in place to encourage people who have anxiety to attend (e.g. related to travelling to a conference, attending conferences, presenting at conferences)?
Or perhaps, are there any ways that universities themselves make conference attendance more accessible for people with anxiety?<issue_comment>username_1: There are a lot of sources for anxiety, some are merely not being used to it, and therefore not being comfortable. But there are a couple of conditions, such as [asociality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asociality) and [autism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism).
To a certain extent these can be "overcome" in practice, merely through dedication and practice. Extreme introverts can, for example, seem to be extroverts when necessary just by role playing.
I don't think you are going to find a lot of accommodation, maybe none at all. But you can and should consult a professional for help in overcoming any phobias you may have. Such phobias can limit your professional life.
However, note that in many fields (math and computer science, for example), many of the people that you might meet at such conferences, including the main speakers and field leaders, will probably be just like you but have worked to present a face to the world that is more open than they naturally feel. You aren't alone.
One of my colleagues, when asked, admitted that I'd "changed my personality" from the time we first met. I once suffered an academic setback simply for fear of speaking up when it was necessary to do so.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_1: Since the interpretation of the question changed I'll add an answer for the new one, leaving the old one in place in case it helps an individual.
Some conferences have two simple features that might be adapted to your needs. The first is a "newcomers/first-timers session" early on the first day of the conference in which people will learn about what to expect in various kinds of sessions. This can, perhaps, be used to put people at ease with only minor changes.
The second thing is that many conferences also have student volunteers who help out with various things but are also allowed to attend any sessions without fee. Some student presenters are also volunteers, lowering the cost of attendance. But one of the uses of the volunteers is to be an assistant to any presenter who requests it, handling unforeseen issues so that the presenter can concentrate on what they want to say. This might be reassuring to some people that "bad things" are less likely to happen.
An additional advantage for the volunteer is that they, themselves, become more familiar and hopefully comfortable with what to expect at a professional conference so that later they don't have first-timer anxiety themselves.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/08
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<issue_start>username_0: I am a new teacher/lecturer in science, and I am preparing lecture notes for my module. I am putting together a lot of material coming from textbooks as well as borrowing material from other lecture notes I come across online. In the bibliography, I have included the main textbooks, as students are encouraged to read them and try some of the exercises in those books. However, I am not sure how, or if I should, include references to the material I am taking from other lecture notes. First, if I include too many references, it will be useless for the students. Second, the material in those lecture notes is not original either. What are some general rules and guidelines for citing material in your lecture notes?<issue_comment>username_1: There are three different sorts of bibliographic entries in your situation, I think: suggestions for further reading (for the students), acknowledgement of your sources, and historical references. One should acknowledge one's sources, whether or not it "helps the students". I think it *will* help them in the larger sense of perhaps slightly better appreciating how human knowledge is advanced and organized. Including historical references helps people understand the timescale on which things happen.
Even with "well-known" relatively elementary results whose origins have faded into obscurity, you can note that you learned these things from various textbooks yourself... not that you came up with it all yourself, for example. You could tell the textbooks *you* studied from.
Even if that information is not "tested-on", I think it sets a good model for the students.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I suggest putting attributions in-line, as pointers to a "References" section using whatever citation format your institution generally uses, and providing a separate "Reading List" which may include material also attributed in the notes.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: There’s nothing preventing you from compiling two entirely separate bibliographies, under separate section headers: One with highlights/seminal works (“these are worth skimming”), and one detailed bibliography for individual claims and sources.
A few popular science books and textbooks do that and it’s a huge benefit to the reader: if you managed to stir the students’ interest, many will peruse the reading list out of curiosity. By contrast, few (if any) will read through the detailed bibliography (who even does that?) but if somebody needs to follow up on an individual reference, it’s there.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/08
| 1,027
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<issue_start>username_0: I am 30 years old, have Master's degree in Machine Learning from a CS department. I also have a job, which I have had for like 4 years, first as a software developer, now as a data scientist at the same company.
I have been thinking about PhD for a while now. Is it worth in the field of Machine Learning or statistics (though I think my maths might be too weak for the latter)? My prime reason to do it is that I think that my knowledge in the ML/stats field is not enough, so I would like to dedicate a few years to learning much more even at the expense of low income, and do some paper publishing to meet the quota of "strong publication history". Plus I like to do research, though I like it in industry setting more, since problems are more alive, if you wish.
My particular concern is the work placement after getting my PhD. Many people say that PhD limits the opportunities of a person holding it, but is it true if I already have some industry work experience plus going to apply for ML jobs, unless hype completely disappears in 4 years?<issue_comment>username_1: Don't take this as the final word, but I worry that a doctorate, being a very narrow research study, might make you less desirable for most jobs, rather than more. There are companies, of course, that will want researchers focused on a small area, but they are fewer than those with more general needs.
You can, of course, study on your own or take courses to expand your knowledge and skill without an additional degree, but a doctorate is more suited for a life of research, often in academia. Some large companies (IBM, Google, ...) have room for a few true pure researchers, of course. Even there, the research may be quite applied, nowadays. Sun, before they failed, had a very active research department, but one of the reasons for the failure was that they spent a lot of money on that and it didn't come back to them in profits. Not because it was bad research, in fact it was excellent, but it was just research with a long payoff horizon.
On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with learning for its own sake. Some people are just driven to learn about some particular thing.
One thing you can do before you jump into a doctoral program is to do some exploration at your current company and with colleagues you have met from other companies. What do they think about having a researcher? Are there any plans in place to support that? How would your job change if you had a doctorate?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You can answer this question better than almost anyone, because you already know what you need for your work in industry.
I suggest paying close attention to your work environment and thinking about questions such as:
* For what you're currently doing, will having a PhD in machine learning / statistics help?
* For your job, will having a PhD allow you to do something else (preferably something more advanced, more technical, and commands higher pay)?
* Do you have any colleagues with a PhD? If so, are they more effective workers than you because of superior knowledge about ML/statistics? Do they get different responsibilities that you find attractive? Do they get offered those responsibilities (instead of you) because they're more capable than you? Because they know more than you? Because they have PhDs and you don't?
* How much more can you reasonably expect to earn if you have a PhD?
The comparison is easiest if you have colleagues with PhDs, because the most obvious result of you acquiring a PhD is that you become like them in terms of job responsibilities, pay, etc. Even if you don't have colleagues with PhDs however, you can still draw conclusions. For example, if you look at the problem you're currently solving and think, "boy, I can do this *so much better* if I just understood this algorithm" then that's a sign that a PhD can be helpful. Your current supervisor is someone else whom you can discuss your long-term goals with. Who knows - maybe for the problem you're currently working on, your competitors have people who understand the algorithm and that's why they're gaining market share. In that case your supervisor might actively encourage you to try for it.
tl; dr: use your knowledge of the local industry and job market to figure out what jobs you're likely to be doing if you get a PhD, then decide if you want to do those jobs enough to commit to doing a PhD.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2018/11/09
| 2,666
| 11,318
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<issue_start>username_0: I would like to apply for graduate programs in Japan, and I have sent email to several professors in Japan (e.g., Todai, Tohoku) using this format (I only change the name of the professor and university, since the research topic is always the same):
>
> Dear Prof Name,
>
>
> I would like to introduce myself, I am <NAME>, Graduate of Engineering Physics from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) with specialization in robotics, medical instrumentation, and control. My Undergraduate thesis is about assistive exoskeleton robot for upper-limb stroke recovery therapy. Moreover, i have developed several robot such as unmanned ground vehicle controlled by smartphone, autonomous underwater robot (Champion of autonomous underwater robot category in Singapore Robotic Games 2016), remote operated underwater robot, quadcopter, and wall-climbing robot.
>
>
> I would like to pursue Graduate Program in Toyohashi Univeresity of Technology for Fall Semester next year with MEXT university recommendation scheme scholarship. I am looking for possibilities for conducting research in your laboratory. I will be glad and feel honored if i can be accepted as graduate student in this university and have you as my supervisor. For the fundamental asset, i am familiar with CAD especially SolidWorks, i have done several projects with it. Also, i have a good basic knowledge about mechanics, calculus, control system, signal processing, computer vision, and programming in Python, C, and C++. I think it will be really useful for my research at Toyohashi Univeresity of Technology . Apart of it, i am ready to learn something new and develop more advanced robot.
>
>
> If my study field is not well suited with your laboratory, i would be truly grateful if i could get a recommendation of another laboratory or professor.
>
>
> With this email i attach my CV, please contact me if you require any further details or documents. I hope to hear from you in the near future.
>
>
> Thank you
>
>
>
But I don't get any responses. Is there anything wrong with my email? How can I enhance it?<issue_comment>username_1: Remember that professors receive hundreds of such an email every day and they don't have time to read all of them -if not any one of them-. To increase the chances that your email get noticed by at least one professor, you will need to send a lot of these emails. However, be careful and do not send standard emails to several professors because it is easy to be recognised and it gives a very bad idea about you and your working attitudes. Actually, this way is not really prefered by most of the professors -I would say- because your email would be considered annoying if the professor is busy and he/she does not aim to supervise new students, regardless of their qualities.
The other option is to check their websites and whether they announce offers (scholarship or job). In this case, you can contact the professor on this basis and of course very high chance to be contacted if your cv and skills fulfil the requirements.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: It needs to be **much** snappier. Consider something like this:
>
> Dear Professor Name,
>
>
> Do you have any positions available for graduate students in the Fall? I have a lot of experience with CAD, control systems, and signal processing (i.e., my autonomous underwater robot won the 2018 Singapore competition), and have published a few well-received papers [1,2]. This seems well aligned with your past work on similar topics [3,4], so I would be pleased to discuss opportunities working for you (or your colleagues) as a PhD student. Please let me know.
>
>
> Name
>
>
> [1] <https://arxiv.org:blah.pdf>
>
>
> [2] etc.
>
>
>
where [1] and [2] are references to papers, links, codebases -- anything they can dive into to understand you more, and [3] and [4] are references to *their* work, so they see that you took the time to research them.
For me personally, I almost never respond to generic e-mails.
*Note, I know nothing about the Japanese system; I'm only commenting on how your e-mail could be generally improved. (In particular, I'm wondering if this mail should be written in Japanese -- I know a lot of science is done in English, but if you speak Japanese, and the language of the university is Japanese, it might be better to write in Japanese or at least provide a translation).*
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I've worked for Japanese universities that are considered prestigious, both national and private. I am going to base this answer on my experiences with professors and administrative staff. I should note that while I did do a little bit of teaching, a good chunk of my duties at both universities was administrative support, especially communications between faculty and students both Japanese and international.
Bottom line is that there is a chance your email is not going to get looked at, but there are things you should take in to account, and things you can do, to increase your chances of actually finding a grad position while still staying sane.
1. You are going in with a disadvantage in that your email is in English. It depends on how comfortable the individual professor is with English, but I know plenty of professors who either just trash English emails from people they don't know or have students/staff (i.e. Myself) look at it, and then just blow it off when they hear it's a foreigner looking for a grad position. Keep this in mind so that you don't feel too disappointed when a professor doesn't get back to you.
2. The email is too long and difficult to read. Again, keep in mind that it's more likely than not that the person who ends up reading your email is not proficient in English, at least not to your level. Keep it concise and to the point. I would also recommend making the title something short and clear, for example, "Supervisor for G30 Ph.D".
3. You're probably not going to get a normal graduate position meant for domestic applicants, unless you are proficient in Japanese enough for academic purposes. Programs for non-Japanese speakers do actually exist, but randomly emailing professors won't get you a response. You need to actually look for those programs and apply accordingly. If you want information on such opportunities, you are better off emailing the university's admissions office, or at least the department office. Emailing professors asking about grad position openings will only result in them deleting your email, or if you are lucky they may forward it to the admissions office but I doubt it.
4. You need to check that the professor is actually accepting students, especially international students. If they are not taking students that year, they will simply discard your email and forget about it. This information is usually available on the department's website as part of the admissions page, or at least it will be included in the admissions information packet.
Right now, MEXT is putting incredible pressure on universities to increase the number of international students and to promote diversity, so many universities are creating internal quotas for non-Japanese students. I have talked to admissions officers from other universities over drinks and heard them complain about having to accept international students who do not meet the standards normally applied to domestic applicants because they need to fulfill the quotas, especially programs that are funded by the government and need to have the numbers to continue being funded. If you can find the right programs, they will be hungry for international students, especially those who have already proven themselves as talented.
Here's one well-known example: [G30 Program](http://www.mext.go.jp/en/policy/education/highered/title02/detail02/sdetail02/1373894.htm)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I've worked with researchers at both Tohoku and Tokyo University, among others. Their English is typically excellent and have better writing skills than spoken English. This is not your problem. Contacting by email is the norm.
These are among the top schools in the country (especially in your field) with many applicants each year. It is common in Japan to ignore emails they're not interested in and not to respond to unsuccessful applicants. Sorry, no news is usually bad news.
There are a few things to bear in mind to support your case. Sorry, these are not really related to your specific field of interest but are more general concerns. You need to show that you have independence and ambition to be successful in Japan. Both living abroad and the research environment are very demanding. If you can suggest a specific research interest or reason for seeking a career specifically in Japan that will help to show you are serious about it. Having a common connection such as a recommendation from their collaborators will also help them to trust you. Be proactive and offer apply for funds yourself, ask only their support and feedback. If you are able to, offer to visit their laboratory or Skype them and their lab members. Anyone serious about applying should also be looking for if it's the right research environment for them as well. Whether an international student can handle the language and cultural barriers is a real concern in Japan and they will prefer candidates that have realistic expectations, ideally those that have visited Japan before and have some language skills.
English is still very challenging for them (it's vastly different to their native language). Be clear and concise. They're busy and you need to get to your point quickly. Leave the details for your resume, it can be assumed that a candidate proposing research in a particular field would only do so if they had the technical skills to carry it out. State clearly if there is a technique that their laboratory is good at that you are interested to learn with them. It is much more convenient for them to take domestic students so while international students can bring new skills into the lab, they are more of an administrative headache and more of a burden to mentor entirely in English.
Depending on the lab, they may not be willing to consider this. They should only respond to you if they are prepared to guide you. This a big commitment for them, it will demand their time to train you and their research funds to provide equipment for you. They have the right not to do so. It's better for you if you end up in a lab that is able to give you the support that you need. They also may have funds to support you or fund a visit to their institute (do not ask for this but bear in mind that they could offer it to you).
Please be polite and respectful, especially for senior academics in Japan. Once you meet them, they may understand that foreign cultures are not so hierarchical but until then, you cannot know whether they will be offended. Addressing them by "Surname sensei" is typical for a professor. Be polite to their students and administrators as well, they will pay attention to how well you treat them. Overall, the entire tone needs to be more polite and formal for someone you've never met before (even if they aren't from such as respectful culture as Japan).
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/09
| 857
| 3,192
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<issue_start>username_0: I am writing a paper (about the usage of renewable energies) and I have the following sentences:
"In 2016, wind and PV contributed about 12% of Europe's electricity supply [SOURCE1]. A study carried out by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission concludes that a tripling of this contribution is needed in order to reach the 2030 target [SOURCE1]"
Is it okay to cite SOURCE1 in two consecutive senteces. I am talking about naming the source. Or is it more advisable to use the source information only once at the end of the second sentence like:
"
In 2016, wind and PV contributed about 12% of Europe's electricity supply. A study carried out by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission concludes that a tripling of this contribution is needed in order to reach the 2030 target [SOURCE1]
"
I appreciate your input. Thanks in advance.<issue_comment>username_1: Is it ok from an academic point of view? Absolutely. It is never wrong to cite a source that you use. However, it might be "wrong" from an flow-of-the-text point of view. I would sidestep the issue by just reformulating the two sentences. Something along the following lines would perhaps resolve your problem:
"As noted in [SOURCE1], wind and PV contributed about 12% of Europe's electricity supply in 2016. That study, carried out by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, concludes that a tripling of this contribution is needed in order to reach the 2030 target."
or even
"As noted by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, wind and PV contributed about 12% of Europe's electricity supply in 2016 [SOURCE1]. There, it is concluded that a tripling of this contribution is needed in order to reach the 2030 target."
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I would say it is absolutely acceptable to cite the sources like in your example. From the stylistic point of view, a number of people take references to be [annotations which are not supposed to interact with the grammar](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/49487/4249), in the sense that they are not grammatically part of the sentence, thus repeating a reference is not like frequent usage of a single word or phrase.
While [@username_1's suggestion](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/119800/4249) is great for the cases where your claims can be reformulated, sometimes that is not possible, in which case your suggested style is the way to go. In the following example, reference [1] is first used as a general, survey reference, and in the following sentence to back a specific technique explored as part of the survey along with some other examples, so wrapping it up to a single mention would not be practical.
>
> The first step the process of fruity entertainment process is typically fruit juggling [1]. Most commonly employed tools are various tropical fruits such as mango [1], pineapple [2] and papaya [3].
>
>
> [1] <NAME>. Authority: Survey of fruity entertainment strategies.
>
>
> [2] P. Ine-Apple: Advances in fruity entertainment through the use of pineapple.
>
>
> [3] P. Apaya: The importance of tropical fruit for fruity entertainment.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/09
| 1,213
| 5,266
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<issue_start>username_0: I'm a third year Physics and Mathematics student, and over the years, I've done lots of self-studies, and what I've realised is that, compared to what I learn & experience in my self-studies, the I barely learn anything from the lectures that I'm attending my departments (at least this is true for %95 of them).
However, the thing is, during the semester, there are lots of midterms, homeworks, and lectures to attend etc.. Hence, for most of the time, even though I've time, I cannot find any motivation to continue to study to the subjects that I'm self-studying. Which is not the case in the summer and in the winter breaks; at those times, I generally do not have any problem about the motivation, and I study with quite normally & happily.
Seeing that professors also do most of their research during the holiday seasons as I do (since during the semester, there are lots of teaching to be done, exams to be grade etc.), **is such a lack of motivation general in the academia ?**
I think if there was no courses, during a whole semester, I would learn more things & deal with more complicated problems, which would require me to think more; however, right now, the things that I have learn are quite boring things (which honestly if you just attend the lecture and listen, you can do it), but these requirements are kinda of pushing me away from studying, as if I'm doing this just because I have to, and not because I think this is interesting.<issue_comment>username_1: I do think that your perception is shared by many students, especially when they are passionate about their field of study. I can think of several undergraduate students (former colleagues or under my supervision) who fit your description, across several countries. I would not be surprised to learn that this perception is much less frequent among graduate students, because curricula and self-interests tend to align with each other over time.
At the undergraduate level, self-motivation is wholesome and certainly improves your chances for academic success. Nevertheless, curricula are designed by professors who do know best.
Even when a class seems dull or irrelevant, the decision to include it in the academic requirements for your degree is the result of a consensus selection made by your professors. They are in a better position than you are to weight-in certain factors, such as the difficulty of the material or its usefulness as a foundation for more advanced and exciting stuff.
**TL;DR:** Not many people enjoy studying pendulum problems. Thankfully, some trust their instructor at this stage and access broader horizons as a reward.
Not finding the time or peace of mind necessary for self-studying is a sign that the expectations of your curriculum are catching up with your work capacity. Then you are making the right choice of prioritizing the mandatory coursework.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The University has had multiple competing social functions during its history. Let us consider three functions: the regulation of undergraduates, the regulation of scholars, and the community of scholarship. I will suggest that the regulatory type functions are at odds with the community functions.
Universities regulate undergraduates. Whether fractious potential clerics, or aristocratic and bourgeois children being “finished,” on incipient wage slaves being burdened with massive debt the lecture system chastises students with irrelevancies. In the current era many of the tools of pedagogical reform have been turned into chains. Progressive assessment is actually merely periodic summary assessment. Aims and methods statements duplicate the bland argument from authority of outdated longhand written lecture notes. Tutorials are lecture sized. This is make work, and labour discipline. For the scholars as much as the students. Only the rule of dons has been replaced with the rule of management mentality. For student and scholar coursework soaks up the year with things known to be useless. Think of all that unread feedback on essays submitted in week 3 to meet a “progressive assessment prior to course drop date” requirement?
In contrast the community of scholars has some problems. It is undisciplined and unruly. You might get a Luther whose theology is magisterial, the implications of which are 200 years of war. Disciplining this community is pretty important. Consider how output and quality metrics are used as labour discipline, effectively widget counting, rather than informing meta-analysis of research programme success or failure? Maybe review articles are now quoting impact factors, but I doubt it for my field. Impact is used to regulate who gets to be/remain a scholar. This is reasonably new, because you could always count student enrolment and use it to demand money from the outside world, but now that paper volume and cites are counted for money, the regulation of scholars intrudes more deeply into the non-teaching periods.
So while it was true in the past that the real work was done outside of teaching, it is less true now, as peer and disciplinary regulation of communities of scholars has commodified research and brought managerial and close scrutiny to this area of work.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/09
| 1,106
| 4,792
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<issue_start>username_0: This question goes along with this post here:
[E-mails being ignored by university](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/119724/emails-being-ignored-by-university)
Interestingly, my situation is also at a college institution in California. However, rather than note that it might be a problem with America, I want to ask a specific question. The academic dean of my Graduate department program very consistently does not answer any e-mails from students. 5-6 of my colleagues have tried e-mailing her over the past year and a half of our program. In order to reach her, I have had to go directly to her office (attempting this 3 times to finally speak with her). I just e-mailed her again recently, and am not receiving any response again.
Major note: She is also the interim director of my specific graduate program
Question: Can I as a student in the program say or do anything about this? As busy as an academic dean may be, it doesn't seem acceptable in my opinion.<issue_comment>username_1: I do think that your perception is shared by many students, especially when they are passionate about their field of study. I can think of several undergraduate students (former colleagues or under my supervision) who fit your description, across several countries. I would not be surprised to learn that this perception is much less frequent among graduate students, because curricula and self-interests tend to align with each other over time.
At the undergraduate level, self-motivation is wholesome and certainly improves your chances for academic success. Nevertheless, curricula are designed by professors who do know best.
Even when a class seems dull or irrelevant, the decision to include it in the academic requirements for your degree is the result of a consensus selection made by your professors. They are in a better position than you are to weight-in certain factors, such as the difficulty of the material or its usefulness as a foundation for more advanced and exciting stuff.
**TL;DR:** Not many people enjoy studying pendulum problems. Thankfully, some trust their instructor at this stage and access broader horizons as a reward.
Not finding the time or peace of mind necessary for self-studying is a sign that the expectations of your curriculum are catching up with your work capacity. Then you are making the right choice of prioritizing the mandatory coursework.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The University has had multiple competing social functions during its history. Let us consider three functions: the regulation of undergraduates, the regulation of scholars, and the community of scholarship. I will suggest that the regulatory type functions are at odds with the community functions.
Universities regulate undergraduates. Whether fractious potential clerics, or aristocratic and bourgeois children being “finished,” on incipient wage slaves being burdened with massive debt the lecture system chastises students with irrelevancies. In the current era many of the tools of pedagogical reform have been turned into chains. Progressive assessment is actually merely periodic summary assessment. Aims and methods statements duplicate the bland argument from authority of outdated longhand written lecture notes. Tutorials are lecture sized. This is make work, and labour discipline. For the scholars as much as the students. Only the rule of dons has been replaced with the rule of management mentality. For student and scholar coursework soaks up the year with things known to be useless. Think of all that unread feedback on essays submitted in week 3 to meet a “progressive assessment prior to course drop date” requirement?
In contrast the community of scholars has some problems. It is undisciplined and unruly. You might get a Luther whose theology is magisterial, the implications of which are 200 years of war. Disciplining this community is pretty important. Consider how output and quality metrics are used as labour discipline, effectively widget counting, rather than informing meta-analysis of research programme success or failure? Maybe review articles are now quoting impact factors, but I doubt it for my field. Impact is used to regulate who gets to be/remain a scholar. This is reasonably new, because you could always count student enrolment and use it to demand money from the outside world, but now that paper volume and cites are counted for money, the regulation of scholars intrudes more deeply into the non-teaching periods.
So while it was true in the past that the real work was done outside of teaching, it is less true now, as peer and disciplinary regulation of communities of scholars has commodified research and brought managerial and close scrutiny to this area of work.
Upvotes: 1
|
2018/11/10
| 1,241
| 5,317
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<issue_start>username_0: I was invited to review a paper from a decent journal in my field. I was provided a month to review the article.
However, due to some work related commitments, I was not able to provide reviews within the stipulated time (and somehow forgot about the deadline). After 2 weeks of the deadline, I received an email from the editor for providing reviews on the article. I emailed him back that I will provide the reviews and mentioned the date and he acknowledged the same. However, on the date I had provided, I received an automated email that if I don't provide the reviews they will be forced to go ahead with the reviews from other reviewers.
I emailed them again that I have read the paper and ready with my reviews and will be uploading them within a few hours. But while filling the review form, I received another automated email stating that they have decided to move ahead without my reviews. Since it was my first opportunity to officially review a paper from a journal, the situation left me with the following questions
* Was it unethical at my part to not able to provide the reviews within the provided time ?
* Will it have any impact on my reputation as a reviewer in future?<issue_comment>username_1: I wouldn't say it's unethical. Reviewers are providing volunteer service, so they really aren't obliged to provide a review. When a reviewer accepts a review invitation, they're also making a decision in the face of uncertainty: they could turn out to be busier than expected, or perhaps the paper more complicated than expected, etc. Reviewers accepting the invitation and then failing to provide a review happens so often that editors often prepare for it by inviting more reviewers than is necessary.
However, it is disappointing, especially if you do it often, and even more so if you explicitly promised in an email to the editor that you'll be able to provide a review in time. Therefore, don't do it if you can. If it happens often enough the editor might decide your word cannot be trusted, in which case you won't get reviewer invitations anymore.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Will it have any impact on my reputation as a reviewer in future?
>
>
>
As @darijgrinberg said in a comment, referees are quite often late with reviewing assignments. As an example, on one occasion (the only one I can remember) when I was unable to get a paper reviewed by the deadline I committed to, I sent an apologetic email to the editor a couple of days before the deadline explaining that I will be sending my report a week or two late. His sarcastic reply suggested that he found my apology very amusing and unusual, and he was in fact very pleased that I would be *only* a week or two late...
So, I think it’s not so much that your reputation will suffer because of this incident; rather, it’s more accurate to say that you have missed an opportunity to set yourself apart from all the other late reviewers - that is, it’s not a negative efffect but the absence of a positive one. But in any case I assume you will have many more opportunities of this type in the future, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
As for the ethics, again as Darij said, ethics has to do with willful acts. To forget things or be negligent or put yourself in situations where you are unable to deliver on a promise may be characterized as unprofessional (only a little bit in this particular case) and is certainly undesirable, but this has nothing to do with ethics.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I think the ethics question is often the other way (but journals seem untroubled by it!). Some journals send a copy of the submitted paper when inviting you to review it, but many ask you to accept on the basis of a title (perhaps an abstract), and you have little idea of how long or how complex the paper is. In such cases, the only possibly unethical issue is the journal expecting you to commit to an unknown amount of work in a predetermined period.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: >
> ..due to some work related commitments, I was not able to provide reviews within the stipulated time (and somehow forgot about the deadline).
>
>
>
**Yes, that is unethical.** You made a commitment to do a piece of work, with a deadline attached. The time for review exists to allow authors to have their work reviewed in a timely manner, and it is extremely inconvenient for authors and journal reviewers to have delays caused by referees who do not take their role seriously. Not only did you not meet the commitment you made, but you evidently did not even care about it enough to diarise the deadline. This was your first opportunity to review a paper, and you screwed it up, causing delay and inconvenience for the author and editor.
>
> Will it have any impact on my reputation as a reviewer in future?
>
>
>
**Unfortunately not.** In a rational academia composed of professionals, failure to complete a review within the agreed deadline would impact your credibility and reputation in the future. However, we live in an academia where agreements to perform reviews within a timeline mean little to nothing, and so your actions are unlikely to be seen as fundamentally different from what happens in a large number of cases.
Upvotes: -1
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<issue_start>username_0: Am doing a PhD in computer science.
Can I publish my paper in an international journal of pure and applied mathematics?<issue_comment>username_1: The criteria for being accepted in any journal are based solely on the content of the submitted paper:
* relevance of the topic w.r.t the scope of the journal
* quality and originality of the contribution
* compliance with the editorial policy
The author's field of study is not relevant (and won't even be asked).
Publishing in mathematics journals is usually regarded as a strength in CS. However, if you plan to apply for academic positions in CS later, publishing *only* in mathematics journals might be an issue. Ideally, your publication record should reflect the profile you want to have depending on your target career.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Based on [How good is the International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics? (http://www.ijpam.eu/)](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/11217/how-good-is-the-international-journal-of-pure-and-applied-mathematics-http-w/11218#11218) it does not sound like IJPAM is a good place to publish at all.
Also their [website](http://ijpam.eu/) has a banner at the top that says "[2018-04-01] The journal stops consideration of any new submissions." And their "submission center" links are either broken or have no apparent way to actually submit a paper.
Their [editorial board](http://ijpam.eu/eb.html) is listed only as "Hacked... Annon+". (!)
So I don't think you could publish your paper here even if you wanted to, which hopefully you don't anymore. This journal is no more, it has ceased to be, it's expired and gone to meet its maker, [etc.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218)
Look for a different journal for your paper, and be more choosy this time. Submitting to a predatory journal will only waste your money and not help your career.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: My master's supervisor delegates most (if not all) of his work to his senior PhD student. Let's name this student X.
* X creates all the assignments, midterms, and exams for the courses this professor is teaching (which is not in the TA job description)
* He often fills in for this professor's office hours
* In fact, this professor once got him to take his place and give a lecture on 10 minutes' notice
* Anytime there is an administrative chore (such as ordering textbooks, arranging tests in the accessibility center, deciding whether to accept a student's excuse for missing a midterm, etc.) this professor *always* delegates it to X.
* X has written a significant portion of this professor's most recent grant proposal, even though X will not be part of the project.
* I almost never see this professor; effectively, X has become my master's supervisor (this doesn't bother me, since I like working with X, but I'm sure he would rather focus on finishing his thesis).
* Incidentally, a few weeks ago this professor also got me to update his CV to cover the last 6 years of his work.
The list goes on, and also note that this professor also delegates the "usual things" to X, such as reviewing papers under the professor's name or making an appearance at certain events.
Is this type of thing acceptable (or at least borderline acceptable)? If not, how could I prevent it from happening to somebody else without making a scene? For bonus points, how could I improve X's situation?
*Why does this matter to me? Because X will be graduating before me, and this professor is telling me that I will be taking over his duties (just as X took over the duties from the student before him). Although I obviously have the right to refuse anything unreasonable, this particular professor becomes very unhappy when anyone refuses something.*<issue_comment>username_1: It is really hard to judge a case like this. It could be anything from a wonderful academic training situation to extreme abuse. It would depend on a lot of things not stated here. What is the agreement between X and the professor, now and for the future? What does the professor actually do with the time freed by X? Is it to X's benefit in any way - say via joint research? Does the professor have such a stellar academic reputation that anyone standing in his/her aura is bound to be a success. Or, such a stellar reputation that they can get away with abusing students without anyone complaining?
If the professor treats the student like a colleague and they have agreed between them that the extra work will put the student into an excellent position for the future, then all is well. If the situation is delaying the student in some way, or impeding his/her research or future then it should be condemned.
But if you are to step into such a role, you need to make sure that you agree to it and accept whatever tradeoffs there are. If they are to your benefit, then it would be worth considering, though not necessarily accepting.
You should have a conversation with X to see what the long term view is. You should have a conversation with the professor to set appropriate limits and expectations.
One of the extremes, of course is <NAME>. His students were willing to do everything for him. Happy to do it. Thrilled to be there. Even when it was hard.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I don't know from which country you are talking about, but where I live we have a few major ways to do Ph.D
1. A fully paid "project" position where you dedicate all your time working in a project and you do your Ph.D "on the side"
2. A fully paid "lecturer" position where you are really close to the university, doing exercises and even the exams
3. A not so well paid scholarship where you have complete research freedom and you can actually do whatever you want without being involved in projects or lectures
In this case it seems X is a **2.** Ph.D student where some of your points are completely fine in my point of view. I know that one of my sensiors which actually work for more than **15 years** in the institution I work, did all those points you mentioned. He said that it was troublesome sometimes and he then went to the professor and said "I have too much work to do I can't do this review" and it was fine. This depends on the relationship between him and the professor of course. I guess this is just something you do to earn money...some of those might be ethically questionable, like reviewing and putting a different name on the review...but in the end it is a very good learning experience for the Ph.D student.
To sum up, I would say that results matter and the **Ph.D student which you are talking about is actually graduating soon**, which is a good sign. This is actually the reason why this person works there and gets paid for.
My advice is to ask X about the relationship between him and the professor:
Is it an abusive relationship? run.
If it is not, do it if you feel you are up to the task. You will learn a lot.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: That sounds like a very unhealthy relationship. Some of the answers on this stack exchange, surprise me. The professor is not always right. It's not alright for the professor to sit back not do his/her job description and force all the work on their student. This doesn't sound right. Even if the student is a TA they are a TA they shouldn't be required to work beyond the hours they are contracted to work. They should not be doing the professor's job. They should be having their own office hours and depending on their contract they should grade and they should lecture on rare occasions. They should not be doing the professor's office hours. The undergraduate students don't pay thousands of dollars a semester/quarter to only attend office hours with a graduate student and not the professor. In addition fixing his resume is what tips the iceberg. They should do their own gritty work.
Upvotes: 0
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<issue_start>username_0: :-)
We would like to ask a question of general interest, as it might be the case in other studies. It is the first time I stumble upon this situation.
In our research, we have used the wild-type of a microbial strain and mutants for about 7 distinct genes. They were all subjected to different treatments and assessed by the same response variables. The seven genes, however, are not strictly related to each other, so that 3 of them as a group make-up one story, and the other 4 make-up a different one (thereby, two distinct manuscripts). The reason why they were all worked together (the wild-type and the mutants for these genes) were simply logistics and efficiency of resources usage.
One of the authors are concerned with the fact that for both papers with different groups of mutants (hence very different stories), the wild-type controls were the same! Therefore, he is afraid that using the same pictures and data in this case would configure a self-plagiarism issue between the two manuscripts.
Could you please help us on deciding whether this will indeed be an issue, or not?
Thank you very much in advance for your kindness and attention to this matter.
Best regards,
Dr. Leandro.<issue_comment>username_1: It is really hard to judge a case like this. It could be anything from a wonderful academic training situation to extreme abuse. It would depend on a lot of things not stated here. What is the agreement between X and the professor, now and for the future? What does the professor actually do with the time freed by X? Is it to X's benefit in any way - say via joint research? Does the professor have such a stellar academic reputation that anyone standing in his/her aura is bound to be a success. Or, such a stellar reputation that they can get away with abusing students without anyone complaining?
If the professor treats the student like a colleague and they have agreed between them that the extra work will put the student into an excellent position for the future, then all is well. If the situation is delaying the student in some way, or impeding his/her research or future then it should be condemned.
But if you are to step into such a role, you need to make sure that you agree to it and accept whatever tradeoffs there are. If they are to your benefit, then it would be worth considering, though not necessarily accepting.
You should have a conversation with X to see what the long term view is. You should have a conversation with the professor to set appropriate limits and expectations.
One of the extremes, of course is <NAME>. His students were willing to do everything for him. Happy to do it. Thrilled to be there. Even when it was hard.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I don't know from which country you are talking about, but where I live we have a few major ways to do Ph.D
1. A fully paid "project" position where you dedicate all your time working in a project and you do your Ph.D "on the side"
2. A fully paid "lecturer" position where you are really close to the university, doing exercises and even the exams
3. A not so well paid scholarship where you have complete research freedom and you can actually do whatever you want without being involved in projects or lectures
In this case it seems X is a **2.** Ph.D student where some of your points are completely fine in my point of view. I know that one of my sensiors which actually work for more than **15 years** in the institution I work, did all those points you mentioned. He said that it was troublesome sometimes and he then went to the professor and said "I have too much work to do I can't do this review" and it was fine. This depends on the relationship between him and the professor of course. I guess this is just something you do to earn money...some of those might be ethically questionable, like reviewing and putting a different name on the review...but in the end it is a very good learning experience for the Ph.D student.
To sum up, I would say that results matter and the **Ph.D student which you are talking about is actually graduating soon**, which is a good sign. This is actually the reason why this person works there and gets paid for.
My advice is to ask X about the relationship between him and the professor:
Is it an abusive relationship? run.
If it is not, do it if you feel you are up to the task. You will learn a lot.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: That sounds like a very unhealthy relationship. Some of the answers on this stack exchange, surprise me. The professor is not always right. It's not alright for the professor to sit back not do his/her job description and force all the work on their student. This doesn't sound right. Even if the student is a TA they are a TA they shouldn't be required to work beyond the hours they are contracted to work. They should not be doing the professor's job. They should be having their own office hours and depending on their contract they should grade and they should lecture on rare occasions. They should not be doing the professor's office hours. The undergraduate students don't pay thousands of dollars a semester/quarter to only attend office hours with a graduate student and not the professor. In addition fixing his resume is what tips the iceberg. They should do their own gritty work.
Upvotes: 0
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2018/11/10
| 1,607
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<issue_start>username_0: This is possibly a more general question about copyright, but I think I can specify this question into question about teaching, especially on STEM subjects. I don't know exactly whether I should post this on academia SE or matheducator SE.
So, I have a printed version of a Calculus textbook (English). I teach Calculus not strictly following this book and have other delivery methods too (as all instructors should), but it helps me a lot to guide me in some cases. We as instructors also are told to tell students which references are used in this course, but DEFINITELY not to tell them (and better tell them not to) to pirate the ebook version of those references.
However, many students of mine admit that they do not know where to access the materials easily, other than using notes from me, and going to/borrowing from the library (which has limited stock here) and of course pirating (via downloading or copying). Those who only use my notes usually only repeat examples in the notes without doing much exercises as very few are given, as I expect them, and tell them, to find your own sources of exercises besides some that I gave, such as googling notes, libs, etc, legally.
While I cannot pretend that "Hey, I did not tell them to download, so it is not my fault if they do. Sorry, dear author!" since that's just morally wrong, I was thinking that maybe I can help them some way. I think that, at least, they have access to try problems and exercising, since I always make sure my notes cover all the needed materials, but still very much doubt that I have to quote some MORE exercises from the book. And then my question comes in..
* Would it be that bad to just share them MORE exercises in the Calculus book that I have? Like putting them in my notes too, but instead of just 5 each lecture, I give them 20 that are based on the book. Significantly more problems as long as they do not repeat the just the same 5 problems or so.
* If you ask me how I share it other than putting them in notes, well, can I just take a picture of few pages containing the intended exercises and share them through a messenger app (not through official site of course)? If that's a no, can I just rewrite/retype them again? This way, of course I will make sure that the exercises are taken from mentioned sources. Also, we are not english natives, so what about translating these exercises while typing them?
* "Why don't you make your own set of exercises?" This seems to be the ideal approach, but I bought the Calculus book so that I could also show it to anyone near me..and quote some exercises. Also, I don't think making my own set of exercises is that easy, since it takes months to make variations (not just changing numbers/function) for one course WITHOUT reading from many other sources. Besides, these sold out books are to help me, meaning I can use the help to also help others, right? I use my own words to put the materials into the notes, but why should putting set of exercises into my own words also be a must?
If this is too wide, feel free to mark this.<issue_comment>username_1: Limited publishing is still publishing. Violating copyright in a limited publication is still a violation.
Turn it around as a thought experiment. You spend a couple of years developing a textbook and put a lot of work into the exercises. It gets published, which means someone spent some real money in getting it into print (Ebooks have different economics, of course). Now suppose you sell exactly one copy of your book for every 200 students and all of your exercises are copied into the "course notes" of some instructors whose notes are widely distributed. Not much of an incentive to write that in the first place.
The original purpose of copyright was to give authors a limited monopoly over their work for a limited time so as to encourage the development of such works. I agree that it has been subverted because of Mickey Mouse et. al. but there is still an economic incentive that isn't being replaced by anything else for such works.
Note also, that, depending on your teaching philosophy, the exercises of a book are it's absolutely most valuable feature. If students are to learn, they need to practice and reinforce their learning. This is what the exercises do. This, in fact, is *why* you want to reproduce them.
I would just suggest that you respect the efforts of the authors of such things by not re-publishing them in any form, if it is contrary to the stated copyrights of the books.
Open publishing is to be preferred, of course, as are Creative Commons licensing. But if there is no inducement and no reward for writing textbooks, they won't be written and those that are won't be as good. It is both economics and respect. If we could find a way to reward authors other than copyright it would certainly be preferable, but it hasn't happened except in rare instances.
Upper level scholarly works are a bit different, as the rewards can be academic distinction and such. But textbooks come with much less prestige in general.
---
But of course, it is always possible to ask a copyright holder for permission. It may be granted or not, depending on the scale of duplication, and it may come with a cost.
---
Additional thoughts since I first wrote this answer.
Note that most exercises in textbooks have some learning objective. That objective is an *idea* and ideas aren't copyrighted. Often the hardest part of coming up with a set of exercises is first coming up with a list of things that the students need practice on. But textbook authors actually give you that for free, by showing you some things that provide good practice.
You can, IMO, in good conscience, mine the exercises of a book for the *ideas* that went into them and then coming up with different exercises to test and exercise those same ideas. To do it correctly and honestly doesn't mean changing a few values. It means using your abstraction facilities to find the essence and the providing an exercise that gets to that essence. I would find it hard to condemn that even if you used one of my books as the source.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Consider switching to an open text books. Several are listed on pages such as this [one](https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/mathematics).
Or, at the very least, assign problems from open textbooks so your students can do more problems.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: There is another possibility. You might actually be allowed to share the exercises and just not know it. In many countries universities have some sort of blanket license which allows copying short excerpts of books for educational purposes. I guess this is more meant to be able to discuss parts of literary works or cite longer passages from important treatises or such, but technically a set of exercises would qualify as a short excerpt. As the details tend to vary wildly between places, your best bet would be to ask a university librarian.
Upvotes: 1
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<issue_start>username_0: I am applying to statistics and biostatistics PhD programs for next year, and I just got my GRE scores back, and they weren't at all what I expected.
I ended up with a 159V/156Q/6.0AW, which corresponds to 83rd/61st/99th percentile in the verbal/quantitative/analytical writing sections, respectively. So, I have a combined score of 315 with a 6.0 writing.
I understand that most statistics programs place a premium on the quantitative score, and so I am a little worried about my low quantitative score, but I am wondering if the relatively high verbal/writing can offset the weakness there.
For some idea of what kind of student I am, I have about a 3.5 GPA with an applied math major, with a full course in real analysis, mathematical statistics and some graduate level regression theory, and potentially an honors thesis (pending). Since my scores are so atypical compared to other applicants (who typically have much stronger quantitative and lower verbal/writing), I am unsure of what my score means for my application as a whole.
I suppose the question of "do stats programs care?" can be generalized to "do quantitative programs care?". While I see there are some threads on low quantitative scores, there aren't too many about a low quant score combined with a high(er) verbal/writing score.<issue_comment>username_1: Quantitative programs typically ignore the analytical writing and verbal scores, or give these very low weight relative to quantitative. You can retake the GRE and try to get a higher quantitative score.
The math courses and GPA may compensate for a low quantitative GRE score - you should call attention to these in the application. However, there will be many competing applicants with high GPAs, math courses and a strong quantitative GRE. So don't expect too much.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Most programs have a minimum threshold for GRE scores, and I'd be very surprised if you pass that threshold. I'm applying to engineering programs and most Top 25 programs require atleast 165-166 on Quant. For someone who's applying to statistics, I would aim for at least 90% percentile (166). It's very easily doable, just do a few practice exams and practice problems and I'm sure you can pull it off.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/11
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<issue_start>username_0: I just graduated this April from undergrad and I'm now applying to graduate programs that start September 2019. I'm taking a gap year between undergrad and grad school for various reasons, mostly to travel.
From the past May to August (right after I graduated), I worked in a research lab in exactly the field I'm applying to for grad school (computer hardware). I got a strong letter of recommendation out of it and it made my CV significantly stronger.
From next January to next September I'm going to be travelling. However, I was a bit short on travel funding so I accepted a software development position at a consulting firm this past September that I'm going to quit in December right before I head out. However, after I accepted the job, I soon found out that they only hired me because for various complicated legal reasons, they don't actually have any work for me. So the past 2.5 months, I've just sat at home doing nothing, it's been a paid vacation. Starting Monday, this company finally wants me to start coming in to do some work - however the work is Front End Web development, it doesn't have much to do with the field I'm applying to (computer architecture/hardware).
When I submit my applications to grad school, I'm debating whether or not I should include this latest job on my CV. I was hoping to get some advice on this. Here are my thoughts:
**Advantages**
* I'm taking a gap year, so I'm sure many profs will be concerned about me being away from my field for so long. If my CV says I was working between September to December, it looks I'm only "away" for 8 months instead of 12 (yes, it's a mostly unrelated field, but I'm still working in a computer related field and applying soft engineering skills). It'll make the gap look smaller.
**Disadvantages**
* I haven't done anything for the job yet, and I probably won't do too much in the next 1.5 months either. I won't have much to write about other than my title, and maybe a few vague description points.
* My most recent work experience on my CV will now be this joke of a job instead of my research experience over summer. It'll be the first thing the admission committee/prof sees under work experience on my CV, so I'm concerned it won't have as "strong" of a first impression, despite my summer research being right under.
I was hoping I could get some advice, thanks.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, anytime you submit your CV as part of an application, it should be current, listing your current position, even if you regard it as only temporary. An exception might be if your current responsibilities involve asking if you want fries with that or giving people rides in your car.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, you ought to include it. In committee we don't like to see gaps in a CV, it suggests that the person might be unemployable. Whereas there is nothing wrong with spending a year in the wrong job. If it comes up during an interview, you can turn it to your advantage: it was by working at that job that you understood that you were really meant for graduate work.
Upvotes: 3
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<issue_start>username_0: I would like to include some cartoons in my lecture notes, just to spice up things a bit and relax the atmosphere before moving to serious stuff. However, I am not sure if there is any issue with doing this (in terms of intellectual property) or if I can include any cartoon with the corresponding reference?
I am thinking of simple stuff like xkcd, phdcomics, and other nerdy jokes (nothing like the death of Superman or the first comic of Batman).<issue_comment>username_1: As an undergraduate, I always appreciated when profs did stuff like this. It made it look like they actually put some effort into their notes, and a laugh was always appreciated in the middle of a frustrating and hard lecture.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, properly referenced.
Had language teachers that would base a class around a cartoon story - use of vocab etc.
Also, a cartoon short can highlight the current topic: water use & shortage for example, there was a Giles cartoon from the 70’s written when there was a garden water hose ban : people were having baths and saving the water to put on the plants... I used that.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: xkcd is fine if you respect their license, [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5](https://xkcd.com/license.html). phdcomics are *likely* fine, as they come from the broader academic-nerd community, but it's always worth doing some research first (google for the name of the cartoon you're copying + "DMCA" or "takedown" for example). Dilbert? No idea. I don't think a fully included comic would necessarily fall under fair use.
There are some minor disadvantages, though:
* You cannot release your notes under a more permissive license than the one your sources come with.
* The size of your file is inflated, along with the compile time perhaps (assuming LaTeX).
* As a consequence of both preceding points, it makes it harder to archive your notes for the long term (e.g., on arXiv or zenodo or even the AMS Open Math Notes repository). Doubly so if the comic strips get a new "owner" who starts using them as a copyright cudgel.
* Not all students will like or even understand the joke. This holds particularly when a long-running comic strip accumulates inside lore, caters to a specific audience or follows a cryptic style (e.g. C&H).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]
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2018/11/11
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<issue_start>username_0: I am first-year graduate student doing teaching assistance for an introductory calculus course.
The course is taught by four instructors, with 12 teaching assistants in total and I am one of them.
Each instructor has three assistant underneath him or her and I am associated with one of the instructors along with two other TAs.
At the end of each hour long tutorial, the TAs will conduct a 20 minute mini-test. Each test has two computational questions selected by the professor. The test questions are related to the lectures prior to the test, and the time prior to the test is for the TAs to review concepts in the lectures and do some examples and exercises from the book. The exercises are drawn from the same source as the test questions, but they are obviously not supposed to overlap in any way.
**I don't have strong evidence, but I believe that the other two TAs (who have been doing this course for longer than me) are giving the student answers, and their students are outperforming those students in my section because of it.**
What aroused my suspicion was when I graded the tests from their tutorials. We grade these tests on a rotation. There have been 9 tests so far, so at this point I have graded three of the tests.
What I found is that the students of their sections will give perfect, textbook solution like answers. All the students would make the exact same assumptions, almost as if all 30-40 students are copying from one another. In my section, the students struggle with their questions, sometimes not finishing them. When they do provide answers, there is a large variety of responses as expected of a calculus course. Therefore the students in my section have lower averages.
I don't believe that they are giving students answers directly. Some students would have sounded the alarm by now. What I suspect to have happened is that these TAs are doing the test questions during the tutorial and mixing them into the reviews. This would explain why so many students would follow the exact same procedure, yet still making some mistakes.
I wonder if these TAs are gaming the system. The system being the TA reviews at the end of the semester. These reviews are internal and are used to promote or select future TAs. I also feel bad for the students in my section. I feel that they are being cheated by the people who are supposed to instruct them.
I don't have firm evidence, but I fear that the professor is also in on it. When I first observed this large disparity between student performance, I mentioned to the professor. But there was no reply. Therefore I am afraid of talking to her about this. I am new to the school therefore I don't have anyone I can trust.
What should I do in this case?<issue_comment>username_1: Well, you could roll with the system and make sure the review does cover necessary material...
Also, can you change the course you TA for ? If not immediately, then for next time?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You say there are four professors teaching this class, have you tried reaching out to the other three?
At the end of the day - if the professor is aware of it and condoning it, then there's not much in the way of academic misconduct, but arguably a bad teaching methodology. If the tutors are acting against the policy set out by the professor and they don't care/aren't acting themselves, then there's little you can do about it I think. At the end of the day, you have done your due diligence and reported the matter to the professor.
If nothing happens and your tutorial groups suffer a significant grade disadvantage due to this, and the professor is still ignoring it, then perhaps a slightly underhanded way of handling it is casually mentioning this to your own tutorial groups. The students would undoubtedly be furious to hear that their poorer performance is due to other tutorial groups cheating!
A 'meta' remark. A lot of times issues like these are extremely difficult to prove and press forward, even if your fellow instructors are in the wrong. They often have implications outside the class, and often the party raising the issue (you) will simply be remembered as a 'troublemaker' (good luck trying to run a research project with graduate students/professors that you accused of academic dishonesty, let alone if they suffer disciplinary action). So there is the question of how much is this bothering you and how much you'd like to push it forward.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Is it possible that the other TAs, by having done the course before, have a better overview of the kind of questions asked in the exam (based on those of previous years), and therefore are better able to train students for those exams? That would explain the facts as well, without anybody consciously in the wrong (and it is always worth to explore such possibilities).
I can also understand that your professor is not actively doing anything about it as long as the difference is not too big. Some TAs are better than others, some groups are better than others, there is always noise and some differences between groups are to be expected. I was a TA for several math courses where we would grade weekly assignments of our own groups (that counted for 10% of the final grade, next to a 90% final exam). I would grade harsher than other TAs and my group's average of the homework would be lower than that of other groups. However, my group tended to do better at the final exam, I believe in part because they were pushed harder to make an effort. What I mean to say is that worse intermediate test results don't say everything.
Unless you have hard evidence that your fellow TAs are 'gaming the system' I would be hesitant to attach too much meaning to the present facts. If, besides this, their manners are unpleasant or the group atmosphere isn't right, the easiest solution would definitely be to avoid them by not TAing the same course next year.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: It is only my personal anecdote, but sometimes student populations can self-select into weaker/stronger subsets. (Which is to say, foul play isn't necessarily 100% guaranteed despite the lopsided outcomes you are seeing.)
---
One semester, I was assigned to TA one section of students in the morning and another section in the afternoon (both sections were for the same STEM-101 course, going to the same lecture hall for the same professor's lectures, but then splitting off into different sections to work on problem sets in small-groups with TAs available to help with questions).
My morning section seemed to be, on average, more of the "early-bird" and "studious" variety; whereas the afternoon section seemed to be more "laid-back" and "halfhearted" about their studies. Despite my teaching both sections with the same practice material, in the same way with the same effort and care, the second section seemed to always be about half-a-letter-grade behind (on average) compared to the morning section.
Were I not working with both sections myself and grading the work of both sections myself, I would have found the half-a-letter-grade disparity to be extremely alarming - presumably due to either better/worse teaching, easier/harsher grading, or perhaps even cheating.
---
After a semester of interacting with the students I came to learn that more of that morning section were 2nd years majoring along a competitive premed track, compared to my afternoon section which was comprised mostly of 1st-years from a spattering of different non-premed STEM majors.
Upvotes: 2
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| 445
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<issue_start>username_0: I finished my undergraduate studies around 2 and a half years ago. I didn't directly apply to any university to continue my master's degree.
Recently, I decided to continue. I live in Lebanon and I was searching for some universities in the UK to apply for. I found some local agents that help students with their inquiries. They asked me to provide them with 2 academic recommendation letters or either 1 academic and 1 professional.
If anyone saw [my answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/108387/is-it-appropriate-to-email-a-professor-saying-you-enjoyed-their-class-after-doi/108403#108403) around here would know that I am still in contact with one of my professors back in the university. That professor now left this university and even left the country with his family, yet we're still in touch.
My question is the next:
Is it academically appropriate to ask him for a recommendation letter? In case he did write me one, would it be legit to present it since he left the university?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes he can give you a reference.
But he can’t say he is still at X university , it has to be clear he has moved on just in case they try to contact him.
People move all the time...
Some universities still receive reference requests for professors who are no longer available (death, no contact etc) and organize another professor or the Dean to write a reference to help the student.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Yes, he can write a reference for you, outlining how and when he knew you as a student at his former institution, signing it with his current title at his current institution. Happens all the time.
Upvotes: 0
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| 2,392
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<issue_start>username_0: Assume that a given postdoctoral position does not require teaching/laboratory.
>
> Are there postdoc positions for someone who wishes to stay in his/her country and just be in touch with the post-doc advisor by e-mail or/and Skype?
>
>
>
Perhaps communicating only by e-mail may be slightly annoying for some people, so I also suggested Skype.
In my opinion (but correct me if I am wrong), there should be no difference between live meetings and Skype meetings.
**Remark:** Truly, I am asking about a post-doc position in mathematics, but I guess that my question is also relevant for other fields.
**Edit:** I wish to thank all the people answering (or commenting on) my question.<issue_comment>username_1: I think that would be entirely up to whoever is funding and or supervising it. I doubt that many would wish to do so as there is little opportunity for direct supervision or keeping track of the activities of the post-doc. It would seem to depend on an inordinate amount of trust.
If you were the funder, you should probably establish some very regular means of communication to see that your resources aren't being wasted.
Such a thing might be more reasonable if the post-doc and the PI had a regular relationship in the past so that trust was already established.
I don't think there is anything *wrong* with such a thing, I just don't guess anyone would be interested in supervising it. Interesting, but unrealistic.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: There is a BIG difference between in-person and via Skype. I have seen this before on several occasions in industry and it simply does not work as well. I doubt it'd be different in academia. It's much harder to integrate a remote worker into a group, especially if they're in a different timezone. I suspect there would have to be a very compelling reason for most supervisors to agree to this. Maybe they'll do it, but you better be pretty special.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: In person and Skype are completely different. Writing math that you can both see becomes a challenge (in person, it's called a blackboard). I get up to fetch a book: communication is lost. Meeting takes longer than expected and it'd be nice to continue talking over lunch? Very difficult with Skype. More than two people in a meeting? Complete nightmare.
And a postdoc position is not just about talking with your supervisor every now and then. IMO, that's just a recipe for having a terrible time. You are expected to participate in your department's life. This means going to seminars, talk with people who you don't collaborate with, etc. Impossible if you are restricted to formal Skype meetings with your supervisor. Let's say you have a quick question about something you're reading. Are you going to call your supervisor about it? Or go to the office next door and ask, maybe even someone else, like another postdoc or a PhD student who works on the same kind of topic?
What you are describing is a research collaboration with someone else. You check up every now and then for status updates. It's not what most people envision when they think of a postdoc.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: A research group or a PI typically wants a researcher who is more committed to the group and to his/her research projects. In-person presence means you are committing your *life* for the duration of the post-doc to that:
* You're moving to a different city or a different country.
* your daily routine will be very different.
* your circle of human interaction will be people in your research group, department and university (well, not only them, but for most of the day).
* You will be literally, physically, available for your research group members to walk in and bother you with things.
* You will (possibly) be eating and drinking together and perhaps even the same food with your research group colleagues.
* You will endure the same environmental, technical and political inconveniences as your research group colleagues.
So it is an *entirely* different experience than a "virtual" post-doc. It is also why most institutions and researchers are skeptical or not willing to consider such arrangements.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: One thing that hasn't been mentioned in other answers is that the university may have rules that require postdocs to be physically present. Mine does, so this kind of thing would be out of the question. I have no idea how common that is.
I also agree with other answers that say working with an advisor long-distance would be a huge disadvantage. I am a mathematician.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: I know anecdotal answers aren't always approved of on Stack Exchange, but I do know of post-docs who have arranged to work remotely as standard within the same country (the UK), with occasional physical visits (on average once a week or less) due to independent instances of the two body problem for the PI and the post doc.
It's just about conceivable that the same kind of arrangement could be made internationally between countries with sufficiently integrated travel and financial systems (I'm thinking specifically of EU-EU here).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: If you are a postdoc for industry, many things are possible. If you are a postdoc in a University or research institution, your institution is subject to rigorous control, which includes financial transparency and visa compliance. Sure, these problems may be solvable for Prof Famous joining the University of Notmuch. But bending those rules for an average postdoc is extremely unlikely. Finance won't like paying a guy who is not physically on-site for some work which is basically a couple of telephone calls per months. Such schemes are often used by dishonest PIs for tunnel research funds to their relatives or close friends, and they are always a subject of extra scrutiny and extra attention. Finance and HR will not support you or your PI in this, and this alone is the reason why such scheme — although theoretically possible — will not really happen.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: It is possible for a postdoc to be at a different university from the grant-holder (PI), and supervised virtually as a result. It probably requires an unusual source of funding, and entails either frequent visits or else a co-supervisor/collaborator based at the postdoc's institution.
1. An example
Here is an old [job advert](https://web.archive.org/web/20180123180355/www.cgsp.ca/update/call-for-applications-2018-2019-postdoctoral-fellowships-at-the-cgsp) from the CGSP/CPSM, a Canadian research project in social policy. One can find by a little googling that one of the appointees is based on another continent, where they are co-supervised by a professor who is not listed as a collaborator or partner in the CGSP/CPSM. So their supervision by the PI would be mostly virtual (apart from one workshop planned as part of the programme).
In the job advert, you can see some very careful wording about supervisors and co-supervisors to permit exactly this to happen.
2. Something similar in mathematics?
In fact I know the PI in the example above (that's how I heard about it at all). She told me that those postdocs were in some measure based on the [Fields Institute postdocs](http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/honours-and-fellowships/postdoctoral-fellowships) in mathematics. These are not precisely what is being asked for in the question, but show some similarities.
Academics apply to organise "thematic programs" at the Fields Institute in Toronto, and the institute hires postdocs to work on those programs. Unlike the scenario in the question, the postdocs do physically come to Fields. However the organisers could be anywhere in the world, so their supervision of the postdocs may be largely virtual. The postdocs also aim to work with faculty at "sponsor universities" of the Fields Institute and many of these are physically quite distant from Toronto.
The supervision is not entirely virtual as there are workshops and lecture courses every month or two to bring people together physically.
3. Appendix
Of course it can happen that a PI or postdoc has an extended visit at another university or institute, or that the PI moves and it's not possible for the postdoc to follow. If one wanted to see the different ways a "virtual postdoc" could go in practise then those cases might be the place to start.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I'm a postdoc in computer science, working remotely for a UK university, from a different continent.
However, I've been a postdoc for 2 years and it's just the last 3 months of my contract that I've arranged with my supervisor to do remotely, before that I was in the UK.
I'll add my direct experience to the chorus: being remote is hard, for motivation, for having constructive meetings, for being part of the community... there are conceivably tasks that can be done remotely, but research where you need to discuss hard problems with a supervisor are just not well suited for remote work.
A few weeks at a time are manageable, but longer term is a bad idea. On the other hand, I think being on-site once a week or so, is very manageable.
There are also a few administrative obstacles:
* The terms of a fellowship / visa limit how long you're allowed to be away from the UK (it happens I'm not affect by that as I'm an EU citizen, but a friend of mine from Canada is).
* There's a university policy that says that all academic staff have travel insurance when they travel: in this case I'm away without "travelling" and when I travel to the UK I'm at my official workplace, so why would they give me a separate insurance?
* There could be more that I've avoided from doing the remote thing less than 3 months, and other constraints in other countries... I just mention the UK ones I know as examples.
Upvotes: 2
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| 2,276
| 9,476
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<issue_start>username_0: *Nature Communications* has had a [policy](https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms10277) since 2016 that authors are given the option to publish the peer review history of their paper.
Are there other journals with the same initiative?<issue_comment>username_1: I think that would be entirely up to whoever is funding and or supervising it. I doubt that many would wish to do so as there is little opportunity for direct supervision or keeping track of the activities of the post-doc. It would seem to depend on an inordinate amount of trust.
If you were the funder, you should probably establish some very regular means of communication to see that your resources aren't being wasted.
Such a thing might be more reasonable if the post-doc and the PI had a regular relationship in the past so that trust was already established.
I don't think there is anything *wrong* with such a thing, I just don't guess anyone would be interested in supervising it. Interesting, but unrealistic.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: There is a BIG difference between in-person and via Skype. I have seen this before on several occasions in industry and it simply does not work as well. I doubt it'd be different in academia. It's much harder to integrate a remote worker into a group, especially if they're in a different timezone. I suspect there would have to be a very compelling reason for most supervisors to agree to this. Maybe they'll do it, but you better be pretty special.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: In person and Skype are completely different. Writing math that you can both see becomes a challenge (in person, it's called a blackboard). I get up to fetch a book: communication is lost. Meeting takes longer than expected and it'd be nice to continue talking over lunch? Very difficult with Skype. More than two people in a meeting? Complete nightmare.
And a postdoc position is not just about talking with your supervisor every now and then. IMO, that's just a recipe for having a terrible time. You are expected to participate in your department's life. This means going to seminars, talk with people who you don't collaborate with, etc. Impossible if you are restricted to formal Skype meetings with your supervisor. Let's say you have a quick question about something you're reading. Are you going to call your supervisor about it? Or go to the office next door and ask, maybe even someone else, like another postdoc or a PhD student who works on the same kind of topic?
What you are describing is a research collaboration with someone else. You check up every now and then for status updates. It's not what most people envision when they think of a postdoc.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: A research group or a PI typically wants a researcher who is more committed to the group and to his/her research projects. In-person presence means you are committing your *life* for the duration of the post-doc to that:
* You're moving to a different city or a different country.
* your daily routine will be very different.
* your circle of human interaction will be people in your research group, department and university (well, not only them, but for most of the day).
* You will be literally, physically, available for your research group members to walk in and bother you with things.
* You will (possibly) be eating and drinking together and perhaps even the same food with your research group colleagues.
* You will endure the same environmental, technical and political inconveniences as your research group colleagues.
So it is an *entirely* different experience than a "virtual" post-doc. It is also why most institutions and researchers are skeptical or not willing to consider such arrangements.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: One thing that hasn't been mentioned in other answers is that the university may have rules that require postdocs to be physically present. Mine does, so this kind of thing would be out of the question. I have no idea how common that is.
I also agree with other answers that say working with an advisor long-distance would be a huge disadvantage. I am a mathematician.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: I know anecdotal answers aren't always approved of on Stack Exchange, but I do know of post-docs who have arranged to work remotely as standard within the same country (the UK), with occasional physical visits (on average once a week or less) due to independent instances of the two body problem for the PI and the post doc.
It's just about conceivable that the same kind of arrangement could be made internationally between countries with sufficiently integrated travel and financial systems (I'm thinking specifically of EU-EU here).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: If you are a postdoc for industry, many things are possible. If you are a postdoc in a University or research institution, your institution is subject to rigorous control, which includes financial transparency and visa compliance. Sure, these problems may be solvable for Prof Famous joining the University of Notmuch. But bending those rules for an average postdoc is extremely unlikely. Finance won't like paying a guy who is not physically on-site for some work which is basically a couple of telephone calls per months. Such schemes are often used by dishonest PIs for tunnel research funds to their relatives or close friends, and they are always a subject of extra scrutiny and extra attention. Finance and HR will not support you or your PI in this, and this alone is the reason why such scheme — although theoretically possible — will not really happen.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: It is possible for a postdoc to be at a different university from the grant-holder (PI), and supervised virtually as a result. It probably requires an unusual source of funding, and entails either frequent visits or else a co-supervisor/collaborator based at the postdoc's institution.
1. An example
Here is an old [job advert](https://web.archive.org/web/20180123180355/www.cgsp.ca/update/call-for-applications-2018-2019-postdoctoral-fellowships-at-the-cgsp) from the CGSP/CPSM, a Canadian research project in social policy. One can find by a little googling that one of the appointees is based on another continent, where they are co-supervised by a professor who is not listed as a collaborator or partner in the CGSP/CPSM. So their supervision by the PI would be mostly virtual (apart from one workshop planned as part of the programme).
In the job advert, you can see some very careful wording about supervisors and co-supervisors to permit exactly this to happen.
2. Something similar in mathematics?
In fact I know the PI in the example above (that's how I heard about it at all). She told me that those postdocs were in some measure based on the [Fields Institute postdocs](http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/honours-and-fellowships/postdoctoral-fellowships) in mathematics. These are not precisely what is being asked for in the question, but show some similarities.
Academics apply to organise "thematic programs" at the Fields Institute in Toronto, and the institute hires postdocs to work on those programs. Unlike the scenario in the question, the postdocs do physically come to Fields. However the organisers could be anywhere in the world, so their supervision of the postdocs may be largely virtual. The postdocs also aim to work with faculty at "sponsor universities" of the Fields Institute and many of these are physically quite distant from Toronto.
The supervision is not entirely virtual as there are workshops and lecture courses every month or two to bring people together physically.
3. Appendix
Of course it can happen that a PI or postdoc has an extended visit at another university or institute, or that the PI moves and it's not possible for the postdoc to follow. If one wanted to see the different ways a "virtual postdoc" could go in practise then those cases might be the place to start.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I'm a postdoc in computer science, working remotely for a UK university, from a different continent.
However, I've been a postdoc for 2 years and it's just the last 3 months of my contract that I've arranged with my supervisor to do remotely, before that I was in the UK.
I'll add my direct experience to the chorus: being remote is hard, for motivation, for having constructive meetings, for being part of the community... there are conceivably tasks that can be done remotely, but research where you need to discuss hard problems with a supervisor are just not well suited for remote work.
A few weeks at a time are manageable, but longer term is a bad idea. On the other hand, I think being on-site once a week or so, is very manageable.
There are also a few administrative obstacles:
* The terms of a fellowship / visa limit how long you're allowed to be away from the UK (it happens I'm not affect by that as I'm an EU citizen, but a friend of mine from Canada is).
* There's a university policy that says that all academic staff have travel insurance when they travel: in this case I'm away without "travelling" and when I travel to the UK I'm at my official workplace, so why would they give me a separate insurance?
* There could be more that I've avoided from doing the remote thing less than 3 months, and other constraints in other countries... I just mention the UK ones I know as examples.
Upvotes: 2
|
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| 2,468
| 10,515
|
<issue_start>username_0: Recently, I have ran into some issues about reproducibility of some of my research results which are obtained by our collaborators from different university. In fact, in our current repository there are some saved figures and plots which are significantly different from the results of current scripts written by our collaborators. I knew this issue from the beginning but our collaborators explicitly mentioned in their emails that those results are not relevant and the current results which could be obtained from current codes are credible to use, so I didn’t care too much and just used the current results which seem more relevant to me for my presentations, proposal, etc. Recently, my PhD advisor tried to prepare a presentation based on those results and I don’t know why he insists to reproduce those old results which are not matched with current results obtainable by current codes. He sent me an email and its language was like it’s my fault that we could not reproduce those results from collaborators. As a result, I’m thinking am I the one that should be blamed here really? BTW I sent an email to our collaborators and asked for clarification which I didn’t get any response yet. Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated about how to deal with this problem.<issue_comment>username_1: I think that would be entirely up to whoever is funding and or supervising it. I doubt that many would wish to do so as there is little opportunity for direct supervision or keeping track of the activities of the post-doc. It would seem to depend on an inordinate amount of trust.
If you were the funder, you should probably establish some very regular means of communication to see that your resources aren't being wasted.
Such a thing might be more reasonable if the post-doc and the PI had a regular relationship in the past so that trust was already established.
I don't think there is anything *wrong* with such a thing, I just don't guess anyone would be interested in supervising it. Interesting, but unrealistic.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: There is a BIG difference between in-person and via Skype. I have seen this before on several occasions in industry and it simply does not work as well. I doubt it'd be different in academia. It's much harder to integrate a remote worker into a group, especially if they're in a different timezone. I suspect there would have to be a very compelling reason for most supervisors to agree to this. Maybe they'll do it, but you better be pretty special.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: In person and Skype are completely different. Writing math that you can both see becomes a challenge (in person, it's called a blackboard). I get up to fetch a book: communication is lost. Meeting takes longer than expected and it'd be nice to continue talking over lunch? Very difficult with Skype. More than two people in a meeting? Complete nightmare.
And a postdoc position is not just about talking with your supervisor every now and then. IMO, that's just a recipe for having a terrible time. You are expected to participate in your department's life. This means going to seminars, talk with people who you don't collaborate with, etc. Impossible if you are restricted to formal Skype meetings with your supervisor. Let's say you have a quick question about something you're reading. Are you going to call your supervisor about it? Or go to the office next door and ask, maybe even someone else, like another postdoc or a PhD student who works on the same kind of topic?
What you are describing is a research collaboration with someone else. You check up every now and then for status updates. It's not what most people envision when they think of a postdoc.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: A research group or a PI typically wants a researcher who is more committed to the group and to his/her research projects. In-person presence means you are committing your *life* for the duration of the post-doc to that:
* You're moving to a different city or a different country.
* your daily routine will be very different.
* your circle of human interaction will be people in your research group, department and university (well, not only them, but for most of the day).
* You will be literally, physically, available for your research group members to walk in and bother you with things.
* You will (possibly) be eating and drinking together and perhaps even the same food with your research group colleagues.
* You will endure the same environmental, technical and political inconveniences as your research group colleagues.
So it is an *entirely* different experience than a "virtual" post-doc. It is also why most institutions and researchers are skeptical or not willing to consider such arrangements.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: One thing that hasn't been mentioned in other answers is that the university may have rules that require postdocs to be physically present. Mine does, so this kind of thing would be out of the question. I have no idea how common that is.
I also agree with other answers that say working with an advisor long-distance would be a huge disadvantage. I am a mathematician.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: I know anecdotal answers aren't always approved of on Stack Exchange, but I do know of post-docs who have arranged to work remotely as standard within the same country (the UK), with occasional physical visits (on average once a week or less) due to independent instances of the two body problem for the PI and the post doc.
It's just about conceivable that the same kind of arrangement could be made internationally between countries with sufficiently integrated travel and financial systems (I'm thinking specifically of EU-EU here).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: If you are a postdoc for industry, many things are possible. If you are a postdoc in a University or research institution, your institution is subject to rigorous control, which includes financial transparency and visa compliance. Sure, these problems may be solvable for Prof Famous joining the University of Notmuch. But bending those rules for an average postdoc is extremely unlikely. Finance won't like paying a guy who is not physically on-site for some work which is basically a couple of telephone calls per months. Such schemes are often used by dishonest PIs for tunnel research funds to their relatives or close friends, and they are always a subject of extra scrutiny and extra attention. Finance and HR will not support you or your PI in this, and this alone is the reason why such scheme — although theoretically possible — will not really happen.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_8: It is possible for a postdoc to be at a different university from the grant-holder (PI), and supervised virtually as a result. It probably requires an unusual source of funding, and entails either frequent visits or else a co-supervisor/collaborator based at the postdoc's institution.
1. An example
Here is an old [job advert](https://web.archive.org/web/20180123180355/www.cgsp.ca/update/call-for-applications-2018-2019-postdoctoral-fellowships-at-the-cgsp) from the CGSP/CPSM, a Canadian research project in social policy. One can find by a little googling that one of the appointees is based on another continent, where they are co-supervised by a professor who is not listed as a collaborator or partner in the CGSP/CPSM. So their supervision by the PI would be mostly virtual (apart from one workshop planned as part of the programme).
In the job advert, you can see some very careful wording about supervisors and co-supervisors to permit exactly this to happen.
2. Something similar in mathematics?
In fact I know the PI in the example above (that's how I heard about it at all). She told me that those postdocs were in some measure based on the [Fields Institute postdocs](http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/honours-and-fellowships/postdoctoral-fellowships) in mathematics. These are not precisely what is being asked for in the question, but show some similarities.
Academics apply to organise "thematic programs" at the Fields Institute in Toronto, and the institute hires postdocs to work on those programs. Unlike the scenario in the question, the postdocs do physically come to Fields. However the organisers could be anywhere in the world, so their supervision of the postdocs may be largely virtual. The postdocs also aim to work with faculty at "sponsor universities" of the Fields Institute and many of these are physically quite distant from Toronto.
The supervision is not entirely virtual as there are workshops and lecture courses every month or two to bring people together physically.
3. Appendix
Of course it can happen that a PI or postdoc has an extended visit at another university or institute, or that the PI moves and it's not possible for the postdoc to follow. If one wanted to see the different ways a "virtual postdoc" could go in practise then those cases might be the place to start.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_9: I'm a postdoc in computer science, working remotely for a UK university, from a different continent.
However, I've been a postdoc for 2 years and it's just the last 3 months of my contract that I've arranged with my supervisor to do remotely, before that I was in the UK.
I'll add my direct experience to the chorus: being remote is hard, for motivation, for having constructive meetings, for being part of the community... there are conceivably tasks that can be done remotely, but research where you need to discuss hard problems with a supervisor are just not well suited for remote work.
A few weeks at a time are manageable, but longer term is a bad idea. On the other hand, I think being on-site once a week or so, is very manageable.
There are also a few administrative obstacles:
* The terms of a fellowship / visa limit how long you're allowed to be away from the UK (it happens I'm not affect by that as I'm an EU citizen, but a friend of mine from Canada is).
* There's a university policy that says that all academic staff have travel insurance when they travel: in this case I'm away without "travelling" and when I travel to the UK I'm at my official workplace, so why would they give me a separate insurance?
* There could be more that I've avoided from doing the remote thing less than 3 months, and other constraints in other countries... I just mention the UK ones I know as examples.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/11
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<issue_start>username_0: Sometimes it happens that a professor traveling has his TA or RA fill in for him/her delivering a class lecture. Is this experience appropriate for a typical engineering CV, and if so how would it be designated?
[This question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/62599/should-i-add-guest-lecturer-experience-in-my-cv) deals with what sounds to me a somewhat greater honor, being invited to give a lecture in another department at your school. The answers there suggest that this should be listed as a "guest lecture". A related question is whether my first scenario can be described as a "guest lecture". I have seen it described as such on CVs. But my recollection as an undergrad is when a prof mentioned a "guest lecturer" coming, it was usually a bigshot, or some specialist, not some Phd student.
I have a feeling that the professor in the first scenario would use whoever is TAing as substitute, if the TA was at all competent. I have also heard those on search committees say it looks like resume-stuffing and can do more harm than good. On the other hand, a well-received comment by @DavidRicherby in [this post](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/119614/can-i-say-no-when-my-principal-investigator-asks-me-to-help-cover-lectures-next) suggests that it is a good idea to include substitute lecturing for your PI on a CV. Do folks on search committees (whether at more teaching-oriented or research-oriented institutions) have an opinion?<issue_comment>username_1: I would limit the term "guest lecture" to cases where you were specifically invited to give a lecture to the course, because of your ability to contribute something special that the regular instructor could not do. (E.g. you have special expertise on a particular topic, or experiences to relate, or notable achievements, etc.) I wouldn't apply it to simply covering a class (teaching routine material) because the professor is away.
However, you would normally have a separate section on your CV describing your teaching experience, which would include an entry showing that you were a TA for this course. Under this entry, you could describe your duties, which could include something like "occasional lecturing".
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There are two different parts of the CV that you're confusing. One of them is "Invited Talks" (or a similar phrasing) which is part of the research portion of the CV and is intended to show that people are interested in your research. This would include colloquia, conferences, and seminars at other schools. If you're very early career you can include seminars at your own school, provided they're research talks.
A totally different part of the CV is your teaching experience. If you have very little teaching experience and you're applying for jobs that involve teaching, then it would make sense to include that you have lecturing experience substituting in a particular course. If the rest of your teaching experience is just grading or running recitation sections, showing that you have a little experience lecturing to a larger class can look good.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: You are probably correct that *Guest Lecturer* and *Substitute Lecturer* aren't the same thing. But both could be listed on the CV as separate items. You want to make your best case there while being honest and informative. Just label it appropriately and, if necessary, provide a phrase of explanation. "I was honored by Prof Dimsdale to cover several lectures on mumble magic theory".
Normally a Guest Lecturer will speak on a topic of his/her own choosing, whereas a substitute will speak on the normal subject matter of the course.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Rather than asking "Does this count as X on my CV?", you should just describe it as what it is. State in the teaching section of your CV that you gave three lectures in advanced quantum widget theory, covering the absence of the usual lecturer.
Upvotes: 1
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2018/11/11
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<issue_start>username_0: I just graduated in May 2018 with an undergraduate bachelor degree in Computer Science from a pretty good university. During my time at the university, I always had aspirations of attending graduate school for a Masters (as a terminal degree). I had considered studying Computer Science, but during my final semester, I enjoyed the 400-level "Statistics and Probability I" course immensely that I had to take, making me re-think my decision of area of study in graduate school.
I focused mainly on my undergraduate courses along with becoming a course assistant (i.e. like a TA) for a Computer Architecture course for three semesters. I did not do any research or work closely with a professor in a related field while obtaining my degree, something I strongly wish I had done. Although, I have done two computer science-related internships in my final two summers as an undergraduate.
On top of this, my cumulative GPA feels incredibly mediocre at just a 3.34.
I am left with thinking of what the best possible path from here is, in the hopes of obtaining a Masters in Statistics. I have a few options I am looking at:
1.) Graduate schools across the board require letters of recommendations. Yes, I do have the professor I was a course assistant under, another professor that has gotten to know me well through course work, and internship mentors that have seen my industry intership work. However, I have been in talks with a professor on a PhD candidate board that notes that letters of recs for graduate school should come from professors you have worked closely with (i.e. through research) (*he notes no distinction from masters vs. PhD*).
**Should I look for a research assistant position at a university institution before applying for graduate school (i.e. spend about a year doing research - spring and fall) in hopes of gaining experience and having a professor get to know me in an academia sense?**
2.) **Should I apply to a Post-Baccalaureate program in statistics to demonstrate a better GPA and to find a prospecting professor to do research with?** I have the mathematics foundation (e.g. Calc 1, 2, & 3 and linear algebra), however, I obviously do not have a lot of statistics under me (e.g. one course as noted above).
I am leaning towards #1, however, I see the benefits of #2 too.
If anyone has any other recommendations, please send them my way. I am a bit nervous about wasting any time any one area, unless it is the right move. I would greatly appreciate feedback!<issue_comment>username_1: I think you have a steep climb and wonder if there are many places that would accept you directly into an MS in statistics. Your second option would give you the background you need for it. But if you are still at or near U/C then I suggest you go to the Statistics department there (or failing that the Math department) and ask them for advice on how to transition. If you have moved away you might look for a relatively close major university (where they are likely to have a dedicated Stats department) and ask the question there.
It may even be that some department could suggest an optimal path to getting the knowledge and skills that you need to be successful.
I'll also note that an RA position is probably only available to an already admitted student, so your first path may not even be an option. Not at most places in any case.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: There is a big difference between a Masters program and a PhD program, and there is also a difference between a Masters program by coursework, and a Masters program by research. Suitability of programs like these, and their entry requirements, generally depend on the specifics of the program and the entry standards of the university. Having said this, I will try to give some general guidance on this matter.
**Master of Statistics (coursework-based):** For a student such as yourself, who has an undergraduate degree in a quantitative area outside of statistics (but with a small amount of statistics in that program), a Masters degree by coursework would be an obvious place to start. A coursework-based Master of Statistics program is generally a good fit for someone coming over from another quantitative degree. Indeed, these programs are usually *designed* for students who did not do an undergraduate degree in statistics, but have enough background in mathematics to be able to learn the subject more rapidly than would occur in an undergraduate degree. (Student who already have an undergraduate degree in statistics may be able to jump this hurdle and go straight into a PhD program.)
Although it varies by university, entry into a coursework-based Master of Statistics program would not usually require an undergraduate degree in the same field, or any research experience. It would usually be sufficient to have an undergraduate degree in a quantitative subject where you have done the core maths requirements (calculus, linear algebra, etc.) that would allow you to understand graduate-level statistics courses. If this is a program of interest to you, my advice would be to make inquiries with the universities that are suitable to you, and find out the entry requirements for their programs.
**Master of Statistics (research-based):** Research-based programs generally have higher entry expectations than coursework-based programs, so for these programs it might be hard to get in (or to do the work) if you do not have a solid undergraduate education in statistics. For a student like yourself, the more usual path would be to start in a coursework-based masters program first, and then progress to research once you have done enough courses to give you a good grounding in the subject. In some masters programs there is a combination of coursework and then research. The coursework comes first and then the research occurs when you have a solid grounding in the field.
**Putting the cart before the horse:** I am a bit surprised at your suggestion that you would pursue a research assistant position as a means of trying to get entry to a masters program. You already have some experience as a research assistant, so what you are lacking is not this experience, but rather, coursework in statistics. In your situation I would think that you could apply directly for course-work based programs in statistics, and this would then be a lead-in to later research programs.
Upvotes: 2
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2018/11/12
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<issue_start>username_0: Every now and then, a journal retracts a paper for some reason or another. I'm wondering what impact retraction has on copyright, assuming the journal (or its publisher) was given its copyright.
**Question**: Does a journal retracting a paper also renounce copyright?
The notion of "retracting" a paper implies "we don't want it" to some extent (particularly if it is a journal-initiated retraction), which I feel may be interpreted as renouncing copyright altogether.<issue_comment>username_1: Not automatically. Assuming this is a journal where authors assign them copyright, then the author has signed over the copyright and the article "belongs" to the publisher now. Whether they choose to publish it, retract it, or make and market paper aeroplanes from it is none of the author's concern.
However, copyright transfer agreements sometimes (usually?) have a clause stating that if the journal doesn't publish it, copyright will revert to the author. I'm not sure whether that would apply in the event of a retraction, but the only way to tell would be to check the wording of that agreement.
Disclaimer: IANAL, and this is not legal advice.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Good question. As far as I can tell, the answer is "no" and the journal retracting the paper still retains copyright (if it was given the copyright in the first place).
Here're some retraction policies: [one](https://publications.agu.org/author-resource-center/publication-policies/retraction-policy/), [two](https://publishing.aip.org/authors/retraction-correction), [three](https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal). Although the question you ask is not discussed, two things can be noted:
* Even if a paper is retracted, the publisher still distributes it (as in, it's still available from the journal's website). What changes is that the publisher makes it clear that the article is retracted.
* The publisher only stops distributing the paper if they are legally obliged to do so (e.g. if the copyright is actually held by someone other than the authors, and the authors had no legal standing to sign the copyright to the publisher).
Since the publisher needs the copyright (or permission from the copyright holder) to distribute the paper, the logical answer is "no".
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: In general, no, but there is a lot of nuance to the question.
-------------------------------------------------------------
First, you did not specify your jurisdiction. While many international treaties provide a degree of uniformity to copyright questions, there are significant differences between jurisdictions. For example, the U.S. is notorious for having very limited and weak "Moral Rights" while they are quite strong and significant in Canada. I am not actually aware of any differences in any jurisdiction that will make the answer to this question differ, but I cannot guarantee they do not exist. The best advice is that if you face this question in a way that will have real consequences, **you should consult a qualified attorney in the jurisdiction in question**
With that said, nothing about retraction inherently relinquishes copyrights. In fact, under most circumstances, the copyright holder may elect to not publish something while still forbidding any others from publishing. In other words, a copyright holder may choose to use copyright to prevent any publication.
However, this ultimately comes down to the contracts and specific statements involved. While I haven't ever seen this happen, a publisher could elect to disavow copyright (or release to the public domain) at the same time as they retract.
Its also possible that the publication never held the copyright at all, but only held a license to distribute. This is in fact what I granted with my last publication rather than a transfer of the copyright.
Even if the copyright is transferred to the publishers, there may be a clause that transfers it back if it is not published within the specified time or is withdrawn within that time (2 years is common).
TLDR: Retraction does not by itself change the copyright and it is likely the publisher either continues to retain the copyright or an exclusive license to the article. But that is a rule of thumb rather than an absolute and you will have to evaluate the circumstances around any particular article individually.
Upvotes: 2
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